Page 4

The tall, dark, ridiculously sexy stranger leans close to my ear on the dance floor and invites me to join him for another drink. His voice vibrates through me, making me feel even more alive than the music does.

His words hint at adventure and mischief.

I know I should say no. I know I’ve already stayed too long here. I have to get home before my father does. If he finds out I’ve snuck out, there will be hell to pay. He’s never caught me before because I was always so careful, always keeping my nights short. Just dancing, enjoying the music, and then leaving while it was still early.

But tonight, things are different. I feel so good standing this close to this man. I don’t know what it is about him, but I want to know more. I want to know who he is. I want to feel his hands on me. I don’t even know his name, and he doesn’t know mine. Maybe it’s better that way.

A mystery and a thrilling temptation.

I feel my cheeks flushing as nervous excitement rushes through me when I agree to join him in a more private setting.

I can’t believe I am doing this.

He takes my hand, and when his warm fingers wrap through mine, my heart beats even faster. I can barely hide my grin as I let him lead me off the dance floor.

He’s so tall I can’t see around him, so I just stay close to his back and let him be my guide.

We enter the long passageway that leads to the VIP area, and the red glow of lights above us gives the entire place a sort of sexy vibe. I feel naughty. I know I shouldn’t be here.

His hand reaches around and touches my waist as he moves me in front of him, but as I step around him, we brush so closely against each other that my heart leaps into my throat.

Then, without even knowing how it happened, I find myself pressed against the wall.

I can smell the dark forest scent of his cologne. Pine and amber. I breathe in, letting it taunt me.

My entire body is tingling with anticipation. His eyes pierce into me and his hand wraps around my jaw. I feel my lips part as my eyes go to his mouth.

His mouth locks over mine.

I can feel his body pushing against me, and it thrills me to know that I am trapped here beneath him with my back against the wall. The muscles of his stomach and his broad thick shoulders press against me.

I reach out and run my hands over his sides, feeling his sculpted physique.

This is not what I do. This is not me.

I never get to just let go and kiss gorgeous strangers in sexy red passageways.

I never get to just have fun. I always have to smile and be polite and be perfect. I have to be the quiet, obedient daughter who never steps out of line.

Tonight I can pretend to be anyone. I can pretend to be free.

This is the moment where I decide that tonight, nothing else matters.

I don’t care if I get home late and my father catches me. What is he going to do to me that is worse than everything he has already done? He might lock me away forever, trap me in the basement. What more could he put me through to make my life a misery?

I don’t care about any of that right now.

I push the fear aside and focus on the stranger’s lips as they move over mine. I wanted to escape tonight, and all I have to do is let this gorgeous man kiss me—and maybe just see where it leads.

I feel myself giggle as he pulls away to look down at me with those piercing blue eyes. Actually, I can’t wait to find out where this will lead once we are alone in the VIP section. This is so much more fun than dancing alone. I’m going to lie in bed for weeks after this remembering how amazing this feels.

It’s exactly what I need to distract me from the horrible things I’ve seen.

He steps back, a mischievous grin on his face, and we carry on down the red passage towards the door.

When he suggests that we get champagne, my insides churn. Champagne reminds me of my father’s parties, and I want nothing to do with those memories.

But then I feel bad. It’s impolite to say no to what he wants. I can’t be selfish like that. If he prefers champagne, then I will just drink it.

“If you don’t like champagne, we don’t have to get that—what would you prefer?” He asks.

“Anything you like,” I reply, trying to compensate for the fact that I was rude in asking for something else.

But then he is kissing me again, and I am melting against him. My head spins, giddy and wild.

“Tell me what you like,” he whispers, his lips right against mine.

“I like gin?" I giggle nervously.

“Alright, gin it is.”

Instead of waiting for someone to come and serve us, he goes off to get our drinks himself, and I take a quick moment to run my fingers through my hair and touch up my lip gloss. I can’t even remember when last I had a date that my father didn’t arrange with one of his creepy clients in order to get a business deal.

This is as close as I am going to get to one, and I feel ridiculously nervous.

He returns carrying two drinks and hands me one of them.

“Thank you.” I sip it, still smiling, feeling like a little girl, happy and excited.

“Oh, actually, just give me a second. I need to run to the men’s room. I won’t be long.” He says, standing up again.

When he’s out of sight, I start questioning my choices. I’m here with a total stranger—a hot one—about to do something crazy or wild or silly—and actually—I want to.

I’m just nervous, that’s all.

I stare down at my gin. Without giving myself a chance to think about whether it’s a good or bad idea, I down the entire thing. If that’s what it takes to push my nerves aside and quiet my thoughts, then so be it.

He’s gone so long that I start to wonder if he changed his mind and ditched me. But then he returns, smiling that gorgeous smile, and slides back into his seat.

“You’re finished with your drink? Can I tell them to bring you another one?”

“Not right now.” I don’t drink that often, I shouldn’t down anymore.

I chuckle to myself.

“Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll get one for you.”

I nod.

My head spins a little when I do.

Goodness me, maybe downing it was a bad idea.

“So, what do you do when you aren’t dancing alone at a club?” he asks with a chuckle.

“I enjoy reading,” I reply, then hope he doesn’t find me boring. I hardly get to leave the house, so I don’t have any exciting stories to tell him.

“And shopping, I’m guessing.” He tilts his head, the corner of his lip curling.

“Shopping?” Ugh, no, I think to myself. I only shop to escape my father because it’s the one thing he doesn’t question me doing. Why is my head spinning? My lips feel tingly.

I blink my eyes tightly shut and try to focus on what the stranger is saying.

