by D W Marshall
I snuggle closer into him and he increases his embrace, but not too tight. “Courage to do what?” I ask.
“Make a different choice.” He sighs heavily. “Listen, Vivian.”
At the sound of my name on his lips, my heart lights from within, warming the walls of my chest.
“Let me tell you this. If you’re in pain, if you’re scared, you call me. If some jackass is scaring the shit out of you or hurting you, I will remedy the situation. I will protect you.”
I nod against him.
“Next time, call out to me. I’m just downstairs.”
“Okay.”
He kisses the top of my head. I don’t know how long we’re in the tub. But I fall asleep listening to his breathing. When I wake, he is there, his arms wrapped around me, protecting me.
“How do you feel?” he asks me.
“Like a sore prune,” I say, moving my limbs around. “But, better. How long were we asleep?” I ask, gazing at his beautiful face that I’ll never get enough of.
“You were asleep for about an hour.” He smiles at me.
“You didn’t sleep? What did you do for an hour?”
“Watched you,” he says, his eyes never leaving mine. “And listened to you snore.” His finger gently touches my nose.
“I do not snore.” I punch him in the arm, but I smile. Why couldn’t we be anywhere else? It makes me nauseous to experience any form of normal within these walls.
His arms go up into the air in surrender. “Whatever you say.”
I don’t know what comes over me. The fact that I’m naked in the bathtub with Tyson. Relief that I wasn’t harmed more, or how incredibly wonderful it feels to be with him. My lips meet his without further thought. Tyson answers back with his own and they tangle passionately with mine.
“I don’t know if I can go back out there,” I say when our lips part.
“I don’t know if I can let you…I want to take you away from here, Vivian.”
I sit up in the tub in a slight panic. I know he means every word he says.
“You can’t,” I whisper. “I want to go…to leave this place, but I don’t want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. I can survive this. As long as I have you,” I confess. “I need you.”
He pulls me back into his chiseled chest. “I’m not going anywhere. But you say the word and I won’t hesitate to take you away.”
I shoot up in the tub again in panic, a sudden thought popping into my head.
“This doesn’t count as our time together, does it? I can still…” I lower my voice to a whisper. “I can still fall asleep?” Please say yes.
“Absolutely. I never get enough of you.”
I shiver inside at the thought.
Zion walks in stating that it’s time to get me prepared, interrupting our bath time.
“Right downstairs,” Tyson says, and I nod in understanding.
He disappears from the room without another word, and I feel empty without him. If he wasn’t here, there would be no surviving The Chamber. I have no idea how the other girls are able to do it without a guardian in their corner.
The other four guests are tame in comparison to Mr. Creepy. They actually show concern when they take in my bruised body. Two refrain from touching me at all, making for an even shorter night. I go at the task of pleasuring with the joy of knowing my evening will conclude in Tyson’s arms.
Chapter Eighteen
Faking Sleep in My Chamber
When the last stranger leaves, I have to restrain myself so that I don’t haul ass to my en suite bathroom and wash him away. Just in case there are cameras other than Tyson’s—and I’d bet my life there are—I’d better make this appear to be any normal night. The smart thing would be for me to pass out, like this night in The Chamber just got the best of me, and I didn’t have the strength to make it down the stairs.
I can’t.
There is no way I can spend the night with Tyson with another man’s sweat dried up on my body. I jump into the shower and wash up with the speed of a cheetah. Once I’m clean, dry, and very naked, I would normally head to my bedroom, tonight I stop short at my Chamber bed.
How do I fake this? I move slower, exaggerating exhaustion. I sit on my Chamber bed and stare out into space for a while. Then I collapse backward onto the bed. I lie still for a few minutes.
I feel like an idiot. Next time I’ll just pass out, because the shower has made everything awkward. I’m acting now, and I’m a terrible actor. I roll over and move deeper into the bed. That is the best I can do. All I’m missing is the back of my hand to my forehead.
I hope my year in drama club paid off. I’m doubtful.
When the light filters into my Chamber, I tuck my face to hide my smile.
Twice in one night. How did I get so lucky?
I don’t move. I don’t react. I wait. If I were really asleep, I’d be scared shitless because he is stealthy. He has a part to play, too. The part of sex-starved guard, surprising the unsuspecting Chambermaid who mistakenly fell asleep in her Chamber. This is no mistake. I have waited for what seems like an eternity for this moment.
“Hello there, stranger,” Tyson whispers into my ear. He plants a soft, tender kiss just under my lobe.
My heart flutters and joy fills me like sunshine. Hmm.
“Hi.” I stretch, pretending to be awoken. I turn completely over to face him. “I missed you.”
Tyson brings his lips to mine slowly, sensuously. His breath teases me, sending tiny tingles across my skin. I inhale his natural scent, mixed with the crisp sage and jasmine of his cologne, and I want to climb inside of him. His tongue slides into my open mouth, and I lose myself in his kiss, pulling him as close to me as I can. This is the first night I have fallen asleep in my Chamber and I plan to make it memorable—plenty of mental screenshots of us enraptured to recall later when I need them.
