Sabrina groaned for the umpteenth time, rolling over yet again looking for something vaguely resembling a cool spot on the bed. The weather had been miserable for a week, with temperatures in the 90's in the dead of night. What little breeze there was, when there was one, offered her the cooling equivalent of holding her hand over a lit match.
So naturally, this was when her air conditioner had decided to croak.
The lack of air conditioning had made it impossible to do almost anything; too hot to eat, too hot to sleep, hell, too hot to even think straight.
The forecast had called for a break in the heat wave in the morning, which was about a million hours too far away for Sabrina's taste. She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair, grumbling at how miserable the night was. She'd tried a shower earlier, but of course the cold water had taken a vacation with the cold air, leaving her with a lukewarm spray that gave her the uncomfortable but strangely amusing feeling of being pissed on.
Amazing, the things that will go through your brain as it's being slowly roasted.
So there she lay, on sweat-soaked sheets, wearing nothing but a tank-top tee shirt. That she was hot enough to forego wearing panties was, in her mind, a new bar set in the Olympics of physical misery. She drummed her fingernails on the headboard in frustration, her blue eyes staring into the darkness hiding the ceiling.
Finally, she sat up. Maybe some ice wrapped in a towel would help. It's not like her bedding could get much worse for being damp as it melted, and it might at least cool her head down enough for her to drop off.
She padded down the hall in her bare feet, a glimmer of light from the small room she kept her computer stuff in catching her attention. Her eyes rolled in frustration as she realized she must have left the damn thing on. As she walked into the room, she frowned in confusion as her nose caught the faint scent of cinnamon. Where had that come from? She was about to turn the monitor off when she noticed the message on the screen:
DON'T MOVE
Before she could react, a hand slid over the back of her head, getting a firm grip in her hair. Sabrina was so tired and overheated, she thought first about how wonderfully cool it felt before she realized the predicament she was in and tried to struggle. Her mysterious assailant simply squeezed his hand, at the same time giving her earlobe a hard pinch with his free hand. Hot, scared, tired, Sabrina let her arms fall to her sides, hoping the oppressive heat would keep him from doing anything obscene. She felt him lean in close to her, his mouth by her ear, softly making a "shhhhh" sound. She caught the scent of cinnamon again, and realized it was coming from him.
She heard a faint sound of cloth on cloth, and he pressed something into her hand. Slowly, she held it up to see. Not cloth, but thin, soft leather. It was a blindfold. She shook her head against the hand in her hair, only to receive another hard pinch on her ear.
Okay... act up, get the warning pinch for misbehaving. Got it...
Fearing what else he might do if she continued to defy, she raised the blindfold to her eyes. The mystery guy pulled the ends around and tied them snug, letting go of her hair to do so. Sabrina momentarily considered fighting, but there was too much risk if she screwed up. Besides, he hadn't actually hurt her, hadn't even threatened her.
Though come to think of it, he hasn't said ANYHING yet...
He gripped her again, one hand on her wrist, the other on her shoulder, guiding her out of the room. She wondered where he was taking her; back to the bedroom? The living room? She still didn't know his intentions...
Yeah, right... he's got me without even any underwear on. Doesn't take twenty questions to guess what's on HIS mind...
He walked her down the hall, never making a sound. Sabrina's fear grew with every step, wondering what would happen to her. After a moment, he stopped her, placing one of her hands on the wall. She bit her lip in confusion as she felt him grip her ankle, lifting her foot. She felt something soft slide up her leg.
He's putting socks on me?
She held still, balancing against the wall as he socked her other foot, leading her again by the wrist and shoulder.
Sabrina froze as she realized where she was going.
He's taking me outside...
Though nobody would likely see her at this hour, the thought of being so vulnerable and exposed sent a wave of panic through her. She dug in her toes, opening her mouth to scream, only to be cut off by the pain of his fingers on her ear. She stood there, trembling, as she felt him move around to stand in front of her. This was where the real pain would come, she was certain. This was when she would pay.
His fingers gently gripped her earlobe again, and she whimpered in fear of what was to come. At first, there was nothing. Then, she felt his other hand place a gentle fingertip on her mouth. Without knowing why, she pursed her lips to it in a gentle kiss. His finger suddenly jerked away and she whimpered again, afraid she'd done something wrong. After a moment, his finger again touched her lips, and she pressed them again to his fingertip in acceptance of his control. This time, the finger stayed, and again she heard his gentle "shhhh". Sabrina gave a little nod, and his fingers gently caressed her cheek in response.
Again he guided her forward, her confusion growing with every new step. He couldn't open the door with both his hands on her, but he never stopped to open one. There was a short set of steps just outside leading to the sidewalk, but she continued forward on the same level floor she'd started on. The still, silent air gave her no clues, but she KNEW she had to be outside by now. Her breath came in short, quick pants as her panic rose, making her heart race faster and faster. She felt herself begin to tremble uncontrollably, her knees buckling as the heat and her own fear caused her to faint.
She awoke with a start, lying on something soft and cool. It was a disturbingly pleasant change from the relentless heat of her apartment, considering she didn't know where she was. She curled into a tight ball at the faint sound of movement, only to feel the now-familiar light touch of her abductor.
