Chapter 19 Collette
At six am, my eyes popped open as if programmed to do so.
The lock on the door clicked, and Mr. Rossi was there with a fresh change of clothes.
“Mr. Holdt requests that you shower and meet him in the kitchen as soon as you’re able.” I nodded.
I wasn’t about to give him the same respect that I did Mr. Holdt.
Wait? Respect? I paused and rehashed my thoughts. I was all about disrespecting Mr. Holdt. Where had that idea come from in the first place?
Scrambling to grab the clothes, I realized there was another t-shirt and pair of jeans.
It meant the day would be spent in a leisurely way—food being fed to me from the table, hopefully with the rest of the afternoon curled up on the couch. If previous experience could be relied on.
Semi-cuddling, but completely devoid of any reference to sexualized things.
Had I already managed to lose his interest in that area? Was he no longer concerned with having me be his sexual plaything or did he have another motive?
Calm down, Collette. He wouldn’t have put this butt plug in if he wasn’t planning to fill your ass with his cock.
Was I supposed to be doing something to ensure that I played exactly the role he wanted me to?
I wasn’t a mind reader, so I could only react to what he presented. I had to maintain my due diligence. He had a plan, he wasn’t a man to never have a plan with a back-up plan to his back-up plans.
The shower was one of the few places I felt alone. I wasn’t dumb enough to think that this tech mogul wouldn’t have cameras in all the rooms.
What I was betting on, was the fact that he wouldn’t intrude on someone’s privacy in the restroom or shower.
Just out of the shower’s spray, I reached down and slid a finger over my clit. I clenched my butt cheeks, still unfamiliar with having something in that hole.
The feeling was keeping me wet and ready to have sex.
My finger wasn’t going to cut it this time. I needed to feel full in both places. Glancing around, I tried to find something that I could use.
Nothing in the bathroom stood out except for the detachable shower head.
Turning the water off, I grabbed the slender nozzle and sat on the small corner seat.
The warm metal slid right in, and I sighed.
Much better than my fingers.
Using one hand to rub my clit, I could feel the ease with which the nozzle moved in and out.
So tight and full. This was good, but I tried imagining it was Mr. Holdt’s cock instead.
Instantly, I felt as if I were going to combust. After our session the other night, I’d been ready for more. He’d left me wanting it, and I could think of only one way to do that.
Faster and faster, I rubbed my nub as I started fucking my very turned on pussy. Maybe it was only my imagination, but the butt plug could be felt as the nozzle filled me up.
Turning the knob, I let the water massage the insides until I couldn’t take it any longer, and let out a yell of release.
The nozzle slid out of my hands as I clutched the slick seat. Tremors racked my body, and I wanted the feeling to go on and on.
It had already been too long of a shower, so I hurried to get clean.
I worried if my shout had been heard and if there’d be consequences. Things had been going well, but I didn’t want to be punished instead of this luxurious reward.
When did sunlight, heat, and having a plug shoved in my ass become a reward?
This was such a messed up situation.
While I couldn’t ignore the extras that I’d been given, it could all be taken away in a heartbeat. There was always the option that I could choose to leave. I would simply follow his lead, learning the routine and assessing all of the exit points in the condo. I hadn’t forgotten my original goal was to find Andy’s killer.
As time had gone on and his training continued, I had moved on toward the need for survival.
I wouldn’t be able to find my brother’s killer if I didn’t survive. I had to repeat that to myself several times.
Now that it appeared my needs were being cared for and I had no other worries or stress, my body wasn’t sure what to do. Fight or flight had been ingrained since birth, and I was able to use the down time to come up with several plans to escape.
Unsure if this was going to be a weekly thing, I decided to play things by ear and see what else he had in store for me. Maybe at some point we’d get around to having sex.
Hopefully he was leading up to that.
He had to be, right?
***
The door was unlocked, and I walked out into the main room without any issues.
Mr. Holdt was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper while sipping a cup of coffee.
