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“How do you know my name?” she wondered, her voice shaking at the seams.

Unable to stop himself from touching her again, the man brushed an errant strand of hair from her cheek and gave a thoughtful shrug.

“I know almost everything there is to know about you. I've been studying you for some time now, Alexandria,” he said with a small smile.

“If that were true, then you would know that no one calls me that,” she countered.

“Well, they do when they’re trying to get their point across to you. Sometimes, it’s the only way you will listen, isn’t it? That probably stems back from your first foster mother, huh? Lucy? The one with the blonde hair you wished you had? I’ll bet that you still hear her screechy voice whenever someone calls you by your full name. Isn’t that right,Alexandria Joy Curtis?”

Opening her mouth in shock, she began to stammer. He was right, she was hearing that bitch’s voice in her head that very moment. It was one thing for him to know her name, anyone could know that with a quick Google search, but how did he know about her foster mom?

“How? I…I...I don’t,” she mumbled, unable to form a coherent thought.

“See, I know everything about you,” he purred, leaning his head to the side. “You’re such a fascinating, pretty thing. I love yourlittle quirks. Like how you wake up every morning exactly at five fifteen without the need of an alarm clock and immediately jump into the shower. You keep the water at an almostscaldingtemperature and stand under the spray for at least five minutes before washing your hair. You keep your shampoo bottle on the right-hand side of the tub, and the conditioner on the--”

“How the fuck do you know that?” she interrupted, finally turning her head to meet her abductor’s hungry stare. “You’ve been in my apartment?”

“Of course. Many times,” he grinned before nonchalantly returning to his thoughts, “But out of all your idiosyncrasies Lexi, and you really do havesomany, I think my favorite is that you meticulously ration yourself twenty almonds a day as a snack. You eat the first ten after your second cup of coffee and the last ten when you get home from work. You think they're healthy and that you have a balanced diet, but you don't eat nearly enough, and that worries me terribly...but don’t worry, we will work on that.”

Widening her eyes, Lexi swallowed hard. Her abductor was a lunatic. A lunatic that had stalked her for God knows how long, infiltrating her life in a way she couldn’t fathom. Knowing that he, a complete stranger, knew so much about her terrified her to the core.

“Wewill work on that?” she asked.

Nodding his head, the man drifted his warm brown eyes over her prone form. He could see the gears turning, she was trying to make sense of it all. He wondered how long it would take her to realize that he only wanted to help her reach her full potential.

“Ohhh, my love. We will be working onmanythings,” he promised.

“Just who the hell are you, huh?” she asked.

Sighing softly, the strapping man measured his temper. This was all new for her, he needed to keep that in mind. He had been in her position before and knew how it felt to buck against the inevitable. It might take some time, but she would eventually come around.

“I’m someone that loves you very much and only wants the best for you. You have so muchpotential, and I’m going to make you realize it. With my help, you’ll become who you were truly meant to be,” he offered truthfully.

With her blood running cold, Lexi lifted her throbbing head from the silk encased pillow. Things were popping into place. Killing or raping her weren’t his motives. Oh no, her captor wanted much more than that. He wanted to mold her into whatever perverted version of her he had in his twisted mind.Thatwas his motive. Like hell she would play along with his twisted little game.

“What if I don't want to?” she asked defiantly.

Straightening his posture on the hard cot, the man gave himself a moment before answering her question. Her ungratefulness was leaving a sour taste in his mouth. After being tossed aside like garbage again and again, he expected her to be at least atinybit thankful for taking such a huge interest in her wellbeing. He was the only one who ever had.

“You will,” he stated confidently, choosing to forgive her transgression.

“If you believe that, then you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” she countered, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. It was a risk to goad her captor, but she just couldn't help herself.

“Oh, now there's that spark that I love so much,” he said with a wink before standing from the cot. “Lexi, I know this must be very hard to take in right now, and that's why I'm being so forgiving, but there's nothing you can do to change this situation. It’s in your best interest to just accept it and to accept the love that I will give you.”

Blinking up at her abductor, she attempted to calm her racing heartbeat. Deciding to remain silent, she gave a tiny nod in faux agreement. For her safety, she had to make him think that he had won. She would be the perfect, compliant little doll for him. At least until the paralysis wore off completely.

“Good girl,” he praised, stepping towards the black metal door of her room. “I know you’re hungry. I can practically hear your stomach growling from over here. I’m going to leave you for a few minutes to get you your lunch. I won't be gone long, Sweetheart. Oh, and just so you don't get any ideas while I’m gone, your room is completely soundproof and there are no windows for you to break. The only way out is through this door, and I promise you, it’sverysecure.”

Nodding to appease her captor, she bristled inside. He sounded so sure of himself, he really thought she would willingly rot away in this tiny cell. Unfortunately for him, she wouldn’t be helpless for long. At her earliest opportunity, she would find a way to escape. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do to stop her.

Giving her one last longing look, the handsome man quietly unlocked the door. Pulling the heavy hunk of metal open, hepressed his lips together and took a small step. He wouldn’t be gone long, but he found himself already missing her. If only she knew the power she held over him.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

“Wait!” Lexi exclaimed, trying to lift her head as high off the pillow as she could.

Stopping himself halfway through the open threshold, he turned back towards her. Arching a dark brown brow, he offered her a small grin.

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