He is responding favorably to my advances, his breathing is quicker, his movements more frantic, but he doesn’t allow me to pull him on top of me like I want. Instead he stays put, his fingers playing in my hair, leaning over me, enticing me with each kiss.
“I know what you are trying to do,” he says. “We aren’t making love tonight.”
“What? Why?” I attempt pouting.
He pulls his face back. His eyes peer into mine. I blink at the intense blaze behind his eyes.
“You have been through enough tonight.”
My stomach drops and I don’t even try to hide my disappointment.
“Hey.” He pulls my chin up when I look down. “I want you that way, always, but that’s not the only way I want you…even if that means spending the night with you in my arms.”
Well, damn. A girl can’t argue with that.
“Are you okay?” He rolls me to my side and spoons me.
I shrug. “What happened to Mr. Creepy?”
“Not enough, if you ask me. Mason had the guards rough him up. He got the rich asshole version of a slap on the wrist. Next time, he’s out.”
“Oh.” Shit. I was hoping that he would just get kicked out now.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
No. I’m scared to death of him. “I’m fine.”
“He won’t hurt you again. I won’t let him,” he promises me.
I nod.
Tonight is the first time since my arrival that I have felt real fear. Mr. Creepy brought me back to that first night with my head hooded and my arms restrained. I should have screamed out. I should have yelled for Tyson. Now, Mr. Creepy will definitely make another appearance in my Chamber, and the thought chills me to the bone. I just want to forget all about tonight. I want Tyson to bury himself deep inside of me, to help me not remember.
I feel dizzy when he nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck. His intoxicating scent overwhelms me.
“All I want to do is keep you safe. When I saw what that animal did to you I wanted tear him apart.”
I wrap my arms around his arms that are holdin
g me, and squeeze. He really does care for me. “That would be a bad idea. I can’t have you getting yourself kicked out of this place. I wouldn’t survive here without you. Without this.” I scoot back even closer to him, as if there were any space left between us.
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” He nuzzles my cheek with his. “What’s the first thing you’re gonna do when you get out of here?” he asks me.
“Go home,” I whisper. My heart instantly aches. I miss my family, my friends. I wonder what they’re doing right now. Are they still searching for me?
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you sad. I know how much you must miss them.”
He tugs a little more on me, pulling me so close that his end and my beginning are undetectable. How does he know how his question affects me? Is he that in tune with me, enough to sense the very subtle shift?
A single tear falls down my cheek and settles where his arm meets my skin. “It’s okay. You can ask me anything.”
“Do you miss him? Liam?” His voice is quiet, uneasy.
“I do.”
“I know he’s going crazy without you. If you were mine, the world would lose all of its color. There would be no sound, no taste, no light without you—only darkness. I’m so sorry I took you from the people you love.”
If he only knew how much he is becoming one of them. “Thank you.”
I fall asleep easily in his arms. I feel safe, free, at home there. When I awake in the morning, he’s gone.
Chapter Nineteen
Adaptation
I never thought I would survive this long. The first couple of nights nearly killed me, but it’s becoming less and less scary.
I can never escape my fear completely, but I’m becoming skilled at compartmentalizing to shorten its duration.
When Zion comes and gets me, my heartbeat speeds up. I break out in a cold sweat. By the time I make it up the stairs to my Chamber and past the cabinet of horror, I calm myself down. I know at some point my body and mind will get used to what is becoming a daily routine. It has to. The human body is designed to adapt to its environment. I’m glad that my body seems slower to conform to the demands of my life here, because this is unnatural.
Conversely, when I’m spending the day doing something normal like hanging out making breakfast with the girls, I treat it like the best most normal moment in my life.
If I ever need a reminder of just how unnatural this crap is, Mr. Creepy definitely reminds me.
It’s been a week since I saw him and I’m not looking forward to meeting him again. When I spoke with a couple of my sisters about him they said that he has been on his best behavior, much less creepy.
I hope that sticks.
Still, I have to thank him for the reminder, because I never want my Chamber experience to be second nature to me—just a part of my life now. I never want to go about it like a regular nine-to-five job, just because I chose to stay to save my family. This is not my home and this is not my life. This is a temporary hell, and I hope I get a free pass to heaven when I do die, just for enduring this.
The only source of light and happiness is spending time with my sisters and Tyson.
The more time I’m with him, the more I realize just how special he is, and just how much he cares about me. He has shown me that he doesn’t just lust for me, that I’m important to him. Our time together in my Chamber last week was tender and sweet. When I recall it, we aren’t even in my Chamber. It was so innocent that I can fantasize that we were at my house, in my room, or anywhere else.
It scares me that my feelings for Tyson continue to grow. When I leave this place and leave him behind, what will I do with these feelings?
I’m heading to meet a couple of the girls in the gym. We have an early morning workout, followed by spa treatments, in preparation for tonight. It’s the start of a new week. Get me some normal.
“Hey, Roxy,” I say when I pass the reception desk. As always, she has a friendly greeting for me.
“Hey, Flame. The other girls just walked back. Have a good workout.”
“Thanks.”
