This Is War, Baby Page 4

  And you deserve to go to hell.

  The shower was heaven. I scrubbed his cum from my stomach until I was raw and sore. With the hot shower I was permitted to take alone, I was able to find clarity. To find my way back to reality.

  He stole me.

  He is a monster.

  And I’ll do well to remember that.

  Once I turn off the water, I peek out of the shower to inspect the window. Maybe I could climb out and run. But then my eyes meet his bored, dark ones and I shudder.

  “Thinking of running away?” His gaze travels over to the window. “It would be unwise of you.”

  I swallow and snatch the towel. Drying off behind the shower curtain, away from his leering eyes, I attempt to compose myself. I need to be smart about this. Once the towel is secured around my body, I tug the curtain away. He’s smiling now and I’m once again afraid.

  “No.”

  He frowns but doesn’t probe me any further. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

  I climb out of the shower and follow after him. He hasn’t told me to drop the towel and I hold on to it as if it will shield my weak body from his expert touch. We make our way back into the bedroom. The bed has now been made with clean new sheets. A folded blanket sits at the end.

  “Sit,” he says and points to the bed.

  I walk over and drop down to the soft bed. He strides over to a closet and yanks out a box. After he sets it on the floor, he rifles through what looks like photographs and pulls out a few. Once he’s done, he makes his way over to me and sits close enough that our thighs touch.

  “This is Sandy.”

  I gape in horror. A woman, probably in her early twenties, stares back at the camera devoid of emotion. She’s naked and sprawled out on the bed like I was not even an hour ago. Panic ripples through me but I can’t look away. Her hair is dark, a stark contrast to my long blonde locks, and her eyes are green unlike my blue ones. But she’s dirty—as if she spent three days in a hole. Like me.

  “This is sick, Gabe. You’re sick.”

  He shrugs. “Yeah, I know.” The next picture he shows me causes my breath to catch. Her mouth is on his erection. Empty eyes look up at him. It hurts to see this pic. She’s gone. Whoever she was before is gone. Is this his plan for me?

  “What happened to her?”

  He wraps an arm around me and despite the fact that he’s the monster, I lean into his comforting hug. “She belongs to another man now to do as he pleases. I sold her.”

  The world freezes at his words. I sold her. I sold her. I sold her.

  “I-I-I don’t understand.”

  He chuckles and I squirm away from him. His fingers bite into my bicep while he keeps me against him. “Of course not, sweetheart. Unlike these women, you’re innocent.”

  “Are you going to sell me?”

  He sighs and my heart crushes. “Yes, I am.”

  The reality hits me hard, knocking the air out of me. A wave of nausea clenches the pit of my stomach and pushes bile into my throat. The threat of vomiting is imminent. “B-B-But what about Mom and Dad? Gabe, you can’t do this to me!”

  The pictures flutter to the floor and he grabs my jaw in a brutal grip. He drags my face to meet his. “You don’t have a choice in the matter. We only have two weeks. So if you want to be prepared for that world, I need you to pay attention to your training.”

  “No, I can’t—”

  “You’d sell for more being a virgin and all. And believe me, I have thought about it. But I’m greedy, and if anyone takes that from you, it will be me. Besides, I love you too much to send you to the wolves with no armor. I’m going to teach you, Baylee. I’ll do fucking awful things to you so that when those monsters get their greedy hands on you, you’ll be prepared. When they fuck you and hurt you, you can stare at them like Sandy did. With emotionless eyes. In all honesty here, I’m your savior. You should be thanking me.”

  Rage explodes from me. His matter of fact stare makes me want to claw his eyeballs out.

  “Fuck you, Gabe!”

  He shoves me back onto the bed and pins me before I can even think about moving. “Why thank you, sweetheart,” he snarls, “I certainly will. I’ll fuck every hole in your body until you bleed. And then I’ll make you beg me for more. Is that what you want?”

  Tears roll down the side of my face and I shake my head.

