Free Held & Pushed (2 book bundle) by Kimberly A. Bettes Page A

you. And you aren’t her.
As long as you don’t make the same mistakes as she did, you’ll be fine.”
    “I’m
thirsty. And hungry.”
    He pointed
to the bowl of rotten dog food. “You have food right there. As for water, I’ll
get you a drink in a moment. I must rest now. I’m afraid I’m not as young as I
used to be.” He laughed. “That’s a silly expression, don’t you think? After
all, none of us are ever as young as we used to be. In fact, I’m not as young
as I was when I said that.” He laughed again, more to himself than anything.
Then, he said, “Tell me, Nicole. Did watching me with her stir up any feelings
of jealousy?”
    I stared
at him, confused as to what he meant.
    Seeing my
confusion, he elaborated. “I mean, were you jealous that I was being with her
in that way? Did you wish it were you underneath me?”
    I felt
there was no right answer here. To say yes might make him rape me. To say no
might make him angry enough to use the poker on me. It was a no-win situation.
No matter what I said, I was certain it would be wrong. But I had to say
something, so I went with, “No.”
    He shook
his head. “That’s a shame. But you know I wanted it to be you. I came to you,
needing to be with you in that way. And you denied me. What was I to do,
Nicole? I am only a man with manly desires. I have wants and needs. These are
things you must understand. You have a husband, after all. Surely, you know how
it works.”
    “It’s
different with my husband.”
    “Different? How?”
    “With him,
I want him just as much as he wants me.”
    He thought
for a moment and then asked, “Are you saying that you don’t want me?”
    Another trap. Unsure of what to say, I said nothing.
    “Nicole?”
he shouted. “Are you saying that you don’t want me?”
    His voice
echoed off the walls of the basement. His eyes were getting that wild look to
them again.
    Not
wanting to enrage him but not wanting to encourage him either, I said, “No. At least not yet.”
    He calmed
a little and asked, “What do you mean by not yet?”
    “Well, I
haven’t known you that long. What kind of girl do you think I am? I can’t just
go around giving myself to every man who wants me, now can I? That would make
me no better than Stephanie.”
    Completely
relaxed and back to the happy Ron that made a mean sandwich, he smiled and
nodded. “That’s my girl. In time, I’m sure you’ll grow to want me as much as I
want you. Then, it will be sweet.” He nodded at the spot where Stephanie’s body
had been. “Until then, I’ll need someone to fill in.”
    Chapter
13

 
    I watched
as Ron walked across the basement to a utility sink. Hanging on the wall beside
it was a yellow garden hose. He took it from its place, connected it to the
faucet, and turned on the water. He walked across the room to me, stopping a
few feet away from my mattress. I waited for him to come closer, but he didn’t.
    “You
thirsty?” he asked.
    I nodded.
    He
unscrewed the nozzle from the end of the hose. The water came out and fell to
the floor in splatters.
    “Come and
get it.”
    Handcuffed
to the pipe, I couldn’t get far. I got up on my knees and leaned as far as I
could toward him. It wasn’t far enough. I leaned farther, causing great pain to
my right arm and wrist, which was twisted around behind me in an awkward position.
Had I not been so damn thirsty, I would’ve told him to shove that hose up his
ass.
    He pulled
up on the hose quickly, creating an arc of water that hit my face. It was cold. Shockingly cold. I gasped, and then licked my lips,
getting all the water I could.
    He
laughed. I didn’t.
    Again, he
jerked up on the hose and splashed my face. Again, I licked the water from my
lips.
    “Nicole,
if you want me to contain my passion for you, you really must stop acting so
provocatively. You’re exciting me.”
    “Well maybe
if you’d just give me a drink of water, this wouldn’t be a problem. And if you
didn’t have me down here