Captive (Social Experiments #1) Read online

  About a half hour later, I emerged unshaven and scruffy.

  “About time you came out, sleepyhead. I made bacon,” Yvonne greeted me. Her green eyes twinkled. For one heart-pounding second, I felt as if she understood how much I wanted and craved her.

  “Thanks.”

  Yvonne wore her dark hair twisted into a sloppy updo, but a few strands escaped the bun to tickle her cheeks. An oversized fuchsia sweatshirt hung off of her shoulders, revealing a nude bra strap. I impulsively adjusted it. Over the years, Yvonne and I had acquired a certain kind of comfort with each other, courtesy of the friendzone. I squeezed her tits once and asked when she’d gotten a boob job, but she’d only laughed and playfully swatted my hands.

  “Don’t you have class today?” I asked. “Kinda late in the semester to start skipping.”

  “Shush you. It’s an evening class in a couple hours and our last one. Don’t worry.” She winked at me and poked my cheek with one finger. “Aren’t you going to shave, or are you trying to fit in with the rest of the hairy beasts at the training center?”

  “I shaved two days ago.” Maneuvering around her to enter the kitchen assaulted me with the smell of buttery eggs and mouthwatering bacon. Yvonne may be ignorant when it comes to men, but she knew her way around a kitchen. And she used that skill like a weapon.

  “The scruff suits you.” She spooned scrambled eggs onto my plate next to the fried pork.

  “Okay, what’s up. You made breakfast, complimented me, and you haven’t rushed out the door.” I paused a second, granting her time to develop a genuinely confused expression. “Payday isn’t until next Thursday if you planned to ask for a loan.” And the rent money I collected from the other tenants evaporated as quickly as I received it. Our building needed a lot of work to repair the crumbling brick and mortar, old plumbing, and bad wiring.

  “What makes you think I need money?” Her tone was too sharp; I was spot on.

  “You only cook for me when you want something in return.”

  “That is completely untrue,” she grumbled. Yvonne made a show of dishing up her own plate, but I knew her too well. Her jaw tightened and the gears whirred in her head.

  To be honest, I don’t think Yvonne does it to be malicious. She’s self-centered, but she never intentionally causes me heartache. I did that all on my own by setting my sights too high on a girl beyond my reach.

  Approaching the issue from another angle, I craftily reworded my inquiry. “What do you need to buy?”

  “It’s nothing important.”

  “C’mon, Yvonne. What do you need?”

  “Well…” She twisted a dark curl around her finger. “There’s a pair of knee-high boots I want to get...”

  Boots. No surprise. I rolled my eyes. A few mental calculations confirmed that I could help her without breaking the bank, so I drew out my wallet and parted the leather for a look.

  I was wrong. I didn’t have enough cash on hand for her expensive tastes, not without giving her my last dollar. “Well…”

  “It’s just that if I buy them I won’t have enough left for anything else next month, you know?”

  Joy. “Look… I know you spent a lot of money on your rescue, so why don’t you just give me half of rent next month, alright? Fair?” Yvonne didn’t pay much. Four hundred dollars a month, while I covered the bills and the rest of our expenses. We went in together on groceries and divided the duties in the kitchen. When she visited one of her clinical sites, I cooked something out of a package. If I worked, she cooked. If we returned exhausted after a long day of work and class, we ordered something sinfully greasy from the local pizzeria or ate leftovers.

  “You’re the best, Jake.” Her kiss to my cheek brightened my mood a little, but it fell just as quickly when she grabbed her purse and rushed off to shop. I finished my breakfast and handled the dishes she left behind. Thirty minutes later I headed for the door, planning to make a jog around the block.

  Miss James waited patiently in the lobby with her hand raised to knock. Dark auburn hair framed her freckled, smiling face. I’d never met a happier, friendlier woman, but she worked long and hard hours while her eight year old attended school. Since she lived alone with him, I let Sam hang out with me for a snack if the school bus dropped him off before his working mother made it home.

  They lived in the third floor apartment.

  “Hey, Miss James.” My eyes drifted down to the boy at her side. “How are you, Sam? No school today?”

