Chapter 9
Oakley
Sabastian didn’t say a thing as he clasped a small, slim chain around the end of the bed. It connected to the leather cuff that was attached to my ankle. Tight enough I couldn’t escape, but loose enough to not cut off the circulation to my foot.
I eyed it from where I sat on the bed, not sure how I felt about it. I had no plans to try to run. But, he probably didn’t know that.
His lips were set in a firm line like he wasn’t pleased about restraining me to his bed either.
All morning, he hadn’t spoken to me, other than an order to lift the long black shirt so he could put cream on.
Now, as the cream had since soaked in, and the ache all but gone for the most part, I sat, waiting.
I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for, but that’s what I always did. It wasn’t like I had much else to do.
Waiting for the end of my life. Waiting for the next punishment. Waiting for the next order.
Breakfast had been a quick affair this morning, mostly since I once again, ate faster than the man would have liked. Thankfully, he didn’t punish me for that. Yet.
Sabastian pulled on the chain, testing its strength. It didn’t break on him, so it definitely wasn’t going to give for me, either. The cuff had been locked with a key, so there really was no escape. If he wanted to keep me as a hostage, I certainly was one now.
I dropped my eyes to the bed instead of my cuffed ankle. Dread began to grow in the pit of my stomach as the seconds ticked by.
I was used to Sir telling me what I did wrong. I was used to his voice that’d tell me how much of a disappointment I was.
Sabastian didn’t tell me anything. No hateful words barked my way. No sneers as his eyes traveled over the chain and up to my body.
It seemed I was more of an inconvenience than anything else. And I wasn’t sure that was any better than being someone’s huge disappointment.
If he was so worried about me running off, why did he wait until today to tie me to his bed? Was there more he planned to do, now that I was healing? Was he trying to prove a point that I was too stupid to pick up on?
Pulling my legs closer to my body, the metal rattling at the movement, I held my breath.
Was that what this was about? Was I too quiet? Did he want to hear every move I made? Was he going to attach a bell to my neck, too?
Sabastian sighed, stepping back. I quickly looked in his direction before dropping my eyes once more. He didn’t look happy. Eyes flat, lips thin and anger rolling off of him in waves.
“You aren’t in trouble,” he huffed, letting his hands flop against his pants. I jerked against the dull thud. “It’s for your safety. I’ll be gone for a few hours. The chain is long enough for you to get to the bathroom. There’s some snacks and water on the dresser.”
I didn’t know what I did, but I was in trouble.
Sir didn’t let me stir in my thoughts. He’d always be quick to dish out punishments. Every time. Even for the simplest things, like not cleaning up after myself or even not making my bed quickly enough in the mornings.
This man was obviously different. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever find out what I did wrong, but I did know that being tied to a bed for however many hours it’d be, wasn’t bad. Not in the grand scheme of things.
“Tell that speaker over there, to play music or a book if you want. You can’t make any phone calls out to anyone, but I can send a message. And I’ll be watching.”
Of course, he would be, I thought. I wasn’t a stranger to being watched.
If he was waiting for a reaction out of me, he didn’t get one. I knew how to keep my expression blank. It may have taken me years to perfect, but by now, I could.
Keeping my thoughts and feelings unreadable was the best way to go.
He sighed one last time as his gaze swept over me. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but whatever it was, wasn’t going to be found.
A few seconds later, he left the room, closing the bedroom door behind him and leaving me in an empty room.
Could be worse, I told myself. At least I had clothes on, kinda. A long shirt didn’t do much, though. And a soft place to wait on. It was better than what Sir graced me with.
I waited for a good five minutes, making sure Sabastian really was gone.
Maybe he was waiting for me to move before barging in here and demanding me to stay on the bed.
But, a small part of my brain told me that if that had been the case, then I’d have been tied more to the bed instead of getting a leash.
A freaking leash. I snuffed out a breath. I wasn’t a freaking animal, despite what Sir thought. I didn’t need to be chained to a place to be kept in a room. I knew how to obey orders.
Wiping a tear from my cheek, having given it no permission to escape, I forced all my thoughts to stop. I knew Sir was one sick man, but no matter where I went, I didn’t get a say over any single thing in my life. From what I ate, to where I slept, to what someone did to my body.
Too keyed up to stay sitting, I slowly moved off the bed. The chain jangled, but I ignored it. Walking towards the bathroom, the leash gave me more than enough space for me to use the bathroom if I needed to.
It made me wonder if Sabastian had other people like me in his house.
Making my way to the window, which happened to face the backyard, or so I assumed, there wasn’t anything to see other than grass, trees, and more trees.
It seemed like the tree line was either the edge of the property or a makeshift fence. It certainly was a good place for monsters to hide.
I made a mental note to never let Sabastian know that I knew about the monsters that were out there.
