What Happens in Vegas... Pt. 01

"Look at her, isn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" a deep voiced asked.

"She'll do nicely, indeed. A great choice on your behalf," another replied.

A pang of discomfort shook my being. Who was that? Relax, I assured myself, this is but a dream. For what else could it be? Countless alarm systems would be wailing had an intruder entered my home. Of course it's a dream. The strange voices could easily be explained. Perhaps I simply left the television on... I have been known to do that.

Though I wanted to believe that it was, indeed, a weird dream, my instincts told me not to awake from it just yet... or not to appear awake for the chance of my captors taking notice. Even in my semi conscious state my body knew that there was an imminent danger.

"Beautiful blonde curls, long legs and ample breasts. Slim and feminine. You certainly could have taken someone much less 'gifted,' as your wife. You were very fortunate to have found her."

My eyes shot open in an instant. I was immediately blinded from the sun beaming through the window left of where I lay. Squinting profusely, I could see the outline of two men standing over me.

"What in the fuck do you mean, your wife?" I snarled to the man closest to myself.

With a chuckle, the older of the two spoke, "A beautiful girl, with a wild temper. I suppose I can hardly blame you for your interest in her. Beauty fades... but that kind of fire will keep your life interesting for years to come. I will let you tend to your wife. Perhaps you should advise her of the dangers of having such a tongue." With that, he moved out of view. His footsteps grew fainter and fainter, until finally the door clanged shut, indicating his departure. The room was silent, except for the relentless hammering in my chest. Surely, he could hear it too.

Immediately, I tried to sit upright, only to realize that both of my wrists were tied tightly to the headboard of the bed. As the direness of my situation began to set in, I began screaming in earnest, praying that nearby neighbours or passerbys would hear my distress and contact the police. My hopes were soon quashed when a pillow was brought down hard against my face.

"Now you'd do well to listen to me, Miss. Screaming is most certainly not going to fly here." the man chided as I struggled to free myself from my bonds. "Now, now. If you keep that up you will injure yourself. That is most certainly enough. I'm going to remove this pillow now, and in turn, you are going to shut your mouth and listen to me."

Listen to him? Is he serious? The bastard has kidnapped me, referred to me his wife, and he thinks that I'm going to remain calm and 'listen to him'? This freak must be delusional! I continued struggling with all of my might. If I'm going to be murdered by this creep, then I should at least have something to show for it, even if only bruised wrists. What is it to him if I injure myself? What does he care?

Quickly he removed the pillow and struck me with an open palm. A sharp sting danced across my cheek and tickled my temple.

"I told you to stop with your nonsense," he said flatly. "Did you hear me that time?"

"Fuck you!" I yelled and began twisting violently back and forth in an yet another attempt to loosen the ropes around my wrists.

"You'll come to regret saying that. But for now, you're to be silent and listen. This truly is your last warning."

Last warning? What in the hell is that supposed to mean? Surely he doesn't plan to kill me already. That would make taking me here and tying me up rather pointless, in my opinion. Then again, what do I know? I don't kidnap people and hold them against their will.

"Or what?" I spat, "You'll kill me?"

"Kill you? My heavens, no. I may be a lot of things, but a murderer is not one of them."

"So where the fuck am I then?" I demanded.

"Mind your language Everly." He shot back at me.

"How do you know my name?" I asked, perplexed.

"I know a lot of things. I understand that you have a great deal of questions, and we will certainly get to that, but not right now." He paused a moment, "Now listen to what I have to say." Taking my silence as surrender, he began speaking once again. "The throbbing in your head should go away soon enough. Last night, we met outside of St. Marriott, the pasta restaurant in Clark. You're still in Las Vegas. I do not expect you to remember much of last night's happenings as you were given a rather large amount of Rohypnol."

"You drugged me? What the fuck is wrong with you, you sick bastard?" I screamed at him.

"My, my. You have the appearance of a lady and the mouth of a whore. It won't be tolerated, my dear. Keep it up and you will have a mighty hard time sitting down in the near future," he scolded.

"Oh really?" I challenged, "Well how about this. You, can kindly, go fuck yourself."

"Bad choice, baby."

With lightning speed he grabbed my ankles and flipped me onto my stomach in a single fluent motion.

"I warned you, did I not? I gave you every opportunity to avoid this. Every opportunity to just shut your mouth. But I suppose I shouldn't have expected better from you. A man can only dream."

