Open World

by Casey Moss

  “What do you mean you’ll be taking care of me?” Alarm dinged in her mind. She weaved on her feet.

  “I want to marry you. I’ve talked to your father. He’s given us his blessing.”

  “You what? You talked to my father?” Unbelievable. Alden was the one who was supposed to ask for her hand, not this man. She didn’t even know him. How could her father do this to her? The world began to spin, and she swayed.

  “Come, my dear. I’d like to sit on a bench and enjoy your company for a bit.”

  He pointed to the common area in the square in front of the development’s houses. Buzz led her to a secluded area to sit on a wood and wrought iron bench nestled within some trees along the path. He put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Now, my dear,” he drawled, deep and slow. “Tell me how you felt when you were with your love behind that building and, as you’re telling me, I want you to put your hand between your legs and knead your crotch.”

  “What?” Quiet shock registered in her voice, but her traitorous body heated with lust.

  “You heard what I said.” Kissing the side of her neck, he took her hand and guided it to the junction between her thighs, and with it, demonstrated what he wanted.

  Her breathing and pulse sped up. She closed her eyes. An image of her and Alden playing with each other came to the fore. The warming, quivering sensations she had experienced that day returned and idled throughout her whole body. Betrayed by her mouth and voice, she told Buzz about the feelings, her sexual dreams and how she had to masturbate quite often to find respite.

  “Good.” His heavy breath caressed the delicate spot behind her earlobe.

  Compared to the cool evening air, his breath was hot against her skin. He traced the rim of her ear with his tongue. She shivered.

  “Let me tell you how our wedding is going to be. We’ll have a simple civic ceremony in your backyard. The men will be in dark suits, the girls in pink and white. You may have your sister and cousin as bridesmaids.”

  “But I’ve had dreams.” Hope panted as her hand and his massaged her crotch deeper, zoning in on the erogenous area. His hypnotic voice mesmerized her. His touch along with hers fired up her libido and overrode her logic. “Dream of wedding… On beach… Tiara… Family and friends…” She moaned.

  “I’ve had dreams of my wedding as well.” He worked her clit a little harder through the fabric of her jeans. “But I think I know how to solve this.” He gave her one last kiss on her neck and withdrew their hands.

  She breathed heavy with dissatisfaction from the unfinished business. How dare he get her all hot and bothered and stop.

  He pulled her up from the bench. “You ready to come with me and experience all I have to offer? Be with me for all time?”

  The sensation of being drunk swelled within her, muddled her mind to the point she only caught parts of what he whispered in her ear. Come. Experience. Be with. Sure, she thought, why not. Might as well make the most of her time here until Den arrived. Den. Could Den be role playing as Buzz? She’d have to go along to find out. “Okay. Yes.”

  “Wonderful. Come, my bride to be. Let’s hit the road.” Buzz waved his hand in front of her face, produced a bright white light, and they disappeared.

  Chapter Six

  Dazed, she looked down at the thin gold band with a miniscule diamond on her left ring finger. It wasn’t the big, sparkling rock she had always imagined a man giving her. And what happened to the grandiose proposal she’d always dreamed of with her man on one knee…a couple dozen roses…champagne…

  Holding back tears, Hope looked around the dingy room she sat alone in. Buzz definitely wasn’t Den. The man had dumped her in a flea ridden motel, God knows where, and left. Lumpy bed. Corduroy upholstery that’d seen better days covered a chair and matching short couch. The blinds seemed like they were coated with an inch of dust. The scratched mirror over the cracked and peeling laminate vanity appeared to have been cleaned with steel wool at some point.

  Staring at a glass of cider on the counter, she realized she was shorted on the ceremony, too, not that she could remember one taking place. No family, no friends, no reception and gifts…her childhood dreams had been squashed.

