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

naked, maybe you could contain yourself more.”
    Smiling,
he stepped forward and let me drink from the hose. I drank and drank until I
thought I would throw up. I wanted to drink more then, but he walked away,
taking the precious water with him.
    He twisted
the nozzle back on the hose. Water came out, this time with pressure pushing
it. As he began spraying the floor, washing away Stephanie’s blood, I scooted
back against the wall. Drawing my legs up to cover my chest, I watched him
work.
    “One of
the reasons I bought this house was the drain in the basement floor. Very
convenient, wouldn’t you say?”
    I didn’t
answer.
    “I’m sure
it’s there in case the washing machine overflows or leaks, but it is so handy
for washing away blood. This house has paid for itself many times over with
this drain. Money well spent.”
    I watched
the dirt and blood slide across the floor and disappear down the drain. I
wondered if one day, a woman would sit handcuffed to this very pipe and watch
in fear as my blood swirled away down the drain.
    I felt
drops of liquid fall from my face and hit my arm, and I wondered if it was
tears or the water he’d sprayed on me.
    When he
was finished cleaning the floor, he brought the hose back to me. I quickly got
up on my knees again, begging for water. This time, when he unscrewed the
nozzle, he let the water pour down on me, running down my chin, my breasts, my
belly, and dripping onto the floor and the mattress.
    He
squatted down in front of me and watched the water run over my chest. I didn’t
care. I was drinking as much as I could while what I couldn’t drink ran down my
body. If he wanted to watch, that was his problem.
    Even when
he reached out and cupped my breast, I ignored him and continued to drink the
disgusting, rubbery tasting water.
    Finally,
he stood up. “If I don’t find someone to fill in for you quickly, you’re going
to have to learn to want me.” He reached into his pants and adjusted himself
before turning and walking away, taking the hose back to its spot on the wall.
    As he was
leaving the basement, he stopped at the foot of the mattress. “I’m going to
dispose of this trash. I’ll be back. It may be a while, though. Try to miss me
while I’m away.”
    “Wait,” I
said quickly as he ascended the stairs. “Can I get a blanket? And some food? And water? And a bucket to
use as a toilet?”
    Halfway up
the steps, he turned to me. “That’s a lot of requests coming from a girl in the
basement. You can pee on the floor. I’ll wash it when I get back. You’ve got
food, Nicole. Eat that. As for the blanket, you should have enough nice
thoughts of me to keep you warm. And as for water, there’s a thunderstorm due
tonight or tomorrow. When it rains, water seeps into the basement. That should
hold you until I return. I’ll see you soon.” And with that, he disappeared into
the main floor, closing the door behind him.
    Just how
long did he plan to be gone? At least a couple days from the way he talked.
    I wanted
to cry. But I wouldn’t let myself until I’d thought through the situation I was
in now. If this bowl of rotten dog food was all I had to eat, it was going to
have to do.
    Pulling
the bowl to me, I felt my stomach rumble. I wasn’t going to eat it yet. I was
just preparing for when the time came that I had to.
    As
disgusting as it was, I reached in and began pulling out the maggots. One by
one, I pulled them from the bowl, placed them on the floor, and stomped them
with the heel of my foot. When the bowl was free of the white, wriggling worms,
I slid it aside. I sat back and looked around the dank room.
    I felt
myself falling apart, and I did nothing to stop it. I cried, knowing I
shouldn’t. I should’ve conserved my energy and kept as much liquid in me as I
could.
    But I couldn’t
stop myself from throwing a little pity party.
    Chapter
14

 
    I had no
way of knowing how long it was before Ron returned. It could’ve been several
hours. It