I make my way to the workout room. Our trainer, Stephan, is already in the front of the room. There are five yoga mats on the floor. I hate yoga. I’m more of a sports enthusiast—tennis, basketball, boxing…anything other than yoga. I make my way down the line to the red mat. They’re in Downward Facing Something by the time I step on my mat.
“Flame, nice of you to join us for some relaxation and cleansing,” Stephan says.
Am I that late?
I fall onto my stomach and arch my back into the new position. I follow Stephan’s instruction into every contortion and pose. I perform the deep breathing, and I even manage not to fart. That is the other thing I don’t like about yoga—all that contorting and bending makes my stomach go crazy. When you are in a group with your rump pointed into the sky, farting is the last thing you want to do.
“That was surprisingly relaxing,” I say when I sink down into the jacuzzi with Ivy, Sunshine, Sky, and Raven.
“Everybody thinks yoga is for prissy girls,” Raven declares. “It’s tough. Put any football player in a yoga class and his real weaknesses will show.”
“Back home, the football players take ballet,” Sunshine adds. “It’s supposed to give them more agility and flexibility. I wonder if your American soccer players do the same.”
I lie back and let the heated water cover my body up to my chin. “I’m not saying it’s not hard work. It’s just too slow for me, I guess,” I clarify. I don’t wanna get jumped by any yoga girls.
“Sure. Flame saves her athletics for her Chamber,” Raven jokes.
I sink under in feigned shock for a second. I know she’s joking. Someone needs a sense of humor in this place. I splash her with hot water.
“That’s not what I heard,” I say. “I heard Ivy was working on making Chambermaid of the year!” I tease.
Ivy gasps in shock and splashes me. In the next moment, the five of us are in an all-out water fight, splashing each other and dunking each other’s heads. We’re laughing so hard that we are near tears, and it’s just what I need.
“Stop. Stop. I can’t breathe,” I shout out, desperate to take a real breath.
Can you die from laughing?
We settle down and a quiet settles over us. We scoot as close to one another as we can, our heavy hearts lightened by our ever-growing bond.
By the time we make it back to our rooms, we’ve been plucked, tweezed, waxed, massaged, conditioned, and even fed. We have The Chamber tonight, so, in what is becoming a routine for us, it is time for our pre-Chamber naps. It’s just what my gooey bones need. I nearly scream when I pull back the covers and find a lavender envelope.
I don’t even remember running to the bathroom stall, but when I do, I tear it open in. Please say fall asleep in The Chamber, please say fall asleep in The Chamber. I pray silently, before I can read a single word.
My Dearest Vivian,
Tonight, please fall asleep in your Chamber. We really need to talk. I am finding it increasingly difficult to watch you each night with these men. The second one of them touches you, I want to rush upstairs and rip his arms from his body. Especially after your most recent encounter with Serge. You can see how this is becoming a problem for me. I guess this is what Mason means about not becoming attached to the Chambermaids. Too late now. I couldn’t stay away from you for all the money in the world.
I can’t wait to see you tonight.
XOXO,
Dom
P.S. As much as I loved watching the theatrics last week, don’t bother with the shower. I plan on us getting very dirty tonight.
I nearly yelp with excitement. Thank you. Now I’m not going to be able to sleep. I thrill at the thought of getting dirty with him. Lately, it’s thoughts of Dominic that keep me up at night. I’m starting to want him, any way that I can get him.
When Zion wakes me, I hop out of bed, perhaps too eagerly. Zion’s eyebrow ra
ises in question. I ignore her. I’m gonna see Dominic tonight. Yes, finally. I approach tonight with a new zeal. There is no fear, there is only excitement. Five strangers. Bring ’em.
In the time I have been here, I have been visited by all thirty-five lottery winners, and I’m still standing. I didn’t die like I thought I would. Tonight’s fab five go by in a breeze. I spend some time on my pleasure pony. I’m tied to the bedpost and even gagged. It didn’t matter. I approach tonight like it’s the last day of school—no matter what goes on, your attention is on the end of the day, not the moment at hand. I’m assuming they enjoy themselves. I suck their cocks, I arch my back so they can slam their erections further inside of me. Tonight’s guests even have multiple orgasms.
I do as I’m told, and I do not shower tonight after the last guest leaves. Tonight I pretend to drift off into sleep. My heart is racing and my breathing is wild.
My stomach drops when the bed depresses. I pant when he climbs in. He moves my hair from my neck, and I feel his lips upon me, depositing tender kisses from the bottom of my earlobe down to my shoulder. I moan at the feel of it.
“Vivian,” he whispers in my ear.
I turn to him, overcome with the reality of just how much I missed him. I wrap my arms around him and mash my lips into his, my need for him evident in the abandon I display. My fingers grapple and fist his hair, pulling him closer to me. I moan around our entangled lips, my tongue weaving around his with want. “Dominic,” I breathe his name.
When I can’t take another second of the sensational agony throbbing between my legs, I roll on top of him, climbing to my place of honor. I stare down into his eyes. He tells me without words what I want to know. He is falling for me. In this place, he is mine, and I am his.