  Her husband hadn’t turned out to be much of a prince either. Not only did he toss her in the room, he had taken the phone line with him so she couldn’t call home—if that was even possible in the twisted world she’d found herself in. Buzz had also told her he’d tape the outside of the door, expecting her to stay put until he returned, and if she left, he knew people who’d be able to track her down.

  She never should have agreed to go with him, especially without saying goodbye to her family. Now she was with an uncaring man, and who knew if Alden could trace what they’d done or where they’d gone.

  I’m a prisoner. She didn’t need to crack the door to check if he had secured it. The creak of a dispenser then the rip and brushing of the tape as he affixed the piece to the door and frame told her all she needed to know.

  Oh, Alden, what have I done? What happened to you? She lay on top of the scratchy covers of the bed, finally allowing tears to fall.

  Several hours later, she woke from a nightmare-filled nap when the door opened. The aroma of barbecue made her mouth water. Buzz placed bags of food in front of her on the bed. She tore into them and the food as if she hadn’t eaten in weeks. They ate in silence, and when she finished her pulled pork sandwich, she frowned at the man before her.

  “I want to let my family know I’m all right.”

  “Already taken care of, my dear.” He patted his lips with a napkin, then retrieved the glass of cider and handed it to her. “They send their love and well wishes. I told them we’d be out of touch for a bit while we start on our new life together. They totally understand.”

  Her skin crawled at his leering smirk. “Why don’t I believe you?” Thirsty, she gulped some of the sour tasting liquid. Her face scrunched.

  “I don’t know, love, but why would I lie to you?” He leaned back and, from the other side of the bed, pulled up a white box. “I want you to put this on and dance for me.”

  “Dance for you?” She took the box from him and raised its top. Inside lay red and black satin and lace garments.

  “Yes, like one of those women at the gentlemen’s clubs,” he drawled and leaned back on his elbows, eyeing her with a hungry look. “I want you to dance like that for me.”

  “I… I…” Hope fingered the silky material. Her thoughts whirled on whether or not she could pull off a striptease or lap dance. Most of all, she didn’t want to dance for him clothed or not. “I don’t know how to dance like that.”

  “You know how to dance, right?”

  “Of course.” She narrowed her gaze and stuck her hand on her hips.

  “You know how to take your clothes off, right?”

  “Well, yes. Of course I d—”

  “Then just put the two together, woman.”

  Stepping back, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Who was this cold, heartless monster commanding her to dance like a strumpet? Why had her father brought him into their sphere of family friends? She stared at him, wondering how she ever had the slightest thought that he was dreamy and kissable.

  “Don’t shake your head at me.” A low growl escaped him as he sat up. “We’re married. You’re my wife now. As such, you’re supposed to listen to what I say. Do what I ask. You’re to do what I tell you to do. You’re supposed to love, honor and obey me. So go put on the lingerie and obey me when I tell you to dance!”

  His face set in a scowl. Anger emanated from his pores. Fearing for her safety and remembering how he could make things vaporize into thin air, she picked up the box with trembling hands and went to the bathroom with it. As she slipped on the second thigh high stocking and attached it to the garter, she sighed, wishing it was Alden she was dressing for and not a total stranger.

  The outfit was alien to her. The flimsy material gracing her skin emphasi
zed how little of her body it covered. She felt more exposed this way than if she were completely naked. The black lace portion across her breasts barely hid her areolas, and the red satin bodice hung just below her bottom. The panties, if they could be called such, were more a thick threaded bit of fabric. She’d never worn a G-string before. The back part acted like a piece of floss between her butt cheeks. She had to fight the urge to pull at it as she walked back out into the room.

  Buzz sat on the edge of the bed, legs draped over the side. He turned on the portable CD player he brought in with them then leaned back on his elbows and motioned to her to begin.

  Timidly, she started to sway to the music. She had no idea what to do with her arms and hands so she held them rigid at her sides. Her apprehension mounted as she gazed at the man on the bed and watched a growing displeasure consume his features.

  “Husbands and wives shouldn’t have a problem performing for each other,” he rumbled. “Just listen to the music and let it move you.”

