Page 3 of The Seducer
“Someone likeme?” The tic in the nerve by my eye was growing stronger as I picked up a glass of water from my side table.
Athena’s eyes fell to the water and my first inclination was to ask if she was thirsty, but the primitive savage she had deemed me wouldn’t do that, so I didn’t.
“Honestly, I don’t care where you sleep as long as you don’t disturb me and the rest of the house.” Puffing my pillows and making myself comfortable on the bed, I added, “You can grab one of my t-shirts in the closet to sleep in.”
Her answer came promptly, “No thank you.”
Provoked, I looked at Athena as she stood in the middle of the room, like she was afraid of touching anything that might have Nmen bacteria on it.
“Oh, so you’re too good to wear one of my t-shirts?”
She kept her eyes on the headboard of my bed and muttered low: “I would rather sleep naked than wear your clothes.”
About a thousand answers popped into my mind, but I wasn’t in the mood to crack a joke.
For five long minutes, I waited with my eyes closed. My breathing was calm, and the room was almost dark – and yet, I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t that I was afraid Athena could leave the room, since the locking mechanism required a code. It was the thought of what I would’ve done if I had been in her situation. I had already counted all the heavy objects in the room that she could hit me on the head with while I slept. I was also aware of the rope in my bag that I used for rock climbing. What if she found it and tied me up, or even worse, strangled me?
Momsies were soft and peace-loving as far as I knew, but wouldn’t being taken a hostage trigger most people to do what it took to survive? What if Athena truly believed that I was a primitive savage?
Maybe I should have told her that I was a doctor and that my life revolved around easing people’s pain. Why hadn’t I?
Thinking it over, I concluded that it was her resentment and dismissal of me that had provoked me to behave this rudely.
“Will you just find a place to sleep already?” I snapped and the sound of her footsteps stopped.
Until it began again.
“Look, I don’t know what the fuck you think you’re doing but you’ve been in every corner of this room and there isn’t much to see in the darkness,” I barked at her. “Either you find a place to sleep or seriously, I will tie you down and gag you.”
Athena made a displeased sound when her tongue clicked against her palate, but it didn’t stop her from moving to the window again.
“Okay, that’s it, lady. I warned you!” Turning on the light, I jumped out of bed and stalked toward my sports bag, then pulled out the ropes.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was high-pitched and she moved back, her eyes wide and frightened.
“Get on the bed,” I ordered.
“No!” she cried and when I had her cornered she tried to get around me. As if that was ever going to happen.
With Athena wriggling in my arms, I hissed against her ear: “You obviously don’t have the emotional range to understand what it means to a man to get his night’s sleep.”
“We can talk about this,” she cried.
“Nahh, I tried and you refused to talk to me, now we’re doing it my way.” Without much difficulty, I carried her to the bed, annoyed that she wouldn’t stop screaming. If I didn’t get her to shut up, I would have someone storm my room and then I would never get to sleep.
Covering her mouth, I threatened her. “Be quiet or I will knock you out.”
That only made her muffled screams behind my hand even louder. In frustration, I used my free hand to pull off my t-shirt and gagged her with it.
Athena’s eyes were shooting daggers at me and all the judgment and loathing pouring from her made me mad as hell. It was because of women like her that we Nmen lived in isolation from the rest of the world.
After the Toxic War four hundred years ago, women had outnumbered men and my forefathers had been left with two options only: retreat to the north or be ruled by women. We modern Nmen were still paying the price and lived our lives deprived of the luxury of seeing other parts of the world, or enjoying the softness of a female.
“Since you said you would rather sleep naked than in one of my t-shirts, let me help you.” Despite Athena’s wriggling her body in resistance, I got her shirt off and tossed it to the floor. That left her with a white camisole with laces and my inner voice was telling me to leave it on, but then she wriggled her hand out of my hold and scratched me with her nails.
I saw red and lifted my hand to strike her, but despite my haze of anger, I couldn’t.
A minute later, Athena lay naked and bound on my bed while I stood shaking by the foot end. In my profession, I’d had the privilege of treating some of the few women who lived here in the Northlands, but none of them had ever removed all of their clothes.
