Fiery Nights (14 page)

Maddie opened the door to a large room. Although it appeared
to be a regular sitting room at first, it was without a doubt an adult
playroom. There were a couple of mismatched couches and several cushions and
bean bag chairs strewn about. In the corner on the left was a dark oak bar with
several types of glasses on top. A few small tables around the room had baskets
with condoms in them as well as various other products that appeared to be sex
toys. In a far corner was a swing. I was pretty sure it was not your average
playground type. A fireplace graced the middle of the long wall. Opposite the
fireplace was a padded table of some sort, like the kind a masseuse would have.
Only this version had restraints on each corner. Windows on two of the walls
had dark curtains pulled shut, for obvious reasons.

Hmm. Maybe this is something that I’d find alluring one day.
But seeing it here and now killed my curiosity. In a few years time, if Tristan
and I were still together, we could consider exploring new sexual options.

We better still be together
, a voice inside me
scolded.

Whatever fantasies I might have entertained on the way over
here were squashed by the reality of the room and all it had to promise. I was
not yet ready for this kind of lifestyle.

All I wanted was Tristan. I wanted to be with him and only
him. More than anything, I wanted to be back at Vamps with him right now.

Why did I come here?

“As you can see,” Maddie said, “there are different things
for different tastes.”

“I see.”

“Do you see anything you like?”

“Umm—it’s all very interesting.”

“What do you think? Would you like to come back with
Tristan?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I’d have to talk to him about it.”

“Oh Maya, you seem so shy all of a sudden. Don’t be.”

“We’re all adults,” Roderick said.

“No, no, I’m not being shy,” I said. “I’m just not sure I’m
ready for something like this.”

“Oh come now. Surely you are. You were interested enough to
come back here with us,” Maddie said. “So of course you’re ready. You’re just a
little nervous. Don’t worry, I was too, my first time.” She sat on one couch
and patted the cushion next to her for me to sit. “Why don’t we just get to
know each other first—just the three of us? It’ll be easier for you, I think.”

“No, Maddie. I’m sorry. But this isn’t for me. Not yet
anyway. What time is it anyway? I need to get back and meet Tristan.”

When Roderick stepped up behind me and put his hands on my
shoulders, I cringed. “You have plenty of time. Relax.” His grip and his tone
set my senses on alert.

“No. I need to go. Now.”

Maddie stood up and walked up to me. “Loosen up, Maya,” she
whispered. Then she put her hand on my breast and leaned forward to kiss me.

“Stop it!” I said, swatting her hand away. “I said I’m
leaving.”

Maddie looked past me at Roderick. She nodded her head to
the left.

I don’t know what Roderick was doing behind me, but he took
her nod as direction. He wrapped both arms around me and picked me up, carrying
me further into the room. I tried to wiggle my arms free and escape his grasp,
but it was futile. So I kicked back at him repeatedly until one of my spiky
heels made contact with his shin.

“Aghh!” He dropped me onto the floor. “Bitch! You made me
bleed!”

“Good! Don’t fuckin’ touch me like that again!” I ran toward
the doorway to escape, but Maddie stepped in the way. I pushed her to the side
hard enough that she lost balance and almost fell, but then Roderick grabbed me
from behind. I flailed my arms and legs trying to make contact with him, but he
had embraced me tighter this time with a bear hug grasp and I could barely
breathe. He threw me onto my back on the table. Maddie grabbed one arm and
fastened it to the table before I even knew what was happening.

When I reached over with my other arm to unfasten it,
Roderick sat on my upper legs, pinning me down. He then held my free arm down
so Maddie could fasten it in.

“Get off me! Untie me, you fuckin’ assholes. Who the fuck do
you think you are!”

“I thought you gave her the drink,” Maddie said to Roderick.

“I did. She drank the whole thing. I don’t know why it’s not
working yet.”

“It better. She needs to be more compliant.”

“I don’t know. I kind of like it feisty like this.”

“Roderick, we don’t want her to remember any of it. It
better work.”

“It will, Madeleine. It will. It just might take a little
longer.”

