Resting Grinch Face
TW: Involuntary confinement, themes of control and manipulation.
CLAIRE
When I planned the Christmas Eve dinner, the last person I thought of inviting was my boss, Nathaniel Harrington.
To make matters worse, he’s also the only person who bothered to show up, so I’m stuck with him.
Truth be told, I don’t remember writing his name on an invitation or sending a generic one to him either, so I have no idea how he found out about the dinner party.
“Nice place,” Nathaniel suddenly announces, catching me off guard. We’ve been sitting at the table in complete silence for almost an hour and now he wants to talk?
I look up from my half-eaten plate and try to understand if he’s being serious. I don’t catch on any sarcasm lacing his words and almost believe he’s being genuine. That is, until he opens his mouth again. “It’s almost as big as the house I got built for my dog. Cute, really.”
Is he calling me a bitch?
“The dinner was lovely, Claire, you’re truly an amazing cook,” he suddenly adds, switching the topic of the conversation so suddenly, I almost get a whiplash.
I don’t want compliments from this man. Heck, I don’t want him in my house either.
It’s a twisted, cruel and very unfair joke that fate is playing on me right now.
“Thank you, sir,” I answer and force a smile. “I’m glad you could find time to come,” I lie to his face.
Nathaniel smirks at me, looking like he knows something I don’t and sets his fork on the table. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything. It’s a pity, though… that your friends and family decided to miss out on the meal.”
Why does it sound like his words have a double meaning? The tone alone makes it sound like he’s implying way more than he’s saying, but I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what it is.
Arching an eyebrow, I wonder if it’s worth it to question him and decide to drop it.
The sooner this “jolly dinner” ends, the sooner he’s out of my house and can become someone else’s problem.
Standing from my seat, I start cleaning the table, mainly to give him a hint that it’s about time he leaves. “Well, it was wonderful to have you here. Merry Christmas, boss.” I mutter without looking at him.
Nathaniel chuckles but doesn’t make a move to stand from his seat. “Please, call me Nate, we’re practically family now.”
The words catch me off guard. My head snaps up and eyes focus on the smirking bastard still sitting at my dining table.
“Excuse me, what?” I mutter, unsure if he really said that nonsense or if my mind is playing tricks on me now.
My eyes don’t leave him for a second as Nathaniel stands up and fixes his jacket, then slowly walks around the table to approach me.
Is it my imagination, or does this guy move like a predator? I swear, there’s something very unsettling about him, so much so that goosebumps cover my skin and a cold shiver travels down my spine.
“Tsk-tsk, Claire,” he mutters and stops right in front of me, shaking his head like my confusion amuses him. “You’re a grown woman and still so naive. Did I stutter when I speak?”
My eyes widen while he’s looking down at me with a satisfied look on his face. I know the look—the one he has every time when he gets exactly what he wants.
I can’t help but wonder what he’s getting in this situation? A free meal? No, can’t be—he has more zeros in his bank account than most people featured in finance magazines, he’s definitely the last person in need of a free meal.
“Still don’t get it?” Nathaniel’s whispered words startle me, he’s suddenly so close to me that his lips brush the shell of my ear.
When did he lean in so close, again? How did I miss it?
“You’ve always been quick to catch on hints, Claire, come on, scratch that big, beautiful brain of yours. I have faith in you, you’ll figure this out.” He adds and it truly gets on my nerves how cheerful he sounds while he speaks.
Out of sheer need to create some distance between us, I take a few steps back and keep my eyes locked on him, so he doesn’t do something stupid. “I think it’s best if you leave. It’s getting late and I’m tired.”
The smile on his face grows so wide, it looks like it could split his face in half. “Oh, Claire, you silly girl,” he says and stalks closer, sounding almost like he’s pitying me for some reason. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay.”
“W—what?” I stutter and back away until my back hits the wall and for once, I wish I could be invisible.
Nathaniel keeps walking until he stands right in front of me, places his hands on the wall and cages me in.
The smile on his lips doesn’t falter as he leans in and whispers, “I’m not going anywhere, Claire. You’ve worked for me long enough to know how much I hate having to repeat myself so don’t make me do it again.”
Another cold shiver runs down my spine as pure dread washes over me. He can’t be serious, can he?
“So? Are you showing me our bedroom willingly or do you need a little encouragement from me, hmm?”
Is it possible for a person to die and leave their body while the body is technically still alive? No? Well, I think that just happened to me.
There’s no way my arrogant billionaire boss is claiming he’s staying in my home, let alone in my bedroom.
As my thoughts start to spiral, Nathaniel’s touch instantly pulls me back to reality. I’m both grateful and deeply disturbed by that at the same time.
“You can’t stay,” I blurt out before I can stop and think about the possible consequences. “I was kind enough to host a dinner but that’s where my kindness stops. I never offered anyone to stay the night.”
Nathaniel looks at me for a moment, then throws back his head and laughs loudly.
I watch him have the laugh of his life for longer than I should, until he manages to calm down and looks at me again, shaking his head.
