Mr. Good Bad Guy

42 - Almost Had Him

I don't know how long it was before Ezra finally let me out of the basement. I tried to eat when it was time, but I couldn't stomach anything. I thought maybe it was because I was still scared, but there was nothing to really be afraid of. Not even Damien. Even though I knew who he really was, I didn't shy away from him. He'd try his best to stay with me for a few minutes, telling me about what Ezra was up to. I listened.

By the time I was free to leave the basement, I knew every woman in the cells. I knew their backstories and why they refused to leave their husbands. A few of them had no support from others, but the majority of them were afraid they'd struggle to live on their own, because their husbands were the breadwinners. The night I returned back to my room, everyone had mysteriously passed out cold.

"Isn't it nice to sleep in a bed once again?" Ezra asked, a smirk on his face as he closed the door behind him. "Did you miss me?"

I didn't respond. I knew better than to answer him. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that he wasn't there. That I was somewhere else. Anywhere else but here.

"Hey, don't give me the cold shoulder. Would you rather I beat you? Is that what you like? You have some weird kink?"

I sighed, knowing better than to respond. "It's not like that," I said, staring at the ceiling. "You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand perfectly well," he snorted. "You spent so much time with those women, you think you're one of them? I knew you were weak, but not that weak. You're just as pathetic as them."

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out his words. But they lingered in my mind, like a bad taste that I couldn't quite get rid of. I wished I could forget everything I knew, go back to being the person I used to be. But I knew that was impossible now. He'd completely lost my trust.

"You're not so special anymore," he taunted. "You're just another woman. Another one of my toys."

I wanted to hit him, to make him stop. But I couldn't move. I couldn't even speak. So I lay there in silence, listening to the sound of my own breathing, feeling the weight of his words pressing down on me like a thousand tons of lead.

"Say something," he growled, leaning in closer. "I didn't bring you back up here for you to just lay there like a corpse. You're supposed to entertain me."

I opened my eyes and stared at him. "What do you want me to say?"

Ezra smiled, a chilling sight on his usually cruel face. "Anything," he whispered. "Just say anything."

"Okay...I want to go back to my old life. I want to see my friends again. I want to love again. I want to get those women back into the real world. They don't deserve what you're doing to them. I don't deserve what you're doing to me. Yes, it's nice being in a secluded place like this, but when will your tantrum end? I wanted to be with you, but you played with my feelings. You wasted two months of my life just to tell me you valued work over a romantic relationship. I want to leave. I want out. I want my life back. And I'm willing to do anything to get it." I looked at him defiantly, my eyes narrowed and my jaw clenched. There was a flicker of uncertainty in his gaze, but it was quickly replaced by his usual arrogant smirk.

"Is that so?" Ezra leaned away, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're willing to do anything, huh? Well, let's see just how far you're willing to go." He leaned forward, his face mere inches from mine. "I want you to stand up, and I want you to take off your clothes."

"Hell no! Anything but that!"

"Hey, you told me you'd do anything I said. I do remember telling you that stripping was a command you had to follow. It's not like I want to sleep with you. And I didn't say get fully naked."