  She closed her eyes and pictured women at a strip club. If she could mimic what her mind imagined they did, perhaps that would please him, and she wouldn’t be so afraid. She shifted and turned and undulated to the beat coming from the speakers. A satisfied groan came from the bed. She snuck a peak. His eyes were hooded and full of a look she couldn’t put a name to. She froze.

  “Did I tell you to stop? No, I didn’t. You call yourself a dancer. Some dancer you turned out to be. Get moving.”

  She shut her eyes and resumed her movements. Minutes later, she had slipped out of the top and panties and was about to undo a garter attachment when he stopped her.

  “Stay as you are and come kneel before me. I want you to free my cock and go down on me.”

  “Go down on you?” she asked rooted to her spot, her nipples hardened from a draft in the room.

  “Woman, why do I have to explain every God damn thing to you? Get your ass over here, unzip my pants and suck my cock.”

  The alarm and fear she experienced from before returned. Not wanting to undergo a wrath from him she could only envision, she knelt before him, undid his pants and pulled his sex out from under his clothing. The appendage was long and thick. It throbbed hotly in her hand, and only for a second did she wonder how it would fit in her mouth. Since she didn’t want to dally at this task and risk him becoming angrier, she slipped the silky organ into her mouth. Above her, Buzz sucked in a stream of air. He grabbed the back of her head and directed her in what needed to be done.

  “This is the one and only time I will tell you how to do this,” he continued. “I want a willingly submissive wife who knows how to please me.”

  She stroked the shaft with her tongue, teasing the rim of the head. After several moments of enticing it in such a manner, she took it fully in her mouth and drew on it as one would drag on a cigarette. She continued the ministrations, as he instructed, for what seemed like an eternity, and wondered how much longer she could keep up the act.

  As if reading her thoughts, he gripped her hair tighter in both hands and pushed himself in further. She gagged several times as he continued to thrust and, just as she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he pulled out and excreted a sticky, white substance onto her face.

  “Go clean yourself up,” he ordered, taking off his shirt.

  She wiped at the thick jizz, trying not to cry in front of him, and went into the bathroom to weep and wash off his fluid. When she came back out, he was in his underwear asleep on the bed.

  So much for a wedding night. Hope dressed herself in her t-shirt and lay down on the bed. What she did to him, she had wanted to do to Alden as her first, but she counted her blessings. At least she was still pure for when she was able to get away and get back to Alden.

  The next morning and for the rest of the trip, she didn’t speak to the man who, in all respects, had kidnapped her. The next night he had her pleasure him again at another dodgy motel. A few times she thought of asking him why he didn’t take her as a husband should, but with the way he had been so irate, she didn’t want to provoke him further with questions.

  In the middle of nowhere, he pulled up to a two-story, white house and said, “Welcome home.”

  “You have a place in the middle of nowhere? How lovely.” No one would be able to mistake the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

  “Put a lid on it and get inside.”

  Inside, she looked around the furnished residence. The place was simple and modest and nicely decorated. She went to the back of the house into the large kitchen.

  “There’s no phone anywhere,” she stated with concern. “What if there’s an emergency? What if I want to call home?”

  “We don’t need a phone,” he replied. “I have my ways of contacting people. This is your home now and, like I told you before, your family doesn’t expect to hear from you. In a few days, I’ll let you use my communication device to contact them. As for an emergency, there won’t be any.”

  How could he possibly know there won’t be any problems? “How far are we from anywhere?” Distressed about her new residence and phoneless situation, she shuddered. Outside the long, vertical windows of the breakfast nook, all she could see was the Nevada desert landscape and a few pine trees in the distance. If she escaped, she’d most likely end up dead out there.

  “You don’t have to worry your pretty little head about that. But since you’re wondering, we’re several miles from… How you put it? Anywhere.”

