Authors note: This is a bit of a departure for Isabelle and Dillon. I hope you enjoy it.
Isabelle opened her eyes slowly, feeling sluggish and dazed. With some alarm she looked around at the completely unfamiliar surroundings she found herself in. Her arms were heavy and tingled at her fingertips amidst the tangled sheets. As she struggled to clear the sleep from her eyes, she took note of her location.
She was sprawled in a king-sized bed in a room she had never seen before. There was the usual bedroom furniture dotting the rest of the room, dark cherry nightstands, two matching mirrored dressers, a large comfortable sitting area, and a towering armoire that she guessed housed a TV and other entertainment devices. Artwork tastefully arranged on the cream-colored walls as well as heavy drapes that covered tall windows, and any glimpse she might have had of the outside world.
It took a moment for understanding to dawn on her and when it did; it came with a tingling sense of dread. She had just awakened in a room she didn't remember coming to of her own accord. She closed her eyes and opened them again hoping this was some weird dream she was having. When she opened them the room stayed the same forcing her to accept that this was no dream.
Something was terribly wrong; the knot forming in her stomach confirmed it. Using what little strength she could muster, she tried to pull herself up, realizing to her horror that it wasn't possible. The reason her arms felt so heavy was because they were tightly bound by rope. With her eyes, she traced the origin of the ropes only to see that they were tied to two very thick imposing posts situated at the head of the bed. Her horror increased when she realized she was completely naked except the flimsy excuse of a sheet that barely covered her breasts.
Fighting a growing sense of panic she tested the strength of the bonds. They were tied much too tightly for her to get out of. Desperately she tried to wiggle her hands out of the intricate knots around her wrists only to lose some of the valuable sheet that covered her body. It inched its way down to her ribs. Her plan of escape wasn't working and she struggled to breathe through the panic consuming her. Where in the hell was she? Why was she tied up?
The last memory she had was of Dillon. Guiltily, she remembered the daring plan she had executed without thought of the consequences. Well that's not entirely true, she had thought of the consequences, she had just chosen to ignore them. Breaking and entering into his mother's house to seek revenge probably hadn't been one of her smartest ideas.
Wild-eyed and cruising towards a massive panic attack as the bleakness of her situation hit her, she felt the warm salty wetness of tears falling on her cheeks. Surely someone had to know she was missing, at the very least, her husband Mark would be looking for her.
But if this was Dillon's doing, Mark wouldn't even have a clue where to look for her. It was her fault, she was beyond stupid. Putting aside the fact that the man had taken her against her will, he was a stranger, a total and complete stranger that she had no link to whatsoever. The queen of safety had just fallen off her throne.
She didn't even know if she was technically missing, she had no clue what day it was or what she had been doing last. Whatever she had consumed must have really knocked her for a loop if she couldn't remember what day it was.
Her nipples puckered as the cool air hit them; wiggling uselessly, she tried in vain to snuggle back under the sheet. It was no use. The sheet wouldn't budge without the use of her hands. She tried to ignore the goose bumps dotting her arms, but they traveled gleefully over her skin leaving behind an uncomfortable prickly sensation in their wake. Wishing she knew what the hell was going on, Isabelle concentrated on figuring a way out of this situation.
It was obvious she would not be able to get her hands free anytime soon. It seemed like the harder she pulled the tighter the ropes became, frustrating her to no end. She looked down to see that two more posts were at the foot of the bed, also with ropes attached to them. Thankfully those were not attached to her legs otherwise she would be totally freaking out. At least with part of her body free she stood a chance of escaping.
Her arms were starting to ache with her efforts. Giving up for the moment, she turned onto her side, using what little slack was available to change her position. Staring dejectedly at the prison which she now found herself, she pondered her options, slim as they were. She could continue to struggle with the ropes binding her, or wait out the person who held her.
Given that the ropes hadn't budged the entire time, the answer was clear. She had to wait and conserve her strength. Closing her eyes, she huddled under what was left of the sheet covering her and tried to stay warm. She attempted to take a fitful nap, having a hard time getting comfortable with her arms shackled above her.
An insistent voice that wasn't her own woke her from near sleep and immediately all thoughts of a nap disappeared.
Sweet dreams Isabelle.
Isabelle struggled to come to a semi-upright position, looking around the murky room for the source of the voice. She was positive she had heard something. Only it was so soft and far away she couldn't be sure. There was no one else in the room that she could see and the room had the stillness that could only come with vacancy. She held her breath and listened for the sound of another person breathing but there was only silence, heavy, thick silence that seemed to grow with the shadows.
"Hello?" she called out. Her voice was tinny against the absolute silence.
I'm here.
"Where?" she cried out in frustration.
Isabelle shook her head to clear it, sure that something was wrong. She could almost swear that she had heard the answer to her first question in her head because she couldn't be absolutely sure that the voice had spoken out loud. She cocked an ear to listen for an answer and gasped when it came.
Right here.
Isabelle felt a rush of heat so intense she had to close her eyes and bite her lip to stop from moaning. The warmth traveled from her head down to her toes, leaving every hair standing on end.
The searing heat didn't stop there. It continued to travel through her entire body until it reached her heart, where strangely enough, it felt as if it was being held by two strong arms, as if she had just been hugged on the inside. It was so strange, the loveliest feelings were coursing through her bloodstream but she still had no idea what was happening.
