Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter Three

Sandra watched closely as the two men walked ahead of her, talking in what seemed like friendly enough tones. Del marched next to her, face sullen. Her eyes darted around, looking for ways to escape. The rain was falling harder now, and she wondered for a moment if it would be too dangerous for the plane to take off.

Of course not, she realized in disgust. These were men who weren’t afraid to commit murder and kidnapping. Why would they let the weather stop them?

Of course, the weather might serve her purpose. If she found just the right moment to break away, the darkness might provide enough cover to escape. She stole a look at Del, who seemed to be ignoring her.

Lightning flashed again, and a thunderclap hit so hard the very ground seemed to shake beneath their feet.

It was her shot.

She took off running as fast as she could, deliberately heading for the darkness along the side of the runway. There were no buildings there, only a few lonely-looking crop-dusters tethered with worn ropes.

Beyond them were trees and cover. If she could just make it that far she’d at least have a chance to escape.

She heard Del shouting behind her. It took him a couple seconds to register her escape, and then something made a cracking noise.

Shots.

Holy Mother, he was shooting his gun at her! She’d thought she was already going as fast she could run, but suddenly she found more speed. The noise cracked again, and then once more. She heard more shouts from behind, and then a thudding sound. Holes appeared in one of the planes ahead of her and she gulped, terrified. She made it past the first of the planes, ducking behind it and pausing for a moment to catch her breath and clutch her side.

Big mistake.

Her captor, the one they called Sean, was right behind her, all but plowing her over when he came barreling around the plane. She lurched away from him and took off again, ignoring the terrible stitch in her side. Why hadn’t she signed up for that aerobics class? She’d been meaning to do it for weeks now.

Mom had been right, laziness really would be the death of her.

The pavement beneath her feet abruptly disappeared, and her feet sank into sandy gravel. It threw her off and she fell forward, hard, hands hitting the ground with enough force to tear off the skin. She heard him coming. She crawled forward, trying to push herself to her feet. Moving was hard, she’d knocked the breath right out of her lungs when she fell.

He hit her with the force of a train, slamming her into the ground as he came down. He was hard, wet, angry, and for one moment she wondered if he’d kill her right on the spot. Instead he just held her there, panting hard and muttering under his breath.

“That was stupid, girl,” he said roughly. “Very stupid. You made me look bad in front of my friends and they aren’t the kind of people to forget something like that. Neither am I, for that matter. You’ll be sorry you did this.”

She had no doubt he told the truth. She was sorry already. Her legs were already cramping, and she knew she’d ache in the morning. If she survived to see the morning.

“I’ll do what you say,” she muttered quickly. “Please don’t kill me. All I want is to live. Please.”

“Oh, you’ll live,” he said, his voice rough. “After the hassle you’ve given me, I’ll be damned if I’ll let you go this easy. You owe me now.”

She didn’t respond to the patently illogical statement, knowing that arguing with him was foolish. If he said she was the problem, she’d accept responsibility. Whatever it took to keep him happy was good enough for her. He pushed himself up slowly and reached one hand down to her. She took it with resignation; she was beat. Whatever chances she might have to get away were over for the moment.

Now she needed to conserve her strength.

He pulled her to her feet and marched her along next to him, one hand wrapped firmly around her upper arm. It hurt and she knew she’d have bruises there the next day. Then again, she’ probably have bruises all over.

They walked in silence back through the parked planes. Del sat on the tarmac near the jet, clutching his jaw and giving her a look of such hatred that she shivered. How had he gotten hurt? The other man, Valzar, watched her with cool speculation in his eyes, as if she were some sort of strange and exotic bird he was considering eating.

She didn’t like that look at all.

Sean stayed silent, marching her past both of them toward the jet. She was freezing cold now, and covered in mud, but nobody seemed to notice or care. They reached the foot of a small flight of steps leading to the open hatch of the jet. Sean pushed her up ahead of him, and she stumbled. One of her shoes was gone, she realized. She was walking half barefoot through the rain and she hadn’t even noticed. Her toe throbbed, and she wondered if she were bleeding.

They entered the plane and he pushed her toward the back. Along each side were comfortable loungers.

Nobody was in them. He kept her moving until they reached the end of the hall where a narrow door awaited them.

“Through that door,” he said roughly. “We’ll be able to get cleaned up in there. I’m sure Valzar doesn’t want us getting mud all over his pretty airplane.”

She opened the door, finding herself in a surprisingly spacious room. A large bed stood against one wall, as well as several chairs and a closet. Another door, just past the bed, seemed to lead into a bathroom.

“We’ll shower in there later,” he said coolly, letting go of her arm for the first time. “We’ll be taking off in a couple minutes, and until we’re in the air, we shouldn’t be moving around the cabin. Take off your clothes.”

She stood frozen, unable to process his words.

“I said take off your clothes,” he said again, opening the buttons of his own shirt. His fingers revealed a well-muscled chest covered in springy black hair. It was broad and finely muscled. She gaped at him, hardly believing this was real. Was he going to rape her like this? It seemed so… sudden. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

“Do you want me to take off your clothes for you?” he asked coldly. “I don’t want you getting mud all over the plane, and you’ll do that if you don’t get that stuff off right now.”

