If you'd have looked in the window, you'd have thought we looked like any young couple having dinner together. But we were not a couple, and the windows had thick curtains—plus, it felt weird to be doing something so civilized as wearing clothes and eating dinner. Especially when my dinner companion was Christopher, who had been fucking me senseless for days, in a wide variety of twisted ways.
"The roast is delicious," I said, and I meant it. It was the best meal I'd had in a while, even before I was kidnapped. There was also roasted vegetables and crusty French bread for dipping in the au jus, and I took full advantage of the scrumptious food offered to me. After all, I'd earned it—and I wasn't worried about gaining any weight, since I was probably burning more calories fucking than I took in eating.
"Thank you, Belle," he said. "I do enjoy cooking, and it's so nice to have someone to cook for."
"I appreciate it. But I don't understand it."
"What do you mean?"
"You snatched me. Sexually, you treat me like somewhat of a slave. And yet here you are, cooking for me. Cleaning up after me. Buying me toiletries and clothes. Seems to go against everything we do in the bedroom." Or any other room of his choosing, really.
"I like being dominant. Sometimes that means taking charge and providing for you. Sometimes that means taking charge and having you exactly as I want you."
"That makes sense, I guess. It's just that I'm waiting for you to tell me to go mop the floor or something."
He laughed. "That's not what I want from you. There are far better ways for you to please me. And besides, I'm pretty good at cleaning my own floors."
"Thanks," I said, taking another bite.
"You're cute when you eat," he said. "The first time I saw you, you were eating."
"When was that?"
"You were in workout clothes. It was in the afternoon, and you were nibbling on an energy bar as you mailed something at the post office. You finished the bar, took a big drink of water, and then started running toward the park. I admired your athleticism, and your dainty bites."
"Of all the things to notice about me," I said, shaking my head.
"Well, I also noticed your gorgeous hair, which I wanted to pull. And your tight ass, which I wanted to fuck. And your wide green eyes, which I wanted to see staring up at me as my cock was in your throat."
"Now that's the Christopher I know. Complimentary, but a wee bit twisted."
"Speaking of twisted, I thought you'd be more broken up by now about being missing."
I considered this. "I've been thinking about it. It's been on my mind. But things here have been overwhelming, in good and bad ways. I feel a little like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole."
"Ah, the book you were reading before you unwittingly put on a show for me."
I flushed at the memory. "It was a new sensation."
"I like that I'm bringing out the dirty little slut in you. Bet your friends would never have guessed the things that I have found out about you even in such a short time."
I smiled wanly. "I hid it well. I was hiding some of it from myself, too."
"I know. That's one of the best things about you being here. I love seeing you pushed to the limit, discovering new things about yourself, trying new things. Being scared, losing control...admit it, Belle, doesn't it feel good?"
"Yes and no. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it."
"Perhaps you won't. I hope part of that is my ability to keep you on your toes. Speaking of," he said mischievously. "Tonight is Thursday night. Tomorrow we're headed off on a little adventure for the weekend."
"You're taking me somewhere? Where?"
"Well, that would just spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?" he said, rolling his eyes.
"And...how? If I'm missing, and people may be looking for me, you probably don't want to parade me out in public or have me meet people..."
"I have bought you a lovely wig, my dear. Plus, we're not all that close to where you were living, and this weekend, we'll be venturing even farther away from it."
"What will we be doing?" Or, more accurately, what would I be doing? Probably something else I loved to hate...
"Oh, now I really can't tell you that. But I can tell you this: we need to prepare you. So tonight you will paint your fingernails and toenails, and tomorrow, you will be shaved."
"I will be shaved? You mean I'm not doing it myself?"
"I don't trust you with a razor yet. So tomorrow, you will shower, and then I will shave you."
My eyes widened. "Everywhere?"
"Yes, everywhere. Your legs and that pretty pussy. I want you perfectly smooth."
"Can you give me a hint as to what we're doing?" I asked.
"Red or pink?" he said.
"What?"
"Nail polish. Red or pink?"
The old Belle would have picked pink. But the new Belle—the one who was a wanton slut for a man she barely knew—seemed like more of a red girl. "Red, please."
"Good choice. After we're done dinner, you can do your nails."
"Thanks," I said, sighing. I wished I knew what to look forward to this weekend, but clearly Christopher meant to keep me in the dark.
Painting my nails that night seemed like the most normal activity I'd engaged in over the course of—what, a week? Had I been gone that long? Without things like the internet, or going to work, I was rapidly losing track of time. Sometimes I even suspected I was losing track of myself. All I'd done lately was eat, sleep, read, and be at the mercy of Christopher's twisted whims.
I put two coats of polish on my fingernails, then two coats on my toenails. I shook out my hands and feet, willing the polish to dry faster. Not like it mattered—where would I be going where I could fuck up still-wet nails?
I decided to take a chance. I knocked on the door three times, and Christopher came to investigate.
"What's up, Belle?" he asked. "Oh, your nails look very nice."
"Thank you," I said. "What are you up to?"
"Watching TV," he said. "And you?"
"I'm a little bored," I admitted.
"Bored?" he said, smiling. "You have an entire library of books at your disposal. How can you possibly be bored?"
"I love reading, but I can't do it all the time. I need something else, too. A movie or a show, conversation, solitaire on the computer, just...something."
He considered this. "Very well then. Come on out. We can do something together."
Oh, shit. What had I gotten myself into?
He led me to the living room and turned on the TV. A big cat show was on Animal Planet. He sat down on the couch and patted the space next to him. "Come on. I won't bite."
I warily settled in beside him. It felt weird dealing with him in a close yet normal context, in a situation where he wasn't intensely focused on watching me squirm.
"I do love big cats," he mused. "They're majestic."
"A little vicious, too."