Dawn

I was laying partially on top of Elijah when I woke up. He had one hand on my hip, holding me to him. He was snoring slightly, still fast asleep. I was surprised I’d been able to bring him pleasure, expecting him to wake up before I ever got my mouth around him. I didn’t even think he’d give pleasure in return, but he did.

His hands on me were amazing, and that kiss was even better. The only thing I didn’t get trained in was kissing, since most men wouldn’t even put their faces close to mine, or any of the girls, as we were constantly sick.

His kiss was gentle and sweet, the first of something I hoped there would be more of. His lips were soft, yet hard and so warm. I didn’t know what to do; I was frozen. It was simple, but meant so much to me at the same time.

I knew I was slowly falling in love with him, and that wasn’t a good thing. What would he do to me if he found out? Would he send me away? Ignore me again? I hoped that wouldn’t happen, as I had grown closer to him more in this week than I had the past month.

All the stories of us growing up showed me how close we’d been once, and I wasn’t sure if Elijah expected that of me now, since I wasn’t the little girl I once was. I almost wished I’d gone to someone else, so I wouldn’t feel such a pull to this man.

The sun was shining through the curtain that didn’t get closed all the way. I had trouble sleeping most nights, so I’d taken to opening the curtains and watching the sky or the woods instead, since Elijah hadn’t made his way to the bed often until this week.

I briefly glanced at the clock on his side of the bed. It was just after nine in the morning. I was surprised—I guessed the sleepless nights had finally caught up to me.

I was sure he was just as tired, if not more, since the past week he had been making sure he was up way before I ever was. Maybe after this morning, he would be more willing to stay and sleep in the bed with me.

I couldn’t stop looking at him. He looked so relaxed as he slept. He looked younger than he was, and I had to wonder how long he was going to be taking off work.

“Enjoy staring at me?” he asked, opening his eyes in slits.

I blushed at being caught but didn’t look away. I did like looking at him; he was easy on the eyes.

He groaned as his phone began to ring and he twisted to grab it.

“Hello?” he asked grouchily. I almost wanted to laugh at him but thought better of it.

Since I had to pee, I got up and used the bathroom, deciding to take a shower while I was in there, too. Once I was finished and dressed in my usual yoga pants and simple black top, I brushed my hair out, letting it air dry.

Once downstairs, I found Elijah waiting in the kitchen for me. A bowl of cereal sat at my normal place, and I took my seat. He stood behind me and began to braid my hair into a French braid off to the side.

“Thank you,” I said. I loved it when he took the time to do my hair, even though it made it so he wasn’t able to run his fingers through it as easily.

“My pleasure,” he said with a warm smile.

Once I was done, he took my dishes away and put them in the dishwasher. He seemed half lost in thought, and I didn’t want to ask, but had a feeling that it had something to do with the phone call. Instead, I just watched him, hoping he would at least let me know if it was about me or not. Most likely it was.

While Elijah went and made a few more phone calls, I did my normal housecleaning, which didn’t take long. Not knowing what to do next, I looked through the cookbooks Joslyn had brought over, wanting to try to make some sort of cookies, hoping it would get my mind off Elijah and the mood he seemed to be in.

Plus, Kelly said the way to a man’s’ heart was through cooking.

Elijah stepped into the kitchen right as I put a sheet of cookies into the oven. He seemed worn out when I turned around.

“What kind of cookies are you making?” he asked, leaning up against the counter beside the oven.

“Peanut butter,” I answered. “I wasn’t sure what kind you liked best, and they were my favorite when I was younger.”

“I remember,” he said, watching me. “You loved almost any kind of cookies, though.”

“Still do,” I smiled, looking down at the floor for a moment. “I haven’t had cookies for a long time.”

“I’m glad you chose to make some,” he replied, grabbing my hand and bringing me closer to him. I let him, meeting him half way as one hand came up to his chest. “Galvin called me.” His voice was calm but sad.

“Oh?” I said, not sure what I was to say.

“He wants to see you,” Elijah went on. “I’ve put it off for a number of reasons, the major one being that I don’t want any of those men around you if I can do anything about it. But if I keep doing it, he’ll know something is up and it could cost me my undercover job.”

“I understand, Sir,” I whispered. Really, I did. His job was on the line; I’d survive.

“I don’t want to make you do this, but you will have to show Galvin that you serve me, and only me. I won’t let him touch you in any way, but you will have to be in the same room for just a few minutes. I called Kaleb, and he will be close by in case anything happens, but I don’t think it will. We don’t plan to arrest Galvin until last, so we can get some of the men that would be taking over his place in situations such as these.”

