How You Take Me (3 page)

The questions that are spinning and spiraling out of
control in my mind are driving me crazy. Sucking in a sharp, painful
breath, I press my ear to the door. There is the low drone of
Julian's voice, but I can't catch what he is saying. The door is too
solid, too thick. There is no way I can eavesdrop on their
conversation. I squeeze my eyes shut briefly, my throat and chest
constricting. What should I do? If I knock on the door, I will give
them fair warning and they will probably clam up straight away. I
will learn nothing, and will probably just be greeted with strained
smiles and awkward greetings. I should just put my hand on the door
knob, and open the door in one fell swoop, without warning. Whatever
words I hear in that fraction of an instant would at least give me a
glimpse, however tiny, into the truth of the situation. Better than
being plied and pacified with well-constructed lies.

Putting my hand firmly on the gilded door knob, I count
silently to three. My fist tightens, and with a loud gulp, I wrench
the door wide open.

“
...I'm pregnant with your baby.” The words
fall from the woman's lips just as I enter the room.

In that frozen moment, the three of us stare at one
another, unable to move or utter a single sound. My eyes dart from
the fair, blond woman to Julian, who looks shocked, furious and
totally wretched. He takes a step towards me, but I turn away from
him and take a long, hard look at the woman.

What did she just say?

Despite feeling that my fake, flimsy world was
collapsing all around me, I manage to take in the woman's appearance.
She is the complete opposite of me. While my hair and features are
dark, hers are light and fair. My build is slim and I hardly wear
any make-up, but this woman is all soft, feminine curves, with
artfully drawn brows, eyes and lips. Full large breasts, womanly
body with curvy, sexy hips. Unconsciously, my eyes trail down to her
belly. I heard what she said. Her words were clear and
unmistakable. She said she was pregnant, with Julian's baby.

Stiffly, I turn to Julian. He doesn't meet my eyes this
time. What had he said to me just a while back, which now feels like
a lifetime ago? He said that he loved me and that he would never
stop falling for me. My vision grows blurry as the heat grows behind
my eyes. I can barely see clearly. I blink furiously. No! I
haven't been seeing clearly. What lies! Those were blatant, cruel
lies! What other lies has he been telling me?

Why? Why, Julian? Why you?

Julian seems to read the silent, tortured questions on
my lips. He reaches out his hand to me, to touch me, but I back
away. I stare at the woman, who is frowning at Julian and me. “Who
is that?” she asks sharply. “Is she...your latest test
subject?”

My eyes and mouth round, and I back away, staring
between her and Julian. The woman lets out a short, mirthless laugh
which cuts me like a knife.

“
Oh, my dear, so you really are the latest test
subject for his strange, sexual experiments. What's your name, or
are you just a number—to him? I'm Aleisha. Tell me, are you
enjoying yourself? Which is better for you, the machine...or the
man?” Her eyes shine with both amusement and hostility.
“Personally, I find the man way better.”

I shake my head, my vision clouding rapidly. Aleisha
cocks her head at me, her red lips curved in a smile that doesn't
reach her eyes. There is a strange gleam in her eye. I don't want
to believe a single word she says, but there is just no way to
misinterpret her words. No way, no mistake. She had said it out
loud and clear. I can ignore all her taunts and mocking questions,
but I just can't block out that unequivocal statement she'd made at
the very moment that I'd barged in on them. That one sentence is
shredding every fiber in my body and breaking my heart to pieces. It
hadn't been meant for my ears. She had hurled those words at Julian
when she thought that she was alone in the room with him. They
hadn't expected me to come crashing in when she made that
declaration.

How can I not believe? What can I believe?

I glare at Julian and Aleisha in turn through a haze of
tears. Her words slam into my head, embedding into every corner of
my brain like shrapnel.

“
...I'm pregnant...I'm pregnant...I'm
pregnant...”

