Slammer

by Tabatha Vargo

  Feeling my nipples harden inside my bra, and I closed my eyes to shake my thoughts away. I was in the middle of my second deep breath when Dr. Giles came up to me and touched me on my shoulder. Gasping, I jumped since I wasn’t expecting him.

  He laughed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay. I’m just jumpy today.”

  “Ginger took care of most of the paperwork before she left for the day, but if you want, you can go check on X. He seems to be doing well, but some of his bruising is starting to worry me.”

  My shoulders dropped in defeat, but I nodded and smiled. “Okay, will do.”

  I went into his curtained space, sliding on a pair of latex gloves and readying myself for the conversation I’d have to smile through.

  “Oh, God, not you again,” he growled.

  He was obviously in a foul mood.

  “Yep, I’m back. How are you feeling today, Mr. Jacobs?”

  He chuckled, the sound vibrating with its usual rich tenor. “Oh, so it’s Mr. Jacobs now? What happened to Christopher?”

  “Calling you Christopher was unprofessional of me. From now on, you’re Mr. Jacobs.”

  “I’m not sure how that’s going to sound when you’re screaming my name, but whatever floats your boat, bad girl.”

  I ignored his words and took his blood pressure. Once I was done with that, I shined my light in his eyes to check the dilation. The bruises on his face were turning color, but they still looked terrible.

  “So what changed?”

  Sighing, I asked, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what changed? Why am I suddenly Mr. Jacobs? You might as well call me X like the rest of them.”

  “Maybe I should,” I snapped in a hiss. “Especially since it’s obvious you’re the guy they say you are.”

  I knew my words made no sense to him. He had no way of knowing what my thoughts had been like over the weeks. He had no idea that I was slowly coming around to him—slowly thinking that maybe he wasn’t a terrible monster, but he’d proved me so wrong.

  “I’ve never been more wrong,” I said.

  His blue eyes moved over my face as he tried to figure me out. I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head.

  “Wrong about what?” he asked.

  I didn’t hesitate. “Wrong about you. I was starting to think that maybe…” I stopped. “Never mind what I was thinking. I was obviously wrong.”

  I gasped when he reached out and pulled me close. His heated breath skimmed the side of my cheek, and I breathed him in instead of calling for help. He moved his face, his lips inches from mine, and I silently hoped that he would kiss me. It was wrong, so wrong, but I wanted to feel his lips on mine.

  “Don’t ever think anything. You should always know, especially when dealing with inmates.”

  I pulled my arm from his grasp and tried to move away, but he held me strong. When I shifted, my chest rubbed against his and he closed his eyes in pleasure. Finally, I tugged my arm free and backed away, taking large pulls of oxygen to slow my beating heart.

  His eyes raked across my face, trying to determine what I was thinking.

  “You’re upset with me.”

  I was. I wasn’t about to deny it.

  Shaking my head in annoyance, I blew out a breath and looked at the ceiling. “You know what? I am. I’m upset. Why’d you do it, Christopher? Why’d you beat those officers? I was starting to think you weren’t the monster everyone said you were, but then you had to go and… Never mind, just forget it.”

  I was heated and when his lips tilted in a sexy grin, I felt my anger spike.

  “You’re smiling? You think what you did is funny? Because I assure you, it isn’t. You could’ve killed them.”

  I knew I was raising my voice too much, and I was starting to worry the people outside his curtained space could hear me. But I was so hot, bothered, and angry with myself for it that I wanted to take it all out on him.

  “Yes, I’m smiling, but not because of that.”

  “Then why are you smiling?”

  “You called me Christopher again.”

  Rolling my eyes, I pressed into his chest in exasperation. When I realized I’d touched him so personally, I pulled my hands away quickly with wide eyes. I didn’t need to poke the bear. Plus, getting comfortable with the inmates was strictly forbidden.

