Keep Me: A BDSM Romance (12 page)

He laughs, but stops short when someone steps up behind me. Moira’s voice is cold. “If you don’t feel that this workshop is challenging enough for you, maybe you could hold your own. Someplace else.”

Right. Clear message. “Sorry, Moira.” Man, for someone instructing a rope workshop, she’s pretty uptight. “Maybe we’ll go do something else, so we don’t disturb the newbies.”

“I think I’d like that. Thank you.” To judge by her icy voice, I can roll over and die for all she cares, so long as I don’t interrupt her lecture.

Alright. I get the message. Holding my arms out, I offer them to Mason. “Here, wanna untie me so we can get out of here?”

He smirks. “Not really.”

I roll my eyes at him.

“Yeah, yeah.” Reluctantly, he unknots the rope and gently unwinds it. “I think it looks better on, though.” He throws the ropes aside. “Want to see if the dining hall’s set up yet? We get first dibs on lunch if we get there before all the workshops let out.”

I’m still pretty full from my late breakfast, but I don’t really have any better ideas. “Lead the way.”

We cross the courtyard, gravel crunching under our feet. “So what are your plans for the day?” He asks over his shoulder.

“Nothing big, I guess. At least not until our demo this afternoon.” I follow him towards the dining hall. “Lunch.”

“Another demo with Caleb?”

“Yeah. I forget what the topic is, but it doesn’t matter. It’ll end with him punishing me in some way, regardless.” I laugh, getting an awkward smile in return. Alright, I was amused, anyway.

“You two do a lot of demos together. Is it serious?” The question seems guarded.

Is it? I think of the kisses last night. The way he makes me feel when we play. Even when we’re just together, he makes everything better. At the wedding, or putting my landlord in his place. Even just hanging out while we wait for his expensive car to cool down. The thought of him being with anyone else makes my stomach hurt.

How would I feel without him? Without his forceful touch, his hard voice, not to mention his hard body. Without that easy smile when his bouncer mask isn’t on. We haven’t played for long, but if I fall, I know he’ll catch me. He makes me laugh. He makes my insides tingle.

Mason and I are just entering the hallway to the dining hall when it hits me like a truck. You’re falling in love, Viv.

Holy shit.

“I think I need to go do something.” Where’s Caleb supposed to be? I look around as if I expect to find him right there, waiting for me. Of course, we’re alone. Everyone’s at the workshops. Or lectures. He’s doing a lecture now, he’d said. I turn, ready to run back out. “I have to go.”

I don’t get two feet before a hand grabs my arm, stopping me, followed by a presence flush against my back as another hand comes around to my face with a wet cloth.

What? Mason?

Everything goes dark.

I
haven’t seen Viv since last night and I can’t stop pacing. Where is she? I covered for her when she didn’t show for our demo, but she’d better have a damn good excuse.

I hate to admit it, but I’m getting really fucking worried. I could look for her again, but after three walks around the place, I don’t even know where else to look. It doesn’t make any sense.

Someone saw her at a workshop around noon so she’s been around, but no one’s seen her since. This doesn’t feel right. She couldn’t have left on her own, could she? No, I gave her a ride, after all. Hope she hasn’t gotten herself into trouble, though I can’t imagine what that would be.

My phone buzzes. It’s a text from Viv, finally!

Sorry, but things are getting too heavy for me. I checked out, and I’m on the bus home. I convinced someone to give me a ride to the bus depot. Please don’t call me. I need time. I’m sorry.

What the...

Something’s fucked up here. Why would she do this? I thought we had something going. Damnit, we
do
have something going and I know she feels it too. No one’s ever made my heart beat faster or my cock harder. Fuck, this is nuts. I’m not letting her get away with ending this with a stupid text.

A couple of taps on my phone and I’m calling her back. Or I would be, if it didn’t go straight to voicemail. Is she blocking me? What the hell happened? What is she thinking?

“Please leave your message at the tone.”

“Viv. I don’t know what the fuck you’re thinking, but we
will
talk this out in person. Maybe Gabe let you run off without a word, but with me? That. Is. Not. An. Option.” I draw a breath, not sure where to go from here. I hate feeling helpless. “Pick up your damn phone. If you don’t have a really good reason for acting like this, then I’m going to tan your ass so hard you won’t sit for a week. We’re not done.”

