Riele-
Before a black veil of darkness had stripped my vision. I recalled a pair of hands sliding down the length of my body. Gentle but firm. I smelled rubber gloves, Burberry for men so close to my nose I was almost choking on it. Pieces of my memory began clicking into place as I regained enough strength to open my eyes.
There was a long hallway, crystal light fixtures, too bright. A haze of elevators and the discreet dinging noises they made while opening and closing. A large wood-paneled door, rapid fingers on a keypad. More darkness, a flash of light. Shifting and shifting until it all went blank again.
One thing was certain, I was in an apartment. But, no, not just an apartment. It was a penthouse. It seemed as if several hours had passed until that tight dizziness began to disperse from temples. I picked my head up and gazed over at the floor to ceiling window on my right. The view of New York City displayed itself before me in an array of tiny lights and skyscrapers.
"Oh, fuck... Oh god, oh god. Please god... no, no, no."
This new reality began setting into my fully conscious mind rapidly. I sat up too quickly, my head began to spin and spin until I laid back once more. I swallowed several times and grew still. Where am I? I've been kidnapped. Stolen. Whisked away like some kind of horror movie where the stupid main character gets charming and handsome grins confused with illicit toothy smiles from a beautiful stranger. I thought I was better than that. I truly didn't think I was this gullible.
Maeve. Oh Maeve, I love you. Why didn't I listen to you? This had been too good to be true and now I wasn't going to live to tell her that. My hands flew to my chest where the beat of my heart could be heard clearly. Pounding. Drumming so hard it hurt. Calm down, you need to calm down. I inhaled a deep breath in through my nose and quietly exhaled it through my mouth a few times until it grew faint. This was worst than one of those times I got too high. This anxiety was too real, I felt it cold against my insides. Next, my fingers guided themselves all over my body, under my dress and down my panties to check if he took advantage of anything while I was knocked out. My eyes flickered over the darkness of the room little by little. Things were lightning up a bit the more they grew adjusted.
The main living area was plainly decorated for a penthouse. The sofa, although soft and shielded with a dozen throw pillows was stiff and smelled new. As if it had never been sat on. Much less laid upon. Some arm chairs, paintings, shelves with picture frames and crystal figurines.
A normal penthouse with a not-normal me trapped inside of it. Am I the only one? Could there be others? It was as quiet as quiet could be. No kitchen noises, no humming air conditioner unit. No ceiling fans squeaking and scaping its arms together. The only thing I could hear was my heart steadying just below my ribs.
Was he going to kill me? Please god, if he kills me let it be quick. I begged God silently to help this man show me mercy if he came to the act of murdering me. He's gone now but, what if he comes back? What do I do? Frozen there on the sofa my body wouldn't let me move. All I could do was breathe and think and think until I thought my swirling anxiety would explode inside of my brain. Somewhere above me... the sound of a doorknob turning could be heard turning across the room. Immediately my body went limp, I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing to a rhythmic pattern.
Jace-
I was toweling my hair dry and slipped out to the living room to check on Riele. Her body was motionless on the sofa, just as I had left it. She was the image of sweet baby Angel lying daintily on my sofa. Her lipstick was smudged, though. I wiped bits of lint and hair from her top lip, feeling her warm breath against my hand. My voice caught in my throat as I dropped to my knees next to her. I fought every urge under my soul to pick her up and hold her in my arms just like a baby. A defenseless feathery creature who was now mine. I leaned up over her until my lips were directly next to her right ear.