  “Doctor’s appointment,” she replied for her son. “His asthma’s been flaring up.”

  “Are those new filters helping any at all?” When I learned about her kid’s medical issue, I budgeted special filters for her AC intake from the building’s repair funds.

  “Yeah, they are, thanks. It’s just the season, you know? All the pollen and stuff.”

  “So, what can I help you with? Something broken?”

  “No, no, nothing like that. I made a huge batch of chowder last night. More than Sam and I can eat, anyways. Guess I got overly ambitious with my new slow cooker.” She laughed and blew a curl out of her face. “I was wondering if you’d like some.”

  “Oh.” The offer shouldn’t have surprised me since Miss James always brought down stuff. Cookies, homemade bread, chocolate dipped fruits. Turned out she sold baked goods and candies online as a small side job to help make ends meet. I was a happy test subject for her new recipes, but this was the first time she’d offered a meal. “Sure, I’d love that. Thanks.”

  “Great. I’ll drop some off after his appointment. Okay?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be here. You two drive safe now.” I ruffled Sam’s brown hair and received a small but tired smile in return. Poor kid.

  The three of us stepped outside into the balmy May air. I waved them off before I put my earbuds in and started up my music. A run was the perfect medicine to clear my head and help me devise a way to meet financial obligations over the long summer.

  Chapter 2

  “Oh yeah, baby, right there. Harder. Harder!”

  Gloria’s bottom was her best attribute, showcased by the bent position giving me a perfect view. My ex-girlfriend likes sex hard and fast. She likes dirty talk. Sex had never been our issue. Her conniving ways and greedy tactics had even spurred Yvonne, the High Maintenance Queen, to warily voicing a concern.

  I had to cut Gloria loose. Financially, she bled me dry quicker than any vampire. Quicker than Yvonne, too. At least my roommate gave something back occasionally.

  Gloria’s tits bounced and swung wildly to the frenetic tempo of my thrusts. I crashed my hips into her perfectly round ass again and again, impaling her on my dick. My sweats pooled around my ankles, and her short summer dress was flipped above her waist. We hadn’t even bothered to strip down completely.

  And to think I’d only entered her apartment for a glass of water. My t-shirt clung to me now, sticking against my shoulders and back. I’d feel miserable if I wasn’t balls deep in a gorgeous girl, making her scream my name. A shower could wait.

  For now, I gripped a handful of her dress and tugged downward, spilling her full breasts against my bare palms. Gloria’s tits were a little too perfect to be genuine, higher and perkier than possible for their size. To my wandering hands, they were as good as the real deal. I squeezed them roughly and teased one sensitive nipple between my index and middle digits. My other hand descended to tease the hot junction of our bodies by fingering her clit.

  “God, Jake. Don’t stop, baby.”

  Gloria had this thing she did - the kind of thing that made her pussy almost feel like a vice. I’d always imagined it was like fucking a tight little virgin, only there was nothing innocent about the things she did to me during our relationship.

  “Fuck. If you do that again I won’t have much choice,” I gritted through my teeth.

  “Do what? This?” She knew exactly what she was doing, squeezing her muscles around me in rhythmic pulses. “Come for me, Jake. You always do it r
ight.”

  I’ll say this much. Gloria is the only woman I have ever had a joint orgasm with. In my head I imagined Yvonne bent before me, her body massaging mine in such an intimate way. My balls tightened, I groaned, and just like that her body convulsed around me. The sweet, hot rush and tight cling of her wet pussy drew my own release. All I heard was my name in the wrong voice.

  Gloria wasn’t Yvonne, and she never would be.

  “Haven’t you missed this?” she purred, gyrating her hips back against me. The movement was briefly enticing.

  My cock remained semi-hard, defiant to the very end. I shook my head and stepped away from her to clear my thoughts. It took only a second to haul my sweats and boxer briefs back into place after I tossed the used condom into the waste bin beside the bed.

  “You’re a great lay, Gloria, but that’s all it is. This won’t happen again.” My conscience wouldn’t allow dishonesty. I couldn’t get her hopes up that this was a shot at reconciliation.