I was so glad I tossed the drink. And I wasn’t going to
mention it lest they give me whatever the hell they tried to drug me with.

“Madeleine? Roderick?” I said. “
The Fall of the House of
Usher
.Those aren’t even your fuckin’ names. Who the fuck are you?
And what do you want from me?”

“We told you already,” Roderick said. “We want to play. And
you want to play too, or you wouldn’t have come back with us.”

“I want to leave.
Now.
”

“But we haven’t even started yet,” Maddie said, running her
hand across my breast.

“Don’t touch me, psycho.”

She laughed. Roderick said to her, “I’m going to start a
fire.” Then he turned to me. “I love to fuck in front of a roaring fire.”

Fuck! I’m so screwed. What the hell is wrong with me? Why
would I leave with two strangers?

“I have no desire to fuck you, Roderick, tonight or any
night.”

“Don’t act so prim,” Maddie said. “We saw you leave with
that blond guy the other night. Looked as if you had a fight with Tristan and
went off to screw some other guy.”

Eek. Busted. But it was more than just a fight. My heart was
broken. No, my entire soul felt crushed that night.

“I don’t care what it looked like to you or if I fuck every
other guy and girl who comes to Vamps.
I don’t want to have sex with either
one of you. Ever.
This is me saying
no
. No, no, no, no, no. Is that
clear?”

“Don’t worry, sweetie. You won’t remember much, if any, of
it.” Maddie then stuck her hand up my dress and felt my panties. “She has
underwear on.”

“Get your nasty little hands off me!” I buckled on the table
to jar her hand off.

Roderick said, “Fuck yeah. I like her feisty like that. Even
though she hurt my leg. Dammit, it’s still bleeding. I’ll get you scissors in a
minute. Let me just get the fire going.”

Roderick put some logs into the fireplace. I watched as he
moved kindling and logs around to place them where he wanted. Maddie slithered
her fingers inside the seam of my panties and felt me there.

“For someone who says she’s not interested, you sure seem
more than ready.”

“Don’t touch me again, you twisted fuck.”

She smiled coldly as she pulled back. “Careful or I’ll get a
gag.” She then twisted a nipple through my dress. “But maybe you’ll like that.”

This is bad, Maya. You need to stop reacting to what they
do and think of what
you
can do next to get out of this.

I slowed down my breathing to try for some self-control, not
one of my strong suits.

Focus. Focus.

What can you do to get out of this mess?

I zoned away from my predicament there on the table and
shifted my focus to the fire. I looked past Roderick and into the fireplace,
watching where the smoke gathered.

This is what you are good at. Use this strength.

I concentrated on where the smoke gathered, where the heat
was most intense.

This might backfire.

As soon as the fire caught on the first log, I propelled the
flame out of the fireplace. Before he had time to react, the little flame
magnified instantly to reach out and burn one of Roderick’s hands.

“Fuck!” he screamed and ran out of the room. I heard the
faucet turn on as he swore over and over again.

“What happened?” Maddie asked, following him. “Are you
okay?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “The goddamn fire blew up at me. Is
it under control now?”

She came back into the room and looked at the fire, which
had settled back into a cozy little flame. “Yeah. It’s fine. You sure you
didn’t just fall into it?”

“I’m sure,” he said. He cursed some more. “This is bad. I
think I need to go to the emergency room.”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “What are we going to do with her?
Just when we got her on the table.”

“Leave her here. She’s not going anywhere any time soon. The
drugs will work for hours.”

“Can’t you just go by yourself? I’ll stay with Maya. I’m
sure I can find ways to keep us entertained until you get back.”

“I can’t drive like this! It’s my fuckin’ right hand. You
need to drive me.”

Maddie pouted, looked me over, and then said, “Don’t worry.
We’ll be back soon.”

“You can’t just leave me here tied up!”

“You’ll be fine.”

She walked out of the room. In another minute, I heard the
front door close.

Okay, now what? You got them out of here, but you’re
still tied up.

I scanned the room again. Maybe I could find something to
help me undo these fastenings.

No, nothing.