I hang up in frustration. Mobile phones are handy, but they’re sorely lacking in one thing: a receiver to slam on the hook. An angry thumb tap just isn’t the same.

Deep breath. Wait. Think.

This isn’t like her. Not at all. If I was doing something wrong, she’d tell me. She has safe words. She’s not stupid. And she’s not afraid of telling me to my face that I’m wrong. So what’s going on? Besides, her apartment isn’t going to be done for another day, at least.

Her room. She said she checked out. That’s a really easy thing to check. I’ve got this sinking feeling in my gut that something stinks, but I don’t know what.

I hate not knowing.

Taking the stairs two at a time as I run down, it’s a wonder I don’t pile into Paul coming up the winding stairs. He dodges just in time. “Jesus, Caleb, where’s the fire?”

“I’m worried about Viv. She’s gone.”

“Gone?”

“Meet me downstairs. Don’t ask me why, but I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”

As I rush on, I vaguely make out “I’ll be right there” behind me. Which one was hers? Three. Four. Five! I knock.

Nothing.

I knock again, hard enough that a couple of the other doors near me open and concerned faces peer out at me. “Did any of you see Vivian? Bright red hair, green eyes, looks great naked on a stage?” They all shake their heads.

Alright. Fuck it. I’m going in.

I shake the door handle, but it’s locked. Of course it is. One of the things they modernized when they turned this place into a hotel was the doors. Electronic locks and metal. No way I’m breaking that down.

Paul comes to my rescue, running down the hall. “Locked?”

“Yep. Susan is in charge of the rooms, right? Do you know where she is?”

He pulls a card out of his pocket and swipes it. The little light turns green. At my questioning look, he explains, “Comes with being a cop. I’m in charge of the security.”

Good enough for me. I throw open the door and barge in. She could be here and avoiding me, but I don’t think so. The bed’s unmade, and all her stuff’s gone. Not good.

I check the bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, her toothbrush. Unlike the main room, nothing has been cleaned out here. One of her t-shirts hangs over the shower curtain rod. Why wouldn’t she have packed any of it. Even Viv couldn’t have forgotten all that.

“Certainly looks suspicious.” Paul seems to agree.

It strikes me like a lightning bolt. “Any idea where Mason is?” I don’t want to be right about this.

“Who?”

“A participant. Tall, dresses in black. Dark hair. Arrogant as all hell. One of those, I’m the uber-Dom types.” Slimy fucker. If he’s responsible...

“I think I know the guy. Let’s get some people looking.”

I stop him. “If he, or someone, took Viv against her will, wouldn’t they have been seen? Seems strange to me.”

“There’s the back door. If he took her from the room, there’s an exit down the hall. It was put in to meet fire code. It opens right out into the woods.”

He says something else, but I don’t let him finish, running down the hall to check it out. The door’s cracked open. Someone’s used it recently. I kick it open and jump out, but no one’s there. If they left this way, there’s no sign of them.

Paul catches up. “Think they went this way?”

“Maybe? The door was open. But now what?” Fuck! Maybe I’m overreacting, but I think there’s a good chance Viv’s in trouble and I’d rather look dumb than risk her safety. Wait. “Hey Paul, can you get your buddies to track a cell phone?”

“What? Yeah, should be able to. Reception’s pretty crappy here, but it should be possible.”

“I got a message from her number a few minutes ago. It’s what got me suspicious. We need to find her ASAP.” I show him my phone.

“Got it.” He makes a call. “Hey, Em. I’ve got a number for you. Need to know where it is right now. We might have a situation in progress.” Leaning against the doorframe and tapping his fingers impatiently, he rattles off the number.

I look for tracks, or anything useful, but there’s nothing. What do I expect? I’m a city boy, not a fucking detective. I need to do something, though.

“Yeah? Great! Thanks! You’re a peach, Em.” Paul hangs up then points. “The phone’s about half a mile that way. There’s a parking lot, and the paths all pretty much end up there if we head in that direction.”

I should’ve known something was wrong way earlier. We better not be too late. Breaking into a run, I charge into the woods. I’m ready to fuck someone up.

W
here am I?

I can’t move! I struggle, able to wiggle a bit, but my ankles are stuck together, just like my wrists. Why is everything dark? I blink a couple of times, but there’s nothing, just inky blackness. A blindfold.

