Bailey screamed a cold, blood-curdling scream. Her voice rattled the cement walls, yet everything remained still. She tried again, this time she tried all that she could to kick and punch her way out of the plastic ties strapping her body and arms to the cold metal chair. Drops of blood fell from her skin where the material just dug in harder against her resistance.
She called out for Lily, for Leo, for her dead grandmother. But there was no reply. She was alone, scared, naked in a cinderblock room designed to be her coffin. She could feel her breath heaving beneath her breasts, beads of sweat forming along her nipples. She watched her breath form little puffs of white crystals. She knew that if she were to get herself out of the mess she was in, she would have to go it alone. No one could escape their own death like this—no one. But she was not about to go down without a fight.
Bailey blinked rapidly, attempting to adjust her eyes to the scene. She needed to find something to help her out. But the room was a blank canvas, empty of everything but a flickering light overhead that danced in a kind of odd rhythm. It swayed as she could hear something up above her pounding away to a tribal beat. She couldn’t imagine what kind of creature could make sure a strange and unsettling noise.
The sound grew closer. The deep thumbs turned into clicks. Distinctly, she could make out the sound of the heel and the toe clicking upon the gray cement floor. A shadowy figure appeared, walking quite slowly. She called out for help, hoping it was her savior. “Please! Please! Untie me! I need you to untie me before he comes back!” Bailey watched, her body sitting at the edge of the chair in anticipation.
The figure stepped into the overhead light as Bailey let out a sob. Her grandmother stood before her, her hands on her hips. Bailey looked at her in awe, “You’re here? How are you here? I-I don’t understand.”
“Hush now!” Her grandmother’s southern twang was distinct as ever. “He’s coming for you.” She placed a wrinkled finger to her thin, pink lips.
“Who is coming for me? What do you mean? Stay with me! Don’t leave me” The older woman slowly walked backwards into the darkness. Bailey began to panic as she continued to fight against the ties that bound her in place. Her grandmother kept her eyes on her as her body was swallowed by the blackness of the room. Bailey screamed at her grandmother once more, desperation filling her with madness, “Wait! Don’t leave me! Who is coming for me! WHO!”
She was alone again—alone in an unknown room with an unknown person coming for her. The premonition of her grandmother had reminded her that the dead often greet one of their own before they cross over. Dread filled her heart as she realized her own end was coming soon.
The tapping sound started up again. This time, the sound was heavy and slow. It was the sound of dragged, heavy boots. It was so strange, yet familiar. It was a noise she should have been able to recognize but could not put a finger on it. This time, the noise came from behind her head, yet she couldn’t turn herself in the chair to see.
Suddenly, she felt the coldness of something against her neck. A set of fingernails clawed at her chest. An arm stronger than her own held her torso down in place. The figure lifted a knife from her neck to her eye level as Bailey stared back at her own reflection. She could only make out a pair of dark jeans and tips of black shoes. The rest of the killer was concealed behind the light.
Bailey screamed again, but this time, she was met with an answer. The voice was distorted, lowered like a record needle being dragged. Yet, she could still make out the heat of the person’s anger, it screamed a warning: “You stupid, selfish, spoiled little whore! You've got no idea what you've done, but you will soon! You’ll be dead by Monday. I promise you that. Monday!”
Bailey’s eyes flung open as the knife’s tip hit her throat. Her hands instantly grabbed at her own skin, feeling for the stab mark, hoping to save herself from the blood loss. But there was no red thick liquid, no jolts of pain, no man holding her down. She instead sat straight up as she peered suspiciously at her own bed in her own room. Everything was in its place, including the framed photo of her grandmother sitting on the dark wooden side table.
She looked out at the open window. The morning sun was just about to rise. She could tell from the loud birdcalls and the dew drops gathering at the window’s edge. Everything was waking up, but Leo was still comfortably snoring away in bed totally unaware of what had happened in Bailey’s mind. His body radiated heat onto hers as his arm continued to drape over her bare waist. He began to stir as he felt her move and untwist from underneath his grasp.
