The first kiss was like poison. Once I had a taste of him, I was dead. Once he had a taste of me he was crazy. We were crazy in love. We were crazy in the head. We were parasites to each other. I didn’t know how to get away. How do you leave the man you love? How do you cleanse yourself of toxins when your body craves them? I don’t know the answer. All I know is that I’m consumed by him.
There was no name at the bottom of the letter, but all I could think is that Eugenie must have written the letter. I eagerly placed the first letter next to me on the bed and read the second one.
He took me out today. I thought he was going to give me my freedom. I cried at the possibility of my loss. He cried too, but for a different reason. We made love in the fields. There were flowers of every color: green, red, yellow, blue, purple, and pink. They filled my every sense. I felt like I was in another world. I wanted to be in another world. I didn’t want the magic to stop. I didn’t want to go back.
My heart started beating rapidly as I read the letters. What did she mean by she thought he was going to give her her freedom. Had Grant kidnapped her as well? I quickly turned to the next letter.
I got high today. It felt good. I didn’t tell him and I feel guilty. I think he knows though. I don’t want him to know where I got the drugs. I don’t want him to know what I did or my secrets. I feel dirty. But I also feel good. God help me, but I love this feeling. I’m flying so high. I’m f**king flying on a magic carpet and he’s taking me to hell and back.
I shivered and turned to the next letter quickly.
Am I crazy? I lied. He lied. I want to leave before I break down. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have trusted him. He’s going to be my downfall. And now it’s over.
What had Eugenie lied about? Was it the drugs again? I felt frustrated reading the letters and not knowing exactly what she was talking about.
Help me. I’m scared. If you find this, please help me. I’m Eugenie Parker. I’m 21 years old and I’ve been kidnapped.
I dropped the letter on my lap. So it was Eugenie. I could feel my face growing hotter as my stomach started to churn, but I kept on reading.
I am I cried. I am. I’m trying. Writing in black and white is hard. He doesn’t know what’s happening. What’s happened? I don’t know if he cares. He abandoned me. I haven’t left this room in three days. Help me, please. There’s no magic anymore. Just me. Only me.
I turned quickly to the next letter, but it was just a blank piece of paper. All of the rest of the pages were blank. I glanced back at the letters and reread them, trying to memorize them and find clues anywhere that I could. What had happened to Eugenie? What had Grant done? How had she died? Did Tyler know what had happened? Had he been here working for Grant? Had he locked her in this room like he’d done me? Had he promised her she’d be okay as well? Had I walked into a trap? And if so, what did it mean that I was now in her room. Was I next?
Chapter Four
I woke up to someone touching my face. The room was dark and I realized I must have fallen asleep after I’d hidden the letters back in the closet. I blinked in the dark and tried to make out the face of who was with me. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Tyler. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if it had been Grant.
“Hi, how are you doing?” He asked as I sat up and looked at him.
“How do you think?” I replied in a surly fashion. I didn’t care if he thought I was a bitch. He couldn’t expect that I was going to act happy to see him.
“You look well rested.”
“Are you going to let me leave now?”
“What if I said you could leave.” He tilted his head to the side.
“I can go?”
“Do you want to go?” His brows furrowed and he gazed at me with such a sad look that I felt my heart breaking for the unspoken hurt in his eyes, What was Tyler’s story? Something in me couldn’t look away or talk as I stared at him. I’d never experienced such a feeling before. I felt as if I were having an out-of-body experience as we stared at each other.
“What are you thinking about?” He asked me softly as we sat in the dark room.
“Wondering how I got myself into this position.” I said after a few seconds of silence and sighed as I continued to stare at him. “It’s just my luck that the one guy I chose to have a one-night stand with is a psycho.”
“That is a shame.” He nodded.
“How could you work for him?” I asked him with a confused face. “How could you work for someone so crazy?”
“I don’t think he’s crazy.” He shrugged.
“He had you lock me up in this room.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s crazy.”
“He does everything for a reason.”
“What sort of reason?” I had started to get annoyed and loud.
"I'll huff and I'll puff and..."
"You'll blow my house down?" I finished his sentence for him and he smiled slowly.
"You're not a little piggy, dear Evie." His voice was throaty as he grabbed the front of my shirt. "I'm planning on doing a lot more than blowing your house down."
“What?” I gasped as I fell towards him. “What are you doing?”
“I was about to kiss you, unless you wanted to leave. However, I feel like you’re the sort of girl that wants to get to the bottom of this before you leave.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’ve had several opportunities to make a run for it.” He paused. “I gave you several opportunities.”
“I didn’t realize how serious everything was.”
“Did he show you his chain last night?”
I nodded without answering, my face burning with shame at how easily I’d given myself to Grant.
“Did you use it?”
“Use the chain?” I repeated dumbly. “How would we use the chain?”
Tyler stood up then and bent down and picked something up. I could see the silhouette of his body reflected on the wall behind him.
“It’s long and hard and stiff, yet surprisingly supple in my hands.” He said softly as he stood there.
“What are you talking about?” I looked down to his pants.
“Get your mind out of the gutter.” He grinned as he held up his chain. “What do you think?”
“Oh.” I stared at the chain for a few seconds and jumped off of the bed. I touched the chain gingerly, wondering how this cold piece of metal could ever be used in a loving way.
“Are you thinking about him?” He whispered in my ear as his right hand grabbed my breast.
“No.” I shook my head slightly and gasped as he pushed me back onto the bed.
“Good. This is about us.”
“Why did he—” I started and he cut me off his with his lips.
“Now is not the time for talking. Now is the time for loving. Now is the time for me to show you what it’s like to experience ecstasy in every fiber of your being.”
“What are you going to do?”
“What am I not allowed to do?” His voice was hoarse.
“Why?”
“Because that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“I can’t sleep with you.” I shook my head. “It wouldn’t be right.”