Animus

Animus

Chapter 4

 

Khaley lay very still, listening to the sound of her own breathing.  She’d woken hours earlier from yet another nightmare.  Sleep was not the escape from this deathly quiet prison that she wished it would be.  When awake, she mostly lay in silence, her arms and legs long since used to being bound and unable to stretch or bend much.  When sleeping, she seemed to be endlessly tormented by her past and the blurred association between that hell and this one.  There was no escape from this, even in her dreams.  She began to softly cry for what seemed like the thousandth time.  She was desperate for something, anything, to change.  She had battled this desperation over and over, sometimes screaming and thrashing against her bonds until her voice went hoarse, but mostly just crying, feeling overcome with hopelessness. 

 

She clung to the memory of that one gentle encounter with her captor.  It had only been a drink of water and a single soft, chaste kiss.  But it had been the only sign of kindness she’d felt in this place.  It gave her hope.  Hope that he might return and perhaps even speak to her.  She allowed herself fantasies of having long conversations with this faceless man.  Of him even removing her blindfold and allowing her to look around, to see his face.

 

These fantasies were tempered, though, by her fear that she had failed some unknown test, that she was a disappointment and her captor had abandoned her here.  She wanted desperately to be given another chance.  Anything for the possibility of human contact.  She was even beginning to believe she would prefer the beatings to this silent captivity.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted then by the sound of footsteps.  Someone was coming!  Khaley was elated and it didn’t even occur to her to be frightened.  Someone was coming, and that meant she would at the very least have some other sounds to distract her.  She held her breath, waiting expectantly for the footsteps to reach her room. 

 

Then he was there, just feet away.  She could hear him breathing and moving about.  There was the familiar sound of the catheter bag being removed, but this time he spoke to her. 

 

“I’m going to remove your catheter, so this might be uncomfortable for a moment.” His voice was very soft and deep and strangely comforting.  Khaley wanted to speak, to ask him a million questions, but was too afraid that speaking would make him go away.  So she remained silent, but nodded her acknowledgment.  He was removing her catheter? She didn’t dare to imagine what that might mean.  There was an uncomfortable sensation as the tube was slowly pulled from her bladder.  And then it was gone.  She could hear the man moving around again,  heard him open a door off to her right, and heard water running.  She lay there for a long time, waiting for him to return,  wondering what he would do next, and hoping he wouldn’t leave. 

 

Then he was back.  He gently untied the ropes about her ankles and then retied them so that her ankles were together, but no longer bound to the bed.  He did the same with her wrists.  Then he slid an arm behind her back and another under her knees,  lifting her from the bed as though she weighed nothing.  Khaley briefly entertained the idea of trying to fight him, but really didn’t have the desire to.  So far this encounter had been nothing but gentle, and his strong arms holding her felt kind of nice. 

 

She found herself being slowly lowered into a bath of warm water.  It was heaven!  How long had it been since Khaley had washed her hair,  she wondered briefly?  Then suddenly,  unexpectedly,  Khaley could see.  The light stung her eyes and momentarily blinded her.  She squinted and looked around,  quickly taking in her surroundings.  She was in a small, plain bathroom with a single toilet, a sink and the tub that she was currently laying in.  As her eyes adjusted completely, they focused on the form crouched next to the tub. 

 

His eyes were the first thing that she noticed.  The instant she looked into them she was caught, drawn in.  He gazed at her with a soft smile and bore into her with those intelligent and laughing eyes.  He seemed amused,  but not in any way threatening.  She finally let her eyes wander over the rest of him.  He was very handsome.  He was perhaps 40,  with curly black hair,  and hazel eyes.  He wore slacks and a business shirt, but had the sleeves rolled up.  As she watched him, he picked up a large sponge and slowly moved toward her.  At first she jumped back, suddenly afraid to let the stranger touch her.  But then she relaxed, understanding that he could harm her at any point, but he didn’t seem intent on doing that right now.

 

He slowly and gently bathed her, using wonderfully smelling soaps.  Then he washed her hair for her.  When he was done she felt better than she had for a very long time.  After lifting her from the tub and drying her off,  he carried her back into the bedroom,  wrapped a robe around her,  and directed her to sit in a chair by the bed.  Finally,  he spoke. 

 

“My name is Stephen,” he said softly, a small smile on his lips as he looked her in the eye.  “I’d like to untie those ropes, but I want you to know that if you fight me or try to escape, I won’t hesitate to put you right back in that bed,  blindfold, fetters and all.”