He muttered into his pillow, “What’s going on? Is it Lily again? Tell her she can lay in the living room with the TV turned on for a couple hours. I don’t mind the noise...” He turned over towards the opposite side of the bed, away from where Bailey sat stunned by her nightmarish visions. When he didn’t hear an answer or feel a response from her movements, he tiredly called out towards her, “Come back to bed, darling. Let her sleep for another hour.”
“It’s not Lily, Leo. But I can’t. I, um, I don’t think I can fall back asleep.” Bailey’s voice shook unevenly as she pulled the silky blue comforter off of her legs. The cool breeze from the changing seasons sent shivers down her spine.
He lifted the covers off of his naked body, “I think I know a way I can get you back in this bed…”
She shook her head again, repeating herself, “I can’t go back to bed.”
The sound of her wavering caught him off guard. He pushed himself off the center of the bed to his elbows as he asked, “Why not? What’s going on? Is there something wrong?” He yawned, winking his eyes awake to focus.
“There’s nothing wrong,” she said, still trembling. “I—uh—I just—I just had a—a—a nightmare.” Bailey flashed a quick, sly smile at him. “Seriously. It was just a dream. I’ll—I’ll be okay.” She knew she wasn’t believable. She could barely keep her voice still, let alone prove to him that there wasn’t something more.
“How about I stay up with you? I mean, after all, we don’t have to sleep in this bed.” He smiled wickedly. His crooked lips slightly jumping up.
Bailey couldn’t deny that a distraction would probably help her feel better. She watched him as he threw his legs over the side of the king bed and walked tantalizingly slow towards where she sat. He knelt before her, taking her shaking hands to his mouth. He kissed them gently and then crept up slowly towards her mouth. Their lips linked, hers still needing reassurance while his were happy to take on the task.
He rocked her backwards as she fell into the fluffy white and blue silky comforter. She could feel her body sink into the bed as his weight pressed into her. He was gentle today, the early morning still taking hold of him.
Leo touched her forehead, feeling the hair between his fingertips as he continued to kiss her. Every time they had made love, he had noticed something more beautiful about her. Today, it was her hair and the way the sun had made it lighter like a halo.
He wanted to treat her like glass, to hold her tenderly as if she would break if he squeezed too hard. But the way she had parted her lips just wide enough for his tongue to slip through brought him back to reality. Leo wanted Bailey. And he wanted her now.
Leo lowered himself down her body, lapping at her skin as he traveled. Her purple silk robe clung to the curve of her breasts and hips as the material revealed her soft, downy flesh. He found where the robe parted against her legs, her naked slit tempting him to go lower.
He gave in. His lips suctioning at the top as his tongue flicked into the crease. Bailey’s hands grabbed hold of the blanket as her hips lifted to his face. Leo pushed her legs open with his body, placing his shoulders behind her knees. His elbows rested up against the bed as he laid into her, his mouth sucking and kissing. Her scent called to him as he lapped into her, diving his face further into her bush.
She squealed as his tongue flicked inside her labia and tasted her wetness. His tongue probed her entire length from bottom to top, and he finally found what he was searching for—her clit, engorged and throbbing. He devoured her, at first with just the tip of his tongue, then with more intensity and the entire length of his tongue. And then, without warning, he dove in, sucking hard on her until she screamed out, “LEO! HOLY FUCK, LEO! I’m CUMMING!”
He came up for air as he licked his lips. Her sweet-honey taste lingered on his lips, “How about a morning shower, Miss Reed?” He stood up, releasing her body. She took hold of his outstretched arm and followed him into the large master bath. Steam wafted over her lithe body, exciting every inch of her. She shivered as he blew cool breath onto her neck.
Bailey wasted no time. She kissed down his neck, along his shoulders, down his chest and abs. Her fingers found his ass and squeezed as she kissed over his legs and licked his inner thighs. Her mouth moved quickly, finally finding its way to his cock. She began by teasing the tip, pulling a strand of precum with her. She returned, swirling her tongue around the head of his cock, then licked down the long shaft before returning to the top again. She then took him in her mouth entirely, diving her head quickly over his hardness, using her hands to tickle his balls. He gasped in pleasure as she pulled his cock fully into her throat, holding him there before coming back up for air.
