Chapter Nine

Ella

 

When I turned around Beckett was gone, and I was once again locked in my room. It was strange that I thought of it that way now, my room. My bed. My space. He had left the bottle of wine, I picked up the bottle and refilled my glass. As I raised it to my lips, I let the rich liquid pour over my tongue. The flavor was heavy but there was a slight syrupy sweetness of fruit that tasted incredible. I stared at the door, angry and embarrassed. He knew so much about me, he dug into my personal life, and on top of everything now he knew I was a virgin. He must think I’m a freak, I wouldn’t blame him. The only adult women who have never had sex must be damaged like me.

A date. He had been on a date. To my absolute horror, I realized I was jealous. I took another large gulp of wine, pushing those feelings deep down where they belonged. What did I care that Beckett Carter had been on a date? He was a total playboy, out with gorgeous women all the time. Yet he left his date, and he came back. He came to see me. Why?

I paced the room, draining my glass bit by bit as I thought. I still had goosebumps on my arms from where he had grabbed me and held me still. From the way he was looking at me, darkness and something else in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place. An intensity that made me shiver. He was going to let me go, eventually. But how long could I wait? I was already starting to get confused. He was my only companionship, the only person I had contact with. Yes, that’s what this was. I wasn’t attracted to Beckett Carter, I was hungry for someone to talk to. There was no clock in this room, no windows, and the hours stretched out into infinity. That’s what it must be. Although, I had to admit to myself that I was drawn to him that day in his office. That day when I thought he was a normal businessman, strikingly handsome and in charge of a multi-billion dollar company. Not a dangerous vigilante who would steal me and turn my whole world upside down. But when he looked at me, when his face was inches from mine, a part of me wondered… what would it be like if he pulled me against him and closed his mouth over mine? What would it be like if he pinned me against the wall and ran his hands up my legs until…

I rushed over to the bottle and refilled my wine glass. I was losing my mind, I couldn’t afford to think this way. Beckett Carter was my enemy, this was a game, and I needed to outwit him to win my freedom. Then I would expose him to the world. He broke the law, and he deserved for everyone to know who he was - who he really was. Then I could go on that date with Seth. Safe, reliable, stable Seth. I could trust him. Maybe, just maybe, I could fully give myself to him. But I wouldn’t know until I got out of this damn room.

Taking another sip, my head was starting to feel deliciously cloudy, I scanned the room. There must be something I could do. Maybe I could get Beckett to come to the door and I could hit him over the head with something? But he was strong, much stronger than me. The best I could probably do is give him a headache and piss him off. Think Ella, think. You can figure this out.

My eyes landed on the candles. On the matches. It came to me. It was risky, if Beckett had gone back out for the night I could suffocate or kill myself. But if he was still here, he would need to rush in and deal with the situation. Then I could escape. If he didn’t, I would use water from the bathroom to put out the flames. I tipped back the rest of the wine for courage, then got to work.

I placed a pillow by the door, then got the matches. I struck one until it gleamed bright in my hand, watching the flame dance between my fingers. Then, I dropped it. There was a flicker, a thin line of smoke and for a second I thought it had gone out. But then there was a glow, faint at first, but it grew quickly. I stood back as the small patch grew larger and brighter, reaching up and licking hot against the wood of the door and causing clouds of smoke to roll out. When the flames were high, half the pillow consumed, I took in a deep breath and yelled.

“Beckett!”

The smoke was pouring across the floor, rising up and filling the air with an acrid smell. I put my hands in front of my face and coughed, my eyes watering and my nose burning at the sooty smell. The room grew cloudy but I heard nothing, no footsteps. Maybe he had left. Maybe this was a bad idea.

“Beckett!” I shouted again.

I started to feel a rush of panic. What was I doing, what was I thinking? The fire had caught on the door, the wood glowing with the bright flames as they climbed higher and higher. I needed to stop this soon or the whole room would go up in flames, me included. I coughed as I stepped backwards, moving towards the bathroom. Then the door was yanked open. Beckett stepped back, his eyes wide.

“What the hell?”

This was my chance. I rushed the door, ducked under his arms and noticed the passage he had left open. He took a step towards me then froze, staring at the flames. He had too many problems right now to focus on. He rummaged along the wall looking for something but I didn’t stay to find out what, I ran through unfamiliar rooms. A library, then left. I started opening door after door, how big was this place? I turned and ran back the way I came as I heard a loud spraying noise back where I came. Past a kitchen, I was standing in a living room. There, against the wall, an elevator. My way out. My legs flew as I rushed forward, pressing the button over and over again. I didn’t stop pressing the button, willing the sliding doors to open and give me a way to escape. I looked over my shoulder, then back at the doors.

“Come on, come on,” I pressed the button harder and quicker as if that would make it come any faster.

