The Ink Romance Series

by Bridget Taylor

  “Hey,” I grab him arm gently. “Is everything okay?”

  “What? Yeah, it’s fine. I just haven’t been sleeping well and it sucks.” David glances over at Molli, who is standing with her new boyfriend. It won’t last, they never do because she breaks up with them when they tell her to stop hanging with David.

  “Does it have anything to do with that?” I lift my chin in the direction of Molli.

  “What? No! Absolutely not.”

  “You must think I’m stupid if you think I can’t see how crazy you are about her. You guys have been sharing the same bed for years. How you are ‘just friends’ shocks me every day. Now she is with this new guy, and suddenly you can’t sleep? It’s ‘cause she isn’t there, right?” David’s shoulders deflate making him look small in this dense line of people.

  “I can’t make her love me, Leslie,” he whispers. “I just want to find someone tonight. I can’t keep doing this with her. I physically, mentally, and emotionally can’t.” He shakes his head.

  “You haven’t even tried! You guys have just been playing this friend card for years and tip-toeing around each other!” A few people turn their heads when they hear me raise my voice. I can’t help it! What he is saying is…just crazy!

  “How more obvious can I make it?”

  I couldn’t help the look of annoyance I give him. “How about spelling it out for her? She might be thinking the same thing. Neither of you have made moves on each other and watching you guys is becoming painful. It’s obvious you two have something special. Are you really going to throw it away because of a lack of communication?”

  “Oh please, Leslie! When will you start listening to yourself?”

  “David, you have no idea how many times I’ve tried to communicate with Kane. It’s him, not me!”

  “Or Logan? You could tell him how you are unavailable since you are still so in love with Kane,” he says.

  “The only way to get over one guy is to get under another,” I mutter. I didn’t really plan on anyone hearing that.

  “Yeah! I’ll let you get under me baby!”

  “Me too!”

  I look at David with hot cheeks and mouth. “Oh my god.”

  “Well, you can’t say you don’t have options…”

  I slap David’s chest. “Shut up. Don’t give them ideas!”

  “Leslie, they already have the idea.” His face looks dubious as he glares at me.

  Why does he have to be right?

  “Identification, and lift your right wrist please.” The bouncer doesn’t look anything like Logan. This guy has dark chocolate skin and dark eyes. He is thicker like a bodybuilder and his voice is smooth like a balm caressing my skin.

  Showing him my ID, he mindlessly puts the wristband on me and yells next. David, Molli, and her guy do the same thing, and before we know it, we are finally inside Saturn’s. The air is thick with humidity and sweat. It’s just as dark in here as it is outside, but in here, the middle of the dance floor slowly spins in a circle never keeping you in the same place for more than a second.

  “Oh look! A booth! Hurry grab it!” Molli shouts over the music.

  I quickly make my way across the room, taking elbows to the shoulder, random butts grinding me on, and I think I might have touched a boob, but you have to go through extreme measures to get a booth in this place. Once you get a booth, you get great service. It’s an unspoken rule around here.

  Not five minutes after we sit down, our waitress happily bounces up to our table, pen and notepad in hand. “Hi, I’m Tessy. I’ll be your waitress this evening.” Tessy has to shout over the music, and we all lean in so we can hear her.

  “What can I get ya’ to drink?” She pops her gum and puts her pen to paper, ready like a Nascar driver waiting for the flag to drop!

  “A pitcher of margaritas and an extra dry martini for me please,” David says.

  “I’ll have a Bud Light if you have it,” Molli’s boyfriend pops in.

  “Of course he would,” David mutters so no one can hear. But since I’m sitting next to him, it’s clear as day.

  “Sure, be back in a jiffy!”

  “I might ask her out. She is hot.” David leans out of the booth to look at her butt.

  “What? No way!” Molli sputters.

  “So you can have a boyfriend and I can’t have a girlfriend? I didn’t think you cared, Molli.” The amount of hostility makes the air around me cold.

  “Did I miss something?” Molli’s boyfriend states.

  “Your brain,” David hisses.