 

Stephen.  Finally, a name and a face.  Khaley nodded eagerly as he explained he’d like to untie her.  She hadn’t dared to hope that he might do that! 

 

“Please, I promise I won’t do anything.  I promise.” She held her breath as he slowly walked in her direction and then knelt to untie her bonds.  Finished,  he sat on the bed next to her chair and watched as she rubbed at her sore wrists, glancing at him nervously from the corner of her eye. 

 

“Are you hungry?” he asked.  She nodded her head.

 

“Yes, I’m very hungry, actually.” She suddenly felt very afraid that she’d made a mistake.  Did she dare ask for anything from this man? After all, someone was responsible for beating her and taunting her all these weeks.  Was it him?  Had he been her tormenter?  He seemed so gentle now.  Was it perhaps someone else entirely, and this man had come to her out of compassion?  She was very confused, and cringed as he rose from the bed, sure that he was going to lash out at her. 

 

But he simply walked over to a table and picked up a tray that she had not noticed.  He lifted the cover from the tray and brought it over to her,  setting it in her lap.  On the tray were a sandwich and a bowl of fruit. 

 

“It’s not much, but I’ll have something better brought down for dinner,” he said quietly,  watching as she began to hungrily devour the sandwich. “I’ll leave you to your meal.” 

 

He began to leave, but she quickly stopped eating, not wanting him to go, “No, please stay!” she blurted before she could stop the words.  She began blushing immediately as he paused in the doorway and looked back at her, the amused smile again on his face.  “I, uh, I… it’s nice to have some company,” she stammered meekly.  After a moment’s pause, he nodded and returned to sit on the bed.  She finished her meal quickly then, and thanked him for it as he rose to take away the tray. 

 

After setting the tray down, he turned his gaze toward her and just stood there, for what seemed like an hour, staring at her.  She felt very small and self-conscious under that gaze.  She found that she couldn’t meet his eyes with her own for more than a few seconds, breaking away with a blush and a tingle that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  Finally,  he began walking toward her again.  He stopped directly in front of her and leaned down, brushing a wisp of hair from her face, then taking her chin in his hand, forcing her to look up into his eyes. 

 

“You are very, very beautiful, Khaley.  You should know that.” He told her gently, watching her blush grow deeper with the compliment.  Then his voice took on an edge, “I want you to understand that every freedom that you do or do not have in this place is completely dependent on me and me alone.  No one is going to save you from this but me.” With that, his face softened and he let her chin go, moving his hand to stroke her hair. “Keep that in mind while you sit down here pondering your situation,” his voice once again soft and low.  Then he turned and left the room, closing and audibly locking the door behind him.  Khaley listened to the sound of his steps as they drew further away, and then to the utter silence following another door closing somewhere far off down the hall. 

 

Khaley was alone again. 

 

 

“Well?” Brandon asked as Stephen finally walked into the living room after his time below with the girl.  He had been up here drinking wine and pacing the floor, nervous about this newest phase in Stephen’s plans for her. 

 

“Perfect,” Stephen stated with a smile.  Perfect.  She was almost his now.  Almost.  It really wouldn’t take much more at all, if the way she looked at him was any indication. 

 

“She is beautiful and frightened and quite submissive right now,” Stephen elaborated as he poured himself a drink and sat down on the couch, “Right now, she is bathed and fed and sitting unfettered in a very plushy bathrobe, wondering who I am and why I was so kind to her, and what she can do to ensure that I will remain so kind.  She seemed quite grateful.”

 

Brandon smiled, imagining the girl fresh and clean,  bundled in a robe.  He wished he could go have his way with her right now.  God, she had no idea how totally enamored her captors were with her. 

 

“So let me ask you this, Brandon,” Stephen began again, “you have been through this all, but from her perspective.  You have an understanding of her situation that is beyond mine.  What do you believe should be the next step?”

 

Brandon thought on that for a moment, remembering back to his time in that room.  He grinned mischievously, then.  “Well,” he began, “You’ve shown her more kindness today than she had probably dared to hope for.  She is sitting down there, very confused, but probably wondering if she can use your kindness to her own advantage, perhaps to escape altogether.  You don’t want to let that line of thought go too far.  I think tonight you should explicitly demonstrate to her that you and only you are in control of the situation.” 

 

Stephen laughed out loud.  Brandon was a devious one.  Stephen knew Brandon was right, but also knew that the boy was hoping that Stephen would fuck her sooner, rather than later.  Brandon knew he wouldn’t get to have her until Stephen felt that he had gained enough control over her, sexually and otherwise.  But for a girl like Khaley, with her history of associating sex with possible acceptance or approval, it really shouldn’t be that difficult.  But Brandon was right.  Better to assert that form of control before the girl had time to think things through.