Finally, there was a quick chime. The doors slowly opened and I dropped inside, pressing the ground floor. My lungs were aching from the smoke and from running, but what I saw next made me hold my breath. Beckett was standing there, holding a fire extinguisher in his hands. He dropped it then shot his hand forward, just before the doors closed.

“No!” I shouted as he scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing. I pounded his back with my fists, I bit his shoulder like a wild animal, thrashing and fighting with every ounce of my strength. Past the library in the room, now smoky, he pulled open a drawer to grab something. My eyes went wide when I saw the wall of weapons hung up. Maybe I would have been smarter to grab one of those when he was distracted. I didn’t know how to shoot a gun, but he didn’t know that.

There was a rattling noise as he picked up what he had been looking for, then walked out of the room. He wasn’t putting me back into the fire-damaged room, he was walking out the library down a hallway now. He kicked open a door, holding me tight with one arm, then threw me down on a large four poster bed. I twisted over and he grabbed my leg, holding me in place. I kicked, hard, as something metal locked around my leg.

I looked over my shoulder, frozen, as I watched him lock the other end to a thick wooden post on his bed. He had just chained me up, like an animal. Our eyes met, he was glaring at me. His jaw was tight and his lips were pressed in a firm line. He was pissed off. He pointed a finger at me.

“What the fuck were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed.”

“Let me go Beckett!” I was shaking. “This has gone too far.”

“You think this has gone too far?” He took a step towards me and I shrank against his sheets, my heart hammering in my chest. “You think you have me all figured out Ella, but you have no idea who I am. What I’m capable of.”

He continued to move towards me, then he leaned over me, pinning me between his arms against his bed as his eyes burned into mine. He was furious, and not hiding it at all.

“You’re not going to hurt me,” I gasped. “I know you won’t.”

“That’s the thing Ella,” his voice was low. “You don’t know what I am. What I want.”

I swallowed hard, staring at the lines of his face. A part of me wanting. Needing, in an aching way I had never felt before. In a way that was completely inappropriate given the situation.

“And what do you want Beckett? Tell me.”

His face was inches from mine, his eyes burning with anger, but then they softened slightly. There was a change to his expression, just for a split second. I would have missed it if I wasn’t so close to him, close enough to see every line of his face. Close enough to smell the scent of smoke, but also the clean masculine scent of his cologne. His eyes drifted from my eyes to my lips, then back to my eyes. The wine was swimming through my veins, the adrenaline of my attempted escape. The threat of the fire I had caused, and the tight metal clasp around my ankle. Then, I did something stupid.

I pushed off the bed, towards Beckett, and pressed my mouth against him. He gasped then pulled back, looking down at me in confusion. I was still breathing hard, my heart beating so fast I was terrified it was going to stop at any minute, pushed to its limit. I opened my mouth to say something, to apologize or explain myself, but Beckett pushed himself forward and closed his lips over mine. I closed my eyes as his strong fingers wound in my hair, tugging slightly, as he parted my lips with his tongue and stroked against mine.

I sank against the mattress, giving in to him. Beckett kissed like he owned me, like he was exploring the soft corners of my mouth and laying claim to every secret part of me. I was dizzy, heat rising to my cheeks and between my legs as he stroked his thumb over my neck, holding me down, my lips swelling with the pressure of his urgent kiss.

Suddenly Beckett pulled back, breaking contact and leaving me wanting.

“No,” he gasped, his voice ragged.

I pushed myself onto my elbows, watching him as he stepped back.

“It’s okay,” I tried to assure him. “I wanted to.”

“This is wrong,” he turned his back to me, running his hands through his hair. I wanted to touch his hair, I wanted to run my fingers through it as he kissed me again.

“Beckett-”

“You’re confused Ella. I’ve taken you captive, but I won’t take more from you. I won’t allow myself. You don’t understand. The things I want to do to you… you don’t want to find out how dark I am. How dark I can be.”

I crawled to the edge of the bed, the chain around my ankle rattling lightly as I moved. He was right. This was insane, I was out of my mind, but I didn’t care. A part of me wanted him, I didn’t know why. Maybe after everything I had been through in my life this is what I felt I deserved. This is how I should be treated after a lifetime of pushing people away and making risky decisions.

“Show me,” I whispered, watching him as he clenched his fists, his back still to me. “Show me who you really are Beckett.”

He turned to face me finally, a tortured look on his face.

“No Ella. I can’t. I need to go. Stay here.”

I raised my eyebrow at him. I was chained to his bed, where did he think I was going to go?

He walked towards the door, leaving me sitting on my legs watching as he walked away.

“Don’t burn anything else,” he warned me. Then he was gone.

I looked down at the chain, restraining me, then touched my swollen lips. The memory of his mouth against mine as he held me down made my skin bristle with goosebumps. What had just happened? Why had I kissed him? Being here, being in Beckett’s home, knowing who he was and what he was capable of. It must all be finally getting to me. I must be in shock. I really needed to get out of here and back to my life before I completely lost myself.