Leo felt a rise building almost from his toes. He grunted and pushed down on her head as she bobbed faster and faster, pushing his hand down rhythmically on her as she went up and down on his shaft. Finally, he could stand it no more; he pulled her up and forced her to stand. She kissed him deeply, throwing her tongue into the back of his mouth. He growled savagely and threw her up against the tile forcefully, her back facing his front.
Bailey screamed as he plowed his cock directly into her sopping hole. There was no time for pleasantries or tenderness; instead, he took her with urgency, as if his very life depended on the act of fucking her. She clenched her pussy around him, feeling another orgasm building from the sheer force of his thrusts. “Jesus fucking Christ, Leo,” she groaned, “give me that fucking cock! I’m gonna— I’m gonna—”
Her scream from this second orgasm echoed in wild vibrations off the bathroom tile. Leo felt her straighten her legs and tense up, then release as she came. He didn’t stop—in fact, he went even more forcefully, pushing as far into her as he could. She felt almost like she was going to pass out in ecstasy, her head swimming with contentment.
When she regained her composure from her semiconscious orgasmic bliss, Leo was still thrusting into her. She threw her ass out towards him, forcing him to slow himself. Slowly, she pulled herself off of him, feeling little tingles pulsating through her folds. She moved herself onto her knees and looked at him straight-on, his cock throbbing and pulsating right in her face.
She dove right in again, sucking his cock greedily, hungrily, taking every inch of him into her mouth. He grabbed the back of her hair and yanked, causing her to squeal slightly—but she didn’t break her concentration. She dove down, took him into her throat, then pulled back slightly. She teased the middle of his shaft with her tongue, then pursed her lips and suckled on the tip.
Leo could feel the tension building again. He curled his toes as she went even faster, faster than he’d even believed possible, her head motioning up and down on his cock in a blur. He grabbed the bottom of his shaft and began stroking as she sucked, her fingers once again finding his balls and squeezing. He groaned manically and began moving his fist up and down his cock as Bailey’s mouth went right to the tip. “I’m gonna cum, babe,” he muttered. “I’m gonna cum for you.”
“Cum for me,” she said, adding, to his debauched delight, “I wanna taste your cum, baby.”
That was enough to send Leo over the edge. His entire body convulsed as the orgasm ripped through him, cum spurting out of his cock and onto Bailey’s waiting tongue. He screamed and collapsed into the tub, the water still running down both of them.
“Well,” he laughed as he shut the water off, “I guess we kinda forgot to shower…”
***
Ten minutes later, Bailey and Leo lay in bed, shining in the afterglow. Leo’s sleepiness was enough to deceive him as he softly asked, “Are you okay enough for me to sleep for another couple hours before the trainer shows up?” Leo looked at her hopefully, his eyes still squinted half shut.
“Yeah, go back to bed. I set your alarm already.” She shifted out of the last of the covers.
A thought suddenly popped into Leo’s head as a devilish grin transformed his tired face, “You know, I don’t have to go to bed. I can stay up with you, if you want me to. We can go a couple more rounds. If you do to me what you just did, it wouldn’t take me very long to get going.” He pulled her back towards him, catching her head as she tumbled towards his chest.
Bailey kissed the trail of small dark hairs near his belly and hips. “I wish I could, but I think I’m a bit too tired for a repeat show. Can I get a rain check?”
“I don’t take no for an answer, Ms. Reed. You should know that by now!” Bailey laughed as he tossed her off of him and flipped himself on top of her. His strong arms pinned her in place.
The two looked up at one another. In the soft darkness of the early morning hours, Leo’s skin almost glowed a heavenly blue. His wet lips parted, revealing his glossy smile. From his angle, Bailey seemed almost inhuman. Her pale skin caught the pinks and purple of the morning light and her blue eyes blended in with the background. He lowered himself softly to her to meet her supple lips. She took his tongue into his mouth, feeling his warmth take her over.
But Bailey couldn’t get the voice of the man from her nightmares out of her head. The threat rang as if it had just happened. She couldn’t bear to look at Leo, let alone let him think she was able to be intimate. Instead, she pulled away, turning her face away from his.
He stared hard at her, looking offended. “Okay then,” he said dejectedly. “C’mon, Bailey, talk to me. What’s really wrong?”
