I manage to open one eye and then two. I’m in Drake’s room, but Drake is not in the bed with me. How did I get here?
I feel confused. I can’t remember anything from the moment I was brought into that room and hung on that contraption. I move again and wince when I feel a pain in my shoulder.
“The doctor said you’d be sore there for a couple of days. You were bitten quite hard.”
Bitten? I push my hair out of the way and sure enough there is a bite mark with a big angry bruise around it.
Frowning, I turn towards the sound of Drake’s voice. He’s sitting on the chair, looking nothing like the man I used to know. His hair is dishevelled, and his shirt, which is normally crisp and buttoned up, is creased with three buttons undone. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. He also looks like he hasn’t shaved in days.
He doesn’t look at me. He’s staring into space as if I’m not there. Is he angry with me? Of course he is. I ran away, but then, how did I end up back here?
“What happened?” I ask in a croaky voice.
He grits his teeth. “Isaac happened. He took you. Don’t you remember?”
My heart sinks. He still won’t look at me, and for some reason, I feel the stinging rejection. “I got a lift from a really nice lady. She took me to Reading. She gave me some money, and I managed to get a hotel room. Later that night, Joe knocked on the door, but I thought it was the manager. He injected me with something, and the next minute, I was tied to a bed with Isaac there.”
His jaw ticks, and I watch as he grips the arm rest with his hands. I can see that anger in him. I know when he’s about to blow. But I can’t help but want to go to him. And I can’t help but want to seek his forgiveness.
Throwing the sheet off me, I scoot out of the bed, noticing how every muscle aches. I want to moan with the pain, but I keep it down. As I walk towards him, Drake still won’t look at me. A part of me wonders if I should do this. He may throw me off of him, but I need him. I really need his comfort.
I straddle him, placing my arms around his waist and snuggling my head into his neck. He smells musky—all man. I want to savour the smell, but I can’t as Drake won’t return my affection. I snuggle again and wiggle myself a little on his lap to get him to do something.
“Drake, please,” I urge.
He visibly sighs, but snakes his arms around me before kissing the top of my head. This is the Drake I know and love. Not that monster he became.
“I should have known,” he whispers into my hair. “I should have kept you safe.”
Is he actually blaming himself for this?
“Drake, please. It’s my fault. This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have run, but you should have told me.”
I feel his heart drumming, and he squeezes me to him a little more. I can feel the rage building inside of him again, so I do something I hope will calm him. I start laying gentle kisses around his shoulder and then his neck. I start on one side and then the other. I feel Drake growing beneath me, and it spurs me on. I start breathing heavily and so does Drake. I can feel he wants this, so I push further and start kissing his lips. His eyes look lost, but glassed over as I come in for one kiss and then another. “Drake,” I whisper at his lips as I plunge my tongue in. He accepts me, moaning as he places a hand behind my head. “I want you,” I say, going in for more. It’s only when I start trying to undo his trousers that he stops me.
“Evelyn, no.”
Pulling back, I look at him confused. “What’s wrong?”
Drake huffs and shakes his head. He looks me in the eyes, his expression angry. “You don’t remember, do you? You can’t. Otherwise, there’s no way you’d want to do this.”
I frown, shaking my head. “I don’t understand.”
Immediately, Drake gets up and carries me towards the mirror. He pulls my shorts down and then motions for me to look. When I do, I see bruises everywhere. All over my hips, thighs, and legs. I pull one leg up and notice the bruises on the inside.
I cover my mouth with a gasp. “What happened to me?”
“You don’t remember?”
Tears pool my eyes, so Drake comes over and puts my shorts back on for me. He sits me on the bed. “I remember being tied to the bed. I remember asking Isaac why I was there, and he said that he was always trying to get to me, but then you got to me first. He said I was going to be a sex slave and that I should be used to it with you.” I turn to him with a frown. “Why, Drake? Why did he say that?”
His jaw is ticking again. He’s so angry. “I kept telling you, and you wouldn’t listen.”