Page 43 of Drag You Down
All of it is so much, and I’m dizzy enough to where I have to reach out and touch the wall to rest some of my weight against it.
The cat is purring loudly, still rubbing up against my ankles.
“This is wrong, Gabriel,” I whisper.
Eve.
I have to think of Eve.
While I’m being tempted by the Devil, she’s with Father Zachariah.
She’s to be one of his wives. She’ll be safe.
I think she’ll be safe.
I have to hope she will.
It’s only for one day.
Gabriel puts his arm around my back and leads me toward one of the doors. On the other side is a large bedroom, with floor to ceiling windows on one wall that give a spectacular view of New Bristol. The curtains are a deep red, as are the sheets. They both contrast sharply with the black of the walls.
My eye is drawn to a painting hanging over the headboard. It’s a modern art piece, disgusting and garish and with no real meaning, but the red and gold stand out against the black background.
The way the red splashes on the canvas, in long diagonal lines, makes me think of the whip slashing across my back.
“The bathroom is here,” Gabriel says as he leads me past the bed.
I almost trip when we enter. The bathroom is larger than my bedroom. There’s a shower stall with clear glass walls and door, a nook for the toilet, two sinks, even an ottoman.
And in the center is a large tub that could easily fit three adult men, with jacuzzi nozzles on the side.
Gabriel directs me to sit on the ottoman.
“Wait here, my little lamb. I’ll start filling the tub. I’ll get drinks for us too.” He kisses my forehead and starts the water before he simply… leaves.
He’s trusting me to stay here.
The cat mrows and rubs against my legs. I watch, and when the cat realizes I’m not going to pet it, it jumps onto the side of the tub near the faucet and begins batting at the water.
“I thought cats didn’t like water,” I tell him.
I’ve never had a cat of my own before, so I don’t know much about them, but I’d thought that much was true.
The cat doesn’t seem to mind it, though, and I stare at it as it gets wetter and wetter under the water that gushes from the spigot. I want to reach out and pet it, but I’m scared to touch it, too.
What if it hates me?
I glance in the direction of the bathroom door, not sure if I want Gabriel to come back sooner rather than later or if I want him to forget about me completely.
Before I can decide, Gabriel returns, carrying a tray with two large glasses of water.
“You’re still dressed,” Gabriel says as he sets the tray down on the small table next to the bathtub. “That’s all right. Stand up, I’ll help you out of your clothes.”
I blink at him, my cheeks burning. “What?” I ask dumbly. “No, you can’t stay in here while I undress.”
I’m an adult.
And he’s a man, a man I’m desperately attracted to despite my best attempts not to be. Being naked in front of him would be a temptation I’m not sure I could resist.