  “Well, too bad. That part, I’m afraid, must occur because if I don’t do it, they will. Can you imagine what it would feel like to get raped in the ass by some fat, bastard when you’ve never even been touched there? He would rip you apart. You would bleed out, baby. I’m going to teach you to enjoy sex—all the dark and dirty parts of it. So when they do take you, you’ll like it. Your body will respond and you’ll survive.”

  His words slide over me like oil and I gag. I can’t do this. Images of terrifying men hurting me and touching me and fucking me is too much to bear. Gabe’s wrong. I won’t survive this. I don’t belong here. I belong in my own bed worrying over simpler matters like school or my mother’s health. Not in the clutches of monsters wondering if I’ll live or die.

  “I want to go home.” My words are nothing but a whisper.

  His lips draw up into a wolfish grin and his eyes darken. “You’re never going back there, baby. Suck it up and accept your fate.”

  I will never accept this.

  Ever.

  “Do I need to tie you up this time?”

  The deep voice drags me from my mental vacation. I’d slipped into some hopeless pit of despair—something reminiscent of the hole in his kitchen which now seems oddly safer than this bed.

  I can’t do this.

  I’d rather die.

  “Please.”

  “Please what? Tie you up? Give you more orgasms?”

  I shudder at his words. “Let me go.”

  His harsh laugh startles me. “You’re not going anywhere. You will stay with me for two weeks. Then we’re going to San Diego where I’ll sell you to the highest bidder. The better you behave—the more you let me prepare you—the higher the odds are that you’ll get sold to someone wealthy. Perhaps someone who will care for you. You’ll be… kept. Believe me when I say you don’t want to get sold to some of those bottom feeders. They buy a lot which means, their slaves don’t last long.”

  I stare blankly at him. Slaves. This is my life now.

  “They die, sweetheart. Those bastards hurt and eventually kill them. I’d be fucking furious if they hurt what’s mine.” His tone is fierce and protective which confuses me.

  “Why can’t you keep me then?” My question is honest. If I have to be stuck in this world, I’d rather be here with him than some stranger, who could be far more evil than Gabe.

  He raises his gaze to meet mine and shrugs. “I need the money,” he says in a gruff, dismissive tone. “Ready for more?”

  My mind is numb. This isn’t reality. This is a nightmare. “Don’t hurt me, Gabe.”

  He flashes me a crooked grin. “Baby, I’m going to hurt you, but you’ll like it.”

  A shiver runs down my spine but I meet his stare with defiance. “Fine. Let’s do this. Train me to be a fuck doll.”

  The scowl on his face is immediate and I realize my words struck a nerve. Good. A realization begins to course through me. He must not want to sell me. He’s every bit the greedy bastard he confessed to being, and if he could, he’d keep me. I need to make sure that happens. Maybe if I meant something to him—something more than money—he would change his mind. He would lower his guard for me, and I could attempt escape.

  He tugs the towel away from me and proceeds to undress. My eyes skim over his ridged frame and I freeze at seeing his erection. It’s huge. His two fingers felt like an invasion—that thing will feel like it’s impaling me.

  “Did you ever suck Brandon’s puny pecker?” he questions in a mocking tone.

  I bristle and shake my head. “I relieved him with my hand. And he… he touched me some. We haven’
t really done much.”

  “And why do you think that is?”

  I don’t understand the meaning behind his question. “I don’t know. Maybe because I’m seventeen,” I sneer.

  He laughs—the asshole laughs at me. “Cut the crap, sweetheart. I’ve been to every single one of your birthday parties since I moved in next door. You’ll be eighteen in a couple of months. In the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t matter. I want to know why you haven’t let pussy boy fuck you yet.”

  “Because he hasn’t tried.” My honest words feel like a betrayal to both myself and my sweet boyfriend.

  He crawls into the bed beside me and his fingers draw lazy circles on my stomach. “But you wanted him to?”

  I let out a ragged, teary sigh. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean why?” I demand.

  He smiles and the way his eyebrows quirk up, it reminds me of the look he gave me when he was between my legs. It causes my pelvis to ache and I hate myself for it.

