Chapter 12

Twelve

JANE

Terror. It’s creeping in like a kudzu. It’s impossible to get rid of once it takes root. Cal’s gaze dances across where our hands touch on the workbench, then up to my face as he explains how to fix a broken motherboard. It’s not the words he speaks, nor the way he emphasizes them with his honeyed voice.

No. It’s what he isn’t saying that has me on edge.

Did he see me? Is that possible? And, if he did, what would he do about it? Would he be jealous? Livid? Indifferent? Proud?

I did it to get the product, to win. So that I would do everything to get him back on my side. Did I go too far? Should I not have?

All those concerns rail through my mind repeatedly until my stomach twists in knots. I’ve barely eaten since the mission, not only because the taste of Larry warred in my mouth, but mainly from this intense need to know if Cal knows.

“So if there’s any band loose here, you’ll have to replace it. The entire thing is basically shot.”

My head bobs up and down as if I’d just clung to every word. Cal steadies himself to fix the destroyed pieces and stares at the mess in front of him, asking, “How was the mission? Did you have any trouble?”

Was there any inflection there? The acid in my guts threatens to come up. Shaking my head, I clear my throat. “No. Nope. No problem. I gave the product to Elliot like you told me to.”

His eyes crawl up my arm before greeting mine. “Good. Glad you didn’t have any issues. Did you have to do anything in order to get Larry to comply?”

I hear more than feel the deep breath enter my lungs before my mouth opens to speak. “N-no. He just let me have it.”

That heavy brow crinkles as he continues to stare at me, the coldness of it like the surface of the moon, devoid of life, empty. “Well, you sound easy.” Blinking rapidly, I gasp in shock.

“Wh-what?”

“The mission. I said, that sounded easy.”

“O-oh. Yes, it was.” Had I misheard him? The blood pulsating in my ears is making it difficult to concentrate.

Like the budding of new leaves for the coming spring, the green of his eyes changes from an icy mint to a warm pine. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out again soon.” My body locks, frozen in an awkward position, unable to move. Did he just ask me on another date? Maybe he doesn’t know about Larry. Now I’ve waited too long to speak, and his shoulders stiffen as he says, “So sorry. Should I not have asked you?”

“Of course you should.” With a slight hint of hysteria, the pitch of my voice rises as I spit out, “Yes, I would love to go out again, Cal. When and where?” I definitely sound desperate.

Relaxing into an easy stance, he leans forward on an elbow to gaze at me. “Friday night? I can pick you up. How do you feel about costumes?”

“Huh?”

A glib smile brightens his serious face. “There’s an old, abandoned warehouse turned spooky funhouse on the outskirts of West Side. People dress up and get into it. You ever been?”

His casualness makes the tension in my back ease some of its burden so, hopefully, I sound less like a strained cockatoo when I say, “No, can’t say I have. It sounds great, though. What should I dress as?”

Looking at my hair, his fingers graze my shoulder to pick up some fallen strands. Studying them carefully, he says, “You seem like a Little Red Riding Hood.”

“So does that make you a wolf?”

Pursing his lips at the seeming insult, he stares at me for a long time, an unspoken question shrugging in his eyebrows. “No. A fox.” With a step backwards, his grin reappears. “I’ll pick you up Friday at eight. See ya then.”

It was only Wednesday, so I wasn’t sure where he would be tomorrow. Still, I’d have plenty of time to come up with a costume for our date.

But the bigger issue was…

Did he know about Larry?

By Friday,I’d put together a sexy Little Red Riding Hood costume with a short, flouncy skater skirt, tight white tank top, and a red cape from someone’s donated Halloween costume I found at the thrift store. White thigh-high tights covered my legs, and Mary Janes adorned my feet. With my hair in pigtails, I knew I’d drive Cal wild when he saw me.

Expecting some cute fox outfit, my jaw drops when he jumps out of the Tesla to open my door wearing a black hoodie over a LED blue lighted sinister animal mask. The look is demonic, unholy, and terrifying. Silently, the fox waves me inside the cabin with a gloved hand.

Is he admitting that it was him the other night in the park? Is he being blatant about it now? Am I supposed to say something?

Hesitating slightly, I stutter some steps before hurriedly passing by him to get in my seat, keeping my eyes on the city streets in front of us. The block is abandoned given the chill in the air. Even the homeless have found better places to stay for the night. There are no witnesses, and I squeeze my eyes shut with a wish that where we’re going is crowded.

