Total pages in book: 767
Estimated words: 732023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3660(@200wpm)___ 2928(@250wpm)___ 2440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 732023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3660(@200wpm)___ 2928(@250wpm)___ 2440(@300wpm)
When I get to my room, there are towels and a heap of linen on the bed, together with my purse. In the cupboard, I find three black maid’s dresses in my size. There’s no key in the lock and no chair or other piece of furniture I can push against the door, not that it will do me any good. I made a deal with a monster, and the only way to survive is to honor it.
The first thing I do, is extract my phone and call Kris.
She answers immediately. “Tell me you’re all right.”
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you?”
“At Gabriel Louw’s house.”
“Did he…?”
A flush works its way up my neck. He will, but I can’t tell Kris. She’s got enough on her plate. “No. How’s Charlie?”
“He was upset when I fetched him, but he’s calm, now. He’s watching television.”
“Thank you, Kris.” I blink away the moisture in my eyes. “I didn’t know who else to call.”
“You did the right thing to call me. I was worried sick about you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I tried your phone several times. Why didn’t you answer?”
“I was working.”
“Doing what?”
I clear my throat. “Maid.”
“Maid or whore?”
“Kris, please.”
“Val, you’re worth more than that.”
“I’m doing what I have to.” A sudden wave of tiredness washes over me. “Can you please keep Charlie until the weekend? It’s a lot to ask, but I’ve got no other options. I’ll come visit on
Saturday, and we can talk.”
“Okay.” She gives a relieved laugh. “I thought you’re a prisoner or something.”
“Can I say hello to Charlie?”
“Of course. Hold on.”
She calls my brother’s name. A second later his sweet voice comes onto the line.
“Va–Val?”
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“Bu–burgers.”
“Kris made burgers?”
“Ye–yeah.”
“You’re going to stay with Kris for a while. I have a new job, and it requires that I stay in.”
“Wi–will you vi–visit?”
“Every week.”
“Whe–when?”
“Saturday.”
“Sa–Saturday.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I’m going to take care of you.”
“Ta–take care.”
“I’ll see you on Saturday, okay?”
“Sa–Saturday.”
“I love you, and remember to be brave.”
“Lo–love you, to–too.”
I hang up and stare at the phone for several seconds, battling to process how quickly our lives have changed. It’s no use crying over things I can’t change. I’ve gotten through bad situations before. I can get through this.
Exhausted, I make the bed and have a quick shower. I try not to think about the fact that it’s his water or that I have to sleep in a bed that belongs to him, between his sheets, under his roof. Too weary to dry my hair, I pull on my nightgown and get into bed. My thoughts dwell on Charlie and Puff as my head hits the pillow. I want to say a prayer for them, but I’m so tired I fall asleep halfway into it, only to be jerked awake to a familiar and threatening presence in the room.
Chapter Three
Gabriel
My new toy wakes with a soundless gasp. Purposefully, I let her fall asleep first.
Disorientated, her defenses will be down. It makes it easier to see the truth. For the moment, the only truth is the fear in her eyes.
It’s not so easy to see the truth in myself, because I don’t know what I feel, except for the physical. Her intoxicating smell dominated my dining room and hardened my cock. I don’t know what it is about her that brings out my lust. I only know I want her like I’ve never wanted a woman.
Straightening from the doorframe, I prowl to the edge of the bed. She watches me with her big, murky eyes, her chest rising and falling to the rhythm of my steps. Gripping the sheet, I pull it down slowly. She clings to the fabric, but after a second she lets go, surrendering to the inevitable.
It’s the chase. That’s what I want to tell myself. It’s not that I need to lie to myself. It’s just hard to find the truth in the fucked-up slush I call my heart. Maybe I simply want the things I glimpsed in her, the bravery and the love that made her strong enough to take this–– what’s happening right now––and nine more years of it for the sake of her brother.
My mind tends to be overactive. It rarely shuts down, not even in sleep, but all of my logical thoughts still as I stare down at her body. She’s laid out stiff and straight on the white sheet, her hair fanning over the pillow. I reach for the button of my collar. As it pops through the buttonhole, she gulps. Her fingers dig into the sheet. If her body tenses any more, she’s going to snap like a twig.
I’m many things, including a killer. I know I’m a scary son of a bitch. I own mirrors, and I’m not afraid to look in them. I see what she sees in her eyes. They’re wide and moist in the light that falls from the scullery. The room isn’t cold, but she shivers in her nightgown. Inexplicably, this touches me. The women I usually fuck don’t shiver. To soften it for her, I turn the scarred side of my face away when I switch on the light of her room.