He points a finger at me, making it twirl in tight circles. “You need to shower,” he states, wrinkling his nose at me. “I can smell the appalling stench of fish on your clothes.”
Pulling the key out of the front pocket of his jeans, he walks up to the bed and unlocks the cuff from my wrist.
“What time is it?” is all I can muster to ask.
Gemini hums, as if everything I say somehow delights him. “Time is but an illusion, love.”
While I’m still sitting on the bed, he lifts my wrist and inspects it, seeming displeased by the swollen red skin. He slowly drags his thumb over it, and a confusing shiver dances down my spine.
Letting out a small tsk, he mutters, “Unacceptable.” His piercing eyes lift to meet mine. “No doll of mine will defile their skin in this manner — understood?”
A warring of emotions pulses through me—horrified dread by being referred to as his doll, but also irritation that he would blame this onme.
“I’m not the one who handcuffed me to the bed.” The words fly out of my mouth before I can swallow them back down. I shrink, fearing his reaction.
But all he does is chuckle. It’s warm, amused even, and it leaves me deeply unnerved.
“Then I suggest you stop struggling like a caught butterfly and accept your fate, pet.”
“Well?What are you waiting for, love?” Gemini leans casually against the wide bathroom sink, arms crossed as he lazily inspects his nail polish.
After he uncuffed me, he led me to his bedroom and into his vast en suite.
I couldn’t help but note that his room was right next door to the one he’d locked me in.
Even with the terror muddling my thoughts, I’m taken by the charm of his bathroom, especially the two claw-foot bathtubs sitting under large stained-glass windows. The floor is an intricate mosaic of colorful tiles while the shower takes up most of the wall opposite to where Gemini now stands.
He hasn’t glanced my way since he last spoke, but I can tell he’s waiting for an answer.
“Privacy,” I finally say with as much assertiveness as I can muster.
“Thisisprivate,” he responds, his attention elsewhere.
“You’re still here.”
His roguish eyes finally slide to mine. “I don’t count.” Pushing himself off the sink, he strides toward me. “Now take this off,” he orders, pinching my sweatshirt with two dainty fingers, “before I rip it off myself with my teeth.”
I swallow hard, holding his piercing gaze. I should scream, protest, run even, but my intuition tells me I wouldn’t make it far.
He claims he doesn’t intend to kill me, but why would I trust a word he says?
I decide on compliance for now. I’ll bide my time until I find a better way to escape. Still, I can’t help but jut my chin out in defiance before muttering an angry, “Fine.”
With a huff, I take my clothes off, my movements rushed and aggrieved.
Until I’m naked.
Painfully vulnerable in front of my captor.
Gemini gives my naked body a quick, cursory glance. But seems more interested in kicking my pile of clothes into a corner of the bathroom with the tip of his boot, as if he can’t wait to distance himself from them. The shame of standing naked in front of Gemini morphs into an even more complex version of the emotion as he handles my clothes with such disgust. As if I’d ever had any real choice in the matter.
I feel as insignificant as grime under his overpriced shoe.
My bitterness tastes like ash on my tongue, and I don’t wait for another command before stepping into the shower. Now, only a pristinely clean windowpane stands between us.
The faster I do this, the faster it’s over.
Giving him my back, I turn on the hot water. Even while I’m racked with nerves, the impressive showerhead leaves me breathless as I step under the soothing rainfall. I stifle my positive reaction. I would never want to admit to a single ounce of pleasure while that monster is watching me.
