He quickly untied my hands, pulled me to my feet, and then turned and punched Cheese so hard that he fell to the floor. Out cold. In an instant, Dominic was behind Brian with the gun pointed at his head as he smiled at me.
“I know you have a soft heart, Kitten,” he said. “But you’re here to do some work for me before I finish up the show with a bang. Get it? A bang?” His maniacal laughter filled the room, and I stood trembling as I looked at the gun pressed against Brian’s temple. Now that Cheese was out cold on the floor, I knew that getting him to turn on Dominic wasn’t going to happen, but I didn’t know if Brian would regain consciousness or if he could escape the restraints if he did. I felt my heart sinking as I realized that saving us was entirely on my shoulders at the moment, and that I couldn’t rely on anyone but myself.
“Ava, listen to me,” Dominic murmured softly. “We are going to dispose of all of these problems, and then you and I are going to go out for dinner and discuss our future.”
“Yes,” I said in a weak voice as I nodded. “Okay, we’ll take care of the problems and then have dinner.”
“Good girl,” he said smiling. “You are always so appealing when you say yes to me.”
I stood rooted to the spot where he’d left me as I scanned the room. He wanted to kill three people and then go to dinner? It was a sure sign that he’d gone completely off the deep end, and I knew that I was our only hope, but I had no idea how to stop his evil plan. What did I have that he wanted? What could I offer that would keep him from killing Brian and the other two? Suddenly it came to me, and I knew exactly what I had to do. I only hoped that Brian would forgive me once we were free.
“Dom?” I asked quietly.
“Yes, Kitten?” he replied in a distracted voice as he scanned the room for the tools he’d need for properly disposing of the bodies. “What do you want?”
“You,” I said with a giggle as I dropped my skirt and lifted the hem of my T-shirt. “It’s been so long!”
Dominic turned and looked at me as I continued my striptease, and I smiled seductively as I nodded towards the bedroom and begged, “Just a quickie? Please? Please, Dom?”
“Ava, you’re going to have to wait for that,” he lectured. “This is neither the time nor the place.”
“But I’m so incredibly horny!” I cried as I undid the hooks on my bra and slipped the straps off my shoulders. “It’s been ages!”
“I thought lover boy here was keeping you busy,” Dominic said in a bored tone.
“Him? Oh no, he isn’t someone I could have sex with! He’s the help!” I laughed and silently begged for Brian’s forgiveness.
“This is true,” Dominic chuckled. “You were definitely raised better than that!”
“So? Please?” I begged as the bile rose in my throat. “You know how I love it when you take me hard and fast.”
“Oh, do I,” he flashed the sinister smile and I could see that he was thinking about moving into the bedroom with me. “You like it rough, don’t you, Kitten?”
“You know just how I like it, Dom,” I whispered as I fought to keep from screaming. The thought of his hands on my body made me want to vomit, but I knew that the only way we were going to get out of this was if I distracted Dominic well enough to take control of the situation. “Please? Just a little? Now?”
Dominic quickly scanned the room and saw that the three problems were neutralized at the moment, and he smiled that awful, evil smile as he walked over to me. I was nearly naked and trembling, but he read my fear as desire and wrapped an arm around my waist as he walked me backwards toward the bed. In his other hand he held Brian’s gun, and I knew that I would have to find a way to make him put it down or else I’d be forced to go through with this awful act.
“Dom, I need you touch me,” I whispered into his ear as he held me against his chest. “I like it when you hold me down and touch me, you remember, don’t you?”
“Mmmmm,” he murmured. “Indeed I do. You like it when you have no control, don’t you, Kitten?”
“Oh, yes,” I breathed into his ear. “Oh yes, you remember!”
“Lie down,” he ordered in that soft, sinister voice. “I want
to see you spread out before me. I want to know that I own you, all of you.”
I swallowed hard, nodded, and lay down on the bed on my back, trying hard not to expose the depth of my hatred as I looked up at him. I tried to recall Brian standing over me and the way his eyes shined when he saw me naked for the first time. I tried to remember the feeling of his hands on my body as Dominic lightly trailed his fingers down my torso. There was nothing sexy about this, but I was determined not to let Dominic hurt Brian - no matter what it took.
“You always liked it when I stroked your skin,” he purred.
“Oh yes, I love the way your fingers feel,” I sighed. I couldn’t close my eyes or look away because I was scared that he’d sense how much I hated him if I did. More than that, I was afraid that if I didn’t focus on him, my mind would realize what I was actually doing, and my body would rebel. I whispered, “Hold me, Dom? Please? I haven’t felt your arms around me in so long, and I’ve missed them.”
Dominic ignored my plea and continued caressing my skin. There was something about his touch that frightened me, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the past or the present. Either way, my mind was spinning as I watched him.
Please wake up, Brian. Please. Please. Please.
Dominic lay down next to me and continued stroking my skin as he slid his other arm under my neck. He still had the gun in his hand, but at least it wasn’t aimed at anyone. He looked down at me as he raised his free hand and brushed the hair away from my face.