The man in black

The Most Disgusting Thumb I Ever Did Taste.

Jack carries me through a stairwell that I didn’t realize was even there. He must really know this place. He takes the steps two or sometimes three at a time and carries me with ease to the third floor. I know i'm' not THAT light. Jack stops just as we're about to open the door that opens down the hall from both our rooms and peaks out through the little vertical window. Is he looking out for someone?

“Are we in danger right now?” I whisper to him. My heart feels like it’s racing so loud that even the bartender downstairs can hear it. 

“If you keep talking then yes, we are.” He growls back and keeps silent while watching out the window, still peeking out from the side. We wait there for a few seconds until Jack slowly pushes the door open and looks around. Satisfied that we're alone, he pushes his entire body through the doorway, still carrying me over his right shoulder. I make sure to make myself as small as possible against his back, just in case something unexpected happens again. The thought makes me feel around for the part of my stomach that was hit. I don’t feel pain anymore but have a feeling that I will be bruised up in a few hours. 

Jack finds our destination and pushes through a door. He places me down and gives me this look to stay put where I’m placed. I don’t move an inch. We must be in his room. Everything is pitch black but once my eyes start to adjust to the light, I see 2 black briefcases in an otherwise empty room. I chuckle out loud after I see a duffel bag sitting on the floor, which kind of resembles the one that he fell victim to earlier. 

“Are we safe?” 

Jack is searching through his room, I’m not sure what he’s looking for though. It takes him maybe five minutes or so to lift his mattress, look behind curtains, he disappears into the bathroom for a second. I stand there and watch, totally perplexed as to what is happening here. Will I get an explanation? 

“Hey, you seem totally worried with all the crazy searching – are we safe in here?” I ask again and this time don’t try to hide how worried I am. 

Jack stops in front of me and grabs my hand. The unexpected touch wakes up my libido from wherever it was hiding and I feel a tingle move up my arm. “Ok listen, this must be so scary for you and you’re handling this well. I’m going to take you back to your room.” He looks at me with concerned eyes. 

“You’re taking me back to my room? I really don't want to be alone.” 

“I don’t want you to get mixed up in anything. As much as I’d love for you to stay, you do not belong here with me.” 

Well that hurt. I know, I know – I don’t know this guy, but I'm actually scared. Jack is a big guy and if he's worried, something tells me i should be too. I try to give him my best sad face, willing him to change his mind. 

“You don’t know me, and you don’t know what I can handle.” I say back to him with force. 

He shakes his head and grabs something out of the top drawer of his nightstand and shoves it into his back pocket. I watch as he takes one more look out the window and walks toward me. He's walking towards me staring deep in my eyes and everything stops. I stop breathing, i stop thinking, i stop moving. 

Jack Lawrence. Ugh. His black hair looks even messier than it did on the plane and I like it. He’s wearing a black t-shirt that hugs all the right places and black jeans fit just the right way so I can see all the fun bits. He’s tall. I remember his steady hands and wish he'd touch me all over with them. I'm watching him move towards me and think about him lifting my dress and grabbing my ass. 

“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” He brings me back to the present. He's standing right in front of me now, just an inch away from my body. So close that i can feel his body heat layering me in a blanket of warmth. Don't get too close to this guy, he's dangerous. My internal voice shakes me from my naughty thoughts. 

“Honestly you’re giving me whiplash here.” I say. “You’re rude to me, yell at me even. Then you’re sweet on the plane. Then you just disappear.” I start rambling. “And now what the f**k is happening here? Are you some crazy weird criminal that gets off on f*****g with girls heads or something?” 

Jack looks serious now and cautiously snakes his arm behind me and wraps around my waist. He pulls me closer to this so that our noses are touching and he's talking in just a whisper. 

"I'm sorry about the plane." He pauses for a moment and looks at my lips. "If it were up to me i'd hide you away somewhere that i could have my way with you, honestly for the rest of my life." He locks eyes with me now and his free hand finds my cheek. His fingers graze from my brow down to my neck. When his fingers reach my neck he wraps his entire hand around my throat and my head relaxes back at the touch. I don't know what it is about this man but he's lighting my entire body on fire. 

"You really are so intoxicating, Ellie." 

I pull my hand back in place at the sound of my name and look directly into his eyes again. 

"What's stopping you? If you can't tell. I want this too." My voice is barely audible but somehow i get it out. My throat feels so dry and I worry that i'm giving him too much of my emotion so freely. 

"There are things that you don't know." He stops himself like he’s said too much. His eyes look more focused and he clears his throat. 

