by Jane Henry
Bonita, you looked like an angel as you slept. I didn’t want to wake you. Robbie called and needed me to help him get what he needed for a new order we begin Monday. We went to get the supplies. Getting a drink after. Be a good girl.
She felt mixed emotions as she read and re-read the note. He was so sweet.
But he was gone.
She needed him.
She felt bereft of all the support she had. No Annalise. No Kirstin. No logging onto the forum.
No Paolo.
She tried to shake it off as she yawned and stretched. He would be back soon. Her stomach growled. She’d had nothing to eat since brunch with Kirstin, and it was at least late afternoon. She folded the blanket, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. The sun had begun to set. It was already dusk. She flicked the light on in the bathroom, and splashed some cold water on her face. In the distance, she heard a dog barking sharply, and she jumped.
She never had liked being home alone.
She wanted Paolo.
She’d heard of “aftercare,” how a dom took care of his submissive after a session. She’d read enough romance books to know that after a spanking, or another similarly intense physical scene, a dominant would frequently pay attention to the needs of his submissive. She’d read on the forum that, in recent years, the term had shifted a bit, and some now used it to refer to the caring of a submissive who’d been disciplined. However, some doms didn’t believe in aftercare, maintaining that a stern distance reinforced the efficacy of a punishment. She’d never discussed it with Paolo. He’d simply said, “I will take care of your needs,” and she’d trusted him with that. Up until this point, he’d intuitively comforted her when she’d been remorseful after he punished her. But this time, his withdrawal underscored his punishment.
Meredith wanted him home. A lump rose in her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut.
She suspected he wasn’t angry with her, as sometimes he needed space to get back in his place as her dominant. The sweet note he’d left assured her that he wasn’t angry. But she didn’t feel right. She felt uneasy, eager to know they were good again. She wanted to crawl up on his lap and rest her head on his shoulder. She wanted to hear the soft, soothing words he had for her that would make her feel forgiven, and cared for. It pained her to have him gone. Didn’t he know she needed him? She swallowed against the rising lump in her throat.
She shuffled into the kitchen, and saw a post-it note on the back of her phone.
“You may use your phone again, but you must remember to be my good girl. Be safe, Bonita.”
She smiled to herself as she picked up her phone and checked her messages. One from Kirstin.
Thanks for brunch, babe. Good to see you. Let’s get together with the guys too, soon. We’ll bring the beer.
Sounded good. She typed a quick reply. As she sent the message, another message popped up.
Paolo: Are you awake yet, baby?
She smiled.
Hi honey. I miss you so much. Will you be back soon?
Robbie wants to grab something to eat. You okay with that? You need me sooner?
Yes, yes, yes, she needed him sooner! But she didn’t want to be needy, and she wanted to encourage him to go out with Robbie. She mulled over her reply a bit before she sent it. Did she need him? Hell yeah, she needed him. Did she need him so badly she couldn’t bear to have him visit with her brother? She sighed as she replied.
I miss you like crazy, but I’ll be patient. It’s okay. Why don’t you go with Robbie? I’ll be waiting for you.
The message came back quickly. You’re a good girl. I’ll see you soon. I’m working on a surprise for you.
She smiled to herself. Maybe he was getting a few of the pretty pink butter cookies from Angelica’s for her. She smiled as she typed.
I can’t wait. Miss you. Love you.
Love you too.
As she went to put her phone down, it buzzed again. She frowned, as she didn’t recognize the number. It didn’t even look like a cell phone number.
Hi.
Hi? Who was this? She shook her head. Everyone who texted her was listed as a contact, even Annalise now, so messages would show up with a name. She assumed it was a wrong number.
I think you have the wrong number, sorry. She replied. She went to put her phone down again as the response came back.
Oh, no. I know exactly what number I have.
A chill came over her. What a creepy response. Who the hell was it? She shifted uneasily in the darkened kitchen as she put her phone down and walked quickly to the door. She breathed a sigh of relief. Not surprisingly, Paolo had locked it behind him.
Should she ignore the message? But no, curiosity was getting the best of her.
Who are you trying to reach?
The response came quickly.
You, Meredith. And now I’ve got you.
***
Paolo took a long pull from the beer in his hand. At first, when Robbie had asked him to go to the store to pick up some materials for a project they were working on, he welcomed the distraction. He wasn’t in his element, needed some time and distance, and he thought a little trip away from home would be what he needed. He’d gone to check on Meredith and found her dead asleep. He suspected she’d need him when she woke, but he was still learning how to meet her needs, and wasn’t always entirely sure how much reassurance or comfort she would need.
Sometimes after he’d spanked her, not just for punishment but in any way, he would crawl into bed with her and she’d climb all over him, wrapping her legs around him, hands buried under his t-shirt on his bare chest, as if she couldn’t get close enough, or be held tight enough. He’d hold her, letting her feel his strength and presence. He knew when she needed him. He could tell by her body language and how she’d melt into him. Sometimes they didn’t speak, but he always knew she was better when she’d start sighing softly, and sometimes she’d doze to sleep. He took it as a sign that he’d dominated her thoroughly, when she glued herself to him like that. It was part of how this all worked, bringing them closer together.
