Page 93 of To Save Him

“Just a few more minutes,” he said, reassuring me that I wouldn’t have much longer to continue breathing the stale, steamy air trapped under the pillowcase.  As he led me away from the car, I could hear my heels tapping on concrete, and that sound made me realize we were walking on a sidewalk.

In spite of the overcoat, I could feel a cool breeze on my bare legs, and I breathed the fresh air through my nostrils, realizing rain was on the way.  But my ears were sharp as I listened for any sounds around where we were while I tried to identify the part of town we were on.  No luck, though, as my gait slowed down to match Brandon’s.  All I heard in the short distance was one car driving by on the asphalt and a horn honk about a block away.  So I was pretty certain we were still in town but we weren’t in an area that had heavy traffic.

I could no longer speculate when Brandon began talking to someone nearby just as drops of water began to fall from the sky.  It was a slight pitter patter but I found myself tuning into it, because something about it was quelling my stormy insides.  After a short exchange where Brandon said something that made no sense to me, we walked inside a door.  It wasn’t hot or stuffy in there, but the coolness of the evening no longer surrounded my bare legs.  Once I heard the door close behind me, Brandon said, “Hold still,” as I felt his hands pulling on the pillow case.

The first thing I did when it came off was take a deep breath of air.  It was much fresher than what I’d been taking in, but it certainly wasn’t like what we’d just walked through outside.  In here, there was a bit of a spicy smell to the atmosphere but nothing I could identify.  Next, I let my eyes adjust to sight again.  Brandon was looking at me through his plain black mask, his expression a mixture of contentedness and mischief, and I couldn’t figure out which mood was lording over him.  He folded the satin pillowcase and tucked it into a pocket on his suit jacket before taking my arm, and it was then that I allowed myself a look around the room.  It was decorated much like the lobby of a hotel, only smaller and more intimate.  The walls were almost a gold color but paler, and in front of us was a desk of sorts.  It was of dark wood and looked more like a bar, except there were no drinks.  A pale woman with black hair who seemed barely older than my daughter stood.  I speculated to her age, because she wore a mask like mine that covered her eyes.  There was no smile on her face but she still seemed amused somehow.  Brandon simply said, “We have reservations,” and handed her a card.

The young girl scrutinized his card and then looked down at her book.  She turned a page and then looked up to say, “Upstairs.  Second door to your left.”  Brandon nodded and began leading me to the right where the staircase disappeared behind a wall.  “Have fun.”

I wanted to roll my eyes or vomit—I couldn’t figure out which.  Instead, I sucked in a deep breath and followed Brandon’s lead.  Once we were halfway up the stairs, I asked, “What is this place?”

He smiled and slowed his pace.  “It looks like an average ordinary upper middle class home from the outside.  Inside, though?  It’s a place that caters to any appetite you can imagine.  See, Kimberly, you think that everyone in your town is a God-fearing, law-abiding do-gooder.  I see here that a good many folks in this area are repressed and need an outlet.”  As we reached the top of the staircase, he winked at me.  “I found the outlet.”  As we walked past an open door, I couldn’t resist the urge to look.  A man was standing but his arms were chained up and away from his body.  A woman in black leather held a riding crop and swatted his bare ass.  Instead of yelling in pain, I could hear him suck air through his teeth and moan.

He liked it.

I hoped my fear didn’t show through my eyes, because I was wondering what the hell was in store for me as we moved down the hall.  I forced my eyes away from the scene in the room, but not before the woman in black smirked at me.  She too wore a red mask that covered the top half of her face, but her disdain and desire were evident just the same.

She would have loved to devour me.

“Kimberly, you’re not the only one here with secrets…but we’re here because I want to help you let go.”

As his hand touched a doorknob, I pondered that statement.  He wanted to helpme?  I’d never said I needed or wanted help, and part of me wanted to spur with him…except he opened the door and the heavy smell of sex wafted into my nostrils and made my nipples harden without my consent.

What the hell was I walking into?

 

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