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I jerked awake...
Screaming...
By the next morning, I was stiff. My head seemed stuffed with knives. My muscles ached so much I wasn’t sure I could sit up let alone stand. But I managed. Naked, I padded over to look in the mirror. There were bruises galore on the backs of my thighs and butt, only a couple on the front of my thighs, and my breasts were unmarked except for one bite mark. Fascinated by this, I stared at it and poked it. His mouth had made that mark.
Most of the bruises higher on my back were thin red and blue lines. Surprisingly, only three or four were cuts. I drank some water and returned to bed, wrapped myself in the sheet. The light faded.
A shuffling awoke me.
The cleaning lady arrived, carrying a tray with breakfast. I saw her through blurry eyes. She came closer and whispered something. Before I could get my fuzzed-out brain to check in, she went over and yelled something through the door. A young guard I’d not seen before hustled in.
A brilliant idea arrived. Pretend to be badly injured. I might get special treatment, even delay the next scene. Anything that might achieve that was worth trying.
I lay there unmoving.
The sheet had stuck to the wounds on my back. A little later, someone sat next to me, peeled the sheets off me, then turned me onto my stomach and cleaned my skin. Gregor, I was sure. The heaviness of their body, the scent, the overzealous cleaning as if every welt had to be swabbed – it all said him.
I kept my eyes closed, only wincing at the worst pain.
“I don’t believe you to be as bad as you are pretending, little Jazmine.” He lifted my shoulder then rearranged me so I lay on my side.
Fuck. I kept my eyes squeezed shut. Yes, it was Gregor. My stomach churned with horror. If he punished me...
“But, I will do as our client wishes. You will have a roommate from now on unless they stipulate otherwise. Now, open your eyes and look at me.”
I edged them open, a little, then wider.
Though his square face and shaven scalp repelled me, his eyes were as blue as a beautiful ocean. Disturbing, that anything about him could be pretty.
His lips curved up. “Very good. Your roommate will be in charge of tending to your back. If you get sick it will go badly for both of you. In a week, we have another scene.”
I swallowed, afraid to blink, but I had to ask. I dredged the words from my throat. “What will be done, next time?”
“Ohhh, you will see.” He tapped my nose as if a birthday present was coming. “It will be a surprise.”
The word evil sprang up in my mind, and kept repeating like a mantra, even after the door closed. I shook my head and bit my finger, hard. Then I clawed my hand into my hair and pulled until the sting made the word stop going round and round, and the awful sick feeling lessen. Despite all the leftover pains, I was tempted to sit digging my nails into my bruises. I wanted to hurt to forget. If that was possible.
I didn’t do it. I hadn’t had such thoughts since high school when an accident with a steak knife had alarmed me. I still had the scar on my leg from that.
Who would be this roommate? Another captive? I hoped so. It must be or he’d not have threatened us both.
He’d left me a new dress. A pale pink one. Plain cotton. No underwear. I pulled it on and found it the same length as the last one – it hit the top of my thighs and barely concealed anything. Bending over, even a little, was going to show off everything I had down there. I tweaked up one side of my mouth. What did it matter here? Zero.
An hour later, the familiar clink of chain and loud footsteps of several people outside made me suspect who my roommate might be. They never bothered with more than one guard plus Gregor when it was me.
Pieter came through the door. My guess was correct. I had no idea how to react.
I was sitting on the bed and I pressed my legs together. The dress was so skimpy. The bruises on my legs and butt ached, reminding me of what he’d done.
When the guards went to leave, I blurted out, “We’ll need another bed.”
They laughed.
Once freed, Pieter stood in the middle, waiting, looking at me.
Shit, shit, shit. I bit a nail or two then lowered my arm when he arched his brow. Bugger this. I wasn’t going to be a wilting flower. What he did to me in that room could stay in there.
Then I had second thoughts, and third ones. Who was I kidding? That would be like ignoring Armageddon.
