Chapter One
“Morning Amelia.”
I wave my hand but carry on running, there is no time to waste. As I look at my watch, my stomach tightens with anxiety. Silently, I start the countdown.
Ten minutes.
The sweat flows down my back and my running vest is soaked with perspiration. I don’t let up though; I can’t afford to be late.
My heart is racing and my blood pumping mercilessly around my exhausted body.
As I reach Martha Hibbert’s white picket fence I check the time.
Nine minutes.
I try to clear my mind and concentrate on the job in hand. It proves impossible though. My whole body is wired and on full alert. I can think of nothing else but the fact I may be late. I can’t allow that to happen; it wouldn’t end well.
Picking up my pace I see the grocery store in the distance which marks the finish line ahead of me.
My legs are starting to ache and my toes are beginning to hurt. I just pray that the cramp keeps away; I have no time to be delayed by my body.
Fighting to control my breathing I focus on the finishing post. Just past the grocery store and towards the end of a pretty suburban street.
I hear somebody shout my name and pretend not to hear. I have no time for distractions.
Seven minutes.
As I run past the grocery store a little dog wags its tail and looks at me with the eyes of the innocent. Briefly, I smile and my heart melts. A truck rolls past and honks its horn, and the driver calls out.
“Hey sexy, what ya doin later?”
Once again, I pretend not to hear and up my pace.
As I turn the corner to my street, I glance down.
Six minutes.
I can see the finishing post in sight. The white gate of home. My home. It looks so welcoming and yet I want nothing more than to keep on running. Past the familiar and into a world where I am just a face in the crowd. I crave obscurity and the shadows. I crave freedom.
Five minutes.
Gasping for air, I reach the gate and my heart rate increases. I’m home!
As I crash through the front door, I focus on the task at hand. There is no time to stop for a much-needed drink. Kicking off my running shoes I start removing my clothes as I climb the stairs two at a time.
I rip the clothes from my body with no care, leaving them in my wake as I head towards the shower.
Three minutes.
Once I’m naked, I loosen my hair and let it fall around my shoulders. My heart is still thumping but my breathing is starting to slow. The steam from the shower fills the room and I glance at the time.
Two minutes.
Finally, I stand under the hot cleansing jets of water and place my hands on the tiles as I let it pour over me. For the first time, I am still and it feels liberating.
My eyes move to the mirror above the sink and I see the door handle turn. My relief is short-lived.
It’s time.
I feel him approaching, silently, predatory, purposefully.
Ignoring him I carry on soaping my exhaustion away. I use the soap and rub it into my body, slowly and suggestively. The only sound is of the running water and the steam has created a cloud obscuring my view.
Then I am pushed hard against the shower screen and he pushes his leg in between mine and parts them. His hands run down my body and between my legs. I feel his fingers enter my core as he pins me to the screen, my breasts leaving their impression as he continues his explorations. He grips my hands with one strong hand and pulls them above my head. He feels hard against my back and he says in a low voice. “Are you ready for me, Amelia?”
I whimper, “Yes.”
He enters me from behind and fills me completely. I am pinned to the screen and can’t move with him impaled inside my body. He is not gentle, and it is brutal. He pushes inside me relentlessly. Pounding into me and claiming my body as his. The only sound is of our breathing and the thump of my body against the screen. The water pours off us both and I hate myself for the excitement mounting in my core.
He kicks me wider and thrusts in deeper. I cry out and he whispers, “You like that, don’t you little slave?”
I nod and he thrusts in harder. I feel the bite of his hands on my wrists and feel the pain of his attack. Once again, my body betrays me as I feel the release coming. Then with one more thrust, we both fall over the edge together.
As I come down from the natural high, like any addict I want more and hate myself for it.
Then he gives me what I crave - more.
Almost immediately, I am pulled from the shower and dragged to my room.
Kicking the door open, he pushes me roughly inside and grins. “On your knees.”
Sinking to the floor I do as he says. He stands above me and I feel the power of the man. It surrounds him like a force field. He owns me mind, body, and soul and he knows it.
Standing before me he grabs my hair and yanks my face up to stare at his. I see the power flashing from his eyes as he looks at me and smiles in a sinister way.
“Take me, little slave.”
I open my mouth and he pushes in roughly. He holds my head in place and punishes me the same way as before. Then he pulls back suddenly and steps away. I watch in confusion as he crosses the room and reaches for his clothes. He proceeds to dress, slowly and carefully, watching me the whole time. He smirks as he sees the disappointment in my eyes.
Then he comes over and pulls me up to face him. My naked body shivers under the icy glare in his eyes. He grabs my wrist and squeezes it hard, saying in a low voice.
“Until later, slave. I’ve got something very special lined up for us tonight. You have the day to wonder what it is.”
He tips my chin towards him and his touch is uncharacteristically gentle.
“Now don’t be late for work. You know what happens to naughty girls, don’t you?”
I nod and he pushes me away. Then he leaves as quickly as he came; leaving me to gather what’s left of my dignity and self-esteem as I quickly get ready for work.
***