I give him a confused look. What is that supposed to mean, how could he know about anything relevant to me that i don't - we just met. 

"You don't even know me, we literally just met. That makes no sense." I look at him and wait for an answer, but nothing comes. He pulls his hands away from my body and stands back. I immediately feel a chill and wish he would come back to me, maybe just hold me a little longer. 

"We are in danger if we stay here. Or rather - you are." 

"What?! I haven't done anything to warrant danger. This is your issue, not mine. It seemed like he was after you before, not me." 

He's getting frustrated with things he can't say. "Whoever that guy was, I can tell he is after you. He made a comment about you. He knows we are staying in this hotel or else he wouldn't have shown his face. We need to get out of here." 

Again i give him a look of pure confusion. What does he mean, "we". 

"We aren't going anywhere." I say it with force. "I don't know you - I don't need you to help me." 

My hands are shaking as he gets closer to me again and now my senses are kicked into high gear. Everything is moving too fast and I need to get out of here. “You know what?” I look back up at him and challenge his glare. “I can take care of myself, and that’s exactly what I will do.” I turn on my heels, swing the door open and run before he can say otherwise. 

I don’t think there is anyone else in the hallway. I don't know what came over me in that moment but I didn't head for my room like a sane person would do. I wanted to prove him wrong that there is no one out to get me. I look back and lock eyes with Jack as i round the corner to the elevators and slap the down button with purpose. A ding sounds out and the doors slide open.

I yell out, knowing that he's listening from his doorway. "Goodbye Jack, it wasn't too nice knowing you. See you never." 

Inside a couple is stuck to each other like glue is holding them together. I clear my throat and try not to stare, even though each and every part of my body is ringing out with envy. Why can't I have that, I think to myself. 

The elevator slinks up to the fifth floor where the hot and heavy couple exit – and a man in cargo shorts, a Hawaiian shirt uncomfortably unbuttoned and a stray cowboy hat enters. He gives me a shy smile and walks to the opposite side of the space. I can feel his eyes on me and that disgusting feeling that i'm in danger creeps up my spine. This guy isn't  an innocent bystander and I know in that moment that I put myself directly in harm’s way. 

“If I would have known the mark was this sexy, I would have found you a lot sooner.” I've heard this voice before, his accent is unmistakeable. He was attacking Jack earlier. He stares at me and I feel it in my gut. 

Wait a second, the mark? Jack wasn't lying and now i f****d that up. If I had just listened to him I wouldn't be in this situation right now. 

What this man doesn’t know – I have been sexually assaulted before. I promised myself I’d never be easily taken advantage of again. Now, I know how to protect myself. I change my stance ever so slightly, just so he doesn’t notice the change, and steel myself for what is about to come. 

Calming breath in, steady breath out. I am in control and prepared for this situation. 

I feign terror and don’t say a word, I just wait for him to make a move. 

"Baby girl it's really too bad, maybe you wanna join me in muh room for some fun?" He asks the question and raises his eyebrows. He's pushing his tongue out of his mouth at me and i can see his yellow teeth. This guy oozes gross. I feel sick to my stomach. 

“What’s your name again?" Maybe I can find out more about this dirtbag. If he truly was meant to harm me, there’s something bigger going on here and I need to figure it all out. 

“Baby doll, you don't need my name All you need to know is I'd be the best lay of yer life." He smiles and winks at me. I cringe inside.

“OK, if you’re so confident – I have no idea what’s happening here. So why don’t you enlighten me.” 

“He didn’t tell me you were cocky too. Ohhhh,” he lets out a satisfied sigh. “This is going to be a lot of fun. Why don’t ya just come with me to my room, rather than struggle and make it a whole god damn thing.” 

His accent is really starting to get under my skin. At least if I go to his room, I might be able to find more detail on what the f**k is happening. What started as me literally just trying to get a fresh start – is now a plot to kill me. Great. 

“Fine.” I say to him, resigned to the fact that I have to pretend to like this man. “I’ll go to your room, but you have to promise to tell me more about yourself.” I smile at him as sweetly as i can muster and hope he’s buying it. Then I add, “ya know, before you f**k me.” 

The man let’s out a loud and long laugh – I can tell he’s eating it up now. I take his hand and say “OK, name first.” 

“Well darlin’, my name’s Tommy. If ya please me enough, maybe I’ll keep ya around, so ya gotta really work for it - if ya know what i mean. He sticks his tongue into his cheek so it's poking out from the side, raising his eyebrows as he watches me. Yeah i got it dirtbag, you're disgusting, I think to myself.  