“Oh,” she said, turning away and blushing. She started pulling the shirt over her head, and then froze.

He’d stopped moving behind her. She turned to find him watching her.

“Take them off.”

She pulled her wet T-shirt up slowly, wishing desperately that she’d worn a plain white bra. Why had she gone with black that morning? What had she been thinking? The shirt was gone all too soon, and she reached down to unzip her jeans.

They were soaking wet, and the zipper stuck.

She turned away from him once more, working at it and feeling her breath come in short puffs. Then she felt the warmth of his body behind her; she froze. His hands reached around her, grasping the zipper in firm fingers. He worked it down slowly, and then reached his hands into the waist of her jeans to slide them down. His touch was almost gentle, a complete contrast with his tone of voice. She felt fingers graze her flesh as he pushed the wet fabric lower, across her hipbones and down the side of her thighs. The jeans clung to her, but he slid them down with the same strength he’d used to capture her earlier. She had no doubt in that moment that he’d be able to rip them off if he wanted.

As her jeans moved lower, he knelt behind her. She felt his hot breath on her back as he dropped down, could feel the start of surprise he gave as her red thong panties came into view.

Oh Lord. She’d only worn them because she needed to do laundry. They’d been a gift from Matt, the idiot who’d dumped her two months ago for a grad student. He’d said she bored him. Oh, to go back to those boring days again… And to think she used to wish for a little more excitement in her life!

Sean stopped moving as the thong came into view, his breath hitting the small of her back in short, sharp puffs. He was seeing her bare ass in a way only a lover should see it, she thought miserably. Then he started moving again, sliding his hand within the jeans down to her knees.

“You can get it from here,” he said roughly. She nodded, unsure of what to say, waiting for him to step back.

He didn’t move.

She tried to kick her feet free of the fabric but she kept getting tangled. With a sinking feeling, she realized she was going to have to bend over and pull the jeans off. She did so slowly, wondering if the blush she could feel in her face extended all the way down her body. He had to be getting quite the view of her ass. Matt had always said it was her best feature, usually in conjunction with some kind of a comment about how her brains weren’t worth a damn. Sean didn’t say anything, though. He didn’t touch her, either, and then she was free from the heavy fabric. She stepped forward turning slowly to face him.

“What now?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer. From the feel of his erection earlier, she had a pretty good idea what his plans were. She thought about fighting him, refusing his touch, but dismissed the idea with frightening ease. She wanted to live. If that meant accommodating him sexually, so be it. She wasn’t some shrinking Victorian flower, she knew what it meant to do it. Hell, it couldn’t be worse than Matt’s drunken caresses and stinking breath.

“Get in the bed,” he said, jerking his head in that direction. “You’re freezing and you need to warm up.

It’s the best we can do for now.”

“What about the sheets, won’t they get wet?” she asked, and then wondered why she bothered. This was a kidnapping, not a decorating show. To hell with the sheets.

“They’ll be fine,” he said in a bemused tone of voice, apparently sharing her thoughts. “We can change them later. Right now I just want to get warmed up.”

She turned away from him and walked slowly toward the bed. They would have sex now, she was certain of it. Maybe she could make a break past him and run out the door?

The plane’s engines powered up, and she heard a thudding noise. The doors had closed. Too late. They would land eventually—she’d try to escape then. The key was to stay alive long enough to take advantage of whatever opportunities might come down the line. Staying alive meant sex.

“Come on, move,” he said roughly. “We’ll be taking off soon, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She smothered an absurdly inappropriate laugh, and climbed into the bed before pulling the sheets and covers up around her. The fabric was slippery, and very smooth. Any other time she might have taken a moment to simply enjoy the texture of the silk, but not now. He walked across the tiny cabin all too quickly, pulling off his shirt as he moved. He stood beside bed and unzipped his pants slowly, watching her with an intensity that frightened her. She tried not to watch, tried not to see those fingers pull down the zipper slowly and steadily, but she couldn’t help herself.

He was so finely built that at any other time she’d probably be breathless by now. He was the kind of guy who never looked at women like her. Six-pack abs, a tight waist… For a moment her breath caught, and she was overwhelmed with sheer appreciation for his figure.

Then he started pulling his pants down.

He wasn’t wearing any underwear.

Nothing.

His penis sprang into view, fully erect and pulsing with dark red arousal. He dropped the pants down, kicking them off, then leaned over the bed toward her. His face lowered towards hers, and he whispered in her ear.

“I won’t hurt you, but you have to accommodate me,” he said softly. “I’ve been without a woman for a long, long time, and if I don’t feel you next to me pretty soon I’m going to die. Understand?”

She nodded her head, although she wasn’t quite sure what he meant by “accommodate.” For all she knew he was some sick bastard who got off on telling women they were safe and then killing them.

She wanted to believe him, though. Desperately.

He pulled the covers down and slowly slid in next to her. The plane lurched; she felt panic rising in her chest. He was too close to her, his heat was all around her and she could smell him. Slightly sweaty, male, damp.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Throwing off the covers, she tried to roll out of the bed. He was on her in a flash, pulling her into his arms and wrapping his legs around hers. She struggled for a moment then fell limp against him.

