After over an hour of soaking in the tub and freshening up, I emerge from Alex's bedroom, rejuvenated and refreshed in a pair of white cotton leggings and a large, plush white heavy-knit sweater. The light wood floor is warm under my bare feet. The sun has surrendered itself to a sudden thunderstorm.
I love this weather.
I make my way downstairs, unable to hear or see Alex. I quickly peek into every room on the main floor, but he's nowhere to be seen.
I guess he had to go out, after all.
Sitting on the kitchen island, I find a sandwich and a note:
Madison,
Raspberry jam and brie grilled cheese.
Please enjoy,
Helga.
That was very sweet of her.
Ravenous, I inhale the sandwich a large mouthful at a time. As I swallow the last bite and realize my plate is now empty, I'm startled by a voice behind me, "Looks like you were hungry." I turn to find Alex leaning against the glass walled corner where the foyer meets the kitchen. "Did you enjoy it?" he inquires with a smile.
"Yes. Very much. Thank you," I'm suddenly nervous being in the same room as him.
"Good," he saunters toward me, "But you have a little jam...just there." He leans forward and seductively licks the corner of my mouth.
"I'm not sure you got it all," I can't help but want more.
"No? Hmmm," he kisses me vigorously and tears away almost as suddenly, "There. Did I get it all now?"
Left panting with desire I can't help but long for more, "I don't think so."
Alex chuckles, "Well perhaps I'll have to work on my cleaning skills." He picks up my plate and puts it into the sink.
"I looked for you when I came downstairs, but you seemed to have vanish," the interrogator in me rears her head.
"I was around," he looks at me challengingly. He knows my game.
"Ah. Because I checked every room."
"Not every room."
Interesting. There's more to this house than I've seen.
I round the island to the sink, run warm water to wash the sticky jam from my hands and continue my inquiry, "I thought I had seen the whole house."
"Not quite everything, Madison." It's clear from the look on Alex's face as he hands me a towel that he's not ready to share the rest of the house with me. I divert attention by playfully tossing the towel at Alex, which he catches inches from his face. He grins and tosses it onto the counter as I gracefully turn and head into the living room.
I walk to the wall of glass at the end of the room and watch the rain falling outside. I hear Alex settle onto the sofa behind me, "Do you enjoy the rain?"
"It's peaceful. It relaxes me. Always has," I am entranced watching the rain rhythmically beat on the window.
"Me too. Aside from the natural beauty of the region and this particular site, the frequent rain was a big factor in my purchasing land here."
"Well you picked an amazing spot. Your home is truly amazing."
"Is it?"
"Oh come on, Alex. You know it's incredible," I turn to give him a look that says I know he's fishing for a compliment.
"To be honest, I've never spent too much time here. As you surely know, our line of work requires quite a bit of travel. I own a lot of homes for convenience, but this one I designed specifically to be my escape, my sanctuary."
I turn to face him, "Well you certainly achieved that. This feels like another world." I move across the room and sit on the opposite side of the sofa, "Though...I have been kidnapped and am cut off. So that may also be a factor."
Alex smirks, "Well I hope that, as a prisoner, you feel you've been treated well."
"So far."
"Good."
I shift awkwardly under Alex's stare, "So...what's there to do around here on a rainy day?"
"Well, aside from certain physical activities, I have an excellent selection of books in the library. There's a chess board in there as well. Or, there's always TV. I have to admit, I love films. With what little downtime I have, I like to lose myself in another's story."
"I know exactly what you mean." Once again I find that I'm on the same wavelength as this man, my detainer. "I love horror films. And sci-fi. And romantic comedies. Ok I don't discriminate any genre, but horror films are my absolute favorite."
"Interesting," he looks somewhat surprised. "Well, would you like to watch one?"
"Sure."
This man watched me masturbate myself a few hours ago with a metal dick and now he wants to watch a horror film.
I'm amused by my thoughts and find myself appreciating the humanity of the man who I once believed was the most evil human being on earth. How quickly things can change.
Alex turns on the large flat screen and pulls up the list of streaming films. He stops at a title, "A movie about a haunting?"
"My favorite kind."
He grins, pushes play and uses the remote to turn off the lights so that we're left in a dark room, lit only by the cloudy light outside. He stands, takes off his suit jacket, tossing it onto the nearby lounge chair, and sits closer to me on the sofa. I pull my feet up beside me and rest my head on the sofa arm, as we lose ourselves in the world on the screen.
The movie wasn't scary, per se, but it definitely had some moments that made me jump. Alex found himself amused every time I twitched. I even found him sneaking his arm around me on the back of the sofa to give me comfort. It felt a bit like I imagine dating in high school would've felt. Unfortunately, I never had that pleasure.
As the movie went on, we found ourselves closer and closer until we were basically cuddling, like a couple on a typical Saturday afternoon watching a movie, though I'm not sure it's actually Saturday. It was, well, sweet. I barely know this man, yet I've never felt that kind've intimacy with another person.
Not since my parents.
Hours later I wake to a darkening living room, covered in a soft wool blanket.
I fell asleep!?
The TV is off and Alex is gone, a red rose and a note in his place. I pick up the rose and hold it to my nose.
Smells so good.
I unfold the note and read it silently:
You're beautiful when you sleep.
It would be perfect if you would join me upstairs.
A.
