you have this, Thea?” I didn’t think it was possible, but his creepy factor ratchets up another degree when he turns his gaze back on me, eyes dead and soulless. He sighs in disappointment. “I can’t let you leave here now, princess.”
“W-Why? That would be bad. Wrong. Please.” My voice trembles. Every part of my body quakes in fear. “It’s fine. I won’t tell. You can let me go. We’ll pretend nothing happened.”
He barks out a sharp sound, shaking his head as he comes close again. “Nothing, is it? You’re ruining our nice evening together.”
“Please,” I whisper hoarsely. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Princess,” he says as he strokes my cheek, leaning close enough to nearly brush his lips over mine. With a sharp intake of air, I jerk my head to the side, but he grips my chin in a punishing grip and yanks me back. His touch feels like barbed wire tearing through my gut. “What makes you think I can resist when I have you here? You ran right into my arms.”
I shake my head in denial, struggling to free myself from his hold. Maybe if I play along again, he’ll let me go. It might give me enough time to grab the paint can if he doesn’t think I’m going to run. He was always more receptive when I made clumsy attempts to take initiative in his games. It makes me sick to my stomach, but I can do this. I fight back the nausea rolling through me and force my body to relax.
“It’s just…” My voice is scratchy and small. Come on, Thea. Do this and maybe you get to escape your nightmare and live. “It’s just, my mom. She’s strict.”
Mr. Coleman coos to pacify my false worries. “We’ll sort it all out, princess. We’ll leave town if we have to. If no one understands us, we’ll just go.”
“Or, we could just wait until graduation. My friends are here.” I’m grasping for anything to make him disregard me as a flight risk or a threat enough to back off. As soon as I have space, I’ll distract him and run. The door isn’t locked anymore. It’s left open at the top of the steps. “We’ll make it like a game. Secret meetings.”
Using something so close to my love story with Connor rakes hot coals over my heart, but I’m so stressed out and scared. I’ll say anything to appease the man caging me against the worktable.
Mr. Coleman hums in consideration, studying me. I think he likes the idea. “A game.”
I nod eagerly. “Yes! No one will know we’re t-together. It’ll be fun. Our little secret, just like our emails.”
“Yes, you’re onto something there.” He taps my nose and finally takes a step back. “Right under everyone’s noses. No one will know I’ve fucked you on my desk, had you on your knees beneath it with those incredible lips sucking my cock. Mm, princess. This is a wonderful idea. I always knew you were my favorite of my girls for a reason.”
His grin stretches into something hideous as I swallow my gag. At last he turns his back on me as he ruminates on his disgusting fantasies of having me. While he’s distracted, I snatch the nearby paint can, heart thumping violently. It’s not as heavy as I hoped, maybe half-full, but I throw it as hard as possible. It smashes into his head, disorienting him.
The papers in the file spill to the floor as he stumbles, catching himself on the rolling chair. It crashes as his body weight collides with it.
I don’t wait, dashing for the stairs to get to the kitchen, still armed with the screwdriver. A grunt and heavy footsteps are right on my heels. I push my legs to move as fast as possible so I can outrun the monster chasing me.
“No you don’t!” The sound of his feet pounding on the creaking wooden stairs will haunt me forever if I make it out of this alive.
I scream as his weight collides into my back once I’ve made it through the basement door, tackling me. We land against the kitchen table, shattering a glass in the fall. It cuts one of my palms as I try to push him off. From this angle, the best I can manage is stabbing the small screwdriver clutched in my grip into Mr. Coleman’s leg, squeezing so hard the handle hurts the bones in my hand. He lets out a furious shout as we thrash against