Their foggy images blur into one, and the image of
Julian having sex with her, pound insistently and horribly before my
eyes. I clutch at my heart, feeling a searing, physical ache in my
chest. If only I had controlled myself and not allowed myself to
have feelings for this man, I wouldn't be suffering this terrible
ache right now.

“
Sophia, please...let me explain...” Julian
tries to hold me as I lean against the door, but I shove him away.

“
Leave me alone!”

“
Sophia.” His face is contorted with pain.
“Sophia, please...please don't...”

“
I said leave me alone!” I lurch out of the
room, running blindly for the front door. With trembling fingers, I
undo the latches on the door and yank it wide open. I stumble back
as cold raindrops pelt against my face. The rain becomes heavier as
a streak of lightning flashes across the pitch black sky lighting up
the garden, and showing me that the gates have been left open at the
end of the driveway.

Hugging myself tightly, I dash out the door into the
pouring rain. I just want to get out of the house, away from Julian
and that woman.

Bracing myself against the wind, I stagger down the
driveway and out the gates. The street ahead is completely dark,
with no street lamps or houses. Julian's house is situated at the
very end of a long, winding road, with no other houses in sight for
miles and miles. I hesitate for a moment, not sure of where I am
going.

But the sound of shouting behind me jolts me forward. I
turn to run but a hand clamps around my mouth, stifling my scream.

I struggle, my eyes wide and frightened. Before I can
twist round to see my assailant, a sharp blow is delivered to the
back of my head.

The last thing I see before I lose consciousness is a
silver blade glinting through the dizzying shower of raindrops.

I force my eyes open a crack and a naked bulb swings
into view. The harsh, white light stabs through my eyes straight
into my throbbing brain. With a jolt, I try to push myself up but my
hands are tied behind my back. Panicking, I twist wildly and feel
thick, rough rope chaff against my wrist and ankles. With my hands
and legs tightly bound, I can only manage to maneuver myself to a
sitting position after much difficulty. My head hurts and I feel
like throwing up with every breath. Where am I? Why am I here? I
stare at the stained, gray walls and dirty concrete floor. There is
a broken metal shelf leaning against the corner of the room beside
some empty boxes and broken crates.

My eyes flick to the door in front of me. The knob is
turning very slowly and silently. Someone is coming in. I suddenly
recall the hand pressing roughly against my mouth and a knife
gleaming against the falling rain. The pain pulsing at the back of
my head confirms that those images are real, dredged from my memory
and not my imagination.

I try to push myself up against the wall but my legs
fail me. The door creaks open and a muscular, stocky man steps into
the room. He leans against the door to close it behind him. “Hello
there. You've woken up at last,” he says, giving me a thin
smile. His black, close set eyes lock onto me and the scar at the
corner of his left eye twitches. He runs one hand through his spiky,
black hair and advances towards me. “You are quite a beauty,”
he drawls, his eyes raking down my body. “It's no wonder the
good doctor is so taken with you. Aleisha said that he's gone quite
mad when he heard that you've been kidnapped. He'll do anything to
get you back safe and sound. He will meet all our demands, cut off
an arm and a leg too if we asked.” He smirks. “Should
have demanded more.”

I try to back away, my feet scrabbling against the
floor. “Who...are you?” I croak. “Where is
Julian? What have you done to him?”

“
Julian? So endearing. So intimate, aren't we?”
he smirks. “Nah. We're not going to harm him. He is the
source. You, my dear, are the means. He will do anything to get you
back. So—I think we should raise the ransom amount. It looks
like you mean a lot to him.”

“
You...you and Aleisha...” I shake my head.
“Who are you?”

He gives a sudden bark of laughter, then just as
suddenly, his face becomes deadly serious. It is as though a switch
has been thrown in his brain, cutting off his crude, cold laugh. The
smile vanishes completely from his narrow face, and he regards me
with a look that is full of hatred and hunger. I can feel the terror
rising from my gut as he walks soundlessly towards me. His silent
footfalls are like a predator's, a hunter moving in for the kill.