 

“Don’t worry, my dear Brandon,” Stephen said with a laugh, “it won’t be long before you’ll get to explore all your fantasies in great detail.”

 

Things felt very different, now.  After Stephen left, Khaley had remained in the chair for a very long time,  replaying the events in her mind, trying hard to understand it all.  It took some courage for her to get up and inspect her surroundings.  Part of her believed that Stephen intended for her to make herself more comfortable, but another part of her nagged that it might anger him if she nosed around too much.  Perhaps he would tie her to that awful bed again. 

As she began to wander the room and inspect its contents, though, she began to relax.  Her muscles were very unstable from the weeks in bed, and she found herself slumping against anything that would support her.  But she was too curious and elated at her newfound freedom to simply sit in that chair any longer.  She found the bathroom cabinet had been stocked with a hairbrush, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and even a box of tampons. 

 

Making her way around the room,  she found that it seemed to be an ordinary bedroom.  There was a desk with pen and paper neatly stacked on one corner,  a table with several chairs in the corner, a dresser and a very large wood cabinet that was locked. Everything was very tidy.  In the closet to the left of the bed, Khaley found a row of clothing that all seemed to be her size.  That alarmed and confused her.  Why was there an entire wardrobe here of clothing in her size?  She wondered if she should dare to try some of it on but decided against it, not wanting to anger Stephen.  Finally,  her weary body unused to such activity, she slumped onto the bed exhausted. As she lay there slowly falling off to sleep, Stephen’s face drifted before her in her mind.  He really did have a very handsome face.  And very strong arms from the way he’d lifted her from the bed earlier.  She remembered that soft kiss he had given her before, when she was still blindfolded, and smiled for the first time in weeks. 

 

 

Khaley woke to the sound of the door being unlocked.  She sat up, trying to shake the fog from her head, remembering immediately where she was, elated but also nervous that Stephen had returned to her again so soon. 

 

As soon as he entered, she noticed he’d removed the dress shirt that he wore earlier, leaving a fitted t-shirt that nicely displayed the toned chest and strong arms that she’d been thinking about before drifting off to sleep.  She immediately began blushing.  Seeing this, he grinned and began to approach her.  She was still wearing the robe that he’d given her, and she tried to pull it tightly around her, seeing him eyeing her and feeling very vulnerable, wishing she had dared to put on some clothes. 

 

“No, don’t cover yourself,” he said, reaching out to grab her hands and slowly pull them from her robe, his eyes holding her gaze steadily.  He dropped her hands and sat down beside her,  reaching out to stroke her face and neck.  She was very nervous.  She had no idea what this man wanted or expected from her, except that he’d made it clear she was to do what he said.  After spending weeks tied naked to this bed, she really shouldn’t feel very modest, she reasoned with herself.  But there was a sense of this being very real, unlike those surreal, dream-like weeks behind the blindfold.  She’d been handed back a small measure of her freedom and dignity and struggled over how she ought to act.  She really needed more information. 

 

“Why am I here?” she finally asked him, daring to look up into his eyes.  He paused, the back of his hand still grazing her cheek.  Then he leaned her back onto the bed, pushing through the little bit of resistance she showed, forcing her to lay down. 

 

“You’re here because that’s what I want,” he told her, a dangerous edge to his voice. “That’s all you need to know for now.”  Then he grabbed her wrists, pulling them up over her head.  She began to struggle, thinking he meant to tie her up again, thinking she had erred horribly in daring to ask him that question.  But he didn’t tie them .  He simply held them there, and leaned his body over hers, kissing gently at her neck.  “Don’t fight me,” he mumbled quietly into her ear.  Then, holding her hands over her head with one hand, he used his other hand to part her robe, uncovering her completely. 

 

She lay there, trembling, her arms pinned above her head, her body bared to this man, and she found that although she was still quite afraid of him, this was the best she’d felt in a very long time.  He was strong and gentle and good looking, and he was the only person she’d seen or spoken to in weeks.  She knew she was very confused and that what this man was doing – holding her here against her will – was very wrong.  And yet... she felt something toward him that she couldn’t put her finger on.  Maybe it was gratitude.  Maybe it was just relief that she was still alive.  But her feelings toward this man were not entirely negative.  And she understood that he was in control of this situation. 