I stole a glance at him as he turned away from me. Loosening his tie, he draped it over a chair and laid his blazer down beside it. I heard him fumbling with his pants and realized what was about to happen. Of course, I thought to myself, he plans to rape me. Why else tie me to the bed? Why go through the trouble of drugging me? Had he simply wanted money, there would have been no reason to bring me here. There had been plenty of that in my wallet. My wallet... where was my wallet? Is that how he knew my name?

I heard a whoosh through the air and felt my breath flee my lungs as a burning sensation spread across my ass. Confused, I twisted my head to the side to see what he was doing. Shockingly, his pants were still on, and his shirt remained tucked in. The only change in appearance was the belt that had once been on his pants, was now gripped tightly in his hand, and I was his target.

"Stop!" I shouted. "What are you doing? This is assault!"

"Assault, my dear? Nonsense. This is me disciplining my foul mouthed wife. Perhaps this will teach you to mind your manners and act like a lady. Every time you try to sit down in the days to come you will be reminded of what happens when you speak so disgustingly in my company."

Lash after lash, the onslaught on my delicate skin continued. A method of control as old as time itself, beating those who fight back into submission. Through the yelps and whimpers I focussed solely on what I would have to do to ensure my survival. Fighting won't work. Not with my hands tied above me. Perhaps my compliance will allow him to feel a false sense of trust. The moment he lets his guard down, will be the exact moment I make my escape. Now to survive long enough to see it through.

"Okay," I cried, "I'm sorry. Please stop."

"Stop, you say?" He asked sardonically, striking me with every word. "Yes, Everly, I will stop, if you can shut your mouth long enough for me to get more than three words out of my mouth. Your outbursts are childish and aggravating. If you choose to act like a child, you will be treated as such."

The striking ceased as he slid his belt through the loops of pants. Looking over my shoulder, I realized that I hadn't truly studied him. He stood at what I would assume to be 6'1. Dark curls casted a slight shadow over his forehead. His face showed no sign of aging, at least none that I could find at this distance. Sharp jawlines to high cheekbones. Higher and higher my eyes searched, until I found myself gazing into his. Icy blue eyes met me with a penetrating stare.

Looking away abruptly he began to speak again, "Now, if I'm kind enough to untie your wrists, you are not to move off this bed. Doing so would be... very detrimental to your wellbeing."

I found myself nodding in agreement. Gain his trust, I reminded myself, play nice.

He regarded me carefully, studying my face, searching for truth in my answer. For the first time, I felt him touch me. Slowly and methodically, manipulated the rope until my wrists were free.

I moved slowly, as though he was the wolf and I the prey. Inching my way to a sitting position, I dared not allow my eyes leave his.

He began approaching me as he would a wounded animal. Slowly and quietly, staring into my eyes trying to assess if I was the fight or flight type. When he was directly in front of me he reached cautiously for my hand. Instinctively, I felt the panic rise and began withdrawing from him. My eyes darted from the window to the door, and then back to the window. There was no way I could make it to the door before he could, however, I did have a fighting chance at making it to the window. But, could I run into it hard enough to shatter the glass and fall through? If so, would I survive hitting whatever was below it?

"Calm." He ordered. "Be calm. I just want to see your wrists." I looked down at him as he inspected them one by one, running his thumb over the swollen wounds. "Didn't I tell you not to pull on the restraints? You've injured yourself. While I sincerely doubt that bleeding to death is a plausible threat, infection certainly is."

"What difference does it make if I bleed to death? Or die of infection? What do you care?"

"What do I care? Everly, you are my wife. It's my duty to protect you."

"What are you lunatics talking about? I have no idea who you think I am, but it is most certainly not your wife."

"I know exactly who you are. And you are, in fact, my wife. Now, can I trust you to stay here while I grab some rubbing alcohol and bandages, or do I have to put those ropes back on you?"

"I'll stay here." I said grimly.

"Do not move."

With that he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Who is this man? How does he know me? What does he want from me? And who in the hell is this man's wife? Surely, it is not I. Making use of my newfound solitary, I made for the window. Forgetting the possible effects that the drugs could have had on my body, I stood upright and instantly the room began to spin. The last thing I saw was a blur of sunlight before my skull struck the floor. Instantly, my senses went black.

To be Continued...