Julian interrupts my thoughts. “Rapine should be legal worldwide and a woman’s only occupation should be pleasing a man and caring for their children. That is my sexual ideal of a woman.”
This man is seriously fucked up. “You are a backwards thinker,” I manage to say feeling rather startled at his confession.
“Never mind what I think, the majority of men with enormous power and wealth still feel very strongly against women reaching high positions in society. I believe the key to society’s numerous problems is actually taking an evolutionary step backwards, specifically with human sexuality. A team of Dutch psychologists found that backward motion might actually trigger improved mental power than forward motion. Psychologist Severine Koch and her colleagues at Radboud University Nijmegen ran a simple experiment. Volunteers were asked to walk just a few steps, either forward or backward. Then they immediately took the Stroop test, a test that evaluates speed of mental processing, cognitive flexibility, and selective attention. They found those who had walked just a few steps backward had improved mental power than the forward movers. They concluded that if presented with a problem, it may be best to take a step back.”
“So you’re saying we should go back to how things were in the past?” I ask.
Julian rapidly continues with increased vigor and flaunting erudition, “To advance human civilization is to place men and women in their respective positions. Men should always be first in hierarchy. The left-brain is the intellectual part. The left-brain is so brilliant that it’s taken us to the moon and developed our magnificent technologies. Men are the leaders, builders, and inventors. In human’s history, we see great evidence of men’s mastery. Even in art, although women are artistically inclined, we have no female equivalents for Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Delacroix, Cézanne, Picasso, Matisse, Willem de Kooning, or Warhol.”
I take a sip of wine. “But there are plenty of women who are more intelligent or more skilled than men, even in male-dominated industries.”
“Sure, you can say that, but that is just evidence of a man’s deficiency. A man who is less capable or consummate than a woman is an utter failure; he has not lived up to his full potential.”
I peer up at Julian. “Well, I think men and women are equal in the sight of God.”
“You think I don’t know what God thinks? I’ve taken religious studies. I know my bible quite well. I recall that Ephesians 5:22 commands women to submit to their husbands and 1 Timothy 2:11 commands women to be quiet and fully submissive.”
“I don’t agree.”
“As they say, it is written.”
I consider Julian’s reasoning, and find it rather disconcerting.
“Many biologists have reasoned and proved that men are more evolutionarily advanced than women.” Julian points at the book in my lap. “Read, aloud, the next subtitle on the page, Difference in the Mental Powers of the Two Sexes.”
I read the text aloud and scoff when I read the sentence, “man has ultimately become superior to woman.”
He points to the second paragraph and commands me to read it aloud again.
I do as he commands. “The chief distinction in the intellectual powers of the two sexes is shown by man’s attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes up, than can woman–whether requiring deep thought, reason, or imagination, or merely the use of the senses and hands. If two lists were made of the most eminent men and women in poetry, painting, sculpture, music, history, science, and philosophy, with half-a-dozen names under each subject, the two lists would not bear comparison. We may also infer, that if men are capable of a decided pre-eminence over women in many subjects, the average of mental power in man must be above that of woman. Amongst the half-human progenitors of man, and amongst savages, there have been struggles between the males during many generations for the possession of the females. But mere bodily strength and size would do little for victory, unless associated with courage, perseverance, and determined energy. With social animals, the young males have to pass through many a contest before they win a female, and the older males have to retain their females by renewed battles. They have, also, in the case of mankind, to defend their females, as well as their young, from enemies of all kinds, and to hunt for their joint subsistence. But to avoid enemies or to attack them with success, to capture wild animals, and to fashion weapons, requires the aid of the higher mental faculties, namely, observation, reason, invention, or imagination.”
“Okay, stop reading,” Julian commands. “I’ve enjoyed your company. It’s about time for you to get some rest.” He finishes his glass of wine and gets up. “Good night, Cheryl.” He leaves. I finish off my glass of wine and get ready for sleep.
As I lie in bed, I recall what Julian told me that evening. He told me a man who is less capable or consummate than a woman is an utter failure…that sounds much like Derek…Derek held similar beliefs. After all, Derek did convince me to stop working and instead to focus solely on pleasing him and maintaining myself for him…hmm I get the feeling Julian is very similar to Derek.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It’s morning. I sit up in bed and glance at my iPhone. It’s 7:14 a.m. I stretch out my arms and hop out of bed. I get showered, dressed, and walk into the living room.
Breakfast is already waiting for me on the dining room table, so I take a seat and get started devouring the toasted bagel, fresh fruit, yogurt, and taking sips of the white tea. My appetite has increased, even though I’ve been through so much within the past few days. The idea of being able to go back to Derek after all this is over provides me with a sense of relief. I can consider it like a short-term job.
As soon as I have finished breakfast, Julian makes an entrance, holding a large box. He motions for me to follow him into the living room. “I’d like to show you something.”