Once he gets into the driver’s seat, Cal twists and stares me down, the lighted slants of his eyes scoping out my body.

“Hi. Um, how are you?” I say, trying to make some conversation and put my nerves at ease.

He rights himself and types on his computer before blasting dark wave music at an incomprehensible volume, the car taking off at full speed. All without saying a word. Gripping the door handle, I hang on and check him out cautiously from the corner of my eye. Other than small bops of his fox nose to the beat of the drums, he doesn’t move.

After whipping through side streets, all the lights changing to green as we approach, we reach our destination in a matter of minutes. Just as he had in a much different manner for our first date, he hastens to open my door for me, then points to the entryway.

Cal pays for tickets by plopping down several hundred dollars in cash, to the surprise of the teenaged attendants behind the booth. With a hand on the small of my back, he leads us to the dark and foreboding front door. Doom comes over me as I get the sense I won’t be having much fun in this house.

The foyer is designed like an ancient gothic mansion, but there is no noticeable way out of the room. As I turn my head to ask Cal where we should go, the wall seems to open near the back. An optical illusion. A hallway behind the panel was there all along. Before I walk toward it, Cal leans the fox mask over my shoulder and an audible long sniff sounds from underneath it.

As if he has embodied the devil himself, a growling voice reaches out to me and says, “You better fucking run. If you go out the way we came in, our game ends. But I’m not sure you’ll like how it ends. If you run toward that hall, I’ll catch you. But I’m not sure you’ll like that, either. It’s your choice, Little Red.”

Holding my breath, I quickly decide I have to let him catch me, but my knees tremble with fear at what he’ll do to me once he does. He must know about Larry. If I go out the front door, it’s game over. Score is zero for Zero. Oddly, letting Cal do whatever he wants may be the safest option here. This is part of my duty, my mission. Thoughts racing rapidly, I can’t hold on to just one. Logic has moved out of my brain as terror takes control. As I contemplate whether I can make it to an extraction spot before Cal hunts me down, he says, “Run.”

Screaming out the air I’d held inside, I dart toward the open panel behind which lays a long, narrow hallway that appears to get shorter as the end draws nearer. Another optical illusion. Closed doors line the walls, but instead of pausing to choose one, my legs push me to the end. Cal walks slowly behind me, as if out for an evening stroll.

Tugging the doorknob on the last door, I quickly spin and slam it shut behind me, but must bend down to almost a squat to shuffle through a narrow, dark tunnel. Following the only visible light at the far end, I listen for Cal’s unhurried steps ten feet behind me.

Finally, I launch into a brightly lit circular room covered with black and white swirls on the floors, the walls, and the ceiling. Everything seems to be spinning, including me. There are several doors here to choose from, but everything is in constant motion, changing positions every few moments. Loud carnival music blares through unseen speakers, disorienting me further, my pulse confused on which rhythm to follow: the one in my heart or my ears.

Cal steps into the room from the tunnel, his blue lights peering straight at me. Without a second’s thought, I grab the door near me and rush through, hoping the rotations of the room prevent him from guessing where I headed.

Scoping out my new surroundings, it’s a blacked-out hall curving around to an unknown destination. Brightly painted neon stripes encase everything, except the floors, which have metal grates built in every few feet. When passing over the top of one, I spot a spike pit six feet below. One has some glowing LED fire that lights up as I maneuver around it. Cal must have chosen the wrong pathway because he doesn’t follow.

Catching my breath, I lean against a wall for a moment before pressing on. Maybe I should get out of here. If I do, I’ll fail my mission, which is certain death. My stomach churns, worrying about what Cal will do to me if he catches me. A quick death by Dash or something possibly worse by Cal… Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

When I round the wide corner, the walls lead me to a neon painted staircase up to a second story. There’s no other way to go. Climbing them, the wooden soles of my shoes clang against the metal with every step and a black door waits for me at the top of a small landing. Pushing it open reveals a fake movie set, like a haunted house grand foyer.

The walls are a dark gray wood, and every corner contains cotton webs with large plastic spiders nestled within. I’m on a second story U-shaped balcony overlooking an entryway with a large chandelier lit by hundreds of plastic candles. Piped through speakers are sounds of squeaking boards and rushing wind. Around the upstairs are several wooden doors. On the far side of where I stand is a narrow red-carpeted staircase leading down toward a stained-glass front door.