Think, Maya. What can you do?

If I was really strong, I could break through the
fastenings. If I was really flexible, I could do some Houdini trick, maybe.

What could
I
do? I looked into the fire as I thought
about how to get out of here.

That’s it! The answer is right in front of me!

What I was about to do was very dangerous. It could in fact
kill me if I didn’t do it right. And I’d never done anything like it before. In
fact, it’s the opposite of what I’d been trained to do as a firefighter.

It could backfire and I’d go up in flames.

Literally.

But I couldn’t just lie there waiting for some pissed-off
captors to return to do what they wanted with my body on this damn table.

Taking a few deep breaths to clear my head, I focused on the
fire. I practiced with some small exercises. Made it rise and fall, funnel, the
usual party tricks.

Then, ever so carefully, I encouraged it to grow bigger,
beyond the confines of the fireplace and out to the wall facing the street.

It worked.

Yes, keep going now. Go toward the front window. But stay
there. Just draw some attention.

The fire roared up and sped along the walls, much quicker
than I had intended.

I hoped I didn’t make a fatal mistake.

Tristan

From the shadows, I saw the couple leave the house. They
climbed into a black sedan and drove off.

But where was Maya? Why would she stay alone in a house,
presumably their house?

Ugh, now I was worried about her. But what the hell could I
do? Ring the front doorbell and say, “Oh, hey, Maya. I was in the neighborhood
and I saw you go in here. Just thought I’d say hi.”

Yeah, that would go over well. I could just see her freaking
out, blue eyes blazing once again. She’d say I was stalking her, she was a
grown woman who didn’t need someone taking care of her, and to leave her alone.

Did I really want to ruin building something again by being
such a suspicious control freak?

So instead, I stood there like a creep and waited. Waited
for what, I don’t know. I suppose I waited for Maya to come out so I knew she
was okay.

But then something I never would have expected happened.
There was smoke coming from the window on the far right. Was I seeing things?

I watched more carefully. What the hell was going on in
there?

No, that wasn’t just smoke. It was fire!

Shit! Maya must be in there! I never saw her come out.

I ran to the house and tried looking in some windows, but
the curtains were all drawn. Then I ran to the front door, lightly tapped the
door knob to make sure it wasn’t burning. When I tried to turn it, it was
locked.

The flames grew.

I dialed 911 as I ran to the opposite side of the house,
only giving the quickest of rundowns while I searched for a rock big enough to
make some damage.

“House fire. Caldecott St. White house at far end of cul-de-sac.”
I hung up while the operator asked questions. Then I smashed a side window.

“Anybody in here?” I called.

“Tristan?” Maya called from far off. “Is that you?”

“Maya, are you okay? Where are you?”

“I’m in the room at the end of the hall Come quick. And be
careful.”

I broke the rest of the window so I could climb through into
the living room, and then I ran down the hall. Seeing Maya tied to a table in a
room filled with flames kicked me into action.

“Tristan,” she whispered. “You came. How did you find me?”

“Not now, Maya. Let me untie you.” I fumbled with the
restraints, which were some sort of Velcro-and-metal combination.

After I undid the first one, I asked, “What did they do to
you?” But when I looked up at Maya, her eyes were closed. Her lips barely moved
but she was saying something. What was she saying?

The flames in the front window, the ones that signaled to me
to call for help, were—receding. They were pulling back.

Was she controlling it?

Not wanting to interrupt her trance, I quietly loosened the
remaining fastenings. She was free.

The sound of sirens approached.

“Maya, let’s get out of here,” I said.

“No. I have to get it back under control,” she said.

“Maya, no! You’re not staying in a burning house. Maybe you
can control it, maybe not. We’re not staying here to find out. Come with me
now!”

I grabbed her hand and we ran down the hall. The closest
door I saw led from the kitchen out to the back of the house. Not sure if she’d
break free and try to go back to the fire, I made sure she walked out before
me.

I didn’t have to worry about her running back. Once she
broke free of the house and heard the sirens, she ran as if she was being
chased by someone. Once we were far enough away from the burning house, I
stopped running.