  “Okay, we are going to go dance. Come on, David.” I grab his arm and yank him from the booth before he gets pummeled by the dumb behemoth.

  “What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” I yell at him over the music. We slither between the bodies practically having sex on the dance floor, studying how each form moves with the beat. The humidity clouds the ceiling as heat from everyone’s body rises, creating a seductive scene. The music pulses through the floor and between my legs, hooking its claws into me as I add to the sensual frenzy on the dance floor.

  “The guy is an idiot. And who is she to question me like that? What I do is none of her business.” David keeps his hands on my waist and pulls our bodies close as we dance our worries away.

  “Oh look! Our drinks, I’ll be right back!” I shout at him.

  I give a sympathetic smile to Molli, who is still sitting with her boyfriend who flexes his muscles. She looks bored.

  “I’m just grabbing the drinks. Have fun.” I try and sound reassuring, but it’s hard to when your boyfriend is a dumb meathead.

  “Finally.” David takes his drink out of my hand and tosses the contents back like a shot making me gape.

  “Drink up, we have a whole night to waste!” he shouts, smiling at me. He starts rubbing his back on the front of my body and dancing in circles around me, bringing out a loud laugh from my core. I love goofy David. Sad David is no fun!

  Before I can get a word out, my instincts start to scream at me to get out of there. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and for a moment, as I look over David’s shoulder, I think I see Chase.

  Impossible.

  No, there is no way I saw him here. It has to be my mind playing tricks on me or a flick of one of the colored strobing lights. The chances of him being here are slim. Why would he come back when they are searching for him? He should be hiding.

  That thought makes me relax a little. I lift my drink, close my eyes, and let the music take me away. The beat swirls around me, sinking deep inside me like a well-known lover making me move like I’ve never moved before. The song is slow, which adds to the scene of seduction as I roll my hips, rub my hand up my body to cup my breast, and finishing it off with a swig of my margarita. It’s melted now, but it tastes the same, so I don’t care.

  “Damn, Leslie! I thought you were an old cat lady! I had no idea a young woman actually lived in your body!” David’s eyes flash a bright blue from the glowing lights for a moment, adding to his surprised wide-eyed stare at me.

  “A lady always has her secrets,” I yell. Well, I slur. Wow, that drink it getting my head quicker than I thought.

  “David, I’m going to hit the restroom. I’ll be right back!” I stumble through the bodies, but it seems natural since that seems to be what everyone is doing. I down the rest of my drink and toss the plastic cup in the trash. Once I get to the restroom, I lock the big wooden door behind me. It’s only one stall, so the only one that can judge me here is me.

  I turn on the faucet and splash my face with ice cold water. It makes me feel better, but I still feel sluggish. What was in that drink?

  “I never thought I’d get you alone.” Chase walks out of the stall wearing all black. His glasses are gone, and his hair is cut short. It’s shaved on the sides with a longer top he combs over. If I wasn’t so freaked out, I’d think he was attractive.

  “You know…I’ve been patient with you, Leslie. I’ve let you ha
ve your fun. I’ve let you dance with your friends. I’ve let you get that tattooed loser out of your system, and now I’m done letting you do whatever you want. Do you know what I’ve had to go through to remain unseen all because of you!” He traps me against the sink with his long lean arms. The music outside is muted by the door, even if I screamed, it would go unheard.

  “Chase, you…. I don’t. What—” My words start slurring along with my vision. His hand touches my face making my skin crawl. That margarita I had earlier is starting to turn in my stomach from his vile appearance. Even with blurred vision, I can see the want in his eyes.

  “You weren’t supposed to be there at the time of the fire. It was supposed to be Rorie! That’s how the schedule had been. I’m sorry baby, will you ever forgive me?” His lips touch mine, but I don’t kiss him back. I’m frozen in place trying to think about how I can get out of here.

  Play along.