Evidently, weekends weren’t meant for sleeping in like normal people. Then again, it was becoming blatantly obvious that neither one of us was normal.
“Did you sleep well?”
He smiled as I walked over to take a seat on the cushion next to him.
“I did, thank you.”
Unsure if I should just be quiet or if I could ask questions, I decided to take a chance.
“Are we doing anything special today?”
“Nope.”
He lowered the paper. “Was there something you wanted to do?”
Now that he’d asked the question, I was blank. It wasn’t like I could come out and say, how about we solve my brother’s murder? Could I?
“Um, I have no idea what to ask for since I was thrown in a dark basement for two weeks.”
His laugh rang out as if I had said the most hilarious thing.
“Look, I get that seems a little extreme, but it’s part of how I operate. I’m not a monster. How you feel is extremely important to me.”
While the words might have said he wasn’t a monster, anyone that killed innocent people and held others captive weren’t good in my mind.
“If I wanted to take a walk, what would you say to that?”
I was testing him, but the thought of a walk after all the weeks in the basement sounded fantastic.
“We can manage that with a few restrictions. Exercise is good for the soul.”
He tapped the table thoughtfully, “You weren’t in San Francisco for long before you applied to work with my company. There is quite a bit of our fair city to see.”
One of his staff brought out steaming plates of breakfast and placed them in front of him.
“Eat up, and I’ll give you a few rules.”
Silence passed as I tried to reconcile the image of this Ian Holdt to the evil horrible man that had killed in cold blood.
Eager to get out and take in the outdoors, I ate breakfast with a vengeance. Each bite was accepted without argument.
“Full?”
Mr. Holdt wiped his hands on the napkin in his lap.
“Yes, sir.”
The word slipped out, but I couldn’t be mad at myself, instead, it felt right.
“There are a few things that you must remember. Speak only when spoken to by others. Do not try to run or make contact with someone as it will mean an instant return to the basement and you’ve made such wonderful progress.”
He frowned and looked stern.
“This is a special treat. If you behave, there may be outings like this in the future. Do you understand?”
I nodded, but then realized I did have a question.
“Am I allowed to speak to you in public?”
It might have seemed stupid, but I wasn’t sure how that worked when we were around other people.
“Yes, and you’ll sit at a table to eat. I’ll order you food and still expect you to eat everything I give you. You need to have certain nutrients to make sure that you’re healthy.”
A snicker popped out, and I clapped a hand over my mouth in surprise.
“You don’t agree?”
He turned in the chair to face me.
“Not exactly. How does putting me in the dark for two weeks count as healthy?”
“That part is unavoidable. You’re given foods that contain high amounts of vitamin D to offset any effects.”
He paused. A war waged on his features, and I couldn’t decide if I’d overstepped or not.
“Collette, you are the most difficult assistant that I’ve had to date. All the others before you were only in the basement with no light for about three days. You are very unusual. I hope you are worth the effort I’m putting into you. Only time will tell.”
He tilted his head as if unsure of the verdict.
My heart leapt at his words. I fought hard to stomp down the laugh and joy I wanted to express. I was causing him more trouble than others. He liked me enough to put in the effort.
Whew! That was a huge relief, or it had been until the thought of him getting frustrated and disposing of me crossed my mind.
I frowned but rose when he did.
“Go use the restroom. You may take the butt plug out, but reinsert it when you’re done,”
he warned. “There’s lube on your counter, and I will be checking to make sure that you’ve done as asked.”
Wrinkling my nose up at the order, I walked to the room I was already starting to think of as mine and did as he said.
At least if I did it, he wouldn’t be touching me. I got so turned on when he did the littlest things. It had to stop if I was going to finish my mission.
***
Even from the limo, I watched the scenery and really took it in. Driving around during the month I’d been here after Andy’s death, I’d seen San Francisco, but hadn’t taken it in. I was narrowed minded and goal focused during that time.
Mr. Holdt pointed out things of interest until we arrived at Golden Gate park.
Rossi opened the door for me, and I joined Mr. Holdt.