And Paolo couldn’t wait to surprise her. She’d be so excited. He smiled to himself as he thought about how he’d reveal what he had in store. He hadn’t dropped a single clue from the beginning. His phone buzzed, and he could see it was from Meredith, but just as he glanced at it to read the message, the phone shut off. He swore to himself. “Stupid ancient phone,” he muttered. His phone was shit. He’d made sure Meredith’s was top-of-the-line, but as he worked mostly from home and only used his phone to communicate with her anyway, he’d never bothered to replace his.
“Can I borrow your phone, man?” he asked Robbie. Robbie gave a helpless shrug, shaking his head as he gestured at his own phone.
“No reception here,” Robbie said. “Can’t get it to connect.”
“Shit.”
He glared at his phone and slammed the button down again, to no avail. He still couldn’t get it to turn on. What if Meredith needed him? He took another long pull from his drink and they sat waiting for their food, as he periodically checked to see if his phone would turn back on, or Robbie’s would miraculously start working. Their food came, and Paolo inhaled his burger.
“I don’t like this,” he said. “Can’t get my stupid cell to go on and you have no reception. Let’s get home soon. I don’t like leaving Meredith with no way to get in touch with me.”
Robbie chuckled. “You two are glued at the hip. She’ll be all right for another hour or so, man. We still haven’t gotten the hinges we need, and—”
Paolo narrowed his eyes. Robbie put his hands up in defeat.
“All right, all right, point made. We’ll finish the drinks and head out, okay?”
Paolo gave a curt nod. He didn’t want to overreact, but he also would’ve tanned her ass if she was out with no way for him to be in touch with her, and he didn’t want to hold her to a standard he wouldn’t uphold himself. He glanced at the clock. Two more hours, and his surprise w
ould fall into place. Still, the eagerness he had about surprising Meredith did little to ease his growing discomfort with losing contact. He upended his bottle and gave Robbie a meaningful glare.
“You done?”
Robbie polished off his drink and slammed it down. “No bill yet, man.”
“I’ve got this,” Paolo growled. He threw some bills on the table.
“Good tip,” Robbie muttered with raised eyebrows.
But Paolo was already at the door.
***
Meredith stared at the phone in her hand. Message after message came in, one after another. She was shaking as she read them.
Are you alone tonight, Meredith?
I’ve been waiting to be in touch with you. And oh how I want to be more than in touch. I want to touch you.
No response, pet? Don’t you like chatting with me? We’ve chatted before.
What the hell was that?
Pet? That made her skin crawl.
Who was this? Why would they make reference to chatting with her? At first, she wasn’t sure what to do about the messages. Every door and window was locked. She was alone, and the house was locked tighter than a drum. But after the first creepy message, when she shot a quick text to Paolo that went unanswered, she immediately dialed his phone number with trembling fingers. It went to his voice mail.
Her heart sank as messages she sent to Paolo went unanswered. She even tried Robbie, but the calls went straight to voice mail. She felt paralyzed with fear and confused about what to do. She knew better than to respond to the messages, but still wasn’t sure how to handle them. And with every passing minute, another message would come through.
You’re a lovely lady, Meredith. I can’t wait to get my hands on those pretty curls of yours.
Her stomach churned. Whoever it was knew her name and what she looked like. Still shaking, she messaged Kirstin.
Are you there? It’s important.
She breathed a sigh of relief when the response came back immediately.
Yeah, babe. You okay?
Her fingers flew. No, I’m not okay. Some creep is cyberstalking me, texting my cell. I don’t know who it is or where they are or how they got my number, but whoever it is knows my name. Paolo isn’t home and I can’t reach him. What do I do? I’m freaked out!
She felt a cry catch in her throat as she hit “send.” She wanted Paolo, and she wanted Paolo now.
She nearly screamed when her phone rang. She glanced at the number. Kirstin.
“Hello?” she whispered, not trusting her voice.
“Meredith? It’s me! Oh my God, are you okay?”
She felt a lump in her throat at the sound of Kirstin’s voice.
“I’m okay,” she whispered, tears beginning to fall despite her best effort to shake them. “Just freaked out. This—person—keeps messaging me. I don’t know who it is or what to do, and I—”
“You’re alone?”
“Yes.”
“Doors locked?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s Paolo?”
“Out with Robbie.”
“Call the police.”
“The police? Really? They deal with stuff like this?”
She heard an exasperated sigh from Kirstin on the other line. “Of course they deal with stuff like this, Mer! This is not okay, and you can’t fool around with your safety. Call them. Now! Then call me back. Damn, I wish we were closer to home. We’re going to a concert and it would take us at least an hour to get to you.”
“If you’re at a concert, just go! I’ll be fine, I really—” she paused, as another message just came in. “Crap, Kirstin. It’s got to be a guy. He’s progressed to telling me all this filthy stuff he wants to do to me. Oh, gross. What a creep!”
“Call the goddamn police!”
“Okay, okay, I’m hanging up and will call right now.”
“Call me right back.”
“I will.”