  “We switched at the last minute because her mom needed her help with moving.” I sway to the point where Chase catches me. He wraps my arms around his body, hoisting me in a wedding style hold. My head falls back as he kicks the door open. I don’t have the strength to look around. I can’t even scream. My body is locked and numb. I feel trapped in my own body. All these people could help me, but they don’t even know I’m in the arms of a nightmare.

  “I texted your friends saying you were leaving to go to Kane’s, from your phone of course. I figure they would believe that since you have been a little bit of a whore going from Logan to Kane. No more of that, okay? I can be everything you need. Watch your head.” He dips down and places me in a car of some sort, I think. I can’t tell. It smells like smoke and mothballs making my eyes water. The smell settles on my taste buds and vomit pools in the back of my throat just waiting to erupt. No, don’t. You will be fine.

  The seats are torn and the floorboard is plastic with no carpet like newer cars. One of those Christmas tree air fresheners hangs in the window and my body falls onto his, unintentionally. I can’t control it. Everything feels so sluggish; it’s like I’m weighed down with a thousand pounds.

  I try to speak. “Wuu—wha—you,” I stutter. My eyes keep rolling shut every time I pry them open, but it’s no use. My head falls onto his shoulder every time.

  “Wow, you acted fast to that. Didn’t your parents ever teach you to keep your drink in sight? You were waving it around in the air like a flag. You were practically calling me over to you, begging me to take you. I only gave you a half of roofie. I didn’t think you would be so affected. At least you will be nice and relaxed for the night I have planned.” His hand travels against the skin on my legs touching me with a promise that will haunt me forever.

  Chapter 7

  Tires crunch on a familiar gravel road, making the car bounce and causing my head to lull to the side. My drug induced haze slightly lifts when I recognize the ‘A’ frame of my little house.

  “Oh, looks like no one is home. Isn’t that exciting, Leslie? We have the place to ourselves!” Chase says excitedly as he puts the car in park.

  I can’t let him get me inside.

  The car groans as it stops, signifying its age. Chase turns in his seat a little, folding his hands in his lap to look at me with an odd gaze. His head is tilted and his perfectly combed hair is out of place in the front and the dark loose strands curl in front of his glasses.

  “Leslie, do you know what I had to do to get to you?” He clicks his tongue, gazing out the window, looking at nothing.

  “I ran after the fire. You got in the way of that plan, by the way. I didn’t want to have to hurt you, and you left me no choice!” He lifts out of his seat and yells in my face. I can feel the spit flying off his lips.

  “I stole a car and I drove as far away as I could. I was going to come back for you, I swear. I had to get to safety first. But they got me! It was the only reason I was gone as long as I was. You have to believe me!” Chase grabs my face to turn my head towards him. “You believe me right, baby?” he whispers.

  I can’t answer him though because my tongue is weighed down with a foreign substance.

  “Don’t you!” he yells making me flinch.

  My head nods numbly to hopefully stop the anger building in him.

  “Good, that’s really good. I had to kill people to get back here. You heard of that, right? You heard what I did for you? I was in that van, taking me to prison! They were taking me away from you…I…I had to do something! I couldn’t be away from you, Leslie.” A sickly-sweet smile ghosts over his lips as he speaks. “I almost can’t even remember how I did it. I was handcuffed and everything. You should have seen me! I was like an animal. I needed to get back to you, Leslie. You were all I thought of when I snapped the guard’s neck who was sitting next to me. After that, I head-butted the guard who lunged at me and the move pushed the bone of his nose into his brain.” Chase demonstrates by shoving the palm of his hand under my nose and pushing my head back. My heart skips thinking that he might do it, but when he pulls away I can breathe easier.

  “I grabbed the key to the cuffs from the guy’s belt loop took his gun and shot the guy in the passenger seat along with the driver. I pushed them onto the highway and watched them roll under other vehicles. It was like watching my freedom inch closer to me. It was the world telling me I could come back to you. It had to be.”

  I know he can’t see me because it’s dark, but tears are leaking out of the corner of my eyes. All those people! Those people had families. Oh my god, what am I going to do! What am I going to do! I squeeze my eyes shut and open them again. I repeat the process to try to make the haze goes away, but it just gets worse. I can’t see anything. I can’t see.