Bailey shook her head. “It’s—it’s just this—this dream I had.” She knew she had to confess, and she sighed and fidgeted nervously. “It’s—it’s not really a dream, I guess. This afternoon, before you ran home, I was on the phone with someone. He used something to make his voice sound different, distorted like, but he was saying he was going to find me and—and—and kill me. He said I would be dead by Monday.”
The phone call had come through to the house phone. On the caller ID, the number was unlisted. Even the voice was so changed and altered that she couldn’t discern if it was really a male or a female. Bailey had wanted to push it away, to forget it ever happened. With the press and Leo’s fans, it could just be a prank or the action of one of his more obsessed former lovers threatened by her presence. She was sure it had something to do with the case.
Leo slipped next to her side, holding her tightly in his expansive arms. He wanted nothing more but to scream at her for lying to him. He wanted to shake her for being so cavalier with something as serious as death threats. But he understood that, after all that she had been through with her grandmother’s death and Lily’s kidnapping, the last thing she really needed was a lecture from him.
Instead, he pushed aside her hair and gently lowered his voice, “I’m here now.” He reassured her, “I’m here, and I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you or Lily ever, ever again. I promise you that.”
“I know, Leo. I know. It was probably just some prank or something. Maybe it was that girl who was blackmailing you…Alecia? Maybe she has something to do with it.” Bailey struggled to come up with some sort of explanation.
“It doesn’t matter. Tomorrow, we’ll talk to security. We’ll beef it up a bit, add some more surveillance people around the complex. I’ll even get someone to stick with Lily and you when you go out.” He sighed as he added, “But tomorrow, I want us to go down to the police station and report it.”
“Leo, you know I can—” Bailey hated the idea of doing something so public as going to speak with officials. She knew it would only bring more scrutiny to her own life. With the court case now centering around her own actions, she would far prefer to lock this up between the two of them.
“Bailey, this has to be done,” Leo cut her off. “Not just for my piece of mind, but for Lily’s safety, as well. She’s gonna start school in a couple of weeks. I don’t want her or us to be afraid of taking her to class. Okay?”
Bailey nodded into the sheets as she could feel the warm trickle of a tear gather at her eyes. The drop slid down her face and onto Leo’s hand. He sat back up, looking down at Bailey as her small body gathered into a ball upon the bed. “It’s gonna be okay, Bailey. Everything is starting to fall into place for us. We can settle down. We can make this a home for you two. If the only hiccup is a couple of calls from some teenage idiots, then we've got a lot to be thankful of.”
He kissed her head once more and then lay back down. Both of them drifted off with the silence—Leo falling back to sleep while Bailey wrestled with the worries in her head. Once she could hear him snore, she slowly got out of bed, put on the purple silk robe, and walked down the hallway to Lily’s room. Slowly, she opened the door a crack to see the girl in her large white princess-style bed with the lacy canopy. Tucked in underneath the pink and purple sheets was the tiny head of her daughter.
Bailey closed it, satisfied. She headed back to the bedroom, only stopping in the kitchen to grab her charging cellphone. As she picked it up, her phone instantly lit up with a message. “DONT IGNORE ME BITCH. IM COMING FOR YOU. IM COMING FOR ALL OF YOU. YOU CANT HIDE FROM ME FOREVER.”
A second message came seconds after the first, “BY THE WAY, PURPLE ISNT YOUR COLOR.”
Bailey stared at the messages, her eyes widening in terror. She glanced down at her robe, the lilac color standing out against the white backdrop of the kitchen. Bailey surveyed the room nervously. It was empty, except for the pots and pans hanging from their hooks above the stove. She felt her hands reach back instinctively towards the butcher knife set until she felt the large metal handle of the biggest knife in the holder.
Armed, she bolted out of the kitchen with her phone in one hand and the knife held to her chest in the other. Still, she tiptoed the entire way back in order to not wake the house. She shut the door to her bedroom quickly as she sank to the floor. The knife dropped out of her hands and fell to the floor with a small ring. She couldn’t stop it from echoing throughout the master suite. She was too busy ripping the fabric of her hand-me-down silk robe off of her body.
From her position on the floor, she silently sobbed, counting down the minutes until Leo’s alarm would ring.