Chapter 7
Dash
At first, I felt relief that she was going to stay and help me eat. I hadn’t eaten in so long that nothing mattered to me more than getting some food in my stomach. Then, when I saw her step towards me gently, I felt a bit of excitement too.
I was bruised and bleeding and in pain, but you can’t take desire for a woman out of a man. She was beautiful and angelic, and being in her presence made me feel good. Whatever bit of good I could still feel.
She had her hands clasped tightly together to her front. She still looked afraid, and she was meek, I could barely hear her voice when she spoke. Something told me she was afraid of the men out there. What were they doing to her?
“I would love a bite of something,” I said, smiling a little to put her at ease. It seemed like she had suddenly remembered why she was here and quickly turned to get the tray of food.
Putting it on the floor, she got on her knees. It upset me to see those delicate pale knees graze the dirty damp floor.
“I wish I could offer you a chair,” I told her, smiling still. She kept her head down, but I could see a hint of color in her cheeks now. I watched as she picked up a sandwich from the tray and then with quivering hands, she moved it towards my mouth.
Was it inappropriate that I wanted to suck on those dainty long fingers as she brought her hand towards me? But instead, I took a bite of the sandwich. It was peanut butter and jelly. It wasn’t supposed to be anything special, but right now it tasted like the best thing I ever had.
I chewed and gulped it down quickly, which brought another blush to her cheeks.
She lifted the plastic cup of water and now came closer to me, to hold the glass to my lips. Cool sweet water. Nothing in the world could feel better than the elixir of water when you are dying of thirst. I took a moment to experience that good feeling.
She held the sandwich out to me again and I took another bite.
“My name is Dash, what’s yours?” I asked.
She kept her gaze set firmly away from me. She didn’t want to meet my eyes. I could sense that she was not prepared to answer the question.
“It’s all right if you don’t want to tell me your name. I won’t hold it against you,” I added.
She looked up at me then, her green eyes were bright and sharp.
“You don’t need to know my name. I’m nobody important,” she replied. Was she trying to fool me or was it just her self-esteem that was low? I couldn’t tell. I knew I wasn’t supposed to trust anyone in here, but I couldn’t help but want to keep talking to her.
“Someone as beautiful as you? I find it hard to believe that you’re not important,” I said to her as she let me drink from the cup again. I gulped it down quickly, watching as the color rose deeply in her cheeks. There was a soft smile on her face too and it pleased me to see that I could at least make her blush and smile. Despite the state that I was in.
She said nothing to that and gave me the sandwich to eat again. There was some egg and mayo salad on the side with a plastic spoon stuck in it. When she gave me a spoonful of that, I had to appreciate how good it tasted.
“That is probably the best egg salad I’ve ever had. Did you make this?” I asked. She was blushing still and now she nodded. My compliments were embarrassing her but I loved to watch her smile.
I wolfed down the salad and she gave me more water to drink. I followed her with my eyes as she moved. She had a certain grace and quiet charm to her that couldn’t be acquired. You had to be born with it, and she had it. Despite how afraid she was in this place, and probably mistreated; she hadn’t lost that charm.
I opened my mouth to say something more but suddenly the door parted.
“What the hell is going on?” We heard a voice. It had to be the guy guarding my room. I looked at her and all the color drained from her face. She was definitely afraid of him, afraid of them. She jumped up off the floor and dusted her clothes quickly of crumbs.
I gritted my teeth as I watched her rush towards the door, but she stopped. She looked over her shoulder at me.
“Harley. My name is Harley,” she said in a whisper and then she was gone.
The guy had been standing, holding the door open and she had run through it in a flash. Was she going to get in trouble? Was I the one who’d got her in trouble?
What were they going to do to her because she’d dared to feed me?
As the door banged shut again, I pulled at my handcuffs in anger. I had some food and water in me now. I had some energy back. I growled, imagining Harley being pushed around by those motherfuckers out there.
She looked so scared. I wanted to protect her. Get her out of this place.
Maybe she didn’t want to leave?
Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.
Maybe I was imagining the whole thing.
I closed my eyes and saw her face again, her perfect sleek golden hair, those big green eyes and bee-stung pink lips. I wanted to cover her with my body, carry her in my arms and out of this place. Take her somewhere where they could never reach her. I wanted to watch her blush and smile all day.