Okay. Don’t panic. I’ll get out of this. “Hello?”

Quiet.

Was it really Mason? Maybe he’s run away? What the hell is going on? Why am I even trapped like this? I tug on the ropes. Not much give. Something connects my wrists to my ankles, but it’s not a full hogtie. I might be able to move around a little, but it’ll be like an inchworm. If he’s anywhere nearby, I won’t get far.

By bending and twisting, I explore what I can. Feels like a car. Yeah, there’s the shifter. The dash. The door to my right. So now what?

I can’t get away, but maybe someone’s noticed I’m gone. Of course, maybe we’ve driven somewhere already. It’s really quiet, wherever we are. No sound of traffic. How long have I been out?

No matter what I do, it ends up in the gutter, doesn’t it? Can’t a girl catch a break? I was finally feeling like I was figuring things out. Ok, can’t panic. Feel sorry for yourself later, Viv.

What do I know? I’m in a car. I seem to be alone for now. That’s about it. Alright, I know a lot about cars. Can I make it not start? Not without knowing what kind of car it is. Right. Need to get off the blindfold.

I can turn my head, so I rub it against the seat. It takes a bit of twisting but it finally catches against the headrest. Panic wants to bubble up. I need to hurry. If Mason comes back... well, I assume it’s him. There was no one else around. Why? I knew something was off about him. Why didn’t I listen to my instincts?

Or Caleb’s. Oh, God, Caleb. He’ll notice I’m gone, right?

No time. Worry later. Act now. The blindfold’s getting looser. I rub frantically against the seat like a cat marking its territory, and suddenly, it pops up enough that I can see through one eye.

Alright, where am I? A parking lot, surrounded by woods. I relax a little when I see the castle to my right. One of the towers is just barely visible through the trees, so we haven’t gone far. Yet.

The ropes are tied well. All facts certainly point to Mason. There’s no way I’m getting them off, so running isn’t an option. Instead, I take a look at the car.

He hadn’t been nice enough to leave the keys in the ignition. That would’ve been handy. What else? Anti-theft protection, maybe. If it’s the wrong key, the car won’t start. Or if the system gets no juice. Where are the fuses? I think fast, trying to remember what I know about these models. Glove compartment.

I bend and wriggle, and finally work it open. Fuck, there are a lot of things in there. Barely seeing out of one eye and practically immobile is no way to go about fixing cars, but I had a feeling Dad would give me an A for effort. Once he was done freaking out.

Getting into a position that gives my wrists a bit more play, I manage to pull out the owner’s manual, tissues and other crap until can reach the fuse panel. I have to contort like a circus performer, but finally I get my fingers in there far enough to twist the plastic lock. The cover falls down into the compartment with a soft clatter.

Which fuse? What am I thinking? All of them. In surprisingly short order, I manage to pull them and scoop them out of the compartment. It’s amazing what a little adrenaline and panic will do. I drop the fuses on the floor, then use my feet to push them, along with the other junk, in under my seat. Bumping it up with my knees, I push the compartment shut.

I nearly jump out of my skin and let out a squeal of surprise when I hear a click behind me, then the sound of the back hatch opening.

“You’re awake. Good.” Mason’s voice is icy calm and perfectly even behind me. “I really wish I didn’t have to do this. It wasn’t supposed to go this way.”

“Listen, Mason, I don’t know what you want, but please, let me go. I won’t tell anyone if you just let me out. I don’t have much money, but I’ll give you what I have. Anything. Please.” He’s crazier than I thought.

“I’m sorry, Vivian, but then you’ll just go back to
him.
” He emphasizes
him
like he just found a fly in his soup. Or a live cockroach. “I can’t have that. Not when you belong with me.”

“When I what? Mason, what are you talking about?”

“I know. You don’t see it yet, but you will. I’ll show you.” He throws something heavy into the trunk. “Jesus, you have some heavy luggage.”

Crap, he’s cleaned out my room. Caleb wouldn’t believe that I just left without a word.

Right?

“You’re not going to get away with this. They’re going to notice eventually.”

He laughs and shuts the trunk, making the car shake, then comes around to open the driver’s door and gets in. “Who will? You live alone, you don’t have anyone close in this city, and I’ve already used your phone to send a message to Caleb. He’s going to think you’re long gone by now.”