The way he is talking about my murder so bluntly chills me down to the bone. But – I was trained for this. Keep your cool, I tell myself. Let him eat up the pretend play and then strike when he least expects it. 

Calming breath in, steady breath out, I tell myself. 

“Alright Tommy,” I start, “once you’ve had me – you won’t want to give me up.” I smile up at him and focus on what I have to do next. I take a breath and stick his thumb in my mouth and swirl my tongue around in a circle. I fake a moan to add to the effect I hope this is having on his manhood. If this doesn’t make him see stars then I’m done for. It’s all I can really manage until the elevator doors swing open again I see Jack walking down the hall. 

Will Tommy recognize him? I start to freak out a bit so i give Jack a glare and look over at Tommy. He just shakes his head once so he must not be worried.  It takes all of me not to make a run for it into his arms. That is not the plan, though, I need to get in this guy's room and get more detail. Jack can definitely help with the second part of my plan, if he doesn't totally despise me right now. 

Jack registers the real situation as he walks in the elevator. His eyes drop to my hand in Tommy's. For a second I see something on his face. Jealousy? Anger? 

Whatever, I have to table that for now. 

I give him a glare that he can’t mistake. Once we make eye contact, I look down at the hand holding this dirt bag, and push my head ever so slightly towards my knee. I quickly mimic an elbow into Tommy’s groin. Tommy looks down at the sudden motion and I push him against the wall, trying to distract him from our audience and my deception. I can feel this dirt bag’s hard p***s against my hip and try not to outwardly gag. 

You got this, Ell – you have worked so hard for this kind of moment. “Don’t get too excited, big boy.” I wink at Tommy. In that moment he shoves his face onto mine and all I taste are cigarettes. 

"Tommy, what's your room number? I want to get this party started right now." Tommy's face is buried in my neck so i take that moment to look over at Jack. Jack is watching Tommy's hands on my ass and I can tell he's pissed off. I hope he can tell this is all just a plan to get inside his room. 

"Baby," i say, "what is your room number? I want to go." 

"Alrighty my little minx, gotta be patient for my c**k. We're on the fourth floor." 

Jack jams the lobby button to the point that it should have been broken. I feel the elevator jolt upwards and the doors slink open. He clears his throat and asks “Can you folks please exit the elevator so I can be on my way?” 

My eyes are focused straight ahead as my plan gets closer and closer to execution. “Listen buddy, don’t be angry with me just because I’m about to f**k the socks off this lady.” Tommy chuckles back at Jack. “We’re goin’, asshole. You can come n' watch if you wanna.” 

“No thanks.” Jack’s answer is short and very telling. Does he think I’m doing this because I actually want to? 

Tommy leads me out of the elevator and looks back at me. “Alright baby doll, get ready for the best s*x of your life.” I glance back at the closing elevator doors when Tommy isn't looking and see Jack’s face for one last second. I ignore all of the shouting in the back of my head and focus on what I must do next. Remember your form, remember where your strength comes from. Your mind is your biggest weapon, 

Tommy walks down the hall, around the corner to room 430, pulls out his room key and we get the green light. I could feel my heart practically kicking my chest from inside. I close the door behind me and watch this tall, lanky man for any sudden movement. Quickly assessing what’s around me, I notice one long bag in the back of th room and a cell phone sitting next a TV along the longest wall of the space. Tommy turns his body away from me so he’s facing the window and grabs his shirt from the bottom and lifts up over his head. This is my moment. 

I grab the railing on one side of the wall and the edge of the room’s dresser in the other. I lift myself up and swing back, gaining momentum for this kick. My heeled foot lands right in the middle of his chest and Tommy falls back with a thud. He lands flat on his back with the room’s only bed cushioning his fall. I look around for something heavy to use as a weapon and Tommy grabs at my wrist, pulling me down on top of him. 

“I do like it when a girl fights back.” The stench of his tobacco breath lingers in the air and I find my resolve. I take my fingers and push into his eyes until he starts screaming. When he pushes me off and tries to roll over, I kick at his back and push him off of the bed and onto the floor. He’s flaying around in pain, yelling and clutching his eyes. I grab at the nightstand lamp, yank it from the wall and hit him over the head with the heavy, ceramic base. I steady myself and go to check his pulse. Still breathing. And now I have a chance to grab his stuff and make a run for it.

I look back before opening the door. "Don't underestimate me again, dirtbag." I smile inwardly to myself as I open the door and run into a wall of muscle.