It dawns on me there have been no other guests in this house of horrors. No one jumping out to scare me. No children playing and running around. The money… Did Cal pay for this? Is this all a setup for me?

As I wander through the upper hall, I decide to head down the stairs to the first floor again, closer to a possible exit. If I understand my bearings correctly, the front door possibly leads back to the spinning room and Cal. Instead, I turn under the balcony where two large, arched doorways lead to an unknown room.

Opening one set, I step into a very wide hall where every surface is hung with a creepy portrait. All the eyes follow me as I enter and scan the area, trying to find an escape route. The overwhelming number of textures and colors and items within the room makes it uncomfortable to even be in, let alone try to find a way out.

“There you are.”

My breath catches as I hear the muffled voice behind a mask. Before I even look, my legs sprint to the right, discordant laughing vibrations echoing around me. This time, he’s not being slow. Heavy footfalls let me know he’s had enough of the chase.

As the end of the hall looms closer and closer, I realize…there’s no door. Or if there is one, I don’t see it. Panic floods my senses, a quivering rush of adrenaline and overwhelming fear dying for an escape. Just as I consider grabbing a painting off the wall to smash it on his head, I spot a crevice between several of the frames that could be a way out. Yes! A doorknob appears from one of the noses of a general looking man with his hand tucked into his jacket. Snagging it, I pull and throw it open, running inside with Cal right on my heels.

A boom greets me as Cal slams the door behind us, my pulse rapidly accelerating, causing my chest to ache. Frantically, I search the shiny room for a way out, but everywhere I look, I’m met with an image of a horrified girl in pigtails. Instead of portraits, the round room is surrounded by mirrors. Glass mirrored floor, ceiling, walls…

He’s everywhere. Each reflection toys with my sanity as the blue lights of the fox appear to surround me, no matter which way I move. There’s only the dull thud of his footsteps rebounding off every surface repeatedly, the buoys making any coherence I had fly out of my brain. Blood rushes through my arteries, my vision blurs, and my breathing skips to a halt. There’s no way out.

I’m trapped.

Turning to feel a wall for some help, my fingers grasp at only the smooth glass, clutching at nothing, the marks from my sweaty palms leaving trails of terror down its surface. A firm arm wraps tightly around my waist as his forceful hand grips my neck. The violent scream wrenched from my throat almost shatters the room, the sound abruptly cut off when he squeezes my voice box.

Even when I try to twist in his grasp, he powerfully slams my back against a mirror, with his firm body pinning mine in place. The mask is horrifying up close with its demonic angles, and the irritating hum of the lights flickering in the eyes and ears makes me shiver. Forcing his face close to my neck, he grips my waist and shoves himself harder against me. And he is hard. Everywhere.

“So proud of you for making a choice. Now, another decision you need to make. Are you a good girl, or are you a whore? Do you just open yourself up for anyone?”

A tiny whimper of a reply escapes through my closed lips. He means Larry, right? Does he mean Larry?

“You’re acting like you don’t want this, but…” Shifting so his one gloved hand splays against my throat, his other delves underneath my full skirt, trailing up my bare thigh. The catch of the leather on my skin causes me to shudder involuntarily with anticipation. Cal lets out a breathy laugh. Reaching my thong, he pauses. “If I weren’t wearing this glove, would your wetness coat my fingers, Jane?”

When I don’t say anything, the fox eyes raise to stare at my face. “Let’s find out.” Pressing himself into me, I lean back against the wall as he removes his gloves, letting them fall to the floor. His hand comes back up to my neck, but this time, his thumb holds my jaw until I’m forced to gaze into his mask as if I would have to kiss that metal mouth. Before I contemplate if he wants me to do so, a shocking pain hits my legs as he slaps my thighs apart with his other hand. “Open wide.”

The warmth of his fingers is a comfort compared to the harsh glove. Each crawls up toward my center until he rubs against the outside of my thong. “Oh, you are wet. You’re fucking soaked.” Shoving the fabric aside, he deftly finds my clit, rubbing gently, easily at first. Like he’s played my tune before and I’m his favorite instrument. Teasing me until my hips jut out from the wall to grind slightly on the pad of his finger. Blue lights illuminate my face as I do.

