Bound to You

”What the fuck do you want from me, Eliza?” Sean screamed at Eliza, tossing his hands up in the air furiously, glaring at his girlfriend. She was standing plastered against the wall, her eyes glazed over in fear from her boyfriend. Once again, he was angry. Once again, he was going to hurt her.

Once again, Eliza wouldn’t be able to stop him.

“I just want you to leave me alone!” She screamed back. “We’ve been over for a long time, Sean!”

“You have no idea what you’re saying, do you?” He sneered at her. It was almost as if he knew something she didn’t. He probably does, she thought to herself. You know the kind of people he hangs out with. They’re bad. Just like him.

“I’m saying that I want youout of this apartment right now!” She yelled. “I don’t want you around me!”

He stormed over to her and grabbed her roughly by her shoulders, making Eliza wince. She knew there would be bruises on her skin by the next morning.

“I’m going to fucking make you regret ever rejecting me, Elizabeth.” He told her, spitting the words out. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

“I’m sick of the threats!” She screamed at him.

“Eliza.”

“Don’t say my name!” She yelled, clutching at her face, sobs escaping her mouth.

“Eliza, wake up.” Zack’s voice said quietly to Eliza, shaking her arm lightly. Eliza sat up immediately, nearly colliding with Zack’s head. Her breathing was ragged, and she realized that her body was very sweaty, her hair clinging to her scalp in messy clumps.

“What happened?” She demanded.

“You were having a nightmare, presumably about your ex-boyfriend.”

Eliza looked at the mattress. She didn’t realize it had only been a dream; it had felt so real. Though that hadn’t been the true scenario of what had happened the night they’d broken up, it was true that he’d been physically abusive to her. And though he’d never threatened to kill her, he’d implied it several times.

“Oh.” She whispered.

“Want to tell me why you were crying?” He asked.

“No.” Eliza snapped. “It’s none of your business. Why would you care anyway?”

“Believe it or not, Eliza, I actually am capable of feelings. Just because you’re technically my ‘kidnapee’ as you call yourself doesn’t mean I can’t worry for you.”

“Yeah, well. I don’t want your fucking worrying. So quit it.” She told him. “I did just fine on my own in San Diego, and I’m doing just fine by myself right now.”

“I beg do differ.” Zack told her. “When I say you were crying, it was full-blown sobbing. I wasn’t sure if you were having a nightmare or just recalling very painful memories. Perhaps a mixture of both?”

“Like I told you, it’s none of your business. So stay out of it.” She retorted.

Zack’s hand found her shoulder, much like Sean used to do, and she flinched instinctively, causing Zack to retract his hand.

“I just came up to tell you that it’s nine o’clock and that I’m getting ready for bed. I didn’t think it would be very polite to just get into bed with you without telling you first.”

“It’s not polite that you kidnapped me either, or that you grab my arm and throw me down sets of stairs. But you do that anyway with no problem.”

Zack rolled his eyes. “I didn’t throw you down the stairs, you fucking tripped. And I only grab you when you’re not doing what you should. Normal hostages are afraid of their captors; they fear death, so they do what they’re told.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not afraid of death.” She retorted. “So you can forget any idea you had of me being the ‘perfect victim.’”

Zack smirked at her. “There’s some pajamas in your closet as well. I’ve already chosen them for you.”

“What makes you—“

“Because everything else has been moved out of the closet,” He told her. “And you’re going to start doing as you’re told, whether or not you want to.”

She rolled her eyes as he got up and walked towards the master bathroom. She waited until the shower had started before she walked into the closet in search of whatever pajamas Zack had set aside for her.

She narrowed her eyes in anger when she saw the pink and black lace chemise hanging on a hanger in front of her, a pair of pink UGG slippers on the floor beneath it. She knew she would have no choice but to wear it, and smirked to herself, deciding to use this to her advantage.

She pulled her clothes off, stripping off the underwear and bra that Zacky had miraculously decided to give her, and pulled the chemise over her head. Much to her surprise, it fit her perfectly. Zack somehow knew her size, she thought with a frown. She adjusted it so that her breasts were the main focal point of the ensemble, and then let the rest fall naturally around her slim body, slipping the slippers onto her feet as she tumbled her hair so that it looked like bedroom hair. She walked back out to the bedroom and heard the shower turn off, signaling that Zack had finished his shower. She sat on top of the covers and grabbed a random book off of the nightstand. It was some Harlequin Blaze book, and she rolled her eyes in disgust. Did Zack really think she read those kinds of brainless fluff? Still, she opened it to the first page, deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to look preoccupied when he walked into the bedroom. She left her legs crossed just enough so that it would give Zack just a slight hint of what lay underneath the silky material, and then buried her nose in the book, not looking towards the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” Zack demanded, his voice devoid of any particular emotion a few minutes later. Eliza looked up out of the book, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

“What?” She asked him. “You told me to change, and I did. I didn’t think I needed your permission to read a book.”

“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about,” He growled. Eliza then made the mistake of taking a second to look at her captor. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of silky black boxers that hung low on his waist. The tattoos seemed vibrant against his skin and glistened with the slight sheen of water that was still left on his body, and his jet-black hair was slicked against his forehead, obviously undried.

“What?” She insisted, deciding that she’d keep playing this game.

“First off, yes, that’s the pajamas I left in there for you. But I know for a fact that you were given a pair of panties to wear today.”

She shrugged, smirking at him. “I can’t sleep in panties. They crawl up my—“

“Don’t say it,” He hissed, walking towards the bed. “But just remember if I happen to touch you tonight that you’re the one who made the invitation.”

Eliza tried to look unintimidated but knew she was failing miserably. Deciding there was nothing else she could do, she buried her nose back in the book for a few minutes, until Zack yanked it away from her and threw it across the room.

“Eliza.”

“You know, if you keep saying my name you just might learn it.” She said sarcastically.

He put his fingers on her chin and pulled her face to his, putting his hand on her hip. She tried to pull away, but he stopped her.

“Don’t fight me,” He told her.

Eliza’s eyes widened when Zack pressed his lips to her cheek, the steel of his lipring sending shocks down her spine.

What surprised her more, however, was when she slapped him a few seconds later.