She hung up the phone, hands still trembling, as she dialed 911 and tried to shake the disturbing images of everything he said he’d do to her. The response came immediately.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
She felt foolish as the words left her mouth. “Someone is cyberstalking me or something,” she said. “I think that’s what it’s called. I also think it’s a guy. He keeps messaging me.”
“Are you in immediate danger, ma’am?”
“I don’t think so,” she whispered. “I don’t know where they are, but I’m home alone and I’m scared.”
“Do you have any reason to believe this person is nearby?”
“They haven’t said anything about that. He just keeps sending me messages about…” she felt her cheeks flush as her stomach churned, “…sexual things he’s going to do to me. He knows my name, my phone number, and what I look like.”
“But you have no immediate indication that he’s nearby?”
Meredith felt foolish. Was she overreacting? Didn’t lots of people get creepy messages sent to them all the time? There were real people in real danger, and she was taking time from the dispatcher with her little issue with some weirdo texting her.
“No, I don’t think so, but I—” she froze as her eyes read the last message and when she responded, her voice was barely above a whisper. She stood, moving as quickly as she could to the entry to the garage, so scared she felt dizzy and nauseous. “Yes,” she whispered. “He says he’s at my door.”
Her hands trembled as she tested the lock and found to her relief that it, like all the other doors, had been locked.
“Your door is locked?”
“Yes,” she said.
“I’m sending a dispatcher now. Do not respond to any of the messages. Save every one. Be sure all your doors are locked, and be prepared to only open the door when the police arrive. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she said.
“We’ll stay on the phone the entire time until they arrive.”
“Okay,” Meredith whispered, tears falling freely now as her voice broke.
She wanted Paolo so badly.
It was a physical need, now, as she trembled as she waited for him.
She heard the voice of the dispatcher relaying details to the police, and the reassuring response that they were on their way. Another message buzzed on her phone. Her hands shook. She wanted to whip the phone against the wall and shatter it. Her cell rang, and she jumped.
Kirstin calling.
She ignored the call and sent a quick text. On the phone with 911. Police on way. The creep says he’s here at my house, but all doors are locked and there’s no movement outside.
“Are you still there?” said the dispatcher.
“I’m here,” Meredith said. She heard a crash behind her and she nearly dropped the phone as she screamed out loud.
“Ma’am?” came the concerned voice on the other line.
Meredith’s eyes flew to the kitchen, where a decorative plaque she’d nailed up the day before had fallen. She sighed. She knew she should’ve let Paolo hang it. Somehow, she’d botched it up and it had crashed to the floor.
“Still here,” she said. “Something fell in the kitchen, and it scared me.”
The dispatcher’s voice softened. “You’re going to be okay. Just hang in there with me. Help is just seconds away now. It’s very unlikely he’s actually there. He’s probably trying to frighten you.”
“Well it’s working,” she muttered, as she wiped another tear away.
“You’ll be okay,” the female voice said on the other line.
She appreciated the reassurance of the dispatcher, and she couldn’t wait for the police to arrive.
But she knew there was only one person who would make her feel totally safe again.
***
Paolo tried and tried to get his phone to work as they drove home, but it was dead. Robbie was talking to his girlfriend on his line, so Paolo decided he’d just wait to call Meredith, as they were only a few blocks away and
he had no cause to be concerned. But when they pulled onto his street, his heart began to pound at the sight of flashing blue and red lights. He couldn’t yet tell what house they were in front of.
“Where are they?” he clipped.
“Shit, man,” Robbie said. “Hey, got to go.” He hung up with his girlfriend. “Those are in front of your house. Shit, I hope everything’s okay.”
Paolo felt his heart thudding in his chest as Robbie accelerated. Three cruisers with flashing lights were parked haphazardly near his house, one in the driveway and two on the street. He swore as a policeman came to his door.
“Identify yourself, please,” the policeman asked.
“I live here!” Paolo nearly shouted. “Where’s my wife? Is she okay?” Robbie had his chair out and the policeman stepped back as Paolo got in as quickly as he could, and started up the ramp.
“Your wife is fine, sir,” the policeman said, “But I’ll need to check to see—”
“That I live here? Are you kidding me? Where’s my wife, and what’s happened?” He was pulling out his wallet to flash his I.D., trying his very best to keep his temper in check, but barely succeeding.
“Easy, Paolo,” Robbie murmured. “Just show them who you are.”
The police officer checked the address on Paolo’s license, and gave a curt nod to let him by. Officers stood in the entryway and kitchen and it was hard for him to pass. When he finally did, Meredith was nowhere in sight.
“Meredith?” he shouted.
“Paolo!” He heard her shout from the other room. Oh, thank God. She was okay. She came running to him, her face pale and drawn, tear-stained eyes. She ran and took his hand and he pulled her onto his lap in one swoop. She buried her face in his neck, and burst into tears.
“Someone’s sending me messages. They scared me so much. I don’t know who it is, or how they got my number, but they know my name and where I live and he said he was here. The police couldn’t find any traces of anyone having broken in, and they’re trying to trace the messages now. He sent me so many scary messages it terrified me. I tried calling you and couldn’t reach you. I got in touch with Kirstin, and she told me to call the police.”