  “That’s what you said the last time. You fucked me in your car outside of school, remember?”

  Mid-March, I’d foolishly offered her a ride home on some dismal, rainy afternoon. Instead, she had ended up riding me before I even took the truck out of park. I blame the wet shirt she wore. Or maybe it was the skin-tight leggings.

  “Yeah, well… that shouldn’t have happened either, Gloria.”

  “It’s that rich chick living in your place, isn’t it?”

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with Yvonne,” I lied awkwardly. I didn’t make eye contact. I’d always been a piss poor liar and after two years of dating, Gloria saw through me.

  “Geez. I always thought you had a thing for her but you’re really hung up on that bitch, aren’t you?” She rolled over and pushed up on her elbows. Her casual sprawl drew my gaze down her bare legs. My cock twitched, but ultimately remained useless.

  “Nobody needs a reason to dump you, Glo. Grow up. Maybe once you get your hands out of a man’s pocket, he’ll want to stay with you.”

  “Yeah, well, at least I rent my own place and don’t mooch off my lovesick bestie.” She flopped back against the pillows and made no effort to cover her sweat-sheened body. Content as a kitten, she lounged in the afterglow of our sex.

  Her words stung more than I dared to let on.

  “You know where to find me if you need me, Jake. Though I’m not going to wait on you. Fair warning.”

  I fucked her again with her face buried against the pillow to muffle her passionate cries. This time, the position and desired depth of my strokes had nothing to do with it. I didn’t want to see her face. Didn’t want to view the smug satisfaction as she achieved orgasm.

  For the first time in two years of intimacy, I decided to behave like the biggest dick I could be. Two years of verbal abuse, financial exploitation, and no true affection fueled my impulsive act of reprisal.

  Her walls practically quivered around my cock, orgasm so close, yet just beyond her reach. A little twitch of my fingers against her clit would have hurled her over the edge, but I pulled out and ripped the condom off to blow my load on her ass. A wayward streak of sticky come landed in her sweat-dampened blonde curls. I wiped off on her right cheek and rose from my kneeling position behind her on the bed.

  “Jake?” Gloria’s startled voice called after me. Her breaths heaved, escaping in small pants. She’d been so close that I heard it in her voice. “Come back here.”

  “No thanks.”

  “What are you doing?” she hissed after me.

  I removed my wallet and pulled two crumpled twenties from it. I tossed both on her and turned away. “Paying my whore what she’s worth. Goodbye, Gloria.”

  A foul-mouthed string of epitaphs followed me to the door.

  Chapter 3

  My job isn’t as difficult as I make it out to be. It pays decently for the work required on a typical day, but some of my clients send their dogs for a reason. The newest addition to the student roster is a 180 pound mastiff with a hard on for jerking his owner’s wife up and down the street.

  The guy want me to perform a miracle and train him into a well-behaved gentleman in less than a day. If I were the damned dog whisperer, you bet your ass I wouldn’t be struggling to keep food in my house. I’d have my own television show and live the good life.

  But that isn’t the case and I’m now doomed to a six week training course with this fellow. We work a couple hours a day, three times a week. Despite my part time schedule, I get better results than the full time staff. Mr. King loves me. It’s just too fucking bad that I don’t earn commission for all the people requesting me personally by name because their rich country club pal spread tales about how little Fifi potties outdoors now.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and clock out early, Jake.”

  Harrison, one of the day shift managers, is also one of the few guys I know with enjoyable company. I met him shortly after moving to Boston. Between his father’s encouragement to work long hours and my studies, we haven’t had a chance to kick back together recently at all. His father, Mr. King, actually owns the pet store. They could have passed for brothers, dark hair and boyish good looks. Mr. King blamed his youthful appearance on his vegan diet and love for animals.

  “What? And have some free hours to myself?”

  My friend punched my shoulder. “Yeah. I’m going to meet up with Rodney and Kirk at the bar, and I’ve decided to drag you with me since Bobby can’t come. You’ve missed out on the last few.”

  “Is Kirk’s band playing again or something?”