  Before I could pull away, he reached out, grabbed my hands, and pressed them back into his chest. His eyes devoured my face, waiting to see what kind of reaction I’d have.

  I gasped and pulled against his hold, but the strangest thing was that I didn’t feel like I was in danger in any way. The look in his eyes wasn’t scary; it was as if he was testing his limits with me. He was curious, and I couldn’t deny the fact that I was, too.

  He was hard and hot beneath my palms, his muscles twitching against my fingertips as if begging me for more.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered. My eyes flittered around the space, seeing that the curtain was covering us completely.

  He closed his eyes and breathed deep, as if he was getting some sort of relief from my touch.

  “I’ve been in this place for ten years. For all those years, the only touch I’ve felt has been either out of hate or for medical purposes. This is…” He paused, his hands pressing my palms deeper into his chest. “Your touch… it makes me feel alive again.”

  His eyes opened, and his gaze was soft as he looked me in the eye. I was so confused. He was two different men—one with the authorities and other inmates, and one with me. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like maybe I was being played for a fool.

  I pulled my hands away like he was on fire when the curtain keeping us blocked from the rest of the infirmary was whipped back.

  Officer Douglas poked his head in with a worried smile. “You okay, Ms. Evans? It was quiet in here.”

  Smiling through my beating heart, I nodded. “Yeah, I was just finishing up.”

  I stayed away from X for the rest of my shift, busying myself with paperwork and intake.

  The following day, when I checked on him, I kept my eyes away from his face and stayed strictly professional. I’d gotten comfortable with working in the infirmary and with the way things worked. I went about caring for the inmates with a smile, and I was actually starting to feel good about taking the job.

  My bills were all caught up, and there was food in my refrigerator and gas in my car. Slowly but surely, things were coming around.

  I’d just given Mr. Davis his insulin and was headed to Dr. Giles’ office to let him know I was going to grab some lunch, when a hand reached out from behind one of the curtains and grabbed me. Pulling me into the curtained room, he covered my mouth to keep my scream locked in.

  His hot hand moved across my lips, making my stomach roll with disgust, and his foul breath cascaded across my cheek as be begun to whisper.

  “Shhh. Don’t make a sound or I’ll tear you apart.”

  My mind went a million miles a second as I tried to remember which COs were in the room and where they were posted. But before I could make a noise, something sharp was jabbed into my back.

  My eyes widened as all the things he could do to me went swirling through my mind. Suddenly, the alarm starting ringing and the lights began to flash as all of Fulton went on lockdown.

  “Right on time,” he said, his lips sliding against the side of my face.

  Nausea thickened in my throat and my heart sped up when I realized he’d planned this. At that moment, the COs were running around like crazy trying to get the prison back in order. No one was even thinking about me or where I was. I was sure of it.

  The inmate took his hand away from my mouth, sure that I wouldn’t scream, and whatever he was jabbing me in the back with was moved to my throat. Cold, sharp metal pressed against me and dug into my skin when I swallowed hard.

  Quickly, I ran the names of the inmates in the infirmary through my head, but I couldn’t for the life of me
figure out who it was behind me. All I knew was that he was tall and smelled like vomit.

  With large hands, he caressed my breasts, making my breath catch in my chest. I wanted to scream, but I knew if I made any noise, he’d slit my throat. His hand moved down the front of me, skimming my stomach before he grabbed me between my legs.

  “Fuck, baby, your pussy’s warm. I can feel it through your pants.”

  I was going to be sick. I was going to throw up and end up getting my throat cut. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold it down. The bile was already burning the back of my throat.

  Suddenly, I was being turned and my eyes collided with Carlos Perez. I’d learned a lot about Carlos. Like the fact that he was the leader of one of the most dangerous gangs in Fulton.

  His eyes glazed over, and a demonic happiness filled his expression. He moved closer, his chest pressing to mine, and his heated breath filled my nostrils. The smell was so terrible that I gagged.

