Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Frankie
T he hours pass, though I can’t track them. Not with the clock lying on the floor, unplugged and lifeless. I judge the time by the light along the edge of the blackout curtains. Lunchtime comes and goes, and still I remain chained to the bed. I guess the cooking class is off the table.
By the time the sun begins to set, the bottle of water I’ve rationed has run dry.
It’s also run straight through me, and I’ve needed to piss for too long at this point.
If I were a man, this wouldn’t be a problem.
I’d just hold the tip of my dick to the bottle’s narrow opening and release the floodgates.
Meanwhile, with my current plumbing, I struggle to piss in a cup at the doctor’s office without wetting my hand.
When I get out of this predicament, I’ll have Maverick’s head on a platter. Fuck discovering Jim Madigan’s little secrets. I want a peek behind a different curtain.
I could have done both if I hadn’t embarrassed blondie. How was I supposed to know his broken dick came with a high-pressure valve? It’s not my fault he gets off from dry humping.
It was kind of hot, though. Not gonna lie.
“No, no, no,” I whisper to myself. “We aren’t going there, Frankie. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
But my bag is right there . . . and it’s not like I’m going anywhere anytime soon . . .
I haven’t masturbated in months. There was a time in my life when I would rub one out twice a day, but as my career took off after years of being overlooked, I couldn’t find the energy. I’ve neglected pleasure in favor of pursuit.
But now that I’m chained to the bed, pursuit is off the table.
“Fuck it.”
I dip over the side of the bed and pull my bag into my lap. The little silicone toy is tucked away in the false bottom. It’s probably dead and this is all for nothing, but I ease it out of its hiding place, anyway. As I depress the button, I’m surprised when it buzzes to life.
I click the button again, and it goes to the alternating vibrations. Why is it so loud? Has it always sounded like a horde of bees? If anyone hears me preparing to pollinate my flower, I’ll be mortified.
With another click, the toy shuts off. I stuff a pillow over my lap, followed by my light blanket. My shirt is already off, but I have no plans to strip further. It’s been so long that the slightest touch to my nether regions will send me spiraling into oblivion. The shorts won’t be an issue.
Closing my eyes, I warm myself to thoughts of a faceless man. He has blond hair, but like I said, he’s faceless, so it isn’t Maverick. The stranger leans over me, nipping my skin and getting closer to my breasts.
The toy buzzes to life between my legs, and I press it against my shorts. Vibrations travel through the fabric. It’s not enough, though, so I spread my legs and press harder.
In my mind, the blond stranger peers up at me with green eyes. Wait. No. Make them brown ... And the headboard knocks against the wall as Not Maverick thrusts into me.
Knock, knock, knock.
My eyes pop open. That sound didn’t come from my fantasy. Someone is knocking at the door.
And apparently, this person is a doctor, because the door opens before I even have a chance to invite them in.
Or shut off my fucking sex toy. My finger scrambles to find the button as footsteps stomp nearer, but it’s as if the damn thing ceased to exist. Finally, my finger lands on the small depression, and I press it and shove the toy into my shorts.
I’ve just gotten my hand above the blanket when Jim rounds the corner.
I pull the blanket higher on my chest. He doesn’t seem shocked to find me in my current position, so I have to assume Maverick went straight to him to pawn me off on someone else, just as he said he would.
“Whatever game you’re playing, you can’t win,” I say. “Do you know who my mother is? What sort of power she wields?”
Jim offers a pinched smile as he sits on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid touching my legs.
His hands clasp in his lap, and he stares at the wall.
“I know of your mother, yes. I know that she’s a decorated veteran in her field of study.
The better question would be, do you know who your mother is? ”
I don’t dignify his stupidity with a response. Of course I know who the fuck my mother is. I’ve known her for my entire existence.
“What about your father?” Jim continues. “What do you know of him?”
“Seems like you have more answers than I do. Why don’t you tell me?”
His smile strengthens now. “Oh, I plan to. By the end of this cruise, you’ll have answers to questions you never thought to ask.”
I roll my eyes. I can’t help it. It’s comical that he believes I give two fucks about whatever he knows. Still, I’ll play along for a little longer. “And what questions would those be?”
“It’s not that simple, Frankie. If you want something from me, you’ll have to give me something in return.”
“Money won’t do you any good from behind prison walls, Madigan. Whatever you want from me, you won’t be free long enough to enjoy it.”
“Money? You think I want money?” His head tips back as he laughs. “Child, money is meaningless to me. I’m at the age where I’ve grown bored with money and what it brings.”
“Is that why you kill? Boredom?”
“My reasons are my reasons. If that’s the question you want answered, I’ll grant you that. I’ll even allow you to place me in handcuffs and lead me off the boat on the final day.”
“And what do you want in exchange?”
