Ellie let the water hit the back of her neck, keeping her warm. The bathroom had steamed up while she was in the shower. She had kissed Mark goodbye as usual this morning, but they both knew something had changed. Since the encounter with the men they had both been distant from one another, their little in jokes and cute touches stopping almost completely. Ellie lifted her head and wiped the water from her face before covering her eyes with her hands. She wanted to scream. Was the life they had together broken?
Eventually Ellie turned off the shower and dried herself. She put on her underwear, dressed in leggings and a loose shirt and headed downstairs to start work. A little bit of normality would be a welcome distraction from the thoughts that kept creeping back into her mind. Some nights since the attack she had thought about the men, about Mark being awake and watching them have sex with her - no, rape her. She had to remember that. It was an assault. Despite herself she found her anger directed at Mark. He had barely offered her any support or comfort after the ordeal. She knew he must be trying to process what happened himself but all Ellie could think about was how little he had offered to support her and how much those two men had wanted her. When was the last time Mark had done that?
"Hello again."
Ellie snapped to attention as she walked into the lounge and heard the voice. One of the men from the break in was there again, sitting on her desk chair and smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Ellie cast her eyes around to try and figure out some way to defend herself, her body paralysed.
"Now, now, calm down," he said to her. "No need to scream or attack me. No point anyway, clearly I can get in whenever I want."
He took the key he stole from his pocket. Ellie's eyes widened as she recognised their house key.
"No," she whispered, feeling tears come to her eyes.
"Yes, and there's no point trying anything," he said as he got up. He slipped the key back into his pocket as he spoke and approached Ellie. "I've already made plenty of copies of the key. Lots of my friends were interested in having access to this house, you see? Especially when they saw what an accommodating hostess you are."
Ellie felt sick, her body cringing away as he got closer to her. He passed her without saying anything else.
"Oh," he said, almost as an afterthought. He turned and touched her shoulder which made Ellie jump away from him. She spun to face him and saw his amusement. "I forgot to say. A few of us will be dropping by this afternoon. See you then, girly."
When she heard the door close, Ellie collapsed onto the sofa and curled into a ball.
***
Mark turned off the engine and put his head onto the steering wheel. He had to go back into the house and face the woman he loved - the woman he had failed to protect. Their life together had been ripped apart and he wasn't sure if he knew how to fix it. How could she ever trust him again? How could he get her to? He was ashamed of himself and the porn he had started to watch in secret moments late at night or at work in the bathroom only made him feel worse. Mark was turned on watching these women have sex with people who weren't their partners. He was sure its what he deserved for being unable to protect Ellie. He got out of the car and headed inside.
"I'm home!" He called.
"In here," Ellie replied, calling him into the lounge. Mark put down his bag, took off his shoes and headed into the room. Ellie was stood a little awkwardly near the TV and she looked away as he walked in.
"What's wrong Ell-" Mark began as he went to her, only for two men from behind the door to jump out and grab him.
"What the fuck?!" He shouted and began to struggle.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ellie cried and nearly rushed to help him before the original burglar and another man also entered the room. The four men subdued Mark despite his attempts to put up a fight, and before long he was stood between three of them as the original man stood behind Ellie.
"Hello Mark," he said, his arm resting on Ellie shoulder and his fingers tracing the hemline of her top. "You probably don't remember me, do you? I knocked you out pretty quickly. I'm Russell, and I'm the guy who broke into your house and fucked Ellie here."
Mark tried to struggle against the men holding him which made Russell laugh.
"No point doing that, look at them. They're twice your size," he said. Ellie couldn't bring herself to look at her boyfriend, instead biting her lip to stop it quivering and looking down at his feet.
"We're going to have some fun tonight, Mark," Russell told him. "You can be cooperative or we can be a little more forceful. What do you think?"
Mark stared at his girlfriend, angry at how this man's hands were all over her. He implored her to look at him, to help him decide what to do but she wouldn't. He wanted to fight, to try to defend her. To do something.
"Ellie?" He whispered. She looked up and finally met his eyes for a moment. She nodded.
Mark felt the fight go out of him and slumped. He wasn't going to do anything. Deep inside he knew that. These men had him where they wanted him.
"Good decision," Russell told him. "Now strip."
"What? No!" Mark protested, but the men around him suddenly made him aware of what was happening. His mind was reeling, but he obeyed them, trying not to look at Ellie. He felt pathetic, vulnerable. Once he was stripped, the man tied him to a chair. They wrapped him tightly, taping his left hand to an arm but leaving his right hand free. One of the men kept a close eye on him to make sure he used the hand for what they intended it to be used for and nothing else. Mark looked up to see his girlfriend had also stripped.
Ellie felt humiliated for Mark. Russell had told her what he had planned before Mark got home, so she knew this would happen. She didn't know how he would take it, but he had been so meek. She knew he couldn't do much against four men, but at least he might have fought verbally. But nothing. When Russell told her to strip too, Ellie had done so quickly, before he pulled her back against him. She had to steel herself to stop from moving away.
"Mark, Mark, Mark," Russell said, his hands over Ellie. "Want a show? Turn on the TV, Ellie."
Ellie crouched down and turned and switched it on.
"Oh no, better than that. Turn it off again and this time when you turn it on, bend at the waist," Russell told her. Ellie steeled herself before following through with what she had been told to do. She could feel all eyes in the room on her legs and ass, and hoped she maintained some degree of modesty.
"Mark, how could you keep such a sexy thing like her all to yourself?" Russell asked him. "Well, all to yourself until I came along, anyway. Just look at that body! Shall we see it from another angle? Move out of the way, Ellie."
