erratic behavior

chapter 3

peter woke up several hours later in a different room. every inch of his body ached. it felt as though someone had laid on his ribs for an hour. he could feel the goose bumps that were all over his entire body. he felt sick and uneasy. someone was watching him.

mateo chuckled lowly. "oh, peter, when will you ever give up struggling? i own you. you cannot escape and you cannot run. you are stuck, my love."

"i'm not your love. i am nothing of yours." peter growled lowly at mateo. mateo threw his head back, laughing.

"you fool!" he shouted. "you act like you are so big and tough while i own you." mateo cackled and moved to be standing over him. his legs straddled peter's torso.

peter hadn't noticed his surroundings until after the taunting from mateo. there was a blood stained bath tub to his right. on his left there were a set of cabinets, a sink set into it. a grimey toilet was behind his head.

"now, peter, you will take a bath. we have guests coming to dinner and i don't want you, my husband, embarrassing me." he moved to be sitting on the tub's edge. he started to run a bath. the water's sudden release from the tap roared loudly, resulting in peter recoiling in pain. his head pounded.

"i'm not your husband." he muttered. mateo's eyes shot down at him. mateo kicked peter hard in the stomach. peter could feel the bile rising in his throat.

"yes you are! yes you are!!" he flings some of the boiling hot water at peter's uncovered chest. peter winced slightly but held in his emotion and pain. "you idiot!" he screamed before slamming off the water. mateo rose to his feet. he ripped open the closet and pulled out a towel. he threw it on the grimey counter top.

"you have 18 minutes. this door will be locked so don't even think about trying to leave me, my love." mateo hissed out through gritted teeth. he walked out of the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind him.

peter forced himself to his feet. his head spun as he started to undress. he knelt in front of the toilet and vomited before he lowered himself down into the scorching bath.

peter muttered under his breath as he cleaned his dirt and blood caked body. his shoulder length hair was knotted and matted. he dunked his hair into the water, trying to get the blood out of it. the bath water was already disgusting. he groaned under his breath everytime he hit a bruise or a cut. his back still stung from when he got burned.

after about fifteen minutes he stood up in the bath. he slowly got out and reached for the towel sitting on the counter. he dried off then wrapped around his waist.

he started to look through the cabinet, in search of a brush. the door unlocked and it was swung open by mateo. he had a white shirt and black pants in his arm.

"my love, what ever are you looking for?" peter didn't respond. "what are you looking for?!" mateo repeated, angrier.

"a brush." peter mumbled in response.

"you know master hates it when you mumble." mateo said in a threatening tone. "what did you say?" he demanded.

"i was trying to find a brush so i could look nice for master's friends." mateo's eyes lit up.

"oh you do care!! what a good boy." mateo giggled. chills lingered on peter's spine. "now, put this on and master will go get you a brush. and, as always, this door is locked!" peter nodded. mateo turned and left, locking the door securely.

peter shivered after the coldness in the room started to settle in. he got up quickly. he stumbled a bit before regaining his balance. he slipt on the clothes that mateo had given him. he buttoned up the white, long sleeved, collared shirt.

mateo came back into the room after a few minutes. "here you go, my love." mateo said, handing peter a brush.

"thank you.." peter trailed off.

he started to brush through his hair. he winced everytime he hit a knot. mateo observed him closely, snickering everytime  peter winced.

"are you almost done?" mateo asked after ten minutes.

"yeah sorry.. my hair is just extra messy.." mateo sighs and leans against the wall. peter sets down the brush and turns to mateo. "all done, master." mateo nodded.

"good boy. now, let's cover up those ugly scars of yours." mateo pulled some foundation out of his pocket and started to cover over bruises and cuts that were all due to his tourcher.

it took him a while but he eventually finished. mateo pulled peter's hair into a loose bun on the back of his head. peter looked sickly, despite the make-up that had been put onto his face. his skin had sunken in and he had worry lines on his forehead and around his thick, dark eyebrows. the two of them looked into the mirror.

"look at my pretty boy." mateo cooed, referring to peter. mateo wasn't much older than peter, three years at the most. mateo grabbed peter's wrist and pulled him out of the bathroom. a curly strand of peter's hair fell in front of his face. mateo tucked it away, ever so gently.

"come now, it's five o'clock. the guests will be arrivng soon." mateo pulled him up the stairs. peter's legs were weak. he almost fell up the steps, several times.

mateo placed his hand on the bronze door nob. he pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. he tucked the key back into his suit pocket. he slowly turned the nob. the smell of freshly baked bread, rotisserie chicken, and other delectable food smells invaded peter's nostrils.

"remeber, my love, if you do anything, anything at all, to make me look bad or if you fuck any little thing up you will be in so much damn trouble. you'll be lucky if you can move by the time i'm done with you."