I follow him into the living room, and he places the box on the floor. He takes out an artist’s easel and sets it up by the floor-to-ceiling windows. He turns to gaze at me, and smiles warmly. “I want you to enjoy your time with me. I encourage your artistic abilities, and encourage you to paint if you choose to do so while under my roof during the time specified in the Term Sheet. The rest of the artist’s tools are in the box. I must get to work, but I will see you later Cheryl, enjoy your day.” He gazes at me with a sly smile as he passes by me and leaves the room.
I stand gazing at the artist’s easel for a while, considering the gesture and Julian’s motives, and then decide to look into the box. Inside I find a handwritten card.
Cheryl,
“Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.”
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
P.S. Speaking of true love of course. If painting is your true love, then pursue it like your happiness depends on it because it does.
Julian
That’s kind of cute. Anyways, let see what’s inside this box. I find a large canvas, about a hundred different tubes of oil colors, various-size paintbrushes, a palette knife, a paint palette, solvents, oil mediums, and varnishes. I really love painting, and seeing these artist’s tools gets me excited as it always does. It raises within me this sense of passion and dynamic energy. I take out all the items in the box, and get started on a new abstract painting of nothing but streaks and blobs of colors.
I spend the day working on my painting, utterly entranced, and absorbed into a different world; a world of creation, beauty, color, and expression.
The Spanish maid disturbs me just for lunch and to inform me that she is placing the dress I am to wear for dinner in the bedroom. However, the rest of the time I am busy painting.
By the end of the day, I have completed the painting. I step back to admire the painting. I have used different shades of greens, reds, yellows, purples, oranges, and blues and created a work comparable to the work of my favorite painter Wassily Kandinsky. I check my iPhone; it’s 8:04 PM. While I am cleaning up my iPhone rings and I answer it.
“Hello Cheryl, I hope you spent your day well,
” Julian says.
“Yes I did, I spent the day painting,” I murmur.
“Good to hear!” Julian responds cheerfully. “I expect you will be ready for dinner at 8:30 p.m.”
“Yes,” I murmur.
“I’ll see you soon, then.” He hangs up.
I finish cleaning up, and then take a shower and get dressed into the dark blue sheath dress provided. I examine myself in the dresser mirror. I look understated, yet sexy and sophisticated. I apply makeup and brush my hair and am ready a little before 8:30 PM. I go out into the dining room. Julian is already there.
“Good evening, Cheryl. You look lovely,” he murmurs.
He stands, pulls out my chair and seats me, then goes back to his seat. We consume a delicious four-course meal of duck terrine, sea bass, rack of lamb, and sorbet.
After dinner Julian invites me to have a seat in the living room. There is already a bottle of wine and crystal wine glasses waiting for us on the coffee table. He pours us each a glass and I take a sip.
“Mmm very good,” I murmur.
“I’m glad you like it, Cheryl. It’s a 1962 Henri Jayer Richebourge.” Julian gazes at me, and then takes a sip of his wine. “Tell me, what do you value in a man?”
I find this a good opportunity to tell him how much I love Derek. “A man like Derek.”
“Expound,” Julian demands while arching a brow.
“Well, I value the way he treats me. He is a gentleman, and takes great pride in taking good care of me.” I feel a quiver of my lower lip as I recall how much I missed Derek. I look down at my knotted fingers in my lap and let a few tears roll down my cheeks. He hasn’t even emailed me back yet. What is going on? Doesn’t he care about me? I sniffle as the questions leave me feeling baffled.
“Your painting is lovely.”
I gaze up at Julian, and find him staring at my completed painting propped up on the easel.
“You really have talent.” Julian takes a sip of his wine, still staring at my painting. “I will make sure to have a new canvas waiting for you every morning.”
My eyes take in Julian’s side profile. He really is handsome and exudes a masculine, self-assured vibe. I pick up his musky, spicy scent and I’m left wondering what his true intentions are.
He turns to face me and takes a sip of his wine.
I turn away to look at my painting and wipe away the tears from my cheeks. It really is a lovely painting. With all the intense, varied colors, my painting is the center of attention in the stark, all-white room.
“Do you trust me?” Julian asks unexpectedly.
I turn to face him. “I’m not sure,” I mutter.
“You can trust me,” he whispers. “I haven’t touched you and I don’t plan to unless you grant me permission. I enjoy your companionship and your exquisite beauty.”
I glance away for a moment and consider what he said and then glance back at him. How can I trust an abductor?
“Just tell me you trust me,” Julian whispers.
“I don’t know if I can trust you,” I whisper.
“Did you think I was going to rape you?”
I consider the question for a moment. “Maybe,” I whisper feebly, feeling anxious all of a sudden.
“I wouldn’t dare. I may have committed rapine, but I will not force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I wouldn’t want to offend a woman as beautiful as you.”
Feminine vanity has conquered over all my other emotions. I investigate Julian’s face and what I interpret in his expression is a deep infatuation with me.
A thought of what we discussed earlier flashes through my mind and I sense that I need to bring it up if I am to trust this man and spend time with him every day until the end of the term. “Why do you believe men and women are not equal?”
“We need to define equality. Equality does not mean value or worth as some people have come to believe. Life itself, in all its forms, is equally precious. Words confuse and mislead people and lead to disagreements.”