  “I mean, Baylee, why did you want him to? Was it ‘love?’”

  “Yes.” I swallow but avoid his gaze by staring out the window where the midday sun pours in. “And because I wanted to know what it felt like.”

  His hand slides up over my breast, along my throat, to where he firmly clutches my jaw and drags my gaze back to him.

  “Do you want to know how many times I thought about climbing into your window and fucking you on your bed?” His dark eyes narrow at me and his pupils dilate, as if he’s getting off on the simple memory of his fantasy. With a flick of his tongue, he licks his lips and then growls. “Every single night since last summer. You taunted me in those tight clothes you always wore. I’m not fucking stupid, baby. I saw the way you watched me. How you’d bend over and give me a peek at that sweet ass. How you’d bounce around the house in a tight camisole with no bra on, with your tits on full display. You were playing games you had no business playing.”

  I gape at him. “I didn’t ask for this!”

  “No, but you wanted it.”

  “Not like this.”

  His grin stretches wide and reveals his perfectly white teeth which I’m sure will tear me to pieces one day. “But you admit you wanted me. Well, little girl, you have me. And I’m going to own every part of you until our time together is up.”

  So smug. So sure.

  My instincts tell me to obey, but I want to rattle him and shake the very foundation his world is constructed upon.

  “If you talk this much during sex, I’m guessing it will be a total snooze fest,” I taunt with a snotty bite in my voice. He takes the bait and snaps at me.

  “Playing games will get you hurt.”

  “So hurt me.”

  I smile in satisfaction at him. Screw you, asshole.

  But my confidence dissipates the moment he slaps me. It was the fleshy part of his palm but it still stings.

  “Ouch!”

  He roars with laughter. “If that hurt, then we have a lot of work to do. Those men will devour you, baby. They’ll tear apart your flesh and bruise every part of you. You have to toughen up if you want to survive.”

  His mouth lowers to my collarbone and he begins kissing me softly. It almost reminds me of how Brandon would kiss me. I wonder if he’s okay. I’m sure half of California is looking for me by this point. Dad will have torn apart our entire neighborhood. And with Gabe missing too, he’ll be an instant suspect. I’ve seen the crime shows Dad watches. It won’t take long for the police to assume Gabe took me and then look into his past. They’ll search his phone records, discover property he owns or rents. And they will find me.

  It’s only a matter of time.

  His tongue darts over my raised nipple and it hardens at his touch. Then he bites down. Searing pain rips through me, but before I can push him away, his tongue is back to massaging me. My heart rate is thumping along and can’t decide if it’s from fear or from yearning.

  This can’t be happening. Not to me.

  He’s once again doing all the things I seem to be powerless against. His mouth trails down my stomach and I gasp when he dips it into my belly button. My breathing becomes broken, heavy. My fingers crave to sink into his hair. Or rip it out.

  “Get on your hands and knees.”

  I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to do anything but what he demands of me. He rolls away from me and heads back to his closet.

  “Now, Baylee.”

  I scramble to do as I’m told and stare at the headboard. I’ve stumbled upon some shows on cable late at night. They never show anything but sometimes the man takes the woman from behind. In the movies, they seem to enjoy it. I try to convince myself that I can do this.

  The bed sinks behind me and his warm hand grips my ass cheek. “This ass is fucking beautiful.”

  All too soon I realize, this is unlike anything I ever saw on late night television. Something cold and wet drags across my puckered hole. I instinctively buck, fighting the inevitable. Jerking my head over my shoulder, I’m horrified to see him teasing me with some metal thing. “What’s that?”

  He grins and winks. “It’s a butt plug. Don’t worry, it’s small. We’ll work up to something larger.”

  I’m already scrambling away when his fingers dig into my hips and he yanks me back to him. “Don’t move, baby, or this will hurt.” He begins pushing the ice-cold object into me.

  “Please no.”

  “Relax and let me or I’ll force it. Fucking understand?”