“Naive, so truly naive of you, Claire. You see, I never asked for your permission. I told you I’m staying and that’s final. As for the dinner,” he mutters and leans way too close to me again, “I was never invited in the first place.”
I knew it! I knew I wasn’t going crazy and really didn’t invite him.
As he pulls away from me, but still remains too close, I manage to find my voice again.
“You need to leave. Now. I’m not playing. If you don’t leave my house, I’m calling the police,” I try to sound stern so my threats carry some weight, but even that only amuses him.
“What? You don’t want to see your Christmas present? If you call the police on me, I can’t give it to you.” Nathaniel says and doesn’t even bother to hide the mocking tone he’s using.
“I don’t care about the presents,” I hiss to his face.
Before I can say another word, one of his hands wraps around my throat.
“And I didn’t ask if you care or not, Claire,” he growls, face twisting into an ugly scowl. “I told you I got you a present and you’re going to enjoy the hell out of it. Got it?”
His grip around my throat isn’t suffocating, but it’s enough for me to know that if I make one wrong move he could kill me on the spot.
So, to save my life, I nod as much as I can, agreeing with the mad man to win some time.
“That’s better,” Nathaniel beams and pulls his hand away from my throat. “Give me a moment, I’ll go get your present. Stay here.” He mutters, then reaches out to grab a fistful of my hair and pulls on it painfully before he hisses, “be a good girl, okay?”
I nod again, hoping against hope he could leave the house and if he does, I can lock the door behind him to keep him out.
That’d give me plenty of time to call the cops and get him escorted off my property.
I’m ready to bolt to the door the moment I see him step out, but to my surprise, the maniac doesn’t head for the front door. Instead, he’s walking upstairs…
“You still have a chance,” I whisper to myself and rush to grab my phone from the kitchen as soon as he disappears upstairs.
Now, the only problem is that my phone isn’t where I left it.
I look around for it frantically, but since I’m running out of time, I decide to use the house phone instead.
Grabbing the device, I quickly dial 911 only to learn with absolute horror that the lines are down.
As I try again, I’m startled by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind me.
I drop the phone and spin on my heel. Nathaniel is leaning against the doorframe, glaring at me like I just committed an unforgivable crime.
He steps into the kitchen slowly, holding a wrapped gift in one hand and a phone in the other. “Looking for this?” He asks and waves the phone around a little.
It’s not any other regular phone—it’s mine. How... When did he manage to snatch it?
“Didn’t I tell you to be a good girl, Claire?” He asks and takes another step closer. Nathaniel’s nostrils flare in anger and for that one second, I wonder if listening would’ve been the right thing to do.
No, that can’t be right. This is my home and under my roof, my rules matter. He has no right to waltz into my home and demand I obey him the same way I’m supposed to at work. Here, he is my guest, not my boss.
Just as I’m about to remind him that he’s only a guest in my house, the asshole steps even closer to me and keeps talking.
“The lines are down, sweetheart. I made sure of it. I also might have left a generous, let’s call it a ‘tip’ for our hard-working law enforcement officers to ensure they don’t ruin our special evening together.
Now, if you’re over your hissy fit, I’d like to present my gift to you. ”
Okay, from my experience working with Nathaniel, I’ve learned long ago that he isn’t the most pleasant person to be around, but this… This is downright insanity.
There’s no way he paid off the cops just to ensure they don’t come to save me from him, right? While he’s fully able to afford something so crazy, I don’t think he actually would.
But what if?
“Ah, there it is, finally—the spark of realization. You’re coming around finally, good girl,” he grins and thrusts the wrapped up box in my hands. “Here, I picked this for you. Honestly, I think you should feel very honored, I’m not one to give gifts usually.”
I grab the box on instinct, but don’t rush to open it until Nathaniel barks at me, “open it, damn it!”
With shaky hands, I rip the paper off the box and slowly open it. No, he has to be fucking kidding me now. He was calling me a bitch earlier, otherwise, why would he ‘gift’ me a goddamn collar?
I look up from the box and the moment I see the wide grin on his lips, I start wondering if murder would be worth a couple years behind the bars.
Fuck it, I might get slammed with life sentence without parole, but if I manage to rid the world of this self-centered asshole, maybe it would become a better place?
Who knows, I might enter prison as a hero.
“You look like you’re ready to skin me alive,” Nathan comments and chuckles. “That’s so hot.”
“Have you lost your mind?” I choke out, gripping the box so hard the cardboard bends out of shape.
Nathaniel takes the box from me, wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me flush against his body. Apparently fight or flight aren’t the only options when you feel like you’re in danger—freeze exists too and sadly, I’m stuck with it.
“Lost my mind?” He whispers in my ear and hums. “Maybe. Maybe I have. Maybe I’m absolutely insane about you.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he releases and spins me around so suddenly, I forget what I was about to say the moment he wraps the collar around my neck and tightens it.
“Just as I imagined, it looks perfect on you. Now, be a good girl and stop fighting me or you’ll find out just how shocking your little Christmas present can get. ”