Julian takes a sip of his wine and I follow suite.
“The true meaning of equality is resemblance, similarity, and identicalness. Men and women are created to be different and serve different roles in the same way as the sun and the moon are different and serve different roles. Wouldn’t you agree that both the sun and the moon are both equally valuable and have great worth?”
“Yes,” I answer and take a sip of my wine.
“The sun and the moon both illuminate the earth at different times,” Julian explains.
“Some people wouldn’t complain if there was no moon,” I whisper.
“Besides lighting up the sky at night, the moon has been a stabilizing factor for the axis of rotation of the Earth. It is essential.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” I whisper. “So how do men and women differ?”
Julian stands up, pulls out a book from the bookshelf and places it on my lap. He opens to a certain page and points to a paragraph. “Read it aloud.”
I do as he says. “Woman seems to differ from man in mental disposition, chiefly in her greater tenderness and less selfishness.” He points to another sentence further down and reads it aloud. “Man is the rival of other men; he delights in competition, and this leads to ambition which passes too easily into selfishness.”
Julian enchants me with a long, silent gaze, those piercing blue eyes staring deep into mine. He grabs my wrist and pulls it up to his mouth. He kisses the dorsal of my hand and gently puts it back down in my lap. He gently tilts my chin up to meet his eyes. “You know you are very beautiful,” he whispers. After a long silence he says, “I want you to trust me.”
This is all so overwhelming, too much has happened in the past few days. I take a sip of my wine. He doesn’t say a word. I continue to take small sips of my wine to try to dissolve the stress and heartbreak experienced.
I glance down at my hands neatly folded on my lap, and then back up at him. “How can I trust you? You’ve abducted me and are holding me against my will,” I mutter feebly.
He sighs. “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I simply took what I wanted, but now that you’re here with me, I want the rest to unfold naturally.”
“The fact of the matter is you abducted me!”
“Tell me something I don’t already know,” he growls. “I’m an alpha male and I take what I want.”
Somewhere deep inside me, I feel blazing desire arise. An alpha male…that takes what he wants…that is so…hot.
As if he read my mind, he whispers, “Why don’t you just give yourself to me?”
“I still love Derek…”
“You can learn to love me too,” he whispers seductively. “Maybe you will be the right one to have my children.”
Learn to love him too? What does he mean? Love Derek and love him at the same time, or forget about Derek?
“Well I’ve enjoyed your company yet again. Have a good night.” Julian gets up and leaves.
When I am in bed, slowly drifting off to sleep, I consider how I feel about this entire situation. I miss Derek, and I can’t wait to get back to him but I recall how I reacted when Julian told me “I’m an alpha male and I take what I want.” Those words arouse something deep inside me, an unexpected instinctive reaction, and a hot, primal desire.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A month drifts past, and the days are pretty much the same. I paint during the day, and have dinner and drinks with Julian in the evening. I have already painted fifteen beautiful oil-on-canvas creations. Julian insists they are masterpieces. I control my emotions as best I can but the more I spend time with Julian, the harder I must try to fight the urges unfurling within me.
I keep telling myself I must act as if Julian is nothing more than a job. Once this is all over and I have made a fortune then I can go back to Derek, whom I miss very much. I still have not heard back from him, and my longing for him turns into bitterness and hurt. I have sent him a few more e-mail messages over the pas
t month but still no replies from him.
Today is like every other day so far, the sunlight is pouring into the living room as I work away at my new painting. I am creating an abstract with blurs and smudges of bright colors, interacting and playing with each other in just the right measure.
After I am done for the day, I make my way to my bedroom to get ready for dinner with Julian. As I look out the bedroom window overlooking the vast spread of sparkling snow, I realize I haven’t been outside for over a month. For some reason, I don’t miss going out, and have appreciated my laid-back lifestyle with Julian compared to the hectic schedule of my past.
I always dreamed of the artist’s lifestyle. Instead of this lifestyle, I had to spend every day making myself beautiful for Derek, leaving my dreams on hold. Yet here I am living the artist’s lifestyle with Julian. Would he always let me do this if I choose to be with him instead of with Derek? I push aside my wayward thoughts.
I get dressed and dolled up for dinner. Julian is waiting for me when I enter the dining room. He is dressed in a tailored dark gray suit and is wearing some expensive looking watch. Just like Derek, he wears a new watch every day of the week. What is up with wealthy men and their obsession with watches? I guess it is like ladies and their obsession with shoes. Elite Manhattan women never wear the same shoes two days in a row.
I notice that Julian is more relaxed than he usually is at dinner, and he welcomes me cheerfully, stands, pulls out my chair and I take a seat. Once I am seated, he sits across from me in his usual spot and smiles warmly at me. I smile back politely.
“I was thinking of showcasing your paintings at the end of this month. How would you like that?”
“Wow that would be nice.” I can’t conceal my excitement and I feel my heart beat quickening.
“I have many wealthy and powerful friends which would be delighted to view your paintings and most likely make generous purchases. Have you thought of pricing yet?”
Rapine: Abducted by the Billionaire Page 13