His naked cock pulsed against the flesh of her stomach. Groaning, he pumped his hips into her softness and she gave a little moan of fright.

“Don’t tempt me too much,” he said tightly. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t guarantee what I’ll do if you keep wiggling around like that.”

She froze. The heat of his erection burned through her. It was too much.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she asked with a panicky voice. “I don’t deserve this. I was just doing my job.”

It seemed to be the wrong question.

“Funny, I was just doing my job, too, and I ended up in jail for five years,” he muttered. “Do you know what it feels like to go without fucking for five years? I want to slam into you so hard it makes my head hurt. Do what I say, and that won’t happen to you. At least not tonight.”

Had she heard him right? Everything was happening so fast, it felt like she was spinning.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked. “Tell me exactly what I can to do keep you happy.”

“For one thing, I want you to lay in this damn bed and stop trying to run away,” he said, loosening his hold on her. He didn’t let her go completely, but he no longer squeezed her.

“I want you to hold me and make me come. It doesn’t have to be in your prissy little body, although why you’re so uptight, I don’t understand. If you can let Edgar fuck you, I sure as shit don’t understand why you don’t let me.”

His harsh words cut through her, and she had to hold back a sniff. She felt like crying. Don’t be a wimp, she told herself sharply. Be strong, be brave. Survive and move forward.

“I can touch you,” she said slowly. “Will you let me move?”

He held her for a moment longer, then let her slide out of his arms.

“Can we turn the light off?” she asked, looking around the brightly lit cabin with distaste.

“So you can pretend I’m someone else?” he asked, his face twisted with dark humor. “I don’t care if you imagine that, but I do want to see you. It’s been too long for me.”

She nodded, and looked around again. What was she supposed to do?

“You can start by touching me,” he said, as if reading her mind. “Rub my chest.”

She reached out with one hand, laying the fingers flat between his nipples. The plane shuddered again; they were starting their taxi down the runway.

“Is it safe to fly like this?” she asked hesitantly.

“Well, it’s against FAA regulations to fly without a seatbelt,” he said in a low voice. “But I’m relatively certain they won’t be inspecting us, so don’t worry about it.”

Her breath caught, and she realized he’d made a joke. What kind of kidnapper made jokes?

“What if we hit turbulence?” she asked.

“I’ll hold you,” he said. “Trust me, I’d enjoy it. Now do your thing.”

She moved her hand lightly on his chest, unsure of what should come next. He gave her a look of impatience, then grabbed her hand and pulled it over his right nipple.

“Let your hand drift back and forth,” he said. “Play with it. And smile while you’re doing it.”

She did as her told her, allowing her fingers to brush back and forth across his taut skin. The nipple was hard and nubby, and as she let her fingers graze across it, she could see goose bumps rising on his flesh.

She kept moving her hand as his head fell back and his eyes closed. The plane stopped, and then the engines started making a different noise. Louder. They were going to take off. No sooner had she thought it then the plane started moving again. They were going very fast, and the force of their acceleration pushed her down into the bed. He reached out and took her into his arms once more, anchoring her.

“I don’t want you falling out of bed and hurting yourself,” he said, and she felt absurdly grateful for the small comfort. She could tell the instant they left the ground, felt the pull of gravity that crushed her into his embrace. The entire cabin tilted sharply and they were in the air. He pulled her more closely into his arms, turning her to face him. His legs tangled with hers, and his hands reached down to cup her bottom.

Without understanding quite how it happened, she suddenly found his cock slipping between her legs. It pressed at the entrance to her womb, but the sheer fabric of her panties kept him out.

“I thought you weren’t going to come in me,” she gasped, trying to pull away. The plane lurched, throwing her onto him. He rolled to his back, taking her with him.

“Touch me,” he muttered, his voice harsh. “Touch me and I won’t come in you.”

She reached a hand down, worming it in between them. Her earlier shyness melted away. She wanted to touch him, to get him off as fast as she could. She didn’t think those scraps of red lace would keep him out much longer. Her knees slipped to either side of his hips, supporting her as she raised her pelvis.

He pulled his body back from hers a bit as she reached down, giving her access to his groin. Her hand found his penis. It was long, hard and smooth. She wrapped her fingers around it, her grasp slipping from the moisture leaking from his tip. It’s just another way to give a massage, she told herself, knowing it was a blatant lie.

This was no legitimate massage.

He gasped as her fingers took him firmly, and she slid her hand down his length slowly. His entire body was rigid and hard, a study in tension and arousal.

“Again,” he muttered. She did as he said, looking up at his face while she did. His eyes closed, his head tilted back. The cords in his neck were taut, and she realized just how much control it was taking for him not to move. She slid her hand down his shaft again, and felt hope for the first time. He seemed almost concerned for her comfort.

His cock was stiff, quivering beneath her hand.

“That’s just right,” he whispered, and her breath caught. His voice was low, husky, and filled with a longing that gave her chills. A twinge of sensation caught her between her thighs, and her nipples peaked beneath the black bra.

Oh, this just kept getting more and more complicated.