Page 11 of Obsessed

Blake looks starry eyed and happy to be sitting on a yacht with the man he loves. And out from under the watchful eye of the man he serves. The entire atmosphere on the boat is lighter without Kane onboard.

Blake holds up a glass filled with a cold, slushy drink. "Here you go, darlin'. This one has your name on it." He's definitely drunker than I anticipated. It seems luck is still with me. There is no mention of nectar, except for in my mind where the pleasure centers in my brain are silently begging for it. I have to consciously avoid rubbing my arms or risk bringing it to Blake'sattention.

I walk over and take the drink from his hand. I glance around at the endless scenery and focus on the shoreline. "I would love to take a walk around the shopping village I see in the distance. I can't buy anything but since I've been penniless most of my life, I've perfected the art of window shopping. Or kiosk shopping in the case of the open air market." I end my little wishful thinking session with a pleading smile. "Since Mr. Freestone isn't around, maybe I could walk about for just an hour. I won't belong."

Blake looks over at the guards. They are both wearing black sunglasses, making it impossible to read their thoughts. In fact, it is always impossible to know what they are thinking. They play the part of the unflappable guards very well, like they've been trained to stand outside Buckingham Palace in tall black hats. In the end, I know Blake is higher on the decision pole than either of the guards. Especially when it comes to me. That thought suddenly fills me with icy dread, something that selfishly hadn't occurred to me until right now. What will happen to Blake if I run? Will he be punished or sent back to the streets? Or worse? I have no choice but to push the ugly thoughts from my head. I have togo.

"Sure, darlin', I guess a little shore excursion won't hurt. I can even lend you a few dollars. Maybe you can buy yourself a straw hat. Your nose is starting to look a little Rudolph-y."

"Yay. Thank you so much. I'll make it short. I'll go into the bedroom and put on some sun block first." I decide to play the perfectly obedient little captive so as not to let on anything is amiss. I rush into the room and find a tube of sun block in the well stocked bathroom. I smear it on quickly and then mentally slow myself down before walking calmly back up to thedeck.

11

Angie

The guards are standingat the railing, lowering the gangplank to the dock. Blake has pulled on his own straw hat. My heart sinks low in my chest as I realize they are all planning to tag along with me, making my escape tougher. In fact, two massive, relentless bodyguards and an equally attentive personal assistanttougher.

"Are you ready?" Blakeasks.

"Uh huh." My earlier enthusiasm has wilted like a dying flower. My only hope is that they are all drunk enough on tequila to let their eagle eye watch over me morph more into a sparroweye.

Blake walks next to me along the dock, while Jason leads the way and Oscar brings up the rear. It feels like we are on a runway, putting on a show for the other yacht owners. I feel a bit like a prisoner being transported to a new facility. The odd procession of the skinny red head being escorted by three men along the dock, two of them menacing, draws attention from the other boaters. One particularly snooty looking woman, who looks as if she's just had her lips plumped, lifts her sunglasses to stare boldly at me from the deck of her expensive yacht. I shrink down under her glower. Paranoia creeps into me as I mull the possibility that everyone in the marina saw Kane and me at the stern. A warm blush creeps up my skin, making the tingling sensations worse, as I talk myself into the idea that everyone wants to get a good look at the woman who openly had anal sex in front of the whole damn dock. I know the unsettling paranoia is from the nectar but it doesn't help ease mymind.

I release a sigh when we are finally off the dock and out of sight of the other boats. Some of my earlier hope returns, along with a rush of adrenaline, when we reach the open market. It's packed with people, locals, anxious to sell their wares and vacationers, anxious to fill their suitcases with unnecessarysouvenirs.

Jason stops at the entrance of the market. Even with his dark sunglasses, I have no doubt he is watching me. With the slightest lift of his chin, he gives Blake the go ahead to lead me into the market. I truly am a prisoner, and the guards know that if their ward runs off, there will be hell topay.

Blake and I stop at a stand with straw hats. I pretend to be interested in choosing one. I see Oscar walk through the market, head and shoulders above everyone else. His big, dark head stops at the end of the market stalls. A guard at each end and my personal guard at my side. It doesn't make for an easy escape. In between trying to figure out how to get out of their line of sight for long enough to make a run for it, I'm feeling less and less confident about leaving at all. The nectar has me under its control, possibly even more than the man who formulatedit.

Blake is grinning ear to ear as he jams a wide brimmed hat onto my head. "Jason and I are really bonding on this trip. We needed this timeaway."

"That's great." I force a smile. Without thinking, I rub my arm vigorously to stop the invisibleants.

Blake's mouth drops open. "Oh fuck. We forgot your injection." He speaks loud enough to draw the attention of two women also perusing the hats. We are all so sheltered it seems we've forgotten what it's like out inpublic.

"I'm fine," I say quietly. "You can give it to me when we get back." There's just enough edge in my tone to make him worrymore.

"Maybe we should cut this trip short." He takes hold of my elbow and leads me away from the hats and the nosy women. "The boss is already angry about the extra dose I gave you before we left. If I don't keep you onschedule—"

"Stop," I say curtly. "I'm fine. You said he won't be back for a fewhours."

"What the hell do I know? You might have noticed that the man doesn't exactly share personal details about hisday."

"Please, let's just stay a littlelonger."

Blake follows close at my heels as I wander over to a produce stand. The heady fragrance of tropical fruit in the hot sun should make my mouth water. Instead, I feel sick to my stomach. I force myself to taste a sample of the mango being held out to me by the round-cheeked produceseller.

Blake has temporarily forgotten his anguish as he picks up a cup of freshly cut papaya. "This is Jason's favorite." He glances toward the front of the market where Jason is standing, looking completely out of place in his black t-shirt andsunglasses.

I elbow Blake. "Buy him some. He looks awfully hot standing there. I bet he'll appreciate it." I wink. The simple gesture hurts my head, reminding me that the headache is gaining inintensity.

Blake likes my idea and digs into his pocket for some money. "While you're handing out cash, I would love one of those pastries from that cart overthere."

Blake looks more than a little shocked. "You are craving food and fattening food at that? Can't say no. Here you go." He drops some cash into my hand and picks up the biggest cup of papaya. "Buy your pastry and make sure it's the one with the most calories. I'm going to take the fruit toJason."

My muscles tighten and I go into flight mode. I would give anything to be free of the hampering side effects and residual lack of clarity left behind by the nectar. Angie Tennyson would not only have run by now, but she would have been halfway home. The thought of home makes my chest tighten and pushes steely resolve throughme.

I glance toward Oscar. His focus is on a pair of street vendors arguing about something. Blake has Jason's full attention and vice versa. Young love has given me my opportunity. I slip past the pastry cart and shoot out to the street. A sharp horn grabs my attention. I jump back out of the way of a taxi cab that is barreling throughtown.

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