stockholm syndrome

CHAPTER SIX

He woke me up the next morning and brought me out to the living room before making me sit down on the couch. He had spent the past twenty minutes looking through his desk drawers for an unknown object.

I tried to take my focus off of him, looking over at the television, seeing my reflection on the screen. If I turned my head to the side a little, I could see what appeared to be a small, dark bruise right on my jawline. I was his.

He walked over, placing a small square box on the table before sitting down on the couch across from me. "Hold out your arm." He says as he grabs the box and places it on the arm of the couch. I hesitantly raise my left arm out in front of me before he roughly grabs my wrist, tugging me forward a little in the process.

My attention shifted to the box now in his hand, as he pulled out a gold bracelet. He quickly clips it around my wrist before tightening a small golden screw to secure it.

"What is this, sir?" He lets go of my wrist, letting it fall into my lap. "It's a tracker." He says before pulling out his phone. I began to nervously mess with the golden bangle. It was just big enough to fit around my wrist, but too small to slide off without using the screwdriver.

"You will be wearing this today while we are out, you may not go farther than fifteen feet away from me." He grabs my wrist, messing around with the bracelet a little. "If you get too far, there are small discs on this that are set to shock you until you return to me."

He pulls me closer to him, making it so I was practically sitting on top of him with my knees on either side of his hips. His grip tightens on my wrist and I realize how close we are, our noses just barely touch. "I'm going to test it for a minute so you won't cause a scene in public when it turns on." I felt his breath against my lips as he spoke.

He pressed a button on his phone, causing a hot, scorching pain to spread around my wrist. I bit my lip to hold back a scream before he suddenly placed his lips on mine, successfully cutting off the sounds. He kept a tight grip on my wrist while rubbing circles into my back with his other hand.

A few minutes later the pain ceased and he pulled back, wiping away a tear that I didn't realize had begun to fall. He brings my wrist up to his lips, placing a light kiss on the now bright red skin. "If you just stay by me, we won't have to worry about that. Okay?" I nod before he places a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth.

"Yes, sir."

***

We had been out for a while, visiting a few of his friends before going to a small restaurant to eat. His friends were kind, but a little bit too touchy. I guess I was kinda thankful that he made them back off, who knows what could've happened.

The town we were in wasn't too far from my old campus. I'd be lucky if anyone saw me. Once we left the restaurant, the sun began to set, and the plaza seemed almost vacant. We began to walk back to the car when we passed by a small café. I stopped in my tracks, recognizing the cozy interior instantly.

Looking through the window, I instantly saw the familiar blonde-haired girl waiting tables. Kirstie... I was brought back to reality as the fiery pain began to spread around my wrist. I tried to numb the feeling until it ceased.

I jumped as I felt his hand on my back, the small twinge of hope I had seemed to dissolve into thin air. "Let's go darling, we can't be here all day." He says before guiding me towards the car.

The whole ride home was silent. My focus remained on the passing scenery outside the window. "Something on your mind, doll?" He spoke suddenly, breaking through the silence.

"I-it's just...Why did you take me?" He stayed silent for a few minutes, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "You know why—"

"No, I don't!" I snap, cutting him off. "Do you want money? A reward—" He quickly leaned over and placed his lips on mine. Granted, we were at a red light so he didn't have to worry about crashing his car.

He quickly pulls back, a small smile on his face. "I wanted you." He says, brushing his thumb across my lower lip. He quickly turned away as the light turned green, and we were moving again.

"But why, sir? I know it can't just be because you wanted me. I mean, to be fair, you barely know me." He scoffed, taking the keys out of ignition once we had pulled into the driveway of his house.

"I might not know every little detail about you—" He gently grabs my chin, turning my head to look at him. "But I do know that you're a virgin." It felt as if my heart had stopped. I tried to quickly look away before he turned my head back towards him.

"Don't be difficult, darling. Now tell me, are you a virgin?" His tone was stern, he held my head in place with a strong grip. "Y-yes, sir." I say quietly, worried as to what he was going to do to me.

He hummed in response, his eyes raking over my body before he got out of the car and dragged me into the house. Immediately, he strapped me down to the familiar chair. My heart felt like it was going to beat through my chest. I felt the tears fall as I began to panic.

"P-please, don't hurt me."