  His eyes darted around the space, searching through a small slit in the curtain, before he refocused on me. The alarm continued to blare through my brain, and I began to pray that maybe it was still going off because they were searching for me.

  His eyes glistened, and I knew he was high on something. I inhaled sharply, wishing I could run, but with something sharp still pressed tightly against my throat, I knew I had to remain still.

  Again, he moved his free hand down over my breasts and grinned. Dizziness swept over me, and I began to worry that I was going to faint. As if knowing I was getting weak, he moved even closer, resting his thigh between my legs.

  Something tickled the side of my neck, and I knew from the tiny sting on my throat that it was my own blood trickling down. I was bleeding. I had no doubt in my mind that this man was going to rape and murder me right under the CO’s noses.

  His hand left my breasts and began to move down until his fingers were brushing the top of my pants. Roughly, he pulled at the elastic waistband and shoved his hand down them. I gasped, a tiny squeak pushing past my lips.

  “Make a noise and you die.”

  He forced me against the bed, the rails digging into my back. Fear coursed through me, sharp and alarming. I didn’t want to get on the bed, but I also didn’t want to die. In the back of my mind, I continued to pray that someone would come and help me. But then again, someone coming could also push him to slit my throat even faster.

  “Get on the bed.”

  Doing as he asked, I sat on the bed and pulled my legs up. I could feel my blood running down my chest and between my breasts.

  Reaching between us, he untied my scrubs with one quick pull of the string. Closing my eyes, I prayed harder than I had in my entire life. I prayed that when I opened my eyes, he’d be gone, but when I finally did, he was still there, looming over me with something sharp in one hand and palming his hard penis through his uniform with the other.

  “Spread your legs. Let me see your pussy.”

  I was being violated in so many ways, and I was mortified. There wasn’t anything I could do, even though a scream was slowly working its way up my throat. I was beginning to think that maybe death was better than being raped.

  The flashing lights stopped, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the alarm shut off as well. As soon as it was quiet, I’d make a noise. Even if it meant dying, I’d make some kind of sound to let the COs know I wasn’t okay.

  He pushed at my shoulders, and I lay back with a stiff spine. I began to open my thighs, cool air rushing past my knees and across my cotton panties.

  “Lose the panties,” he growled.

  His fingers shifted, and the blade stung my neck once more. Finally, he pulled the blade away long enough to reach down and unzip his khakis. He backed up a little to tug them down over his hips, revealing his hard cock.

  I took the chance while I had it. Kicking him back, I screamed as loud as I could. The bed rolled from beneath me as I jumped off and made a run for the curtain blocking us in. My screams weren’t loud enough to be heard over the alarm, but I kept screaming anyway.

  Carlos grabbed me by my ponytail and yanked me back. Again, I screamed. Something stung my arm, but I didn’t care. I continued to pull against his hold, knowing that if someone didn’t come soon, he was going to kill me.

  I pulled until I finally got free again. But as I ran, my foot caught a power cord and I fell into the curtain. As I floundered in the fabric, I searched for an opening. Before I could find one, I was being pulled by the hair again. He pushed me down onto my knees. Dropping to all fours, I tried to crawl away. My knees ached against the cold, hard floor.

  At that, he was on me, trying to flip me over so he could climb on top of me. I fought back, sure that any second he’d get tired of me and cut me open. Finally, he got me onto my back, his heavy body pinning me to the floor.

  Reaching up, he pushed my hair from my face and shook his head at me. “Stupid little bitch. Didn’t I tell you? I told you I’d kill you.” He raised the makeshift knife and pressed it against my throat, stinging the skin in a new spot.

  He looked down at me with a flushed face, spit flying from his mouth with every hard breath he took. He was going to kill me. I screamed again, trying to save myself once more.

  All of a sudden, the weight of him was gone, and I no longer felt the sharp knife against my throat. My eyes flew open, and air rushed into my lungs. It was then that I heard the shuffling beside me. Looking over, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

  My attacker was pinned to the wall by his throat, a menacing figure with long, muscular arms and broad shoulders breathing over him with fire in his eyes.

