It’s not signed or anything. It’s just presumed that I will know who it’s from, and what he wants.

And I do know, as much as I don’t want to.

I read the note again, creasing it when I finish. I found the note on the bed next to me when I woke this morning. Underneath it, there are documents he wants me to sign. It’s a contract of sorts, agreeing to give my virginity to Monster.

Actually, he asks more than that. He says that by signing the documents, I’d be voluntarily giving up my virginity and the sanctity of my body.

Literally, it says that. The sanctity of my body.

Who would say yes to that? No one in their right mind.

On top of all that, it places the blame for everything — up to and including my abduction — on me.

It’s just sheer lunacy.

Incensed, it is everything I can do not to crumple up the note and just throw it in the corner. But I don’t. Instead I seethe quietly over it, pacing in my room and sitting at my window.

I think of what Monster said to me yesterday. I don’t believe in taking what isn’t mine. That includes your virginity.

When he said he was going to seek other pleasures with me, what exactly did that mean? Somehow, I wasn’t foolish enough to believe he just meant he was going to thrust against my ass from time to time.

I lie in my bed, trying to understand. Then I realize that he’s a murderer and a kidnapper… maybe what I am missing here is simply that he’s crazy. It does make a kind of sense.

Sick, twisted sense… but still sense nonetheless.

Tired of wallowing in doubt, I gather myself and head downstairs. I bring my book along, because The Count of Monte Cristo is so poignant to me. When Edmond is incarcerated in the Château d'If, I can feel his pain so acutely, maybe even more than my own.

Wandering around and looking for a spot to read, I find myself in the orchard that my window looks out onto. The cherry blossoms are just beginning to bloom, their tiny blossoms white with the palest hint of pink. There are about a dozen of them, rising proud against the backdrop of the beige wall.

It’s as if they are defiant of their circumstances. This speaks to me too, in its own way.

Heading down under the cherry blossoms, I settle in at a comfortable looking trunk. From here, I almost can’t see the house at all. It’s quiet here too, the grass below me and the trees overhead. It’s just a world of white blossoms and knotty, dark brown branches.

I leaf through the pages of my book idly, though I’m not concentrating on the words at all. The words of Monster’s letter keep coming back to me, again and again. I can’t let them go.

Every time I think of the line the sanctity of your body, I go cold with dread. What could that mean?

I drowse here beneath the trees, feeling safe here for some reason. Or safer, anyway.

It’s only when I hear footsteps approaching that I wake up, sitting upright. Sin appears through the cherry blossoms, looking relieved when he sees me. He’s wearing his usual outfit of black tactical gear.

For some reason, with the trees in blossom as the backdrop, I find that funny. I giggle a little.

He scowls. “You made us look all over the place for you. We thought you were gone.”

I cock my head at him. “Would that have been so terrible? There’s no way he could’ve held you responsible.”

Sin gives me a sideways look. “I wonder if perhaps we are talking about the same person? Because the man I’m talking about threatened, bullied, and extorted his staff from the very first moment. Perhaps he treats you more kindly.”

I’m struck dumb by that for several long moments. “You know that he owns me for sex, right? I’m not exactly here by my own will.”

Sin looks down, kicking at the grass. “Yes, I know.”

“Okay, well… just be glad that you’re not in my place.” I lean back against the tree’s trunk with a silent sigh.

Sin glances at me, guilt flashing in his eyes. “Is it bad?”

“What, being forced to… do things with him? It’s not ideal.” Somehow, I think that Monster wouldn’t want me to say any more than that, so I just purse my lips.

Looking behind him as though making sure no one is watching, Sin comes closer and kneels down on the ground. My brows arch as he roots around in the pockets of his tactical vest, producing a simple blue package, smaller than the palm of his hand. He tosses it to me, and I stare at it for a second.

A chocolate bar. He’s given me a chocolate bar.

I look up at him, my puzzlement clear. Is this supposed to be some sort of repayment for being Monster’s kept toy?

“It’s local,” Sin says, shrugging a shoulder. “It’s really good.”

I don’t know what it’s meant to signify, but I was never one to pass up a treat. Tearing open one end, I inhale the fragrant chocolate. It’s dark as sin, almost no milk in it.

I was always one for milk chocolate, but I break off a piece and pop it in my mouth. My eyes almost roll up in my head from the taste of it. It’s so very bitter, but still darkly sweet. It makes my mouth water.

When I open my eyes again, Sin is looking at me, just one corner of his mouth crooked upward in a sort of smile. My first thought is that he’s really quite handsome, once you get over the cocky bullshit attitude.

“Good?” he asks.

“Yes.” I have another little nibble, mmmming at the taste. Looking at him, I’m curious. “You’re not going to being Monster’s wrath down on your head by giving me chocolate, are you?”

He lets out a bark of shocked laughter. “Did you just call him Monster?”

I shrug. “It seems appropriate. Besides, I think he likes the nickname.”

“Mmm. I see. Well, I think that it’s okay. You can keep a secret, right?”

His dark eyes twinkle with humor. Nodding slowly, I pass back the chocolate bar. He looks confused.

“I thought you said you liked it.”

“I did. But I’m not stupid enough to keep anything that he could find. There would be hell to pay if Monster found out that someone other than him gave me something. Anything would probably get you in trouble.”

Sin doesn’t say anything. He just tucks the chocolate bar back in his vest, sitting down. He looks up for several minutes, seemingly just gazing into the blooms. I’m content to just rest. There’s no need for me to speak either.

“Do you sit here because you cannot see the house?” he says at length. He glances at me, his eyes full of a sadness that I can’t even begin to ask about.

“Yes.” I keep it simple.

He nods. “I can see why. If I were in your shoes, that is.”

He glances off into the distance. I’m curious about why he works for Monster. Was he talking about himself when he said that Monster extorted his staff?

The possibility doesn’t seem that far off.

But before I can ask, Sin gets up, dusting himself off. “They’ll notice I’m gone. I should get back.”

I smile at him, tucking my blonde hair back. “You can tell you friends that you found me.”

He stares at me for a long moment, seeming about to speak. But at the last moment he just shakes his head. “Be careful sitting out here by yourself. You never know who is watching and listening.”

His warning sends a chill skittering down my spine. I lick my lips, growing anxious. “Thanks.”

He turns on his heel, walking away. Soon, he’s obscured by the cherry blossoms, and I have to wonder if he even ever found me at all.