by Vonna Harper
Because he’d been watching her, he knew where she’d gotten the bag from. It hadn’t occurred her to lock the office door which made putting it back in place easy. He pulled a cloth from a back pocket and wiped off both the bag and door knob. He debated locking the door but decided it didn’t make any difference.
At the beginning of his career, he’d been eager to spend as much time with a subject as possible, but the years of work and too-long hospitalization had taught him patience. He’d take a few minutes to look through the shoebox sized trailer where she lived. She’d keep.
Once he was in it, he took advantage of the light from the TV to check out his surroundings. He grabbed her cell phone and the small back pack she used as a purse. Leaving her car behind might arouse someone’s suspicions but maybe not if he took most of her clothes. That way people might conclude she’d taken off with some man with a vehicle that was in better shape than her beater.
She had taken off, just not willingly.
It surprised him to discover she didn’t have a laptop. He could check her cell phone for information about family and friends. Until or unless he learned different, he’d assume she wasn’t hooked into social networks.
Was indeed the loner instinct had told him she was.
Sometimes the stars aligned perfectly.
Like now when he needed to feel alive.
#
No surprise, the subject was where he’d left her. If he was doing this by the book, he would have truly hog tied her so there was no way she could make enough noise to alert someone to what had happened to her, but tonight was about living dangerously. Remembering what had given his life purpose before a sharp turn and water on the pavement had—
Not going there!
He tossed her belongings near her, then closed the canopy door and got in the cab. His bad leg screamed at having to briefly support his weight but at least his right was in shape for handling the gas and brake pedals.
Likening himself to a hunter who’d just bagged a trophy kill, he started the engine and put the truck into Drive. He felt disloyal to the rig because he’d briefly left it in this sad metal graveyard, but anonymity was the name of the game. On the off chance someone wrote down the license plate number and reported it to the police, the cops would discover it had been taken off a twenty year old sedan.
After putting some ten miles between himself and the campground, he pulled over and stopped so he could examine his captive’s cell phone. To his surprise there were only two numbers in her address book. The only saved message was nearly three weeks old and consisted of a short comment about how well she’d handled a space renter’s bounced check. He concluded her boss had left the message. That number was one of the two in her address book. The other had an out-of-state area code.
Both satisfied that hoards of friends wouldn’t be looking for her and unexpected sympathy because she was so isolated, he wiped off the cell and chucked it out the window. He took a moment to massage his leg then got on the road again.
#
Reno put a good fifty miles between him and the capture site before he started looking for a place to stop. It was after midnight and he was deep in the mountains but more to the point, he hadn’t encountered another vehicle for at least fifteen minutes. He didn’t often take this route between his cabin and his closest work site because it was the slow way, but he’d been in no hurry when he’d started for home this morning. In fact, for the first time since he’d built the cabin, he hadn’t been eager to return.
As he recalled, there were a couple of gravel roads in this area that led to fishing lakes. Fishing had never interested him, but he didn’t intend to go to the lakes anyway. When he spotted a wooden sign pointing to the right, he took the pitted single lane road, driving as slow as possible because the ruts made the truck bounce, jarring his still-repairing body. Too bad he couldn’t see the subject being tossed about. He’d have to check to make sure she wasn’t getting choked.
A little uneasy because he was in unfamiliar territory, he nosed the truck as far off the road as possible and put it in Park. He’d been driving with the windows down and the heater on. As a result cool air almost immediately enveloped him. The smell of pine, pitch, and dirt brought back peaceful memories of the place he called home, and he relaxed.
Damn but he loved the log structure. The explanation for his reluctance to return home was simple, he had cabin fever—that and memories of how hard getting around had been since checking himself out of the hospital against doctors’ orders.
Experience had taught him how long a subject could be kept in one position without risking damage to the merchandise, and this one was getting close to that limit. Much as he wanted to lean back his head and sleep, he didn’t dare.
He’d known he’d pay for it when he exited the truck. At least as near as he could tell, today’s unexpected exertion hadn’t set him back physically. He could live with aches and pains, they were nothing new.
Feeling more upbeat than he remembered feeling in too long, he walked around to the back and opened the camper door. He couldn’t see, but his well-honed senses left him with no doubt that his captive was where she was supposed to be. Her quick breaths reinforced what he already knew. He’d left enough slack in the chain hooking her collar to the truck so that as long as she didn’t lose her mind, she’d be able to breathe normally. Of course the position was far from comfortable but that was the point wasn’t it?
Breaking them down slow.
For a reason he wasn’t interested in exploring, his upbeat mood faded. When the question of why he was doing this tried to break free, he shoved it aside. He crawled in with her and felt his way to her head. From the moment he’d spotted her at the ice cream parlor, he’d realized she was in decent physical condition. Wrestling her into submission had added to his admiration of her body. Now he expanded his knowledge by running his fingers under her sleeveless T-shirt at the waist and inching up her backside. He’d taken care to make sure her clothes were out of the way before putting on the waist restraint but deliberately hadn’t touched her upper body. Some of his fellow Carnal Incorporated employees went at controlling a subject as if they were branding a calf. He had his own tried and true way which called for the slow approach. Messing with their minds before turning to their bodies.
