Page 5 of Underneath the Mask

Snap out of it!I scold myself, blinking several times to clear the glazed over dryness. Once my vision clears, I realize his shadow cloaked figure no longer fills the doorway. My eyes dart across the room, frantically searching for movement. Finally, I spot his neon threads glowing on the other side of the supply closet. He’s looking at the screen of his phone and there’s a blinking dot that can only be me. He takes a step to the right and checks the screen.Has he been following me?My lips open and close, not making a noise as I choke on my silent scream. He slips his phone in his pocket and starts pulling things off the shelves and racks. When he comes up empty-handed, he turns to face the shelf where I am hiding. Through the yoga mat turned telescope, I can see splatters of blood on his shoes. The sight of the blood makes me woozy and lightheaded, not because I’m not used to seeing it.That blood could have easily been mine.Shit, my blood could still end up on his shoes tonight and the thought of it has me breathing heavily as I succumb to a panic attack. I cover my mouth with my hand, focusing on small sips of air from my shallow breathing at first before switching to a slower, more meditative pattern. All I can think about is trying not to move and hoping I’ve made myself small enough to beoverlooked.I should have locked myself in with the key.The regret rushes through my thoughts.This is bad, so bad. And what the actual fuck was wrong with me for fantasizing about him a few minutes ago?Even now, my pussy is humming with desire as I contemplate all the wrong decisions I made tonight. Intrusive thoughts flash through my head as I imagine him finding me. Above me, he’s clearing the shelves. I’m running out of luck, I realize as I gulp down a wave of terror. I want to slam my eyes shut and disappear: to somehow make a grand escape. At this point, I’m desperate enough to try anything. I close my eyes and count backwards from ten, but when I open them, I’m greeted by the fluorescent glow of his neon eyes staring right at me from his perfect view of everything on the bottom shelf. I gulp, swallowing the lump forming in my throat.Fuck!

***

“There you are, Amanda,” his voice is menacing. It’s a deep rumble. I’m captivated, but only for a minute, before my ears realize he’s using something to distort his voice, as if he’s afraid I might recognize it. “What a naughty girl you are hiding like a little moth, drawn to the darkness, and unable to escape me.”

The blood rushes through my ears, and I open then close my mouth to respond, but no sound comes out. I want to scream.What good would that do when there’s nobody around to hear it?I want to run, but his large form towers over me, filling all the space between us with his shadows. I don’t stand a chance against him. Maybe I can persuade him not to murder me by enticing him with something else. My pussy throbs, guiltily starved for the sensation of being stretched out and filled. Realizing I’m just staring at him and before anything else can happen, his hand wraps around my ankle. He gives onehard tug and I come flying off the shelf, right into his waiting arms. I should be fucking terrified. My nipples bud, hardening while he holds me pressed against his wide, muscular chest. It’s impossible to control my thoughts. I’m enjoying this all too much and it’s sickening, but I can’t stop. His body radiates heat in a way I didn’t realize it would. Every nerve inside me has erupted with pleasure. He feels dangerous: it’s fucking irresistible.

“So nice running into you here tonight, completely unplanned, and all alone,” he croons, tormenting me as the depraved depths of my cunt clench, trying to contain the juices leaking out inviting his cock to take me in exchange for my life. Even if he doesn’t let me live, fulfilling some of my fantasies might just be enough to help me come to terms with dying. I mean, on the plus side, I would die a satisfied woman.

I say nothing once more. It feels as if every inch of me is plastered to him: savoring and delighting in the calm, even way his chest rises and falls.

His fingertips dance their way down my jaw until he’s tipping my head up to stare at the glowing threads. “My, my, my, Amanda. What’s a stunning woman like you doing out all alone like this?” He tsks.

I get the feeling he’s not waiting for an answer as he continues reprimanding me.

“You’re lucky I’ve been watching you. That man was planning to hurt you, but I couldn’t let him do that to you, Amanda.” He rasps.

A small nervous squeak escapes my lips.He’s been watching me. How long?I wonder.

“Don’t be scared, Amanda. I’m not here to hurt you. I only want to be rewarded. You see, I have these thoughts about you and I just can’t get them out of my head.” Every word that leaves his mouth is dripping with danger.

Is he saying what I think he’s saying?Excitement pulses through me, and I’m genuinely curious about what he has in mind. But only for a moment. Trying hard to be brave, I whisper, “What is it you want from me?”

Even though his body is warm and inviting, I tremble in his arms. Fear grips every nerve in my body. He gives a satisfied huff, gloating at having trapped me into asking.

“I’m so glad you inquired,” he says, snatching a strand of my hair from my ponytail and giving it a twirl around his index finger before smelling it.

When I yank my head away from him, he releases the hair, catching me instead by the base of my ponytail and pulling my neck into an exposed position. I hold my breath, unable to move if I wanted to. It’s harrowing as bone chilling second after second ticks by. Until finally, a finger brushes across the tender soft skin on my neck. His rough skin tickles enough to tempt me into closing my eyes and making this psycho happy. Then I can run home to safety.

It’s almost as if he can sense my brain buzzing back to life and plotting an escape. In an attempt to steal my thundering heart‘s attention back to him, he growls in a deep, rumbly throaty voice, “I want to fuck those pretty lips and then feel your wet little cunt wrapped around me.”

I become as rigid as the victim I am, trapped in my predator’s firm grasp. He controls my every move. He controls my fate; whether I live or meet the same fate as the man he killed for following me. I can tell he’s waiting for a response.

“Yes,” I whisper.

“Mmmmm.” I can feel his chest vibrate against me with his satisfied moan. “I was hoping you’d put up more of a fight, but I suppose willing participation can be appreciated. Let’s just pretend, for now, that you need a little more motivation.”

Just like that, he shoves me back and pulls a knife from his pocket. He drags me after him from the supply closet and out onto the main floor.

“I love an audience, but I don’t want any interruptions.” He says, steering us to the posing room. He flips the sign on the door over toIn Use,then pulls us inside.

“I can’t wait to watch you. Maybe you’ve noticed. It’s a hobby of mine.” The masked man rumbles before he closes the door and locks it.

The room is dark right now, but track lighting runs across the ceiling for maximum control. One wall of the room is covered in mirrors. My reflection stares back at me and I look away, ashamed of what I’m about to do.

“Undress.” He commands.

I grip the edges of my hoodie to pull it over my head, but his words make me pause.

“Stop,” he demands.

“What?” I ask, my brows furrowing together.

“What do you say?” He replies, holding his hand up to his ear.

I roll my eyes, annoyed but still too terrified to complain. I decide to cooperate since it gives me the best chance of survival.

”What do you want me to call you?” I ask, not wanting to spend any more time than I have to with my masked captor.

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