He spreads his hands and looks at me. “It’s quite simple, really. Just play my game. For the rest of the cruise, pretend you’re a Sinner. Participate in the games, get to know your fellow participants, and at the end of the cruise, you can have me.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
I take a moment to consider his proposition.
It would be stupid to deny him, but it might also be stupid to accept his offer.
After all, serial killers aren’t exactly known for their honesty.
Their notoriety stems from their uncanny prowess in the art of lies and manipulation.
Agreeing to his plan might mean walking right into the gaping maw of a hungry beast.
But my intuition says he’s telling the truth.
“Is my safety guaranteed? Meaning, if someone learns my identity, will you permit them to kill me? Better yet, let’s make agents off-limits entirely.”
Jim shakes his head. “We both know I can’t give you the latter, but you will be safe as long as you play by the rules and listen to your handler.”
My handler. Since Maverick chose to push me off on someone else, I wonder who that will be. And I wonder if the devil I know might be better than the devil I don’t know.
Beneath the blanket, my left foot begins to tingle. I’m sitting with my legs crossed beneath me, tailor fashion, and the limb has fallen asleep. I straighten my legs while keeping the blanket over my chest.
Buzz . . . buzz . . . buzz, buzz, buzz .
Even if Jim doesn’t hear the toy currently assaulting my poor labia, he has to feel it. I feel it in my fucking teeth. My thighs must have put enough pressure on the button to turn on the toy, and now I’m being forced to masturbate against my will.
Jim’s eyebrows pull together, and he looks around. “Do you have phone signal in here? The ship has no Wi-Fi, so I don’t know how you’re receiving a call right now. I’m afraid you’ll have to hand over your phone and anything that’s giving you a signal.”
I wish it was my fucking phone. I’d hand over everything, including my gun and badge, if it would just end this embarrassing moment birthed from the womb of my most vivid nightmares.
Clearing my throat, I attempt to shut off the toy by moving my thighs again, but that only changes the pattern.
Instead of morse code, the fucking thing is bellowing a low, steady bass note.
It’s unmistakable now.
Jim’s cheeks blaze red, and he stands from the bed. “It appears I’ve intruded on a private moment. My apologies. If you don’t have any more questions, I’ll let you...get back to it.”
“No, wait,” I say through clenched teeth. I can’t help it. I’m about three seconds from crying out in ecstasy as Jim looks on, mortified. Same, buddy.
I cram my hand into my shorts and search for the button, much to Jim’s ever-increasing discomfort. And mine. From his angle, it probably looks like I’m trying to finish the job while he’s standing there. My nervous whimpers must sound like restrained passion to his reddening ears.
After torturous seconds that seem to stretch into years, I finally disarm the device and remove it from my shorts, though I keep the damned thing beneath the blanket. It’s bad enough that he heard it. He doesn’t need to see it too.
“Will Maverick be my handler?” I keep my voice level, trying to pretend what just happened didn’t actually happen. Fuck diamonds. Denial is a girl’s best friend. “We don’t exactly mesh well, but I’m at least familiar with him.”
Jim sighs, but he won’t look me in the eye now.
That’s probably best. “Maverick seems to think you’ll do better with someone else, but I chose him to be your handler for a reason.
Frankie...not all of the Sinners are good people, but some of them are the best people.
You’d do well to remember that instead of allowing preconceived notions to cloud your perception. ”
He walks away and leaves the room without answering my question. Or unchaining me from the fucking bed.
“Wait!” I call as the door clicks shut. “I really need to pee! Please!”
Seconds later, the door opens again, and Maverick comes around the corner. Much like Jim, he won’t look me in the eye. He stares at the carpet and says, “Do you need more time to...”
“No! I don’t need any time for that. I wasn’t—” I close my mouth and take a deep breath. “Whatever Jim said, he was mistaken.”
Maverick lets out a deep sigh, then nods. “Jim asked me to give this another shot. He’s been good to me and my friends, so I’m doing this as a favor to him, just so we’re clear. If it were up to me, I’d have handed you off, but he didn’t feel you’d be safe with anyone else.”
“Well, at least we’re both in this for our own ulterior motives. You want to be a good friend, and I want to take down the white whale.”
“So, he’s agreed to give himself up at the end if you agree to play nice?”
“In so many words, yes.”
He shakes his head and looks at the floor. “I told him you’d have your own conditions.”
I rattle the handcuff. “Any chance you could set me free so that I can dress? This conversation would be a lot better with eye contact.”
“Why? So you can profile me some more?” He stands and fishes the key from his pocket, then tosses it into my lap.
“Enough with the sad-sack routine. I agreed to play nice, and I will. My part of the bargain will be upheld without reproach.” I free my wrist, then rush for the bathroom while gripping the blanket around my naked torso.
Before I pop behind the door, I lean around the corner and look Maverick in the face.
“I’m going to shower and dress. Meet me in the atrium bar. We have so much to talk about.”