6-REAGAN
“Hello, Hello! Daisy?”
“Yes,” I said, arms still restrained and my vision still empty.
“For safety purposes, can I get your safe word?”
“It’s wildflower.”
“Perfect! Let's get your day started.” My assistant removed my mask gingerly.
The familiarity of the men’s hands was on me. I could see and help myself as I was guided out of the vehicle. My canvas shoes planted themselves on the asphalt in front of a log building.
The thick, green trees surrounded us as the Aspen leaves danced in the light breeze. Pine and fir sap filled my nose, along with the fresh scent of dirt and mountain air.
I followed alongside the woman as she escorted me to the building. She donned a white button-down and black slacks. A badge clipped to her breast pocket, and her brown hair hung in a neat bob. “I’m Annie. I’ll be your assistant for the entirety of your experience. How are you doing today?”
“I’m good. Nervous. But I expected to be.”
The door to the lodge opens up to a room encasing us in warm wood tones.
White sheer curtains hung from the ceiling to the floor, creating the illusion of sections or rooms for hair and makeup stylists.
Keeping them away from the lounge area and the long table sprinkled with champagne glasses and a few snacks.
Annie led me to room number one and pushed a series of numbers, unlocking the door. “This will be your room. You’re our first arrival today, so take your time.”
The door quietly closed behind us, and my shoulders relaxed inside the small room. “If you would like to change into your robe and slippers, we could handle your wellness check with our physician and get that out of the way.”
I nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
“Let me give you the basics real fast.” Her hand motioned to the corner behind me.
“Set your clothes into this basket, and we will wash them before you go home. You do have some snacks and a chair if you want to hide out here to relieve some nerves.” Her hand continued circling the room, landing on a folder next.
“We have your contracts and everything you have been given and signed before you arrived if you need to go over any of that. And here,” She stepped up to a shoe box and velvet bag, opening the cinched top. “We have designed a perfume for you.”
The deep red—almost black—ornate bottle tapered toward the bottom. A hand-stamped leather tag read:
Daisy | #4. I took a quick sniff as Annie held it to my nose, catching hints of cherry, jasmine, and wood tones.
“Smells good, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “I love that.”
She placed the bottle on top of the velvet, drawstring pouch, and lifted the shoe box. A pair of blush, pointed-toe, sling-back flats nestled in the tissue paper. The suede material was almost absent against my fingers.
Annie didn’t say anything. She just smiled like she knew me, and curating all of this for me. As the shoes disappeared back into the box, she redirected my attention. “Now for the dress.”
I followed her gaze to the back of the door. A thin garment bag hid the final piece.
Gingerly, she dragged the zipper down. The sound of the zip filled the space until she slipped it off the hanger, one side at a time. The dress on the back of the door hung there as if it didn’t weigh anything. It was off-white, short with stacked ruffles, and followed what I would typically wear.
Annie’s fingers collected the bottom of the hem.
“I can’t wait to see you in this. It’s going to look so good.
” She grinned. “But first, a wellness check. So get in your robe and let’s get this night started.
” Her hand found the knob, and she paused.
“The sooner everyone is done, the sooner we can run.”
A smirk pushed through. Excitement fluttered inside me. Annie disappeared back into the commons area.
Removing my simple top and jean shorts, I paused, looking at myself in the mirror with just my underwear on. I wondered for a moment if I was going to excite the masked man. If I would be a thrill to chase after. I inspected my back down to my ankles. I was impressed with myself, but would he?
Would the mood not feel right, and would he leave after sitting bored for hours? Would I leave? My eyes dropped to the basket with my clothes in it. I’m probably just a job for him to complete. I’d at least have to wait until my clothes were dry. Snapping out of my worries, I proceeded.
The white, silky robe slipped up my arms and over my shoulders before I cinched the tie around my waist. The open-toe slipper fit snugly around my foot, and I stepped out, finding Annie among the other staff members.
She approached me smiling. Always smiling. “Alright, let’s get this started.”
The sound of the entry door caught my attention as we walked away.
Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed another runner just arriving.
She looked like she was moments away from spilling her safe word.
Something I was getting more confident I wouldn’t be doing.
Because I was doing this for me. Even if it wasn’t what I expected, I needed to put myself first for once.
?
After a treacherous round of having my hair tugged on and my face beaten with brushes and beauty blenders, it was almost time.
I slipped into my dress with ease. It hugged me softly with a creamy tone, complementing my skin tone.
