"You're sure you want to do this?" the man asked as he looked me in the eyes. The dim light from the bar was enough to see that his eyes were blue--ice blue.
My eyes moved scanned his blonde hair, then moved down over the tattoos on his forearms. He was thin, but hard. I could see his biceps through his tight, white shirt. I tried again to place his accent. Swedish? Dutch? I wasn't sure.
He grinned at me, seeing me look him up and down.
"You have absolutely no reason to trust me," he challenged, almost taunting me. "I could be 'up to no good.'" The last words were emphasized, as if he had just learned that phrase and was practicing it out.
My stomach had nervous butterflies. But my hazel eyes returned to meet his.
"I hope so," I shot back, sounding more bold than I felt.
His eyebrows went up.
"You are very brave," he observed.
"You only live once," I retorted, without looking away. "You don't know me either. I could be up to no good, too."
He laughed out loud, then sipped his drink.
"Alright," he agreed. And he stood up. He walked to my side of the table and offered his arm. "Shall we go?"
Caught a bit of guard, I froze. But, slowly, I stood up, and took his arm. I could feel his bicep against my hand.
Intimidating...but exciting.
We walked out of the bar like prom dates. Arm in arm. All proper and cordial.
"I'm Jakob, by the way," he intoned, low and close, as we stepped outside. "Jane," I reciprocated.
My head knew this was foolish. But with my arm in his, it didn't feel so.
❇️
He had a Grand Am. A sports car. He opened and closed my door. The first feeling of bondage that sent a thrill through me was when he climbed into the passenger's seat.
I fumbled to pull the seatbelt out and Jakob reached across without hesitation, pulled the belt across my body, then locked it with a loud, decisive click.
The next moment was when he hit 90 miles an hour on I 35, and he glanced over at me, then clicked the automatic locks.
Sure, it was probably to keep us safe. But it was done so suddenly and decisively that it was hot.
As we hit 100 mph, headed farther and farther out into the dark, rural countryside, with all four doors locked, and his muscular arms in control of the wheel, I was thoroughly trapped.
I shifted restlessly in my seat on the passenger's side. For some reason I was feeling quite...restless, and hot in certain places.
I wondered if he could sense it. My short dress suddenly felt very short.
"Where are we going?" I turned and asked him.
He turned to me and formed just the hint of a half-smile.
"You'll see," he said.
It was the right answer. At least for me.
❇️
We drove for what seemed like miles. Passed many miles of woods. Made our way through a tangle of rural routes and up a long, old country road.
I was started to wonder whether this had been a good idea.
Finally, we pulled up in front of what looked like a playground--a long abandoned one!
There was a rusting swing set with no actual swings attached, just hanging chains. There were a set of monkey bars, a tire swing with a beat up tire, and an old tree house. All around the little enclave were woods and high grasses, threatening to eventually swallow it.
