There were photos of my mundane daily tasks, such as going to the gym and to the grocery store or having coffee at my favorite coffee shop. At least I didn’t see any that had been taken inside my apartment, which meant that Jon hadn’t violated my private moments.
That was some perverted comfort in that.
There were a few from the night at the restaurant with Gavril, of me getting out of the car and accepting his arm before we walked in. Was that when Jon realized what was going on?
“What do you think?” Jon asked as he came to stand beside me. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Yet another reason to believe that Jon was unhinged. He thought following someone around and snapping photos of her without her consent was beautiful. Glancing at him, I saw the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the bulge in his khakis. He was turned on by this.
What was his plan going to be this time?
Could I play on what I was seeing and get out of here? An idea started to form in my head. If Jon was turned on by this fantasy of having me here, then I might be able to make this work in my favor and still get out of this place alive.
I could save myself.
I would have to tread very cautiously. Jon might be crazy, but he wasn’t stupid. He could smell bullshit a mile away.
Which meant I had to make whatever I was going to do believable to the point where he would let his guard down.
“Jon,” I started out, swallowing any nervousness. If I wanted him to believe that I was all about this, I couldn’t give him any indication that I was trying to trick him.
Jon turned to me and I gave him a tentative smile, being the meek woman that he always preferred me to be. He had never wanted me to speak up in the later days of our relationship, wanting to be the “man” in the relationship and for me to keep my opinions to myself.
“What is it, Naomi?”
I lifted my hands just a little bit, the plastic biting into my wrists as I did so. “Can you get rid of these now?”
His eyes flickered to the zip tie. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
I pouted just a little bit, enough to capture his attention fully and dropped my voice down a notch to what I hoped sounded simultaneously sexy and demure.
“I promise I will be good. I just want to thank you properly, and I can’t do so with my hands like this.”
The interest in his eyes was nearly instantaneous, and I tried not to cringe as they raked down my body, taking in my new curves. “Thank me?”
I nodded before I could lose my nerve. “Yes. Thank you. You saved me, Jon. You saved me from that monster.” Jon’s ego was as big as this studio, and I was well aware of the fact that he wanted to be thought of as a savior. If I could play to that, I might get the upper hand.
Jon’s eyes settled on mine, and I saw the storm brewing behind them at what he should do. The sight of that gave me the hope I needed to continue with my plan.
“Please?” I begged, lowering my gaze and trying to look submissive. “I want to feel safe again.”
That was the straw that broke him and he moved swiftly, cutting away the zip ties a moment later. I sucked in a breath as I felt the blood rush through my wrists, bringing them slowly to the front of my body and not giving him any indication that I was anything but grateful at this moment. “Thank you,” I murmured as he came to stand before me.
His hand found my chin and he lifted my gaze to meet his, now burning with intensity at what he thought was going to happen. “You wanted to thank me, beautiful?” he murmured, licking his lips.
I flushed, more from rage than anything, and nodded. “Of course.”
Jon’s eyes grew darker and he let go of my chin, reaching for his belt buckle. “I want that pretty little mouth sucking on my cock. I want a proper gesture of your gratitude.”
Reaching out, I stopped him from going any further and gave him a coy smile, my hand resting on his waistband. “Let me.”
He chuckled and released his pants, giving me the opportunity I was looking for. As my hand drifted down his front, I inwardly cringed at pulling down his zipper, knowing what was going to await me. This was my only way out of here, but it was not going to be done without some desperation.
Not only that, but I felt like I was doing something wrong. After spending months with one man, I was cheating on him by touching another. Gavril would understand, I reassured myself. He would forgive me for doing what was necessary to save myself.
I wanted nothing to do with Jon ever again, but if I didn’t get away now, I might not have another chance. I didn’t know what he had planned for me, but it wasn’t going to be good.
And this was the start of my chance.