Page 32 of Run

Chapter Eighteen

Work passes so slowly knowing that my Lily is waiting for me in the cellar playroom. She was such a good girl when I released her from her shackles, and even thanked me as I brought a bed down to her between my online meetings. The frown when I chained her to the bedpost wasn’t nice, but I understand her reluctance to be bound all the time. I just need to trust her a little bit more before she has free roam of her room, even though she’d never make it past the security door that opens from her space to the garage.

Lunch time can’t come soon enough, and I’m excited to take a break from tampering with my legal documents to make her food that I know she’ll enjoy. Kendra and Jack in the office can wait an extra couple hours for the paperwork they requested.

No more spitting your meals in my face, princess.

I find myself humming one of my mother’s songs as I sear the sides of the sirloin steaks and mash the fresh potatoes with milk and sour cream. The smell of asparagus roasting in the oven adds to the scents of the meat and cream, turning my kitchen into an olfactory sensation in itself.

Magnolia is down in the cellar with her, and I miss the pitter patter of little feet on the floor as I plate two meals and scrape the scraps into a stainless-steel bowl for her.

“Lunch with my two girls.” I say to myself, grabbing everything I need and placing it on a wooden tray, including a small clear bud vase with a single red rose. “???????????. Perfect”

The stairs creek under my feet, and my boots clunk loudly on the wooden planks as I descend into the cellar with a lunch fit for a queen. The sound of my arrival is drowned out by the scraping of metal on concrete as Lily paces back and forth at the bottom of her new bed. She looks stressed, wringing her hands together, covered in nothing but a pair of my boxers and one of my gym t-shirts.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, setting the tray down on the workbench and adjusting the little flower so it sits just right.

“What’s wrong? I’m locked in a basement, God knows where, chained to a bed.”

“I know princess. Things will get easier soon, remember what I said.” I say to her, pulling her to me, wrapping my arms around her, and resting my chin on the top of her head when she leans into me.

“I know, I know. It all depends on me.” She sighs, pulling away and looking up at me with those stormy eyes. “I’m being good.”

“Yes you are. I’m so proud of you.” I say, leaving her to fetch her meal, setting it down on the foot of her bed after smoothing out the covers so the tray doesn’t tip and spill. “Lunch?”

I know it’s absolutely insane of me to think she can just live a normal life down here. I know I couldn’t do it, to sleep, eat, and do everything else in the same few square feet, chainedto an inanimate object with just enough length to make it to the bathroom and to pace the room like she is.

“I’m not hungry.” She says, and when her stomach grumbles in protest at her small defiance, I chuckle at her, lifting her fork from the tray and offering her a bite of steak.

“I know that’s a lie, so come here and have some. It’s good, I promise.”

“You make a lot of promises.”

“And I keep them all. Come on Lily, be a good girl and eat something for me. I would hate to have to feed all this to Magnolia and not you.”

At the mention of her name, my best girl ever wakes up from her spot by the bottom of the steps and pads over to us, shoving her wet nose into my empty hand.

With an exaggerated sigh, Lily flops down on the bed, shaking the tray, almost knocking it over.

“How do you do it girl?” She asks the dog, patting her thigh so Magnolia leaves me and trots around the bed to her. “How do you live with this incorrigible man?”

Magnolia looks to me for approval before sitting down next to Lily’s legs, and when I nod my approval, she leans against her, nuzzling up to her, accepting head pets and ear scratches. The little groan of pleasure she makes when Lily plays with her cropped ears is adorable, and I can almost see her as a little puppy again, before I trained her to be the ruthless killer she is. My heart makes a little flip in my chest watching them, and I have to rub my sternum with the heel of my hand to get it to settle down.

“I’m not incorrigible.” I whine playfully, slicing her steak into bite sized strips. “Here eat.” I add, tapping her plate with the fork.

She looks at the food like it’s poison, wrinkling her forehead and poking at it with her finger like it’s going to jump off the plate and bite her. When she touches the petals of the rose, I pull it from the vase and tuck it in her hair, smiling at her.

“A flower for a flower?” She says trying not to give a little giggle.

I can tell she wants to give it, to relax, to enjoy herself, but I can’t blame her for holding back, especially when her chains rattle as she tries to pull her leg up on the bed to curl it under her ass.

“A thing of beauty for a beautiful woman.” I say, kneeling down at her feet, pulling out the key from my back jeans pocket, and unlocking her metal cuff.

She sighs as I massage her ankle and foot, kissing it gently as I do, showing or, at least trying to show her that I’m not all monster inside. Her skin is soft, but there’s a small mark from the metal, and I pay extra attention to the spot, rubbing it with my thumbs to soothe the skin.

“That’s nice.” She moans, making me look up at her and the way she leans back on her elbows, her eyes closed, allowing herself to enjoy my touch.

“More?”

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