“I give up,” I murmur.
There’s no response. No sound. Nothing.
Nothing to suggest anyone’s there.
“Please … I take it back,” I murmur. “I want to eat.”
I know he doesn’t do takebacks, and once I’ve said something, it’s taken seriously. Which is why I hope he’s capable of growth too. I have to pray he doesn’t just keep me here for the sake of punishing me … just to let me die.
No, he wants to keep me alive, so I’m sure this will work. Right?
I turn my head and gaze at the cameras I’ve found. I know he’s watching me. He must know what I said. What I begged for.
So why is it taking so long?
I plant my forehead against the door and breathe out a few sighs. Was it all worth it? I said I wouldn’t eat, that I didn’t trust them, but what difference did it make? Sitting here in my room doing nothing while I could’ve tried my best to manipulate him and get out …
“You won. I lost,” I mutter against the wood.
And I sink to the floor with my back against the door, huddling my legs close to me.
After a few minutes, the door handle is pushed down.
I quickly crawl away and scramble to gather myself while still on the floor as the door creaks open and in steps a foot.
I expected Mary to come and get me so I could eat downstairs again.
But it’s Eli himself wearing merely a button-down white shirt and a pair of black pants coupled with a big shiny gold belt buckle, and in his hands, he has a big plate filled with food, the mere smell making my mouth water.
But when my eyes rise to meet his, they almost burn a hole into me. I gulp and settle down on the floor, realizing that none of this will come easy.
Food is never really just food.
It’s a bargaining chip.
And he wants … submission.
Eli
Her fragile, small body sits on the carpeted floor, her eyes full of hunger but also something else. Betrayal.
A smirk forms on my lips as I step farther inside and close the door behind me, the clicking of the lock the only sound in this room.
She stays put in the middle as though she’s frozen in time, only the rise and fall of her shoulders with every shallow breath giving life away.
I lick my lips and tip the plate forward, allowing her to see what’s on top. She momentarily glances at the food, her tongue darting out to wet her lips at the sight of the sweet pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries on top. A personal favorite of mine, especially for moments such as these.
Her body leans in, almost as if it’s lured forward on its own by the promise of food. But her brain kicks in and forces her to stop, her fingers digging into the skin of her thighs.
It is a beautiful thing to watch the mind unravel and be overtaken by the body.
And we haven’t even started yet.
I place the plate down on the cabinet next to the door, and her eyes immediately home in on it as though she’s contemplating snatching it right out from underneath my nose. But she’s not the first who has attempted that, and I don’t think I have to remind her she won’t be successful because the very next thing she does is eyeball me to gauge my reaction.
I’m not easily persuaded to give in.
And she knows this too.
“Why did you come?” she asks.
I point at the camera in the corner. “You knew those were there … that’s why you looked.”
She swallows as the muscles in her body grow tenser. “So you did hear me.” She glares at the food again, almost as if she’s mad that I brought it up here.
My brow rises, and I lean against the cabinet, blocking her view of the food. “Someone always keeps an eye on you.”
“Great …” She sighs and folds her arms. “And perverted.”
I snort and smile at her comment. “Not when you go to the toilet.”
She narrows her eyes. “That doesn’t make it any better.”
I cock my head and shrug. “I think so, personally.”
“Are you just here to chitchat with me?” she asks.
I release the cabinet and take a step toward her. She immediately jumps up to her feet and steps away. When I stop, she sinks to the floor again as though she regrets ever moving.
“I came … because you begged,” I answer.
Her eyes bore into mine. Another swallow.
I loosen my cuffs and slide them up to my elbows, capturing her attention with a simple show of dominance. I grab the plate from the cabinet again and walk toward her, holding it tightly in my hand so she won’t be able to steal something.
Towering over her, I look down at her from underneath my lashes. “Kneel.”