Samantha nudged Colette and leaned closer. 'She's in on it. We'd better be careful around them.'
Isabelle spent the rest of lunchtime defending Jean-Marie from all the sinister plots the others came up with.
***
Jean-Marie came up to her at the end of the day. 'A client called to have a quick meeting so I won't be home until later.' he said. 'Your wardrobe will be delivered at six which means you'll have to go home alone today.'
She nodded. 'I'll wait until you get back. Shall I prepare something for dinner?'
He shook his head. 'No, I will bring something for us when I come back.' he said, walking to the elevator.
'Okay. See you later.' she said and prepared to go home.
Soon after she came home a van arrived with her new wardrobe. The young man helped her carry in the boxes from Hilda and Franz and the shoes selected by Melissa. She gave him a big tip and then took a minute to watch the stack of boxes, feeling like she was looking at the presents underneath the tree at Christmas when she was a child.
'Damn, if I don't get any gifts from now on, I wouldn't mind.' she said to herself, then moved all the boxes into the small service elevator next to the stairs.
On her floor she unloaded and put everything in her room, so she could arrange her closet after a shower and dressing in something more comfortable.
There was one box with new shirts for Jean-Marie, she brought it to his room and hung them in his closet. When she came out of his room her attention got drawn by light coming out from under the door on the opposite side.
The lunchtime fantasies of Samantha and Colette came back to her and made her curious. She wondered for a moment if he really did hide something sinister in there, then dismissed her paranoia. She figured it would likely be some embarrassing hobby, like collecting dolls, or plush animals, or other toys. Although she didn't get the impression he'd be interesting in anything like that. And something like that wouldn't make him upset when he left the room.
Her imagination got the best of her and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if she didn't satisfy her curiosity. Putting the empty box she had taken back near the stairs, she moved carefully to the door as if there might be booby-traps.
She leaned closer with her ear, listening for any sound on the other side of the door. With everything silent, she tried the door handle and turned it slowly. There was still no sound when she pulled carefully on the door and found it unlocked. Opening it just enough to peek inside, she couldn't see much because it was darker in there.
She knew she had to leave it at that, but the lure of mystery and having to know if she was safe staying in his home was too much. Opening the door further she saw a crib in the middle of the room, lit by a dim spotlight. In front of it stood a simple chair, and something had been arranged on the floor around it.
Now she did feel creepy shivers along her spine. He just might have a sinister secret and it would be better to find out now while he was gone, in case she needed to get away. Looking inside at both sides of the door for anything like a trap or something, she went into the room and moved slowly towards the crib.
A sigh of relief came over her to find it empty, apart from a couple of plush toys, one dog, one cat, and both stained with something black. The items on the floor were something else. There were newspaper clippings, some official looking documents, pictures. She knelt down and looked closer at the pictures of a young man and woman having fun. She picked one up where the man held the woman in her arms at what looked like a pool. She was a pretty woman, brown hair like her own, kind eyes, slender legs. The young man had shoulder length black hair and the long black shorts with tribal motive he wore made him look a little like a thug. Then she noticed it. The young man in the picture was Jean-Marie!
She looked at the other pictures and they were all from the same woman, most together with him. And then she saw one with the crib in the background and her holding the two plush animals. She looked at the crib in front of her to confirm it, but it was the same. Only, the crib here had black streaks on its otherwise yellow surface. She moved closer and noticed a light scent of burning. She touched a black streak and it gave off on her finger. Soot, she thought. The same cause of the stains on the plush animals.
Moving back she saw a picture of Jean-Marie on one of the clippings. It told how a local boy had been disqualified from boxing because of excessive aggressiveness. Then some more clippings about the so called Beast winning fights. Now she understood why he was able to take the punch from Avery and knock him out with one hit. He must have been a willing fighter because she saw police reports, charging him with violence. That didn't seem like the Jean-Marie she knew, and the young man being happy with the girl in the pictures.
She looked at the other clippings and they reported about a fire at a home with one victim. She took one with a picture of the burning home and read it. It mentioned the fire was probably caused by a short-circuit and smoke suffocated the one victim who was home at that time, a young woman of nineteen years. Her fiancé had entered the burning building to save her, but despite getting her out she had already suffocated from the smoke.
The door slamming against the wall startled her.
'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?' shouted Jean-Marie. 'I TOLD YOU YOU COULDN'T COME HERE!'
Isabelle fell back on the floor as he stormed towards her with big strides.
'WHY DID YOU COME IN HERE!?' he shouted and grabbed her by her arm, pulling her up roughly.
'OW!' Isabelle yelled at the painful grip.
'TELL ME, WHY DID YOU COME IN HERE!?' he shouted at her again, shaking her.
'I DON'T KNOW!' she shouted, trying to pull free. 'I got curious because I didn't know what was going on in here!'
'You broke my trust!' he said. 'Do I have to punish you like a little kid!?'
'OW! You're hurting me!'
'Hurting you!?' he said and pulled her to the chair, sat down and pulled her over his knee, her t-shirt moving up enough to leave only her panties to cover her firm ass. 'I'll show you what hurts!' he said and gave her a smack on her bottom.
She let out a yell at the sharp sting from his hand.
'I trusted you!' he said, smacking her again, sending another sharp sting of pain through her flesh and a yell of pain from her throat. 'I let you live in my home so you wouldn't have to worry about the household!' The next smack left a longer burning feeling on her skin and she couldn't hold back her tears from the pain. 'I make you breakfast and dinner to keep you healthy!' The smack at the crease of her thighs shot a sting through her back and her crotch, making her yell from the bottom of her lungs. 'I give you new clothing so you won't feel out of place among the rich clientèle!' The sting became only a little less, but the wave of pain became clearer, making her whole bottom hot while she cried out. 'I give you a new car so you won't have to worry about using yours!' Now the hit against her ass made her feel like the time she got spanked after breaking a precious glass statue. 'I guided you into becoming better at your work!' His hitting started to make sense as the guilt of receiving his kindness and then breaking his trust welled up. 'I trusted you! And you broke it!' The hit from his hand sent a wave of burning heat through the flesh of her bottom and her crotch, making her twitch her hips up. 'I trusted you, dammit!' She still felt the pain of his hand hitting her bottom, but the pain of guilt grew stronger. 'You betrayed me!' he said and she cried from the shame of hurting him. 'I only asked one thing of you..'
