Page 7 of Dangerous Games

I feel exposed. The anger cloaked me for a moment, but now I lie here shivering, cold, alone. I hate it. Hate how it makes me feel, like a field mouse under the foot of an elephant.

“Let me out!” I shout weakly, but there is no response from Dominic. What there is, however, is a soft knock followed by the jingling of a key at the door. I scramble, snatching up the sheet from the floor and wrapping it around myself. The door opens and the same maid who came to fetch me earlier walks in carrying a tray.

“Hello, Miss Nanette.” She sets the tray down on the end of the dresser and smiles. There isn’t even a hint of surprise on her features as she looks around the room. “I brought you some tea. When you didn’t take dinner, I knew you’d be hungry. There are a few cookies on the tray as well.”

“I’m not hungry,” I tell her coldly. I shouldn’t be rude because she’s been nothing but nice to me, but I can’t help it. I’m a prisoner here, and I just want to go home and see my brother.

“Well, the tea is nice and hot for you. I use honey to sweeten it, and a bit of cinnamon for flavor. I believe that’s how you take it?” She folds her hands in front of her and I swallow back my shock. I haven’t even had tea since I got here. How does she know how I take my tea? This is a testament to Dominic’s reach, scary as that is.

“Thank you,” I manage to choke out, but I stand frozen in place. I avert my eyes, shame washing over me. This maid will be forced to clean up the destruction caused by my tantrum, and I feel bad for her. She may even be as much a prisoner here as I am. She bends to pick something up and I glance at the door.

It stands wide open, ready for me to dart out. I know exactly how to get to the front door. It’s just down the hall and at the bottom of the stairs. I know that outside, there is a flight of stairs down to the driveway; I remember that vividly though I was blindfolded. But after that, I have no clue where we are. And I’m naked. The thought of running is so tempting though, that I subconsciously take a step toward the unlocked, open door.

The maid stands, holding a white t-shirt. She clicks her tongue, and I look at her. I see sympathy in her eyes. If I’m reading her correctly, she doesn’t agree with what Dominic is doing to me. It may be her soft spot, and it may be a way out of here if I leverage that.

“Miss Nanette, I know you are tempted to run, but I must warn you.” Her tone is very calm and nurturing. What she’s about to say, she means from the bottom of her heart with compassion—not as a taskmaster like that prick holding me here. “Dominic is a very severe man. If you try to leave here without his permission, there will be consequences, and you will not like them. It really is in your best interest to respect his wishes.”

She is so convincing, in a motherly way, that I relax, prying my eyes from her comforting face to look at the open door with disappointment. She’s right. I don’t want consequences, not for me and not for Jimmy. I turn to her and accept the t-shirt she holds out to me.

“Do you always call him that?” I ask, letting the sheet fall. I turn my back to her and tug the shirt on, then pull my hair out of the neckline and toss it.

“What?” She bends to pick up the sheets, the proceeds to make the bed.

“Dominic? Do you always call him by his first name?” I stand back, folding my arms across my stomach. I am cold, but this t-shirt is the only thing I will permit myself to put on, and only because it was handed to me by her… Whatever her name is.

She already has the fitted sheet on, and she whips the flat sheet out, ballooning it across the bed until it settles with expert precision across the mattress. “It is his preferred name.”

I take a step closer. Maybe if I know more about him, there will be a soft spot in his armor too, something I can use to get his attention, make him weak. “So, every employee calls him that? What’s his last name?”

She smiles as she tosses the pillows back onto the bed and they bounce off the thick wooden headboard. “You may ask him that question yourself, dear, but I am instructed to only call him by his given name.” The comforter goes on the bed as easily as the sheets, and in seconds she is preparing nurses corners to finish off her work.

So, I won’t get his last name out of her, but maybe I can at least get my own clothing back. This trash he bought me isn’t at all my type. If I have to be locked up, at least I can be comfortable.

“Where did you put my clothes? I need my bra and jeans… And my purse.” I stand back as she walks past me, moving toward the tray of tea and cookies. She picks up the cup and smiles, walking back toward me.

“Please, try this. I made it special for you.”

She smells like lilacs in the spring, and maybe a little perfume–the way my grandma used to smell each time she hugged me against her chest. I miss that old bird and her tender affection. But just like everything else in my life, she was taken from me. This woman reminds me of her, grandma, the kindness and hope in her eyes. So, I take the tea and sip it. It’s delicious. She wasn’t kidding. She made this tea exactly how I make it—better than I make it. Dominic did his homework correctly.

“Thank you, it’s delicious.”

“Your clothing has been thrown out. Dominic’s orders. You have all of this,” she says with a sweeping gesture. “I’m sure you’ll find something you like. Just like this tea.” She pats my arm and continues. “If you feel sleepy, please rest.”

“But…” I realize I don’t even know her name. I stumble with my words for a moment, struggling to know what to call her, and she answers for me.

“You may call me Mika.”

“Mika, I don’t like these clothes. I just want my own.” I sip the tea again, mesmerized by how amazing it is. I’ve never had more delicious tea in my life.

“Dominic prefers his women to dress a certain way. I’m sure you’ll adjust to it. You’ll be surprised how well he knows you.”

She turns and walks toward the door, and I ask, “Does he do this often? Steal women away from their families and force them to live in his castle?”

She turns and shakes her head. “He’s never had a visitor like you before, though he has had a few lady guests.”

Lady guests, I can only imagine that she means hookers because I can’t fathom a single woman on this Earth willingly dating him. It disgusts me that he thinks he knows me so well he can sweep me away and surround me with everything he thinks I need or want only to lock me away and not even let me call my brother.

“How long will I be here?” I take a step toward the door, though her warning still rings in my head. I won’t escape, not if it means consequences. He’s already made it clear to me that Jimmy will die. I have to protect Jimmy; he’s my life out there. The only one I have left.

---