Part 23 (1/2)

”They didn't kill him. I checked. But he didn't look like he had a good time with the girls.”

”I can imagine. Who is that?”

”That's Elizabeth.”

”Your girlfriend?”

”She's another slave. Definitely not my girlfriend.”

”Oh my G.o.d. You mean there's more? Christi and Jane aren't it?”

”No. There's one more as well. Amy. She's currently cooking our breakfast.”

”You're kidding.”

”Have I ever kidded you?”

Sheila seemed to be a lot more comfortable around me. I guess since we'd slept in the same bed and I hadn't raped her. She was perhaps feeling a little safer and less vulnerable. Maybe she had shed some emotional baggage from her healing activities last night. Perhaps her bruises just weren't causing her the same level of pain. Constant pain can do strange things to a person.

”No. But I think I'm hungry.”

”I'll bet.”

”Can we please take these chains off me? I don't think I have the strength to attack you, much less hurt you.”

I smiled. I'd forgotten that I'd cuffed her last night. She was still mostly hidden beneath the covers. Her hands and feet included.

”I'm sorry. I forgot. Of course we can take them off.”

I lifted the covers off of her. She s.h.i.+vered slightly, but held up her hands. I unlocked them. I still couldn't see what her condition was. I wouldn't be able to tell until I turned on the light. She s.h.i.+fted around and gave me her feet. I took the handcuffs off her ankles as well.

She sighed. ”I was kind of surprised when I woke up in the middle of the night and found myself in handcuffs. It shouldn't have surprised me. You have no reason to trust me yet. They didn't hurt or anything. But you didn't have to restrain me. I wasn't going anywhere.”

I nodded. The girls, for the most part were good. Apart from Jane, they had never risked attacking me while I slept. And Jane hadn't gone through with it. Didn't even know that I knew.

”I'm going to wake up Elizabeth.” I walked around to the other side of the bed. I gently touched Elizabeth's hair. Smoothed her bangs back from her face. Her eyes opened. Not startled. Looking rested.

”Time to get up?” she inquired.

”Yup. Breakfast is on. Give me your wrists.”

I heard her stomach rumble under the covers. She quietly turned over presenting her cuffed wrists to me. While I unlocked her, she noticed that the other woman was awake.

”h.e.l.lo,” Elizabeth greeted her a little uncertainly. ”You must be Sheila.”

”Yes. Good morning.” All civilized. As though there was nothing strange about sleeping in the same bad when they had never even met. Naked. Handcuffed. Sharing the bed with a strange guy. Even sharing his body heat. These women. Such a different world they lived in. I'd never figure them out. I swear.

”I'm Elizabeth.”

”I know. He told me.”

They lapsed into silence. Elizabeth's hands clicked free.

”You ready for lights?” I asked them. I walked slowly over to the light switch.

”Yes,” from Sheila.

”Don't you dare,” from Elizabeth.

Smiling, I snapped them on. Sheila blinked rapidly, but she'd been awake a lot longer than Elizabeth. Her eyes adjusted quickly. Elizabeth just squeezed her eyes shut and moaned. s.h.i.+elding her eyes with her hand.

”You can't do that to a girl before she's fully awake.”

”You were awake. And besides which. You know fully well that I can do anything I want to a girl. Awake or not.” I grinned playfully at her.

”Shut up,” Elizabeth mocked me. She was just playing.

Sheila swung her legs off the bed and climbed to her bare feet. Her fingers reaching up to run through her tangled hair. She winced as she straightened.

Her bruises were as bad as yesterday. Her side was still that nasty purple colour. Her face still had the mottled reddish bruise on her right cheek. That bruise, perhaps looked a little better. Her eye looked a little worse. She gently touched her left side and softly cried out. She put her hands down at her sides and simply waited for Elizabeth to rise.

”How do I look?” she asked me.

”Like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards.” I returned to the doorway by the light switch waiting for the girls.

She smiled at the expression. ”I'll look better after a shower.”

”After breakfast.”

Elizabeth had finally managed to stop blinking. Her eyes adjusted to the higher light levels. She glanced at Sheila and gasped. She was on her feet in a split second.

”You f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” Elizabeth practically screamed at me. ”How could you do that?” Her bare feet pounding on the carpet as she launched herself at me. Her fists driving into my chest. I stepped back and grabbed her wrists. Stopping her from continuing her a.s.sault. Gently.

”Calm down. Calm down.”

”You filthy f.u.c.king animal. How could you do that to her? What did you do? Use her as a f.u.c.king punching bag? Jesus Christ. Look at her. n.o.body deserves that. Holy Christ. Look at her.” She was in tears. From frustration. Horror. Fear.

”Elizabeth.”

She paled. Horror crawled across her face. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Knowing what she'd done. It didn't matter what I did to any of them. It never justified trying to hurt me. Those were the rules. And she knew it.

”And I f.u.c.ked you last night. Jesus Christ. You are a monster.” She slowly sank to her knees. Frightened. Realizing what she'd done. Knowing that she'd be punished for attacking me. For screaming at me. For swearing at me.

”I am a monster. And you are right. n.o.body deserves that. Elizabeth. Honey. I haven't touched her.”

Elizabeth looked up from her knees. Wanting to believe me but not quite being able to. Wondering why I wasn't angry with her.