 

She closed her eyes as his mouth began to explore her further, kissing a line down her neck and then her breasts, pausing to take a nipple into his mouth, sucking it hard and then roughly biting it, drawing a gasp from Khaley.  Her eyes flew open and she found him staring up at her, his mouth forming a devious grin.  Then, holding her gaze, he took her other nipple into his mouth, and again bit down, harder this time.  Khaley couldn’t stop herself from thrashing in response and letting out a small cry.  Then he was upon her, his mouth covering hers, his warm tongue forcing its way in.  He let go of her arms, moving one hand down between her legs, plunging two fingers into her pussy roughly and grabbing a handful of her hair with the other hand.  She sucked in her breath, not expecting this sudden assault.  His fingers plunged in and out of her, and she couldn’t deny the warmth spreading through her at this invasion.  He continued to kiss her wildly, his grip on her hair forcing her to face him and accept his kisses.  Then he was on his feet again, breathing heavily and taking off his shirt.  Khaley immediately retreated to the top of the bed, curling into a ball, unsure of what would happen next and confused by her arousal and her fear of this man.  He quickly took off his pants and Khaley couldn’t help but stare at his erection.  If she was at all unsure of where this was going before, now there could be no doubt. 

 

“Come here,” he said quietly, leveling her again with his eyes.  She stayed where she was, frozen.  Seeing her hesitation, he walked back over to her, grabbed her by the throat and pressed her roughly against the wall behind the bed.  She let out a cry and reached up to grab at the hand around her throat.  He brought his face to hers, very close, and threateningly whispered to her, “do you remember the conversation we had earlier?” She nodded as best she could, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye.  His other hand came up to brush the tear away, and then he kissed her again, softly.  He let her go and stepped back a few paces. 

 

“Then lets try this again,” he said, a slight hint of mockery in his voice.  “Come here.”

 

Slowly, tentatively, Khaley crawled off the bed and came to stand in front of Stephen, her eyes cast downward, her entire body trembling.  He reached out and grabbed the robe that Khaley wore, pushing it off of her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor.  Then, his hands still on her shoulders, he pushed her down to her knees.  He held his cock in his hand, his other hand going to her chin and lifting her head so she could see what he wanted.

 

“If you bite me, I promise you that the pain you’ve experience so far will be nothing compared to the punishment you’ll feel from me tonight,” He told her sternly.  She nodded, another tear slipping from her eye, and he pushed his cock past her lips and into her mouth.  She was not very experienced with this and hoped that he wouldn’t get mad at her lack of expertise.  She bobbed her head as best she could, taking his cock into her mouth and trying her best not to gag.  He groaned and slowly rocked his hips, moving his cock in and out of her mouth.  She felt his erection grow even harder, and suddenly he pulled out of her mouth, pulled her to her feet and kissed her hard, grabbing her buttocks and lifting her off the ground, wrapping her legs around his waist.  He walked with her to the wall, kissing her and biting at her lips.  Then he pressed her to the wall and plunged his cock deeply into her.  She cried out against her will, the sensation overwhelming her, this man holding her up against the wall as though she weighed nothing, fucking her with a passion that she had never known.  She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the sensations, feeling her body respond to this man in a way that made no logical sense to her.  He whispered in her ear while he fucked her, telling her he how good she felt, how good he wanted her to feel, how he would fuck her over and over, how he would make her his. 

 

“Look at me,” he ordered her, an edge in his voice that made her obey immediately, opening her eyes.  With a growl he swung around, carrying her with him to the table, setting her on the edge of it and continuing to fuck her.  With one hand he grabbed her by the throat, pushing her onto her back, “Look at me,” he said again, and she looked into his eyes, gasping for breath as he squeezed her throat, and feeling her arousal heightening as he fucked her deeply at this new angle.  He began to groan loudly as he lifted her hips with his free hand and fucked her with urgency, his eyes boring into her.  With a final feral yell, he came hard, squeezing her throat until she started seeing black spots and couldn’t draw breath.  Then he was pulling out of her, and she could breath again. 

 

He lifted her off the table, then, and gently set her on the bed, laying her out, and retrieving the robe to drape over her.  He leaned over her, then, stroking her hair. They quietly looked at each other for a very long time.  He kissed her one more time, very softly.

 

“Good,” he said then with a quiet grin.  Then he was up, gathering his clothes and leaving the room, glancing back at her in the doorway. 

 

“Feel free to use anything that you find in this room,” he told her, “and I’ll bring you some dinner a little later.” Khaley didn’t know how to respond, she was so overwhelmed by this encounter. 

 

“Thank you,” is all she could think to say.  He smiled at her again.  Then he was gone, locking the door behind him.