  I whimper and nod. This is not a part of me that is meant to be seen. It’s a part of me that I have never seen. I realize my fear stems in equal parts from deafening embarrassment at being touched in such a secret place, combined with the pain involved in being penetrated there. Closing my eyes, I attempt to conjure up images of Brandon. But all I can think about is him.

  Gabe.

  His dark, lust-filled eyes devouring me.

  His unruly hair when it forms a veil over those evil eyes.

  His full lips and hot mouth as it brings me pleasure, just as quickly as it spouts off words that bring me pain.

  I jerk harshly and scream in pain at the intrusion, but he holds me steady. It’s my inclination to clench in self-preservation but that only seems to make it worse. Eventually, I attempt to relax and it slides in.

  It’s foreign and unwanted and it doesn’t belong there.

  “It looks so pretty in your ass. From here on out, you wear this all of the time until you need to shit or when I’m ready to fuck you there.”

  I shudder and collapse onto the bed in defeat. It doesn’t really hurt now but it’s uncomfortable.

  “Your mom told me you recently had the birth control shot. Is that right?”

  I’m horrified at his words. “What? Why would she tell you that?”

  “Let’s just say I expressed my concern over the probability that Brandon was fucking you. I was making sure she knew the possibility of pregnancy was there. Turns out, she’d already taken care of it.”

  Technically Dad did. He’d carted me up to the female doctor and saw to it that I was examined. Of course he waited outside the examination room but afterwards, he informed the doctor of my decision to get the shot. Teens are irresponsible and forget to take pills, he’d told them. Such a personal matter and now Gabe has brought it up so callously. It’s humiliating.

  “I hate you.”

  He rolls me over onto my back and the plug jostles me from the inside. “And I love you, baby. Let me show you. Your first time should be perfect.”

  I start to cry again but his mouth finds my neck and soon he’s sucking in that evil, erotic way that he seems to do so well. He kisses away my tears. Gently. His hands roam my body and I don’t even try to fight him off. When his hand slips past my pubic bone and connects with my sensitive clit, I buck against him. I must have clenched my ass because an odd sensation throbs from inside of me. It isn’t unpleasant either.

  “Your first time will hu
rt but only a little. Then, you’ll want me all of the time, Baylee. As much as you want to eat and drink, you’ll want me inside your pretty little cunt.”

  I whimper as he increases the pressure between my legs. He draws me closer and closer with each movement. I hate him. I absolutely hate him. Yet…

  “Do you want me inside of you? Do you want to come all over my cock as I stretch you wide?”

  His dirty words only seem to make me crazy for just that.

  Yes.

  “No.”

  “Don’t lie, sweetheart.”

  The pleasure is so close. I want it, just like he said I would. Before I can stop myself, I beg. “Please.”

  “Please what?”

  “I…” I trail off, unable to find the words.

  “You want my thick cock inside of you?” he says. His words taunt me.

  An embarrassed mewl croaks from me. “Yes.”

  The tip of his erection pokes at my opening and I squirm. I should want to push him away and take off running. But I don’t. A sick part of me is curious and eager.

  “I want your eyes on mine when I take you. Hear me, baby?”

  I nod as tears leak out. “Okay.”

  His mouth seizes mine for a moment and his kiss is ravenous—for one split second, he kisses me like a man would kiss the love of his life. His tongue ventures gently into my mouth. He moans ever so slightly, a sound I’ve never heard from him before. It’s all consuming and it helps me. It helps me cope with the reality of the situation.

  I can do this.

  “Look at me.”

  My eyes fly to his and they flicker with excitement. I also don’t miss the adoring way he inspects me. That will be his weakness in the end. At least I hope it will be.

  “I’m going to make love to you this first time, okay?”

  A choked sob escapes me. “Thank you.”

  He grabs his cock and holds it steady. Our eyes stay glued together as he begins to press inside. At first, it’s uncomfortable like when he put his fingers inside of me. But the farther he drives into me, the more painful it becomes. Without warning, he slams fully into me.

  White hot pain explodes from within me and I scream. His mouth covers mine to quiet me but I’m losing my mind. He’s too big. It feels like I’m being split open.