I know I don’t drink often, so that tequila is probably hitting me a little harder than I expected. I shoud never have downed the gin.

I guess I should slow down with any drinks he brings me after this.

Maybe I should ask for water.

“Yes, a girl like you. I bet you shop all the time.” He sounds sarcastic, almost mean about it.

I want to defend myself, because that’s not who I am. I’m not the girl who wants to spend all her time in a mall. I want to go hiking and swimming and—ugh. My head feels thick.

“I don’t—I just—I feel dizzy,” I say, pressing my fingers against my temple, trying to massage away this weird feeling. I swallow and try to sit up straighter because something is wrong.

“It’s okay, Sasha. Don’t fight it,” he says darkly, and my brain fires a million warnings all at once. I never told him my name. He never told me his. The entire room is spinning wildly.

My lips are so numb I am barely able to string my words together.

“I didn’t—tell—you my—name," I stammer, mumbling more than speaking.

Panic surges inside me and rushes against my skin.

What is going on?

Something is very, very wrong.

This is not the effect of one shot of tequila. I try to turn towards the darkly sexy man who is smiling at me, his face drifting in and out of focus.

He knows my name. This isn’t just a random meeting with a random stranger.

I want to yell at him. I want to get out of here.

I can’t seem to catch my breath.

“Just let it happen,” he whispers as his hands reach around my waist pull me towards him. Absolute terror rushes through me.

“Who—" are you? But I can’t get the words out. My tongue is dry, and my eyes are too heavy. I can’t even hold my head up anymore. I feel the glass of gin slip out of my hand and tumble to the floor.

I close my eyes and feel my entire body lose control as I collapse into his arms.

Outwardly, I can’t move, but for the last few seconds of consciousness, I am in a complete panic.

***

I feel the car vibrating beneath me as I slowly begin to wake up. My face is pressed against the back seat. I am lying on my stomach. I still can’t move, but my mind is beginning to come into focus. Panic and fear start to overwhelm me. I bite down hard on my lip to fight against it.

I’ve been kidnapped. It’s obvious.

I’m in the back of someone’s car and I’m being taken somewhere.

I try to move my arm, but it feels sluggish, as though I fell asleep in the wrong position and all the blood has drained out of it. A small sound of strain and fear escapes my lips and I freeze, hoping no one heard it. I don’t want them to know that I’m awake yet.

I hear two men talking, but my head is still too fuzzy to make out what they are saying.

One of them is the tall dark stranger from the club. I recognize his voice.

Tires screech against gravel as we turn off the main road. My body slides, useless and limp, across the seat, and someone reaches into the back to grab my arm and stop me from tumbling off. I shut my eyes just in case they look at my face. Whoever grabs me pulls me back into the middle of the seat and then lets me go again.

The car slows and the men start talking again.

“Get her into the room upstairs,” the tall dark stranger says.

“Yes sir,” the other man replies. “How long will the sedative last?”

“Not too much longer. I only gave her a small amount. No point in killing her accidentally before we even get her home. Let’s get her inside and locked up before it wears off.”

The car stops and I hear the doors open and the sound of their boots on the ground outside. Then the back door opens, and a cold breeze rushes over my body. I feel hands pulling me out of the car.

I do my best to keep my breathing even. My body is slowly coming back to me, but I still can’t move properly. The bite of the night air feels good on my skin.

I have to wait a little while longer.

The second man huffs as he throws me over his shoulder. “Come on, sleeping beauty. Let’s get you inside,” he mutters to himself and I feel him walking.

The jerky movements wake my legs and arms up even more and my breathing gets heavier.

Now . I have to try and escape now before they get me inside.

I start kicking and screaming and the man jumps with fright. He drags me forward over his body to try and lock me down in his grip again, but I am going wild.

The more I fight, the more my body wakes up, so I put everything into it.

“What the fuck. Stupid bitch,” he snaps, trying to grab my arms as I scratch at his face. Even though I miss, he looks furious.

One of his arms locks around my face as he tries to get me under control, and I bite down hard. I sink my teeth in as deep as I can before he jerks away, screaming loudly.

He drops me and I land hard on the brick pathway.

It hurts, but I don’t have time to think about that. I don’t know where my other heel went, but I kick the one I am still wearing off. The man who was holding me is gripping his arm where I bit him. He is struggling with the pain. Then his gaze locks onto mine.

“Don’t you dare move,” he snarls.

I push myself to my feet, glancing around with wild eyes and fearful thoughts.

Then I run.

I run harder and faster than I have ever run in my life. But sooner than I had hoped, I find the boundary wall of this massive properly. I sprint along it, my legs burning. There has to be an opening. I hear men shouting behind me and the heavy sounds of their feet as they run after me. They sound too close. I have to push harder.

I jump against the steel fence that runs between the stone pillars and start climbing. My hands are burning as I try and grip on and hold my own weight. My arms and legs are shaking from the aftereffects of whatever they drugged me with. I want to throw up. But I push all of that aside and keep climbing.

At the top, I cry out. There is barbed wire everywhere. My hand brushes against it and it bites into my skin.

But do I want to be taken by psychopaths, or take my chances against the barbed wire? I stand, wobbly and unstable, on the top of one of the tall stone pillars.

I see the tall dark stranger arrive just below me. He is staring up at me with angry, cold eyes. “Don’t be fucking stupid, Sasha,” he snarls as he reaches out and grabs the fence to pull himself up.

My legs are shaking so badly, my head spinning so much that I can barely see. My foot slips when I try to step forward and I fall straight towards the barbed wire.

I scream loudly, knowing I’ve made a mistake.