I wanted to reach out and let him know that I would be okay—that I understood—but I didn’t know how. I wasn’t used to trying to soothe someone else, and the feelings scared me.

“I have a soft pillow by my office chair that you will kneel on. I won’t purposely ignore you, but I have to act a part, so please don’t be upset about anything I say, or how I say it. I will touch you to give you comfort, but nothing in punishment or sexual. Okay?” he continued, hugging me tight to him.

“Okay,” I said, but it came out mumbled as my face was pressed into his warm chest.

“I want you to ignore him as best as you can, along with anyone he brings with him. I don’t expect him to come alone, I just don’t know who he will bring with him, but I will do my best to keep you safe. I will try to get you out of the room after a few moments after Galvin has whatever he wants from me. When I dismiss you, you will need to go to the spare room, as I don’t want him thinking I view you as an equal,” he said. “I hate having to make you do any of this. I hope you understand I hate myself for even asking you to pretend to be my slave. You are nothing like that.”

“I’ll be okay, Elijah,” I said, looking up at him. His eyes softened, and he kissed me on my forehead as the oven buzzed.

I set the cookie pan on the stove, letting them cool before plating them and wrapping them in tin foil. They’d hopefully make a treat for the men, although I hated the idea of it. I kept my emotions under control, trying to show Elijah I would be okay. I was nervous and scared, but I could do this. I had to for him.

As the doorbell rang, Elijah told me to wait in his office, and I did as I was told while he answered the door. I found the soft pillow easily and knelt on it. Elijah hadn’t told me the complete position to wait in; I kept my knees together, hands folded in front of me and my head down. At that time, I wished I had my hair down to keep my face hidden from view of the men that had shown up. My stomach was in knots.

It wasn’t a full two minutes before Elijah led the men—at least three—towards the office. I kept my head down as they all entered. He stroked my head as he headed to his chair. I heard the three others take their seats but kept still. I felt a tinge of calm with his touch.

“What I can I do for your gentlemen today?” Elijah asked, brushing his foot up against my knees.

“I haven’t seen you at the warehouse the past few weeks, and I was concerned. It’s not like you,” I heard Galvin answer. His voice was still high-pitched and make me want to shiver and hide away as far as I could.

“Sorry about that,” Elijah replied, not missing a beat. “I’ve been trying to tie up loose ends with that investigation, as they were getting too close on a few things.”

“Ah yes, you have been a wonderful help on that front,” Galvin laughed lightly. “I hope you got all of us cleared?”

“Yes, I have. My ‘boss’ thinks I was stressed, so he took me off, but not before I got a few things taken care of so nothing is traced back to any of us,” Elijah said, leaning back in his chair, acting relaxed.

“I’m sure you’re enjoying your purchase?” Galvin asked.

“Absolutely,” Elijah replied in a smile.

“Trained to your liking?” Galvin, again.

“For the most part,” Elijah said. “A few things that needed to be fixed to my liking, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Your family maid has been here a lot,” Morgan said. I jumped, not expecting him to be here, but got my fear under control.

“I hired someone to teach her to cook properly,” Elijah said tensely. “I refuse to cook if I have someone able to do so easily.”

“Home cooked meals are wonderful indeed,” Galvin agreed. “How is the cooking?”

“Lovely,” Elijah said. “Dawn, please get our guests those cookies you made earlier,” he said, turning to me.

“Yes, Sir,” I said, standing up. I was more than happy to escape for a moment, even if for only a moment.

I ignored the men as I left the office, taking my time to get the plate of cookies. I took a few deep breaths and a couple sips of water before turning around to grab the plate. I stopped as I heard heavy footsteps enter the kitchen. I froze, knowing right away it wasn’t the man I was slowly falling in love with.

“Well hello, pet,” the man sneered as he took another step towards me. I slowly turned around, keeping my eyes down to the floor, hoping I wouldn’t have to see Erick’s face. I never liked him, and would never be what he wanted me to be. “Aren’t you going to give me a greeting?”

I ignored him, but took a step to the side, hoping I could get around him and to the safety of my ‘room’, and that Elijah would figure out where I was and not worry about me.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Erick laughed, moving over and towards me, caging me in against the counter. My heart began to beat faster, but I did my best to keep my panic at bay, at least until he’d either leave or Elijah came to find me before anything happened.

“Erick?” Morgan called as he entered the kitchen. “Galvin wants you back in the office.”

“Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute, Morgan,” Erick replied, brushing the demand away as he stared at me. He was now close enough to touch me, and I pushed myself back into the countertop as much as I could. I wanted to be invisible.