The bodice was a structured corset with lace-up details that gathered at the center of my chest, my cleavage peaking out of the sweetheart curve.
The sleeves were off-the-shoulder, with a small pouf, like they were trying to capture the last bit of summer, even though we were at the beginning of fall.
The skirt had layered ruffles. Stacked short, flirty, and full of movement above the knee. It was equal parts cottage romance and being enchanted in a thousand-year-old garden.
One by one, the shoes slipped on. I had to adjust the buckle on the strap to ease the pressure on my Achilles tendon, wondering how long it would be before they dug in. I dabbed the perfume in the crease of my arms and behind my ears.
A final look in the full-length mirror, and I smiled at myself. Looking at what the masked man would be seeing. Smiling at what Tate would be jealous of. He was an idiot, and there was no way I would give him a second chance.
A knock rattled the door before Annie slipped in. “Hey.” The latch clasped behind her. “The sun is setting faster than we anticipated, and we need to get things moving.”
“Oh, I’m practically ready anyway.” I slightly lifted my arms in agreement before they settled at my sides.
“You look stunning.” She assured, pacing to the table and opening a small box. Annie pulled out a gold chain with a charm dangling from it. “This is your wristband. It has your tracking device and file. It’s all in case of an emergency.”
She ran over how to use the piece as quickly as possible before ushering me outside. Our alias names were taped to the soffit of the roof, and I found my place under mine.
The woman who had been part of the background during the first part of this experience stood front and center with a clipboard. “Let’s go, ladies! We are losing daylight!”
It didn’t take long for each girl to find their assigned place. I stood in the middle, waiting, while my hands twisted the ruffle easiest to reach.
Annie’s presence pushed up behind me. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I nodded as my head turned to see her.
“Good. Now, they’re going to come out behind you. Make sure you run straight so Smoke can find you. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“I will be within reach at all times tonight. Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” A confident smile crept across my face, and I adjusted my head straight again. “I’m ready.”
“Good. I’m in your corner, Daisy. You got this!”
She stepped back, and the ten female runners waited at the end of the cement slab. Waiting on a cue. A whistle. A gunshot. Something. Anything to let us know it was time to run.
The moments stretched on. Each one feels purposeful. To let our anticipation weigh on us. To let our nerves bundle tighter. One moment, I was standing at the edge of the dirt; the next, I was straining to see. Feet slamming into the ground, distancing myself to make him earn this chase.
My sleeves brushed against my arms. Ruffles rippling against my thighs. And the straps against my Achilles tendon began to bite.
The runner to my left and my right stayed at the same pace as I did. Slowly, we banded together, taking turns to look back. I tried to stay straight, but the other two didn’t seem to mind crossing paths.
With enough distance from where we started, we began to slow down, eyes on the trees behind us.
“How long are they going to make us run?” The one to my right asked.
“I’m not sure,” I panted. “I don’t know where the property line is either.”
The runner to my left was several feet ahead of us, but we were still part of our short conversation.
“Look! I think I see their cabins.” In the distance, the small cabins spaced apart came into view.
She looked back down towards us, her expression changing from content to fear.
“Oh shit!” Without another word, the left runner picked up the pace.
I whipped my head over my shoulder, and men, dressed in black and their identities hidden, fanned through the forest. Three headed our way. Smoke was on my trail, and my feet picked up the pace again.
I tried passing the other two girls, but my legs couldn’t keep up. Dirt slipped into the toe part of my shoe, and the straps on my heels did not help either. The pain was only temporary, I reminded myself and pushed on.
The cabins were getting closer, and I began to think we would have to pass them. My steps began to falter until a startling black mass passed me, reaching for the girl on the left.
A squeal escaped her as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her into him while I ran past the two.
The girl on the right was still ahead. She must have been a regular runner because fire was ripping through my lungs, and I could feel my body slow down.
That was one reason I liked Pilates; it didn’t involve running.
I fought the temptation to look over my shoulder and kept moving. My cheeks burned under the skin against the cooling wind. Cool tones washed over the ground as the sun dipped easily behind the ridge.
The heavy sound of footsteps behind me grew closer and closer. Even with the cabins in reach, I knew this was my time. Everything that wanted me to give them a real chase was slipping into the nature of giving up.
Bare hands gripped my hips, causing me to stumble backward into him.
“You think you can run from me?” His muffled voice was close to my ear, one hand moving up to my neck, pinning me to him. I suddenly feared turning around to face Smoke.