Keeping himself under check wasn’t easy. He hadn’t fucked since shortly before his accident. For the first month, sex hadn’t been on his radar, but then his dependence on pain killers had decreased, and his body started reminding him that he was accustomed to having sex as often as he wanted. The opportunity hadn’t presented itself when his days revolved around physical therapy or later when he’d holed up in his cabin, and he’d made do with jerking off.
Women’s forms were amazing things. No matter how many he’d handled, and there’d been a lot, they still turned him on. He loved their soft flesh, quivering muscles, hard bone. The sound of one in distress spoke directly to his cock which he took as proof he’d chosen the right career—or it had chosen him.
This one smelled of sweat and fear. He’d been prepared to smell urine, but to her credit she hadn’t lost bladder control—yet. Thinking of her need to pee reminded him of the same need, but he continued to stroke her back. The top was trapped under her, and he couldn’t reach all the way to her shoulders, but he still felt her straining muscles. Because he trusted his instincts and experience, he hadn’t given much thought to how he’d restrain her. Once he’d realized how flexible she was, he’d hit upon placing one wrist over the other behind her back. The position forced her breasts out. He wasn’t ready to start exploring them, but it didn’t hurt to give her a taste of what she was going to experience.
Fighting the horny beast just below the surface, he raked both sides of her spine as thoroughly as he could with her arms in the way. She shuddered and whined into the gag. He debated marking her backbone the same way, then decided to make her wait. Make both of them wait.
Reminded of the n
eed for self-restraint, he stopped his pleasurable task and reached for where the neck chain was fastened to the truck and unhooked it. Wishing he could see what he was doing and what she looked like, he pulled her toward him.
“This is your leash.” He shook the chain. “The way I’m going to keep you under control. I know I’m pointing out the obvious, but I believe in letting a subject know some of what’s happening to her.”
Not a subject but a sex slave, something you’ll figure out in time.
He reeled in some more until her head rested on his good thigh. She strained to put distance between them, but he had no trouble keeping her where he wanted her. He patted her cheek.
“I trust you’re trainable. In fact, I’m damn sure of it. Call it one of the benefits of being in my particular business for as long as I have. Believe me, you aren’t going to like it if you don’t go along with the program.” He chuckled and patted her cheek some more. “Come to think of it, there’s probably only one thing you’re going to like about what will take place for the foreseeable future.”
A muffled protest from her gagged mouth distracted him from what else he’d been going to say. He reminded himself not to hand her too much information, then slid the chain under his knee which freed both of his hands. Her head still rested on his thigh only he had no doubt she wouldn’t use the word rest.
It didn’t matter. He had work to do.
Because he always used a square knot, he easily untied the leg rope from her waist restraint. She sobbed when he straightened her leg. He waited until her breathing settled down, then tugged on the rope to remind her that it was still around her ankle.
“We’re going outside,” he informed her. “Just you and me and the woodland creatures. We’re going to pee and then I’ll decide my next move. For your information, we’re in a national forest. Even if you still had your cell phone—I got rid of it—you probably couldn’t get reception here.”
Going by feel, he took hold of her elbows and levered her into a sitting position. Come morning he was going to take a long and lustful look at his latest acquisition, the creature he hadn’t known he was going to grab until he’d seen her.
“This can go one of two ways. Either I haul you out of here like some misbehaving dog or you take the initiative and get out on your own. Which is it going to be?”
She mumbled something. Even with all his experience dealing with gagged subjects he couldn’t make sense of what she was saying.
“Make up your damn mind,” he grumbled. With every second he was becoming more tired, proof of how much energy he’d expended today and how little he had in reserve.
Instead of trying to answer, she sagged forward. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe she’d surrendered. More likely this was momentary weakness on her part. Sooner or later they’d have the battle royal. He was looking forward to it.
Hell, he’d embrace anything that took him out of himself.
“I’m not taking your word for it.” He chuckled. “Here’s how it’s going to play out. Slide forward until you reach the end of the tailgate. Once you’re there I’ll help you stand. One wrong move on your part—“ He jerked on the chain. “and you’ll regret it. Understand?”
After a telling moment she nodded.
Instead of ordering her to get moving, he waited to see what she’d do. He sensed more than saw her scoot forward on her buttocks. Twice she lost her balance and fell onto her side. Instead of helping her, he got out as she struggled to upright herself. As soon as she’d righted herself, he encouraged her to get going again via the handy chain.
Well-versed in the power of silence, he gave her no warning before wrapping his fingers around her belt in front and yanking her the last few inches. When she started to tip forward, he wrapped his arms around her and guided her legs to the ground.
The Carnal manual called for pushing her away as if he wanted nothing to do with being near her. Instead, he kept them close as her young warmth spread through him. He hadn’t held a woman for so long. More to the point, he couldn’t remember the last time one had willingly embraced him.
