Page 172 of Hayden's Stalker

Sure enough, when Sarah’s finished choosing a movie, she sits back and crosses one leg over the other while facing me and her skirt rides further up when she does. She gives me what I’m sure she thinks is a seductive smile but only serves to make me feel even sicker.

“We should wait for Daniel, or he’ll be sad.” She gives her high-pitched laugh again, and the sound is like nails on a chalkboard for me. “I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying that.”

She leans forward and places her hand casually on my leg. My body stiffens at her touch, and she tuts as she shakes her head at me.

“You’ll get used to me, Hayden.” She strokes her hand back and forth on my inner thigh, and I can’t stop myself from retching. Her jaw tightens, and she says, “You know, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy says that exposure treatment can be very effective.” Her hand inches closer to my cock, and I retch again.“I’m committed to this relationship, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help you get through this, baby.”

She kisses my lips softly, and there’s a loud cough from behind the sofa. I’m so close to vomiting, and I desperately want to wipe away her kiss, but my hands are tied down on my lap in front of me, so I can’t. I tell myself that surely Sarah wouldn’t have sex with me until she trusts me to be untied, but I’m worried that I’m wrong.

“You’re back, sugar. We were waiting for you so we could start the movie,” she says in the saccharine tone she always uses with him.

He settles himself next to her on the sofa, and she starts the film playing. I know the one she’s chosen, and I was at the premiere because Ariana’s uncle played the lead, and we have a song on the soundtrack.

As the moment it plays in the film approaches, Sarah turns to me, her eyes wide with excitement. “Oh my god, Hayden. Can you sign along, please? I’dloveto hear you sing this.”

“Gabriel’s the lead,” I say with a shrug.

“Yes, but I know you know the lyrics.” She gives her laugh. “I mean, you wrote them, didn’t you?”

She’s not wrong. We wrote this song specifically to fit the film, and we worked on it for a long time to make it perfect.

“Please,” she begs.

I figure that if this is something I can do to keep her happy with me, I’d much prefer singing to sex. So I nod, and she squeals as she claps her hands.

I turn back to the film, not wanting to actually serenade her by looking into her eyes while I sing it because it plays during the one romantic scene that seems to be allocated to every action film.

The lyrics are about wanting someone so badly that you’d give up the world for them, and I envisage Tati in front of me as Ising. For so many years, I wanted someone who I could love and who would love me back equally. Some who I felt as strongly as I do for Tatiana Swanson. Now that I’ve found her, I’m not going to let a little thing like being kidnapped stop me from being with her.

When the short snippet from the song finishes, Sarah cheers and claps. “Oh my god, that wasamazing. I’ve beensojealous of Daniel the whole tour because he’s been able to see you perform so many times. I wish it could’ve been me on the tour instead, but it doesn’t matter because you’re here, and you sangjust for me. Thank you so much.”

She leans over and hugs me as she kisses my cheek, but I don’t acknowledge it and keep my face firmly toward the screen. In her excitement, she doesn’t seem bothered by my lack of enthusiasm and soon turns her face back to the screen as well.

I spend the rest of the film formulating lyrics in my head for a song about Tati. Music is my safe haven, and writing a song in my head allows me to focus on that instead of where I am and who I’m with.

“Why don’t we have some beers?” Sarah says with a smile as she picks another film. “Can you get those for us, sugar?”

“Sure.”

Daniel walks away, and my heart pounds as I’m once again left alone with Sarah. I sing through the melody of the song I’m writing in my head until she focuses her attention on me. I can’t manage to keep myself distracted from my racing heart and the cold sweat on my neck when she leans back toward me again, pulling her shirt down a little more as she does.

“I always wondered if the rumors about you guys were true, you know,” she says by way of a conversation starter.

“What rumors?” I ask with a frown.

“You know, the usual, that Sebastian has a big cock.” She looks down at my jeans, then back up at me. “Other people sayyours is as big as his, but you just pull it out less often, so there are fewer people to confirm.” She places her hand on my thigh and strokes it, sending chills down my spine. “I haven’t seen Sebastian’s, but yours seems like it will be very satisfying for me.”

It reminds me that she watched me in the bathroom last night. I want to crawl out of my skin and leave this place forever, leaving behind the parts of me that she’s touched. Maybe I could grow new skin like a snake. If only.

Her hand comes closer and closer to my cock, and I mentally prepare for her to touch it, dreading the moment it happens. She watches me, and I work hard to keep my expression neutral, not wanting to give away how much I hate this and her.

Sarah seems satisfied because she says, “There. Exposure therapy is working, baby.” She brings her lips close to my ear as her hand brushes my crotch. “I can’t wait to ride you.”

The nausea is overwhelming when she touches me and says those words, and I retch so hard that I can taste the bile. My body jerks over and over, making me certain I’m going to revisit our breakfast before I manage to fight it back.

Sarah gives a big sigh. “I really thought we were making progress, but apparently not. I guess it’s only been two days. That’s nothing in the scheme of things, and one day we’ll look back on this and laugh at how silly you’re being right now.”

I fucking doubt it, but I’m still fighting hard against my nausea, so I don’t respond. She gives me some relief by pulling back from me to sit back against the sofa, and after a moment more, Daniel is back with the beers.

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