I hadn’t seen them as they liked to hide in the dark, but sometimes, I could hear them.
With Sir, I could hear them scratching at the windows, begging to be let in. They cried for me to come out, too.
Turning away, I put my back to the window. There wasn’t freedom out there. The only freedom I’d ever be able to find would be in death. And it didn’t seem like that was going to happen any time soon.
As my shoulders dropped, I made my way back to the bed and sat against the headboard. The only sound other than my breathing and heartbeat was a ticking clock somewhere.
I jerked when the air conditioner kicked on, cooler air blowing across my bare legs.
Letting my eyes take in the room since there was no one to stop me, I made note of where the dresser was.
As the man said, there was a handful of snack bars and water sitting on the top, right next to a flat-screen TV.
The remote was right underneath it. Although I could turn it on, Sabastian didn’t say I could.
On the other side of the room was a bookshelf, filled with way too many books. Some were at angles, some were flat on their sides instead of being sat in a way one could read the titles.
Having nothing else to do, and not spotting my suitcase that Sir had given me to pack anywhere, I stood from the bed once again.
I never thought I’d miss my things, little as they were. But at least I had the forethought to pack my one journal and a few pens. I could at least doodle while I waited for whatever was going to happen next.
Sitting down in front of the bookcase, not touching, I glanced over at the titles that I could read. Some were…oddly named. Some were in a type of font I couldn’t read.
It was a mess. One I could, at least fix.
Taking down each row, I sorted through them, putting the books together by author.
I tried not to look too closely at the covers. Some were simple, artsy types of things. Flowers, landscapes, and a lake. But others were of naked people on the front. Most were in positions that left little to imagine. It made my skin crawl.
I didn’t linger on them long. The less I knew, the better.
I took my time, putting them back on the shelf. It was better, organized, and neat. There was even more room now.
On the last row, there were a few books that were different, though. The fronts weren’t like the others. And one stood out more than the others.
A simple pacifier, the title, Daddy’s Little in bright green at the top. It was thin, maybe a hundred pages, if that.
Nothing else. Nothing to tell me really what the book could be about on the front.
Flipping it over, I looked around the room to see if I was still alone. It felt like I was being watched, which wasn’t a surprise. But I didn’t feel like I was alone, either.
Would I get in trouble for reading something?
Sabastian didn’t say if I could or not mess with things in the room. But if he didn’t want me to look, to touch things, then he’d have given me orders not to, or at least shortened the chain.
The back of the book only had a very short passage of what the book contained, which really didn’t give me clues on what was inside. Just a description of what a little was, and four capital letters that only left more confusion in its wake.
Standing with the book in my grasp, I went back to the bed. Sitting on the floor, back against the nightstand and side against the side of the bed, I opened the first page and began to read.
My eyes widened as I began to read. Each word burning into my brain.
The book was like a schoolbook, one of the few I got through the years. Because, as Sir always said, no one wanted a stupid boy who couldn’t read or do simple things. I could read, write, and a few other things, but not enough to make me smart enough to run off.
Sticking my thumb in my mouth, my eyes took in the words. A few times, I had to reread the page to make sure I understood what it was saying.
Did people do the things in this book? Did they enjoy it? Or was this just another tale, like Cinderella?
So engrossed in the book, I didn’t hear the door open. I didn’t hear a single thing, forgetting I wasn’t at Sir’s anymore. I forgot who I was, and where I was.
A small yelp escaped, my heart in my throat, as the book was pulled from my grasp, leaving my hand empty.
“You shouldn’t be reading that.” Sabastian’s voice was calm, yet there was a hint of something underneath that I couldn’t place.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, dropping my eyes to the floor. I held my breath, waiting for the pain that was sure to come.
“Here. Read this one if you want. Ones like this, don’t touch again.”
A book with a crown and snakes was tossed to the bed in front of me, barely missing my toes.
I nodded my head quickly but didn’t touch the book.
“Seventeen-year-olds don’t touch my fucking books.”
Got it, I thought. I’d just stay bored while waiting for whatever he wanted from me. That was something I could do well, anyway.
“Go use the restroom. I brought lunch.”
Scrambling, I stood and stumbled towards the bathroom. Now that he mentioned it, my bladder was screaming at me.
It took me longer than I was used to to relieve my bladder and wash my hands. Shame filled me as I stood in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom, afraid to get too close to Sabastian.
“Come on, let's get that cuff off.”
I still didn’t move as he came closer. All I could do was stand there like a deer caught in headlights while he knelt in front of me, unlocking the cuff and running his hands over my ankle.
“Good, no bruising,” he muttered, standing up.
With the cuff gone, I felt cold. Or maybe it was more to the fact that his touch had been warm and I was chilled by the lack of clothing.
Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. All I could do was follow him out of the room like a puppy, waiting to be fed once more. My tail was between my legs the entire way to the kitchen.