  “Well, okay.” Hope continued to stare out the window at the open terrain. “But what do you expect me to do out here while you’re off doing whatever it is you do? There’s no phone, no television, no computer.”

  “I’ll pick up some stuff for you. For now, go take a shower while I make dinner. There should be some clothes on the bed, a white blouse and gray wool skirt. Put them on and join me here when you’re done.”

  The meal he prepared was a bright point in the otherwise horrible past few days. She munched happily on the bruschetta appetizer which was divine, as was the main course of lasagna, even though they came from the boxes that littered the counter top. He had supplied a fresh container of the cider to go with the food and, even though she tried not to drink too much, he kept filling her glass.

  She sipped on the sweet drink and became disorientated. In her haze, the words Buzz spoke in his low, sultry voice came through as if she were in a dream. As he droned on, she began to make out what he said and realized he was serious, her predicament was real.

  “…bondage. You’re not to speak unless spoken to. You will answer me with yes, love and no, love. You will wear the clothes I set out for you, no more and no less. I expect you to submit to me and obey me in all matters without question, lest you be punished. I may feel the need to punish you anyway, if only to remind you of your place. You will feel no need to venture from this house, or to call anyone, or to have any friends. Do you understand?”

  What the hell? Bondage? Submission? Have I ended up with a sadist? She wanted to shake her head, but in her groggy, hypnosis-like state, she ended up nodding.

  “Good. Now remove your shirt and bra. I wish to look upon you as I finish my meal.”

  She unbuttoned the blouse she wore and took it off along with her bra and laid the items in her lap. Buzz smiled at her for the first time in days, and responding on autopilot, she smiled back.

  PART THREE

  Faith’s Dreams

  Chapter Seven

  Faith’s parents’ house was subdued, the shades drawn against the mountain vista, making the atmosphere within dark, quiet and somber.

  When Tavis had heard the news of Hope’s abduction, he’d hurried over to the house. Of course they all thought he was someone else—a thespian named Big T who had to cover his face with thick pancake makeup.

  The deception suited him and Alden. There was something funky going on with the game. The fewer people who knew who he was, the better. He’d be able to work to discover what was going on. As for Al
den, he somehow got stuck in the Player versus Environment board, and it’d taken him a while to make it to the Role Playing board. They really needed to determine what the glitches were, but finding Hope’s whereabouts became a priority. The family didn’t know it yet, but each of them had an important role to play. The sooner they all settled into their characters and the Endless Night world, the sooner they’d find Hope and become who they needed to be.

  Tavis observed each member of the family as they gathered around and sat down at the dining room table. Grace appeared as if she wanted to cry, Cassandra and Faith had glazed, vacant staring eyes. James sat hunched and downtrodden at the head of the table. In his opinion, the father seemed to have aged twenty years in the week since Hope disappeared. The whole family was still in shock over her abduction. James seemed stunned he’d been duped by a man he’d liked and trusted.

  “I can’t believe I can’t pick up on Hope’s trail,” Alden uttered, sorrow evident in his voice. He sank into a chair at the other end of the table.

  Hope’s intended appeared as distraught as the older man, from his matte green eyes to the dull sheen of his light brown hair hanging limp on his slumped shoulders.

  His heart went out to the family and Alden. Alden was beside himself that his mate had been taken from him. He was amazed the warrior in Alden hadn’t reared its characteristic wrath and gone all out in the search for her, armed and ready to beat the bastard abductor to a pulp.

  When Faith told him about the stranger who’d ingratiated himself with her father, he figured the man was part of the prince’s clan, maybe the prince himself. Den said he shouldn’t get his hopes up, but he knew deep down Den wanted the guy to be the prince. Their secret mission was to take down the Prince of Clan Caesachapel and anyone else in a position of power there so the true royals could reign. Faith, Hope and Cassandra were members of the true ruling houses and had bonded lifemates—except they didn’t know all that yet. It sucked he and Alden couldn’t tell them either. They needed to figure out their parts on their own.