Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Shock fills his face, and his gaze widens. “Please, Siân, don’t do this. I know you don’t mean it. I know you love me.” His voice cracks, and the desperate sound causes my chest to tighten.
I shove up from the chair, my movements so quick the chair clatters against the wall, drawing even more attention. I can feel my cheeks heating, and I need to get out of here, not only because others are watching us, but because I know what Taj is going to do, and I can’t handle it. This is for the best for both of us.
I grab my purse and take a step forward. Taj steps in front of me, but I shake my head and put my hands up to stop him from touching me when he reaches for me.
“Stop! Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” My voice raises an octave, and the sound is enough for him to pause, giving me the chance to slip around him.
As soon as I’m out of his grasp, I rush to the door and out into the street. I turn right and start toward the house. Each step I take vibrates through me. I don’t even realize I’m crying until I reach the second block and come to a stop.
My chest is heaving, and my cheeks are wet. I wipe at the wetness with the back of my hand. I feel so weak for crying even though I know it’s inevitable. Taj was my first love and my first sexual partner. He was the first man to love me, and regardless of what happens in my life going forward, I’ll treasure that.
After taking a moment to catch my breath, I walk again. I turn down another street, feeling a little better and no longer crying. It’s when I peer over my shoulder while I’m stopped at the crosswalk that my emotions change drastically.
The fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I don’t even think. I just run, darting across the street without checking for traffic. I look back over my shoulder, my fear mounting when I see the mysterious man, dressed from head to toe in black, following close behind. My stomach tightens, and fear clings to every inch of my body. Disoriented, I pause for a brief second. The wind whips around me, and I’m blinded by my thick locks for a moment.
Where am I? Where is he?
That’s all the time my stalker needs. In an instant, he’s got one hand over my mouth and a steel band of muscle wrapped around my middle. He picks me up like I weigh nothing, his huge frame towering above me while I struggle to break free of his grasp as he walks down the alleyway, my body pressed against his chest. I feel his hard penis against my ass, and as I force air into my lungs, the panic makes it hard to breathe. I catch a whiff of something spicy, cologne maybe? It’s spicy, and deep in my mind, I know I’ve smelled the cologne somewhere? I’m too scared to think about it much longer. My entire body shakes like a leaf in autumn.
Then, as fast as it happens, it’s ending. The masked stalker releases me, and I fall forward, my hands pressing into the cold concrete. Like a newborn calf, I scurry to my feet and stand on shaky legs. I whirl around to escape, only to find nothing but brick walls surrounding me.
Dead end. No, I won’t die here. I didn’t come this far to die in some alleyway.
Forcing myself to stand tall, I twirl back around and find the masked man standing in front of me, his head cocked to the side. There isn’t a single thing about him I could use to tell the cops. He’s covered from head to toe in black, and even his eyes, which glitter with mayhem, seem to be black.
“Look, I don’t know what you want, but—”
He shakes his head and presses a finger to his lips. A shiver rushes down my spine, and every muscle in my body tightens when he takes a step toward me.
“Wait, please… don’t hurt me. Please…” I beg and continue to blab away, doing and saying anything to save myself. “Please… don’t do this. Just… tell me what you want… tell me, and I’ll give it to you. Money? Or….” My throat clogs with unsaid words. I’m afraid to hear what he has to say and even more afraid of what will happen next.
Taking another step forward, merely a foot of space exists between us now, and as tempted as I am to take a step back, I don’t want to give this person the satisfaction of knowing I’m even more afraid of them than I’m letting on.