  “Aw don’t cry, baby. I know. I’m okay, though. I’m here. We can finally be together.” He kisses my cheek before taking off his seat belt to get out of the car. When the driver’s side door opens, the car groans again, and the cool summer breeze wafts through for a moment drying my cheeks before shutting me back into a nightmare. Chase moves throughout the night like a stealthy predator. It’s how he played mind tricks with me at Saturn’s. Every time I thought I saw him, he was gone in a blink of an eye.

  When my door opens, that cool summer breeze kisses my feverish skin. The smell of pine and salt mingle together, almost feeling like an autumn night. Except, nothing is making a sound. The usual cricket aren’t singing, the frogs aren’t croaking, and the birds aren’t chirping. Even the stars that light up the sky are camouflaged by darkness. It’s like all of life itself shut off to match the mood of my captor.

  “You smell so good, baby. My Leslie.” His nose pushes against my hairline, ticking my skin with his sickness.

  Chase takes a deep breath. “What you do to me.” Hot breath taints my cheek as he smells me like a wild animal would. “I can’t believe I’m finally here with you. Aren’t you happy, baby?” His hand cups my throat and gives it a firm squeeze causing a terrified moan to leak from my lips.

  “I can’t wait to hear you do that when we are in bed. Our bodies finally meeting like they were always meant to.” Those thin dry kips kiss my cheek, reminding me of sandpaper. I can’t stop the wince that passes through my body.

  My head lulls back. It’s hard to keep it upright with the drug coursing through me. Exhaustion fills my bones causing my eyes to close on their own accord.

  Hands roughly cup my jaw. “Open your eyes! Look at me!”

  When my eyes fly open, all I see are blurred lines.

  “There you are. Come on. Let’s go.”

  Suddenly, I’m lifted into the air with his hands under my knees. My door opens and the one thing I do notice is Flamingo not barking.

  “Fla-in-go,” I mutter. I try and look around, but I can’t see him. I can’t hear his paws or his barks coming for me.

  “He is sleeping right now like all your other animals. I can’t believe you took them all in. You have such a good heart, baby. I swear, I only put them to sleep so they wouldn’t bother us.�
� He kisses my forehead and for a moment, it is a move that is so gentle, I would have thought a good man did it, but then he slams the door closed with is foot, reverberating the pain in my head.

  The floorboards creak under his weight as he carries me to my room. The a/c is on, but I can’t feel it, my skin is on fire and sweat is pouring off me so fast that my hair is damp. The door opens, the stuffy heat from the room bombards me, making it hard to breathe. Since the door was shut, no air was able to get through. I knew I should have put the extra vent in the room, for times like this.

  Times like this. Leslie! You never thought a time like this would happen!

  Down feather comforts my back as he lays me out for his enjoyment.

  “You’re so beautiful. Those photos I took don’t do you justice. You don’t know how hard it was for me to watch you make love to Kane. Your body was mine, is mine, and you gave it to him.” He places a chaste kiss against my lips as he trails down my neck to my shirt. He takes it off, revealing my bra, and I can do nothing to stop it. Every time I squirm he thinks I’m loving his touch, when really, I’m repulsed.

  “I know you feel fuzzy, but I only wanted you to relax for our first time. Ever since that…man moved next door to the shelter, you haven’t been the same. He has tried to take you apart, but I’m here now.” He kisses my stomach, licking the sweat off.

  “I’ve waited for this for so long.” Chase lifts from my body and rips his shirt off. If this was any different, if this situation was in another universe, I’d find him attractive right now. He has lean six-pack abs, and his chest is small but chiseled, but right now he just looks like a devil in a skinsuit.

  “Nothing is here holding us back.” He takes my shorts off, revealing my black underwear. I try and move away from him, but he pulls me closer touching my breasts, my waist, and my rear.

  “You are so beautiful. Do you feel how hard you make me?” Chase rubs his hard length against my thigh and memories from when I was sixteen slammed into me. I cry out, a desperate plea for help.