Claimed

Finally, he tore his gaze from her and moved toward the counter. “Would you like some coffee?” His tone was scarily conversational. “Sorry, I don’t have any cream. I take my coffee black. I didn’t realize you’d, uh, be staying over or I would have been more prepared.”

Staying over?

Was this asshole for real? Kelsey didn’t reply, but James didn’t seem to notice or care. He pulled two mugs from the cabinet and busied himself with the pot.

Kelsey sat numbly on the chair, desperately trying to come up with a plan. She had to get out of this surreal nightmare, but how?

James opened the refrigerator and returned with a butter plate and a jar of preserves, which he set on the table. He slid four pieces of toast into the toaster and then poured coffee into the mugs. “Two sugars, right?” He looked positively smug.

Kelsey wanted to scream. She wanted to spit in his face. She wanted to leap up and kick him as hard as she could in the balls. But her eyes were drawn like a magnet to the bulge in his jacket pocket, and she only nodded.

She watched as he slipped into the chair across from her and added sugar into one of the mugs, again apologizing for not having cream. He stood when the toast popped up. In spite of her fear, the toast smelled good, and Kelsey realized she was starving.

She watched hungrily as James buttered the toast, wishing she could pick up her damn coffee mug and take a swallow, or better yet, hurl the contents in the bastard’s face.

“You like jelly? It’s apricot.”

Kelsey nodded again. James smeared the preserves over a slice of toast. He held it to her mouth. “Have some.”

She took a bite, savoring the crunch of the toast against the explosion of melted butter and apricot preserves, startled at how good it tasted, in spite of her predicament.

James took a bite from the same piece and then lifted his coffee mug to his lips. After he drank, he lifted the other mug and held it close. Kelsey parted her lips as he carefully tipped some of the hot liquid into her mouth. It was strong and sweet, and though she missed the cream, it, too, tasted much better than it had a right to.

Thus he fed her, alternating bites with her, and sips of coffee, until all the food was gone. James glanced at his watch. “I better get going. I need to talk to Reynolds and get things settled with human resources. I won’t be long, though. A couple of hours, max.”

“You’re going to leave me here alone?” Kelsey blurted, and then at once regretted the outburst. Better to be alone. Maybe she’d be able to escape in his absence.

James patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’ll be perfectly safe. I know just what to do with you.” He bent toward her and tugged at the makeshift leash around her neck. “Come on. No dawdling. We’re going downstairs. I’ll show you to your, uh, accommodations.” He chuckled as if at some private joke. With no choice in the matter, and mindful of the gun still in the man’s pocket, Kelsey allowed herself to be pulled upright.

James led her down narrow stairs into a finished basement that contained various pieces of expensive-looking home gym equipment. He pulled open a door on a room no bigger than a closet. There was a large dog bed on the floor, and nothing else.

“You’ll stay here while I’m gone. That bed belonged to Sophie, my dear, departed yellow Lab. She died two years ago and I never had the heart to get another pooch. Good thing I saved the bed, though, huh? You can sit on it while you wait for me.”

Kelsey stared at the dog bed, a few stray dog hairs still evident on the fabric that covered it. He wanted her to wait in a closet in the basement? Was he out of his fucking mind?

Of course, she already knew that yes, he was. Better in the closet than in his bed, with him rutting on top of her. “My arms?” she said. “Could you please untie my arms while you’re gone?”

James pursed his lips, considering this. Finally he shook his head. “I don’t think so. You’ll be fine like that. The bonds aren’t that tight, and I won’t be gone long.” He pushed her into the closet with a firm hand.

Before she could react, he slammed the door closed, plunging the tiny room into darkness. She heard the doorknob jiggling and then the sound of heavy footsteps receding as he climbed the basement stairs.

Miserably, Kelsey moved cautiously toward the wall, stepping gingerly onto the thick, spongy dog bed. She lowered herself carefully to her knees and let herself fall onto her side. The bed still smelled of dog, a warm, welcoming odor that brought back childhood. Tears rolled down her face and she sniffled.