Bonus #7: Less Than an Eternity

TRIGGER WARNING: CONSENT.

The pounding in my head trembles my vision.

Christ, I am never drinking again.

My struggle to change my position and take advantage of the day is met with a familiar stiffness; only the rattling sounds binding me send my eyes wide open.

 An unfamiliar room, brightly lit with top wall windows that ensure I cannot see outside, but enough light enters that I can see thousands upon thousands of pictures of me lining the walls.

Hah... what the hell?

Panic sets in low in my belly as struggle finds my limbs.

I do not wish to scream; who knows what I will alert, but the rattling of the cuffs binding my hands and feet to the bed must have awoken something because movement sounds from the other side, beyond the dark staired hallway.

It would have been easy to sit upright had it only been my hands bound, but both my hands and feet were chained to the bed, holding me indecently in place and...

My clothes are different.

"You are up? Good, I brought you some food."

"Marko?"

He doesn't say anything...then again, I haven’t really asked a question.

"What the hell is this?"

Again nothing; he merely sets a tray of apple slices beside the bed before sitting next to me and placing his hand on my forehead as if he were checking my temperature.

"Should I give you some painkillers? How do you feel?"

"Like I am seconds away from calling the police."

He smiles at my retort.

"With what phone?"

"Marko...you are scaring me."

“That’s not true.”

He utters softly.

“Your body is still relaxed. You aren’t fighting your chains anymore.”

“That’s because I thought I have been kidnapped by a crazed fan, I guess…I feel that  I can reason with you.”

A lie: but it flows so easily.

"How many times was I to ask you to give me a chance?"

"Mark-"

"You avoided me. Over and over when I wanted to explain myself."

"Then explain yourself now."

I utter, hoping this ends before it turns into a homicide.

"I have an eye fetish. I confessed this to my ex-fiancée, and she...confessed that she wanted to dominate me. Our personalities did not match, so we broke it off."

"She said your relationship is complicated."

Why am I encouraging this instead of lying that I understand to get him to lower his guard?

"Well, it is. We met at an institution when we were children. She and I have always had difficulties understanding empathy...so our parents planned our engagement ages ago."

"Okay...I understand now."

"You do?"

Like hell I do.

There are pictures of me all over his wall, some of which...are of me lounging around my house; oh God, was he stalking me?

"Of course I do,"

I utter.

"Unchain me; I’m starting to think I could use the painkillers.

His gaze turns to the fruit plate he brought with him before he once again meets my eyes and settles beside me on the bed.

"I did say I have an I fetish, didn’t I? "

Is he looking for reassurance?

Christ...

"That's okay; we all have our kinks."

"Hmm...is it? I have an eye fetish, meaning if something fascinates me, I take my time to study it until I can read it like a book because, again, Alba, I have dickens of a time trying to understand how people feel, so I tend to look beyond them.”

His hand lifts to my eyes; I cannot help but flinch despite his slowness in the movement.

He wouldn't gouge them, would he?

He strokes the skin beneath my left eye gently before a small smile that does not reach his eyes corrupts his lips.

"Your eyes show fear, curiosity, contempt, disgust and, my favourite, lust."

I close my eyes forcefully, turning away from him.

"Don't do that, don't escape me. How long do you think I've been studying you for?"

When I don’t answer, he continues.

"Since the day I walked into the set. I know what flooded you when your character was bound to the wall on her first day in Ketria. I was satisfied with just eating you up during the s*x scenes, hell I thought things got dicey when you peeped at me through the trailer…but I couldn’t resist the pure look of stunned curiosity and lust shining through your eyes, so I showed you more. How did you think I knew it was okay to touch you in the trailer, no...to f*ck you in your trailer? Your eyes tell me everything."

"Go to hell."

"Hmmm....so you need more time. That's all right. I did some...well, I did a lot of research on you, Alba. You moved from another country, and your last contact with your so-called parents was you sending them fifty thousand with an empowering note, 'I am done being your cash cow. You can die for all I care; I'm done with you people.' So, I highly doubt anyone near and dear will be missing you anytime soon."

F*ck.

"Plus, you haven't started another project yet, so I guess that leaves us with a little less than an eternity together. But it will do."

"Marko!"

I call when his weight leaves the mattress.

My eyes fly open from my earlier resistance, but all I see is his back leaving.

"Marko, wait...please."

"I'll be back soon, no tears. I'm just clearing some loose ends."

"Marko!"

"I look forward to our time together."

The sound of a door closing echoes as dread clenches around my gut.

"Holy hell.... f*ck... he is crazy. He is actually crazy! "

My arms struggle against the chain before a curse leaves me.

Sh*t.

Sh*t

Sh*t…I should never have gone to his trailer.

                                                    <End of Bound to My Wicked Stepbrother bonus>