  X.

  He stood there, growling into Carlos’ face, wearing nothing by the hospital gown he’d been in during his stay in the infirmary. The back was open, revealing a long, muscled back, slim hips, a perfectly round ass, and thick thighs. His skin was tight and tan, and it was rippling with each move he made.

  I stared in shock, still trying to come to terms with everything going on around me. I’d almost died. I’d almost been raped and killed, which had been my biggest fear since the first time I’d stepped foot into Fulton Rhodes Penitentiary.

  “I’m going to kill you,” X hissed in Carlos’ face.

  The alarm had stopped, but I could still hear remnants of it ringing.

  Carlos was turning white, his lips a strange shade of blue, and it was then I realized that X was literally choking the life out of him.

  Jumping to my feet, I stood on shaking legs before I moved across the room to where X was slowly killing my attacker. My arm burned when I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder.

  His head snapped my way with wide eyes.

  “Don’t,” I started. I was out of breath and couldn’t finish my sentence. Sucking in oxygen, I tried again. “Don’t kill him,” I whispered.

  I definitely wanted him dead. After all, he’d almost raped and murdered me, but at the same time, I knew it was wrong. I didn’t want X to get into any more trouble than he was already in.

  His eyes softened even though his hands stayed tight around Carlo’s throat. “But he was going to…”

  I stopped him. “I know, but don’t do this. Please,” I begged.

  The muscle in his arm shifted as he released the hold he had on Carlos. With X’s hand gone, Carlos slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.

  X turned toward me, his eyes moving over my face with concern. He clenched his teeth and the muscle along his jaw popped. Reaching up, I placed my palm against his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin and thanking God that he came when he did.

  There was a strange emotion in his eyes before he closed them, pressing his face into my palm, enjoying my touch. When he opened them again, they moved down my neck and to my arm. “You’re bleeding.”

  My arm was burning where I’d been cut, and my throat was still stinging as if the knife was still there. “I’m okay,” I whispered. Physically I was just fine, but I wasn’t sure I�
�d be okay mentally ever again.

  “I’m sorry,” he said remorsefully.

  I couldn’t believe my ears. He’d just saved my life, and he was apologizing to me. “For what? You saved my life, Christopher.”

  “No. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. That stupid fucking alarm.” He stopped. “I didn’t hear you. I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you.”

  He looked as if he was about to lose it again. His eyes were wild, his lips tight. Using my thumb, I swiped under his eyes and let my fingers slide down the side of his face.

  “Don’t ever apologize to me again. Thank you so much. I can’t express to you how much…”

  Suddenly, the curtain flew back. Officer Douglas and Officer Reeves were staring back at us. Thankfully, I’d already pulled my hand away; otherwise, there was no telling what it might have looked like.

  There I was, standing in front of X in nothing but my panties and shirt, with my hair down and blood on my neck and arm.

  Before I could say anything, the COs moved in, snatching X away from me and slinging him to the floor.

  “No,” I shouted. “Stop!”

  But either they didn’t hear me, or they weren’t listening, because they were digging their knees into his back and putting him in cuffs.

  His eyes met mine from the floor, his face contorting in some unrecognizable expression.

  “Duggie, please stop. Just listen to me,” I yelled as I reached down and began pulling on Officer Douglas’ arm.

  Getting the CO’s attention, I quickly explained what happened. When I told them that X had saved me, their eyes went wide in shock.

  Surely, someone who’d murdered two people wouldn’t give two shits about me, but he did. He came in and saved me, and something in his eyes told me he’d do it again and again if I needed him to.

  He stood against the wall, still cuffed, and I watched as his carefully placed mask slipped back over his expression. Gone was my savior. In his stead was the monster. That was it. Christopher Jacobs was only wearing a monster mask. I was sure of it. Especially now.