Edging one digit near my entrance, he holds there, the heel of his palm pressing more firmly into the apex, almost the way I do it for myself. I’m dripping with want, but he doesn’t move. Thrusting forward, my hole gathers his finger up so his hand provides the friction I need to calm the need deep inside me.

The mask shines blue into my eyes and, somehow, the more I stare into it, the more it transforms from something devilish to desired, until I grip the sides of his face, forcing my mouth to its tiny slit. A little breath blows onto my lips as I sink them around the plastic, letting my tongue feel around with desperation.

I’m wanton. He’s got me right where he wants me, and I want to fuck his hand while tonguing his mask like a complete freak.

Adding a second finger, Cal pumps me vigorously, perfectly, as if I were a sequence he programmed to respond to him alone. His other hand leaves my neck and wraps around to my bare ass cheek, gripping me closer to him. Straddling his palm, I hump it vigorously until an intense orgasm builds within my core. Whimpers and moans vibrate the surface of his fox face as I continue to make out with it.

Everything gives way to ecstasy as my release rips through my body, back arching off the mirror, pussy clenching around his long, talented fingers, a shriek now erupting from my mouth with pleasure instead of terror. Before I even realize what’s happening, Cal opens his fly, and I feel the head of his thick cock press against my pussy lips and erupt hot ropes of cum all over the skin there, the amount barely contained by the crotch of my thong.

Rubbing our juices into the fabric, he tugs them down my hips. “Step out.” As I do, my stomach flips when I catch sight of Cal’s semi-hard, oversized cock. It’s beautiful. But the thought of fitting it inside of me makes the fear return.

Gathering up my underwear, he presses into my throat with his forearm and commands, “Open wide.” I do, and he shoves the lace saturated with our juices inside my mouth. It’s bitter and salty with a smell of us mixed together. Swallowing, I taste some of what he left behind. Embarrassingly, I want more.

Righting himself and zipping up, he takes a step back as I stand still against the mirror, ashamed that my clit pulsates under his inspecting gaze while I suck down our cum. Some saliva oozes out from the corners of my mouth. Shoving the sides of my cape off my shoulders, he tears the top of my tank down until my bra is exposed.

“Turn around.” As soon as I spin, he rips off my bra, letting it hit the floor. My breasts bounce out, nipples hard as the air caresses my bare skin. The mirror reflects my disastrous image. Pigtails askew, cheeks flaming with humiliation, doused thong sticking out of my open mouth. “Let me see.”

As I face him again, the fox mask eyes my nipples, which heighten to their full arousal. Then, he says the worst thing… “Let’s go.”

“Wha—” comes out, muffled by the gag in my mouth.

“March.” With a hand on the small of my back, he guides me toward a door I hadn’t seen hidden within the wall. Leading me through a black painted hallway, I spot a red neon exit sign above a glass door. A small shove pushes me into the night’s air.

He wants me to walk in public with my tits out? Shaking my head, I groan loud protests, but his body pushes into mine, forcing me to keep moving forward. How many people are going to see me like this? My pulse skyrockets as I try to slow my steps by digging in my heels, but it’s futile. The man is determined for me to continue.

As we near the entrance of the house, nausea coats my belly, and the only good news of the night is that the ticket booth teen boys are no longer there, the entire place deserted. It doesn’t stop me from worrying about who all can see my nakedness surrounding us as Cal opens the Tesla door when we reach it across the parking lot.

Why is he doing this? Is this a game? Maybe because of Larry?

Before I sit inside, he rips the thong from my mouth and shoves it in his pocket. My jaw flexes in a stretch as he buries his face into my neck and growls, “Next time you touch someone else, I’ll make sure everyone touches you. I’ll bring you back here, tie you down, and let every man who wants a taste get one. I’ll sell tickets. You’ll be Gnarled Pine’s greatest attraction. Do you understand me?”

A chill skitters over my body, and I rub my hands over my arms, then nod in understanding. Cal definitely wants me. Dash would be proud. It’s only a matter of time before…

It’s him or me.

He takes me home in silence, never removing the mask. Not even turning on music. There’s not a sound coming from the engine. Still. Quiet. Deadly. When he pulls up to my apartment building, this time, he doesn’t get out to open my door.