Chapter 7

Raymond’s POV

The bathroom was suddenly so choky. Jude stared at me in the mirror. He was in front of me, and his expression was clueless as usual, but tension between us was impossible to control.

Is something amiss here? He had a very relaxing smile, but his tone carried an edginess that accelerated my heartbeat.

I turned around and nearly knocked the towel stand over. "Jude! How, how did you—"

He held up his hand to silence me and slowly smiled. "Relax, Raymond. I'm not going to hurt you. Not now, at least."

The term "yet" weighed on me, felt scary, similar to unwelcome news. I gulped down a drink and rested against the back of the sink, believing it could protect me from him.

I wasn't doing anything bad, I told her, my voice shaking. I had just gone out for a little time.

Jude grinned and stood at the doorway with his arms folded. "Is that what they call going out to dinner and spending some time at a motel with a pretty girl?"

My lips went up and down, like a fish struggling for oxygen. "That wasn't what happened!"

He bent his head slightly and grinned with his black eyes. "Oh? What was it like? Tell me."

I inhaled deeply to calm down. "I was bored, okay? You left me imprisoned inside that flat for days. I just wanted to get outside for a minute. That's all."

I couldn't help but giggle gently, and it had a weird feeling to it. "Fresh air, yeah. And then Sylvia addressed you unexpectedly?"

"No!" I answered fast, turning my head back and forth. "She called me, and we went out to eat. But it wasn't something huge."

He stepped away from the door and proceeded slowly and silently on the tile floor. "She didn't really mean it, did she? Something to stay busy?"

"It didn't happen suddenly!" I exclaimed, my voice trying not to sound desperate. "We had just begun!"

Jude ceased pacing back and forth and regarded me. His look was inexplicable. "You didn't do anything?" he repeated uncertainly. "You expect me to believe you were in a motel room the entire night with her and nothing happened?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, lifting up my hands. "She was inebriated, and I was… I just felt bad about it."

He liked the distraction. He arched an eyebrow and smiled once more. "Didn’t feel good about it? Or couldn’t do it?"

My cheeks burned, and I looked away from him, unable to meet his eye. "I don’t know what you mean."

He drew closer. "Oh, I believe you're aware. Tell me, Raymond, was she all you desired? Did she fill you with vitality? Or did she leave you unfulfilled?"

I gripped the rim of the sink to protect myself from falling. "I don't know what you're talking about," I gasped.

He walked forward and informed her softly. "I think you do."

The room was hot and tight. I could sense his hot breath on my neck, and I shook. I attempted to push him off and get away, but my legs were terribly heavy.

"Why are you doing this?" I managed to whisper.

Jude straightened, his smile returning. "Because you’re mine, Raymond. And I don’t share."

I blinked, and his words hit me with full force. "Yours? What do you mean?"

He chuckled once more and shook his head. "It means you can't go off with a girl and pretend I don't exist."

"Tied to you?" I repeated, my voice rising. "I never agreed to any of this!"

Jude's smile evaporated, and he looked severe. "You have no option, Raymond. You belong to me now."

I stepped away shakily, my pulse pounding in my chest. "You're crazy."

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "But that won't change the fact that you belong to me."

I shook my head and didn't believe him. "I am my own person. I don't belong to anyone else."

His eyes gleamed, and he edged in closer, his palm on my chin. "Repeat it again, Raymond. But you know the truth, deep down inside."

His hold was tight, yet it didn't hurt. It only made me feel an energy rush, and I wished my body hadn't done that.

"Please let me go," I said.

He released me and stood back. "Consider that to be your initial and final warning. Do not get on my nerves again, Raymond."

I nodded, unable to talk, my legs threatening to give up beneath me.

Jude moved to the door and turned around to face me. "Oh, and Raymond?"

I raised my head, and our eyes locked.

"She is not worth it," he said quietly but fiercely. "No human being is."

What in the world had I gotten myself into?

I stood beside the sink, looking at myself in the glass, struggling to obtain a normal breath. I was shaking my hands. Jude was no longer with me, but I could still feel his presence; it was so difficult to understand.

What was that? A dream, perhaps. I was in a blur, trying to recall what had occurred. Perhaps the anxiety was finally catching up to me. Perhaps I had finally lost my mind.

I then heard a knock. I was shocked by the loud knock on the restroom door.

"Raymond?" Sylvia asked sweetly, though still a little bit tipsy. "Are you alright? You've stayed in there for quite a while."

I inhaled carefully to quiet my voice. "Yes, I'm alright. I tripped, and I wanted to assure myself that I was okay."

The door creaked open, and Sylvia gazed in with concern emblazoned on her face. “Did you fall? Are you all right, really?”

I said, trying a smile. "I'm okay. Truly. Just a little awkward, I guess."

But Sylvia did not believe what I told her. She then came in and scrutinized me thoroughly. "Let me look," she answered, running her hands over my arms. "Did you strike your head? Did you cut yourself?"

"No, no," I said immediately, backing away. "I'm alright, Sylvia. I promise."

She held my arm and leaned closer to observe me. "You're shaking," she told me softly. "Raymond, what is going on?"

I studied carefully what to tell her. How could I explain that my boss, who was secretive and preferred to do things his way, was studying me—or possibly looking for me? It sounded absurd.

"It doesn't matter," I finally said. "Just things on my mind."

Sylvia frowned once again, but she didn't probe further. She took a step closer and said gently, “If you need to talk, I’m here. Alright?”

I smiled, happy that she was concerned, but it made me feel even guiltier. "Thank you, Sylvia. That means a lot to me."

She smiled, but not with pleasant eyes. "Let's get out of here," she told me, tugging at my hand. "This little place feels suffocating to me."

I walked her back to the motel room, and the tension stayed. Sylvia settled on the bed's edge. She was silent yet taut. "Well, tell me," she responded, speaking softly but firmly. "What's on your mind?. And don't tell me 'nothing' for a change."

I exhaled and smoothed my fingers over my hair. “It’s… complicated.”

"Why's it complicated?" I asked, leaning in closer. "Work? Family? Secret boyfriend or girlfriend?" I concluded my final phrase with a smile, but my look was searching for answers.

"No, not quite," I said, glancing away. "It's about me."

Sylvia's smile faded, and she stared at him with sorrow. "Raymond, you can tell me anything. You know that, don't you?"

I nodded, and words stuck in my throat. What could I possibly say to Jude? How could I describe the impression of danger that I felt, the way he took over my entire life without even trying? "It's just work stress," I finally said, imploring her to let it go. "My boss is difficult to satisfy."

She arched an eyebrow. “Demanding how? Is he overworking you?”

I was laughing, but it was not sincere. "Something like that."

Sylvia turned towards me and scrutinized me thoroughly. "Is he flirting with you?" she questioned clearly.

My eyes widened, and I shook my head swiftly. "No, no! Not like that."

"What's next?" "Because you're behaving like someone is forcing you to do this."

I hesitated, sensing Jude on my skin even though he was not around. “It’s difficult to describe.”

Sylvia placed her hand on mine. "Try me," she whispered. "I'm concerned about you, Raymond. You don't have to go through this alone."

Her statements excited me but also frightened me. She would be in danger if she knew the truth. I couldn't permit that.

My cell phone, left on the bedside table, began to vibrate. Sylvia looked at it and at me. "You should answer that," she said.

I grinned and took the phone. The screen flashed a name that put me in a good mood: Jude.