  “Nah, he’s off tonight. Just us, some steaks, and pints of Guinness.”

  The idea tempted me. It really did. Kirk’s band wasn’t too bad actually, but they were loud. And Rodney and I always had the best discussions. He was in my Forensic Science classes a few years back.

  “I’d love to, man, but Yvonne had her last day of class and I promised her pizza.”

  “She still living with you?”

  “Yeah? Where else would she be?”

  “Hot piece like that, I figured she’d be living with her boyfriend or something. She still dating that hockey guy?”

  That had been Levon, last year’s flavor of douche. He played with the Boston Bruins and had spoiled her with lavish gifts until she caught him fucking a hot blonde in his apartment.

  “Nah.” I shook my head. “She goes through them too often,” I explained. “I think she’s holding out for a millionaire or something. Then I’ll have my second floor back.”

  “And nothing to do with it. What’s the deal with Gloria? She came through the checkout yesterday and when I mentioned your name…” Harrison whistled.

  I rubbed the back of my neck. Did I feel bad about what I’d done? A little.

  After I caught Harrison up on the newest development in my relationship with Gloria, his eyes practically bugged out of his head.

  “You didn’t. Dude, just tell me that you’re joking.”

  “I did.”

  “Why?”

  I asked myself the same question at least twice since storming out of her apartment. It seemed like a good idea at the time and a surefire way to break things permanently.

  “She’s a leech. Good sex doesn’t make up for that.”

  Harrison eyed me as if I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had since there were moments when Yvonne didn’t appear to be any better. “Whatever, man. Anyway, go, get your pizza.”

  “Thanks. Tell the guys I said hi.”

  We all planned to meet up after my graduation anyway. The guys had planned this for months behind my back, and only let me in on the secret recently. They were treating me to two fun-filled nights at Twin Rivers, where they would likely install an intravenous drip of booze into my arm if they could. I looked forward to the break away from everything.

  After I logged my hours I headed out into the late afternoon sunshine. I loved Boston but there were days I missed living in Salem. Not that it was such a small town anymore. Leaving
Massachusetts for anything more than a brief vacation never occurred to me. This was home.

  The pleasant weather had prompted me to leave my car and walk to work. That was another thing I liked. I saved on so much gas by not needing to drive myself everywhere. People around here knew me by name and I waved to a few in passing as I headed down the sidewalk.

  The guys were right, I did need to get out more. With summer coming up I’d make the effort to spend my time with them the way we used to do. They only needed to wait a couple more weeks. Tonight was already pledged to someone else.

  I hadn’t lied to Harrison about my evening plans. I’d be a fool to count on Yvonne cooking after her finals, so I made a pit stop for our favorite bacon and pineapple pizza at Mama Maria’s Pizzeria. Yvonne was likely to turn up her nose at the chowder Miss James had brought over. Besides, I tried it at lunch and wanted to hoard it for myself. Due to the weekend, I splurged a little and bought a six pack of the hard cider she liked, too. Greg liked to spend Friday nights out with the frat brothers, which guaranteed an evening alone without his condescension.

  “Yvonne?”

  Under normal circumstances, I would cherish a silent house. Disappointment soured my mood instead since I’d anticipated a night of action movies on the sofa beside Yvonne. Greg must have changed his mind about guzzling cheap pisswater beer with the guys, or Yvonne made backup plans with her classmates.

  Sometimes the girls hung out after a difficult exam and went to their favored bar hangout. Yvonne dragged me along once to a group social where a shy student nurse awkwardly engaged me in conversation about psychiatric nursing and my thoughts on it as a career choice.

  Chester, as she had affectionately named our new kitten, greeted me by rubbing his face against my ankle. I leaned down to pet him before I headed into the kitchen to set down my cider and pizza on the dinette table. I glanced at his bowl in passing. Good. Yvonne fed our little guy.

  I had just pulled free a slice of pizza when a noise from my bathroom nearly made me piss my pants. “Yvonne?” I called again, suppressing the horror movie apprehension churning in my belly. If a knife-wielding lunatic burst into the hallway to kill me, I had no one to blame but myself for failing to acknowledge the signs.