I scream when he lunges at me. He yanks me to my feet
and I blink into his leering face. He is not a tall man, just an
inch or so taller than me but he is very strong. His face is barely
an inch from mine, and I twist my face away to avoid the stench of
his breath. This seems to infuriate him and he grabs my collar to
hiss in my face, “Look at me, bitch. Who am I? I will tell
you my name. And I want you to scream it when I fuck you. Do you
understand? Pretty Sophia. Oh yes, I know your name. And I'm going
to fuck you every hour until your rich doctor pays up. I am going
to pin you under my body and fuck you so hard and so good. And
you'll scream for me, scream and beg me to fuck you. Do you
understand, Sophia?”

I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut.

“
Look at me!” he roars, grabbing a fistful
of my hair and yanking my head up. “Open your eyes and look at
me. You are not to close your eyes. When I fuck you, I want you to
open your eyes and look at me. Look at me and tell me that you want
me,” he hisses.

“
No, no...no, please...” The rest of my
words are cut off as he crushes his mouth to mine. His tongue probes
against my lips, forcing its way into my mouth. He pushes deeper,
thrusting deep into my mouth, to the back of my throat. I gag, and
instinctively bite down hard in fear and fury.

With a loud curse, he rolls away from me, raising his
hand to his lips. He stares at the blood smeared on his fingertips
and a muscle jumps in his jaw. Breathing hard, he rears up and
strikes me across the face. The stinging slap stuns me momentarily,
and I taste blood on my broken lips.

“
Bitch! You bit me. I'll show you. I will make
you scream, bitch!” He starts to fumble at his belt and
zipper. I twist away, my back against the wall. He raises his hand
again and I flinch, expecting another blow. Instead, he pushes his
hand between my legs and grabs hard at my crotch. His eyes flash
with rage and lust as he leers at me. “I like it when women
fight me. It makes the taking more exciting, more satisfying. They
fight and they scream, but they love it. Oh yes, women like it
rough. Don't deny it. You like a man to take you hard and rough and
fast. Do it. Scream. Scream for me. Scream when you feel my big
dick in you. I am big, and that's why they call me Big Ben. I want
to hear you beg for Big Ben. Go on. Do it! Do it before I stick my
big cock in your mouth.”

I thrash in his grip, shrieking and yelling, “Let
me go! Don't touch me. Let go of me! Don't you touch me, you...you
piece of...”

He laughs harshly. “Good. Good, you fight me
real good. Yes, that's right. Struggle. Struggle harder. Ooh,
nice. Pain...is good. We are going to have so much fun, Sophia.
Let me show you.”

I stare down at his hand, which is rapidly tugging down
his zipper. He pulls his swollen, crooked cock out of his pants and
jiggles it in his hand. “Mmm, see this? You like it? You
will. All the women can't get enough of this motherfucker. And you,
Sophia—you will love it. You will take this motherfucker in
your mouth and suck and lick it like you mean it. If I feel your
teeth, I will cut your pretty face up and send your eyeballs to your
pretty doctor. Got it? Good. Now, let's get down to it. On your
knees,” he says with an ugly smile.

I shake my head rapidly and repeatedly. He squints at
me for a long while before reaching down to drag a knife out of his
combat boots. He blows out a breath as he taps the blade against his
palm. “Where shall I start? I'll leave your pretty lips
alone, since I want to feel those lovelies on my cock. Your
eyes—nice eyes. But I want to see you staring at me when I
pound into you, so—that leaves your nose, cheeks, ears...”

He slides the tip of the knife from my temple down my
jaw and up to trace the curve of my left ear. “I'll give you
one last chance.” He whispers, drawing a slithering pattern
down my neck with the knife. “Open your mouth.”

I close my eyes and feel the point of the blade press
against my throat. “Open. Your. Mouth.”

I try to force down the sob that is threatening to
explode from my chest. As I am forced down on my knees, his hand
grabs my chin and fingers dig painfully into the hollow of my cheeks.
“Open your fucking mouth, bitch! Open wide!”