Get over yourself! You made your bed and know how to lie in it.
Despite his self-anger, he couldn’t help but wonder if she too had needed the contact. For just a second she’d gone all soft and loose.
He’d left the headlights on because his intention had been to walk them into the woods before doing their business, but her being barefoot made him reconsider. Even if his body was up to it, he wasn’t about to carry her.
Dismissing her grunts of pain caused by whatever she was stepping on, he hauled her around to the front of the truck and pointed at the ground. “There’s your bathroom—unless you want to keep on walking.”
Her head went up and she stared at him with huge shocked eyes. Then she looked at the woods and shook her head.
“I like a woman who can make decisions. Here, I’ll help you.”
Hopefully before she could figure out what he had in mind, he unzipped her shorts and pulled them and her underpants down to her ankles. Her already ragged breathing became more labored, and she turned her head away from him. Before he needed to swat her ass in encouragement, she opened her legs as far as she could, thrust her pelvis forward, and squatted. He had to admire her balance. As far as he could tell, she managed to keep urine off her clothes. When, head still averted, she straightened, he pulled her practical panties and well-worn shorts back into place but didn’t bother with the zipper.
Holding tight to the chain, he extracted his cock and covered her urine with his. He wondered if she got the point which was that he was marking his territory.
Determined to continue the lesson, he roughly pulled her back to the truck bed and hoisted her into it via a firmer than necessary hold on her midriff. As she struggled to a sitting position, he painfully climbed in next to her. Darn it, if he hadn’t disabled the canopy’s light he’d be able to study her expression and give her a clear view of what her prison looked like. Again going by feel he refastened the neck chain to the bed wall at her back. Her arms had been behind her for longer than was good for them, but he didn’t want to take any risks until he was sure she was well-restrained.
He had to reach around a little before he found the rope attached to her one ankle, then fumbled a bit more before he located another of the metal fasteners welded to the bed’s side. He threaded the rope through it, tugged it tight, and knotted it. She still had one free leg, but it was on the side opposite of where he crouched.
After shortening the chain until she was off balance and in danger of falling backward, he pulled his knife out of his pocket and cut through the plastic ties around her wrists. He prepared himself for a battle, but she didn’t resist as he pulled her arms in front, positioned the belt so the ring was near her navel, and using another length of rope, tethered her wrists to the ring.
Rocking back on his heels, he kneaded her shoulders and upper arms. “I’m not a complete bastard. In fact by the time I’m done with you, you’re—I was going to say you’re going to worship me, but that’s getting ahead of the game. Here’s the deal. We’re going to stay here for a few hours while I get some sleep. There doesn’t appear to be anyone around for miles so I’m going to take a chance on ungagging you. One unapproved word out of you and you’ll regret it, got it?” He dug his fingers into the hollow above her collarbone.
She screamed into the gag and tried to wrench free. However, all she accomplished was to tip backward until the truck wall stopped her. He left her half sprawled as he unwound the tape by feel. Her hair stuck to it in a million places but finally he got it off.
He placed his hand over her mouth. “Remember what I said, no trying to call for help.”
Her slow nod said two things. One, he could believe her. Two, right now she hated more than feared him. Wondering why her opinion of him mattered, he stroked her lips. She shuddered but didn’t try to bite him.
“Good response,” he told her. “If you continue to
have a measure of self-control, you’ll get through this.”
“What—what are you going to do to me?” she whispered.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
“Why? I haven’t done anything to—“
“Why? Because you’re a lovely young thing and I make my living off women like you.”
“No! You can’t—“
“Yes, I can.” He slid his hands down her arms to her wrists making his point. “I have and I will. End of discussion. Like I said, I need some sleep.” He started working his fingers back up her arms. Then because every moment with a subject should be part of a greater lesson, he cupped his hands around her breasts. Even with her top and bra in the way, he felt her hard nipples.
Several things could cause a woman’s nipples to harden, fear and arousal primary around them. If arousal factored in, that reinforced what he’d sensed about her during their brief discussion of ice cream.
“Mine,” he told her. “From now on until I’m done with you, these belong to me.”
Chapter five
Kaci felt as if she was falling deeper and deeper into a dark hole. No matter how many times she tried to empty her mind so she could get the rest her body desperately needed, she couldn’t. The man had loosened the awful chain attached to the collar enough that she’d been able to lie down. Her arms didn’t hurt as much as they had when they’d been behind her, but she hated how useless they were. The ankle tie was overkill because without use of her hands she couldn’t possibly unhook herself. He’d thrown most of her clothes into the cab-over which meant what, that he intended to keep her with him indefinitely?
Trapped. Caught. Deep in the mountains she loved. Lost.
The man who’d done this to her—she didn’t want to know his name—had rolled out a sleeping bag and pillow and was stretched out near her. Of course her comfort didn’t matter to him. Maybe he didn’t care whether she lived to see tomorrow.
