“I am sure those aren’t necessary.” He nodded at Cassius then started up the stairs.
My excitement over being a free agent on some occasions had subsided. I had to get past this confrontation with Cassius. “This’ll be a short walk?”
“Maybe.” He took my hand and set off for the rear of the house, making me wonder how he knew the layout of the place.
Outside the rear door were a few stone steps and pavers. From there we took a gravel-and-sand pathway that led into a thin forest. Moonlight might have been enough, but solar-powered lights at ankle height lit up as we neared them. Small creatures rustled in the undergrowth.
I looked at where the noises came from, and thought I spied some swaying leaves. “There’s nothing dangerous here I imagine?”
His grip on my hand squeezed in. “Oh there’s plenty of dangerous animals out there tonight.”
I laughed. “You?”
He only grunted something I couldn’t make out.
We had passed the last of the small shrubs and soft sand mixed with pebbles crunched and sank underfoot. It leaked into my sandals, as I pivoted to look down the moon-drenched length of this narrow beach. I took them off and dropped them there, to be retrieved when we returned. A full moon floated above the horizon, early but bright.
“Come, dearest Charity, tell me why I misread you so much.”
I swung to observe Cassius and took a small, precautionary step backward.
“Wait. First things first. Here is a cellphone for you. It’s to be used to send us vital data only. If you find any dead girls, caches of bloodied axes, etcetera. Hmm?” He peered from beneath his brow.
Clearly, he was skeptical of his own mission. I took the phone and dropped it into a coat pocket. “He won’t know if I use it?”
“Hide it as best you can. It depends on you, really. Use it out of earshot. It’s set to be silent. It won’t even vibrate if it rings because we won’t be contacting you with it.”
I debated my next words. He wouldn’t harm me. The doctor would have him for breakfast. I was no longer sure who wanted to kill who, or if anyone did at all. The doctor was a sadistic, kinky bastard but a killer? No. It was becoming less and less likely.
Should I lay it all out? It was risky but not that risky.
“Sure. I’ll do that. Now,” I began, “You think you misread me? After what you did in there? You are a lying …” I withheld the insult. “You and the doctor are together in some sort of kinky twosome shit. You dreamed up that other stuff to get me off guard or to scare me.” I folded my arms. It was a defensive posture I fell into, but I couldn’t really stop myself from doing it. “This phone is some sort of trap. Convince me otherwise.” I pursed my mouth.
He caned me, was the thought I couldn’t fend off. Minutes ago he had, and punishment fed into my kinks like nothing else ever did. The ache in my ass was happily reminding me of this.
Shut up, brain.I held my breath.
“Okay.” He stared off to the side, past the beach and out to sea, perhaps. “Okay. You want the truth little sad, abused Charity? I called you a slut, didn’t I?”
I nodded.
“You, the no-panties girl with girl come still sticky on her thighs, is trying to tell me you hated what he did to you?”
“Oh! I never said… For a man who joined in and caned me—”
He grabbed my throat with one hand and squeezed. “Shush. You enjoyed it. You like this. And I don’t care if your past is real. I thought you needed protecting! You liked him spanking you and sticking his cock in you.”
At the distant, pushed-away corners of my mind, something terrible stirred and awakened.
He shook me then brought his other hand up to touch my mouth.
“You were so wet for him, and here, like some fucking jerk-off doll fantasy, with your cute mouth opening wide, and your tongue licking him.” He’d ground the last syllables out like he planned to turn them to bloody dust.
Shocked, I’d barely done anything. I plucked at his hands. He batted mine away, but when I coughed, he eased up and lessened the pressure.
My snakelike mind terrors wormed about, waiting. I dreaded what this would do to me. Cassius was supposed to be the safe one.
“The truth? You agreed to this CNC with him, and I can see the signs of a sub who is begging to be fucked with cock or whatever, every which way.” He adjusted his hand again, fingers tiptoeing about.