Eliza could feel his eyes on her from across the bar. Each time she looked up from her cucumber mojito, she could see the dark haired stranger glancing her way. A few times she even met his ice blue eyes and gave him a smile. The guy that her friend had originally set her up with hadn't shown, and she was starting to get bored. The dark haired man could at the very least help pass the time until her drink was gone. That is, of course, if she could entice him over to her.
After another few sips of her drink, Eliza got her wish. The man approached and took a seat on the stool next to her. "I couldn't help but notice that you're almost finished with that drink. I'd like to buy the next round if you're interested."
"I might be," Eliza played it cool. She tilted her head back and drained the last of her drink. "I'm Eliza."
"Mark," the man gave her a grin before waving the bartender over. "Hey, Adam? Another for the beauty next to me."
Adam flashed a smile their way, "Coming right up. Another Jamison for you?" After getting a nod from Mark, he turned away to start pouring their drinks.
"So, Eliza," Mark's voice was smooth and rich in her ears. "I don't think I've seen you here before. I definitely would have remembered you."
Eliza felt her face grow warm with a blush. "No, I've never been here before. I was supposed to meet a guy here. Friend of a friend. Guess he crapped out on me." She immediately picked up the glass that the bartender set in front of her and took a sip.
"His loss." Mark nodded, watching her carefully as she drank. "Hopefully I can make your night a bit better." His eyes darkened for a moment, leaving an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Maybe," Eliza took another swig of her drink as a nervous habit. After this one she would switch to something non-alcoholic.
Mark's lips curled into a smile, as his hand found its way to her thigh, rubbing circles against the denim of her jeans. "I guarantee it."
That touch was far too familiar for someone she barely knew. Very few people had touched her like that, just her high school boyfriend and a guy that she had met at one of her friend's parties. Not that she hadn't been optimistic about her date enough to wear her good underwear, but she wasn't about to let just anyone handle her like that.
"I actually probably should be going," Eliza said, her muscles tensing under his touch. She kept a close eye on her drink. Something about this guy gave her the impression that he wouldn't be morally opposed to slipping her something.
"Oh, come on now. You haven't even finished your drink," Mark nodded to the glass.
Damn her people pleasing ways. Eliza took another drink. He had paid for it, so it'd be rude for her to just leave, even if he was being a bit too forward. If she drank fast, she could be on her way in another ten minutes. "Alright, I'll finish my drink."
"That's what I like to hear," Mark let out a light laugh, sliding his firm hand against her thigh again, this time pressing a bit harder, leaving her cheeks a hot pink.
That was too far. Eliza drained the last of her glass and slid off the barstool to make her way to the exit. The second her feet hit the floor, she wobbled and a lightness hit her head that she wasn't prepared for.
Mark was at her side as if he knew that she was going to stumble. "Let me help you outside." Before she could slur out a protest, his arm was around her and she was being guided outside and into a car. She felt her body slump across the back seat, darkness engulfing her vision...
Eliza had no idea how long she had been out. The first thing that she noticed was the darkness in front of her, but after a second she recognized the pressure of the blindfold across her eyes. It took her a few moments before she remembered what happened. The bar...that man, Mark, if that even was his name, putting her in the car. Fuck... She moved quickly to try and sit up, but quickly realized that she couldn't move. Her wrists were bound with what felt like rope, holding her arms tightly in place above her head. An attempted kick of her legs let her know that they were bound too.
Panic rushed through Eliza as she finally understood what this meant. She quickly thrashed, trying desperately to loosen the hold that the ropes had on her, but she could only move about an inch in any direction. Whoever had tied her binds clearly knew what they were doing.
She pulled and bucked as hard as she could for what felt like a long time, but eventually all she could do was accept that she was trapped. Just after her body went still with defeat, a man's laugh filled Eliza's ears. She recognized Mark's voice when he spoke. "I must say, I'm pretty impressed. Most of the girls have started screaming by now."
"Where am I?" Eliza demanded, doing everything she could to keep her tone even, but a crack in her voice betrayed her. "And how did you get me here? I made sure to watch you--"
"Watch me to make sure I didn't put anything in your drink?" Mark asked, laughing like she had told him a particularly funny joke. "I didn't put anything in your drink. The bartender on the other hand...He's on our payroll."