Funny, the more I think about the name I’ve coined for him, the more it suits the stranger behind the wall. Except he won’t be a stranger for much longer.
I realize I’m not dreading meeting him as much as I thought. Whether it’s because my mind has exhausted itself on the possibilities of what he could be, or whether his treatment of me so far has been decidedly less monster-like than what I’ve been used to in the past, I’m not sure.
Either way, I know deep down that no matter what I’m feeling right now, dropping my guard around him, at any time, is dangerous. And yet, I’m standing in the middle of a living room, less afraid than I was a few short hours ago.
And once again getting…hopeful.
I squash the feeling, and cross over to the double-wide fridge. I want to squeal with delight at being confronted with so much delicious food but I resist the need to gorge on a little bit of everything, and take out the ingredients to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I spotted a sandwich press earlier, and five minutes later am sitting cross-legged on the sofa with my sandwich in my lap.
I take a groan-worthy bite and reach for the TV control just as a beep emits from a sleek black gadget on the coffee table. There’s a blinking green light on one end. Cautioning myself not to freak out, I pick it up. Beneath the light is a command that reads Talk/On.
With my half-eaten mouthful of grilled cheese fast congealing in my mouth, I remain motionless, and will myself not to panic. The light flashes off after a minute. Just when my heart rate is beginning to slow, and I’ve almost convinced myself that this is nothing sinister, the light comes on again.#p#分页标题#e#
I rationalize why it can’t be the worst case scenario. For one thing, Clayton isn’t the type of man to toy with this prey once it is within his cross hairs. If he knew where I was, I would already be in his clutches. Therefore the only logical, please God, conclusion is that this is something else.
I push the button. The light stops flashing but stays on green.
First, I hear him exhale. My head jerks up as the sound filters through the room.
“Lucky.”
I drop the gadget. “Q?” I’m getting used to the smooth automation of his voice. Whatever tech he’s using must be top of the line, because he sounds less robotic and more human each time we speak.
“Yes.”
I look around, spot the discreet speakers tucked into various corners of the living room.
“How are you doing this…I mean, how did you know I was up?”
“I have a state of the art security system that alerts me when there’s movement in the property at odd hours. It’s three in the morning. You should be asleep. My system thinks you’re an intruder. I wanted to verify that you were not.” His voice flows all around me.
I take a couple of steps back and reclaim my sandwich. The explanation is reasonable. But I’m still a little creeped out, if a lot relieved. My gaze darts around.
“What about cameras? Do you have cameras installed in here, too?”
“Only on the outside. I can give you the code to dismantle both if it would make you more comfortable?”
I take small bite of my food. “Can you not do it remotely?”
“Of course, but I suspect you might not believe me if I said it was done?”
I bend my head to hide my guilty flush, even though he can’t see me. Or at least I hope he can’t.
I swallow before I reply, “That’s okay. If you say it’s done, I believe you.”
“Thank you.”
I take another bite and chew through the silence. “I’m sorry if my moving around woke you.”
“I wasn’t asleep.”
“Oh, okay. Can I ask what you’re doing awake at 3am?”
“Having a drink. And reviewing your shots.”
A reel of the photo shoot flips through my mind and my body heats up. The thought that he’s staring at those pictures right now makes a part of me tremble, while a definite part throbs. When he remains silent, I’m forced to ask, “And?”
“And I’m very much looking forward to fucking you, Lucky.”
The matter of fact words, spoken softly through a mesh of tech, is hotter than anything I’ve ever heard in my life. My body grows heavy and a little weak, and I’m glad I’m sitting down.
“You…you don’t think I’m too thin?”
“We’re working on that, are we not?”
I laugh and the sound is the most natural I’ve heard in a long time. “Fionnella is definitely single-minded about fattening me up, that’s for sure.”
“She’s following my instructions. I want you healthy and strong. I want you to be able to keep up with me.”