He held out his hand and with only a second of hesitation, I took it. It wouldn’t hurt to play the part of girlfriend if that’s what he wanted.
There were families, joggers, and all sorts of people out in the park. It made the fact that we weren’t in the same category all the more apparent.
What was I thinking? Nothing about this was normal. I’d signed away my rights to this man in what was becoming a horrible attempt to right a wrong.
“The construction of the bridge began on January fifth, nineteen thirty-three.”
Mr. Holdt started explaining all of the finer details of the bridge’s attributes.
His voice made me wish that this was real. Some part of me longed to have a real relationship where we could take a walk and find things that interested us.
It appeared that he was going to give me the tour, but I just wanted to soak up the sun.
Rossi walked behind us at a discrete distance and kept an eye out for any threats that might jump out at us.
Even with all of the pacing that I’d done in the basement, my body wasn’t used to exercising anymore. Mr. Holdt noticed and had slowed his pace to match mine.
A market or festival of some kind with booths was in front of us, bustling with people. One day when this was over, I would be able to shop in places like this without worrying about money or how much something cost.
“Would you like to walk through?”
Mr. Holdt asked.
Astonishment crossed my face.
“Yes, please.”
It became apparent that Mr. Holdt had no issues spending money. Anything I had the slightest interest in, he would pay for.
By the time we’d moseyed through the booths, we both had quite an armful of things.
Most of it was clothing or shoes that would look great with my complexion. A scarf or some accessory that I could wear when I started working again.
My stomach growled, and I was surprised he’d heard it in the crowded space.
“Lunch time,”
he declared, dragging me over to one of the food vender’s booths.
Ravenous and thrilled to be feeding myself, I devoured everything he put in front of me.
“That wasn’t very ladylike.”
A burp came out, and I giggled.
“You’re excused.”
His bow was greatly exaggerated. “Ready to head back?”
“Yes.”
Surprisingly, I was ready to go back and relax. The chance to stretch my legs had been amazing.
“Thank you for everything.”
Impulsively, I leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. Embarrassed at my action, I faced the window until we arrived at the condo.
All of the things we’d bought were magically in my room by the time I arrived.
Mr. Holdt followed me to the doorway.
“I’ll be on the couch if you’d like to join me.”
He disappeared, and I sank to the bed in shock.
Overwhelmed by all of the nice gestures, I sat there trying to decide how a man that showed so much consideration could murder someone in cold blood?
***
Sunday afternoon after a quiet nap on the couch, Mr. Rossi arrived.
“Your car is ready, sir.”
He stood simply to one side. As if reminding me that escape wasn’t possible.
I was torn between wanting to find my brother’s killer and basking in a very relaxing weekend. While I didn’t appreciate the manner in which it had come about, it was the first time I had truly completely relaxed in several years.
Normally, I was rushing from project to project, doing homework and working. The only downtime I allowed myself was a few short hours on weekends to catch up on a TV show here and there.
I had never actually taken a vacation or felt comfortable enough when in foster care to not be on the alert or let my guard down.
How could I consider letting my guard down when this man was a killer?
Andy. I couldn’t forget my goal. I couldn’t become so comfortable that I let him win.
The guilt built up inside of me reared its ugly head when there were moments that I didn’t think hard enough to snoop or leave. I needed answers, but now I wondered if Andy’s death was the only question.
I sighed.
At the same time, this was the first moment I could remember when I hadn’t felt the need to go, go, go.
How had he managed to slip past my guard? He made me feel safe and relaxed while torturing me at the same time?
Escorted back into the basement, the lights were left on until ten pm that night.
Shrouded in complete darkness once again, no words came over the intercom to comfort me. The need to have a release was diminished because I was so sad he hadn’t touched me, but at the same time, I was truly happy.
I was unsure if that was a good thing or not. I had never been this happy before. It was an emotion that I couldn’t place.
I drifted off, not caring to think about it anymore. Tomorrow was time enough to worry about those details.