“Oh, I see why,” Morgan laughed as he entered the kitchen.

“She was to be mine, but Galvin just had to sell her,” Erick seethed, turning his head to look at Morgan, but keeping me in his line of sight.

“You know Galvin has his plans and reasons,” Morgan said calmly as he moved up next to me. “I will get her back to her mother soon, and then you can have your share of her.”

“Ah, yes. How is that working out for you? I hear Eli is of no help,” Erick laughed, bringing a hand to my upper arm. I flinched, making him laugh. He squeezed me harder, giving a look that clearly told me not to make a sound.

“I have Hughes working on it for me. Can you believe how easy it is to do something like this right under the fed's noses?” Morgan laughed, bringing his hand up my other arm. I wanted to scream, to run, but my body was frozen.

“I can’t wait till I can play,” Erick laughed, leaning in to smell my hair. I couldn’t stop the cringe I made, making him laugh more.

“That’s my property you’re both touching,” Elijah hissed. I didn’t hear him come in but was relieved he’d finally showed up. Morgan and Erick instantly backed off. I was still frozen in my spot. After a moment, Elijah said my name, and I went to him with panic on the edge. I wanted nothing but to run to him—to my safety.

Instead, I slowly walked to him on shaky legs. He pulled me to him, and I breathed in his scent, not being able to help the few tears that leaked out my eyes. Somehow, he was just able to make me feel okay with his presence alone.

“What made you think you could touch his pet?” Galvin said calmly.

“She’s a slut; she’s been made to let any man touch her, and she will never be what he wants,” Erick replied. “I marked her, and she can never have a normal life, so I don’t see what the harm is.”

“When I step back from you, you need to go upstairs, and don’t look back,” Elijah whispered in my ear. “I need you to hide in the closet, and lock the door behind you.”

“She’s not yours, Erick!” Galvin nearly shouted, outraged. “You have not been a follower, but doing your own thing. That is why I didn’t permit you to have her!”

I felt Elijah’s phone vibrate against my hip, and he kissed the top of my head before whispering, “Now.”

I looked up at him briefly before walking away hurriedly up the stairs to the closet. I made sure to close the door softly, turning the lock as quickly as I could. I didn’t think anyone followed, but I still had to follow orders.

I found two pillows, a battery-operated lantern, and a blanket folded neatly in the corner. I had to wonder if Elijah had expected something like to this happen. He most likely did, as he seemed to be prepared for just about anything.

I couldn’t hear anything from the men, but that was probably good, as my panic was already setting in. My heartbeat was loud, my palms sweaty. I was worried about Elijah, and if I was safe hiding here.

Taking a pillow and hugging it to my chest, I backed into the far corner where the items were, hoping to find some sort of calm there, even though it was unlikely to happen. I wanted my Elijah. I ended up closing my eyes and rocking back and forth as I full out panicked.

* * *

I could hear laughing as my arms were tied in front of me and my legs were held down. There was an audience at the door and I refused to give them any of my time. I breathed in and out, trying to picture myself anywhere but here.

“It’s almost over, sweetie pie,” Morgan groaned as he pounded into me roughly. “Daddy likes you tight and wet, just for me.” I gagged at the name.

This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last. I wanted to pass out so I could have the darkness instead of the pain. Instead, I just lay there, limply, hoping it would all end. Either I could pass out, Morgan finishing quickly so I could be thrown back into my cell, or just die.

“That’s how Daddy likes it,” he grunted as he froze on top of me. After a few moments, he pulled out and shooed the bystanders off.

Afterward, he was gentle, picking me up and carrying me back to my cell, where he tenderly cleaned me up. He told me how he loved me, how he couldn’t wait for my mother to be out of the picture like my father, so he could be the one to take care of me. Morgan wanted me to keep his needs met twenty-four seven. I couldn’t stop the tears, knowing what he wanted wasn’t right.

I couldn’t help but remember another time in that place.

“Please,” I cried out, holding my torso as the pain racked through my veins. My ribs hurt and it hurt to breathe. Galvin stood by, watching as Morgan and another man I didn’t know took turns kicking and hitting me—all because I refused to let two men use my body at one time. I knew I shouldn’t have fought, but I had to. I had that small amount of hope flare up that I may be saved from this hell.

“Cry some more,” Galvin laughed. “It’s like music to my ears, dear one.”

With another kick, I blacked out, letting the promising darkness take over. I hoped I wouldn’t wake up this time.

The memories faded and I lifted my head, my vision blurry as I grabbed the pillow and hugged it. It smelt like Elijah’s laundry soap, but not like him.

I wanted Elijah.

I wanted out.