Thirteen
Hallie
“Where are you takingme?” I asked Knox when the car slowed down. On the highway, it felt like we were flying and weaving through traffic. I’d once heard Knox brag that he’d never had a single traffic violation, but he’d sped down the freeway like a damn outlaw that night. Now, however, I could sense my car winding through quiet streets and making a lot of stops.
“If I told you, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of the blindfold?” Knox asked.
My back straightened when the car came to complete stop. Knox killed the engine, and I heard him pull my keys from the ignition. I knew we must have arrived at his apartment, but there was something unsettling about not knowing how to describe my location to authorities if this happened to be taken too far.
Adrian had always said Knox lived on the north side of Chicago, but that was all I knew.
He’d driven me miles from home—I knew that. He’d taken me to an unknown location, where nobody would be able to find me. Nobody in my life would suspect I was with Knox Ballard that night.
He could do whatever he wanted and get away with it.
I felt his hand graze my hip as he unbuckled me. “Listen to me,” he said, his low voice cutting through my frantic thoughts. “When we get out, you’re going to do exactly as I say so we don’t arouse suspicion. You’ll walk where I lead you to walk, and you’ll keep your mouth shut. Got that?”
I nodded.
Knox got out and walked around to my side to open the door. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Where’s my phone?”
He let out a dark chuckle as he shut the car door behind me, hooking one hand around my upper arm. “You won’t be needing that.”
“But—”
He jerked my body toward him and I lost my footing, falling against his chest. With both hands, I grabbed fistfuls of his t-shirt to steady myself, taking in his clean, masculine scent. “Hallie,” he said, gripping my chin with force. I let out a quiet whimper as his thumb dug into my jaw. I wanted nothing more than to see his eyes, but I wouldn’t dare lift the blindfold. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to have to gag you. And that’ll take away your safe words, won’t it?”
I gave a little nod.
“Good. The more you obey, the less this is all going to hurt.”
And with that, Knox led me down the sidewalk, his body pressed against the side of mine as he nudged me along. I heard a few beeps and then a door opened. He guided me down an air-conditioned hallway, where the only sound I could hear were our hollow footsteps, and thefaint smell of laundry detergent filled the air. As we walked, I ran one hand along the wall, grounding myself with the rough texture of the wallpaper.Knox lives here, I told myself.
It was like stepping into a corner of his private life I’d never been able to see before. Of course, I still wouldn’t be able toseeit, at least not right away. But my excitement outweighed my fear.
We stopped, and I heard the jingling of keys. A doorknob turning. I was thrust into a cool apartment that smelled just like Knox, his familiar scent enveloping me like a hug. For one dizzying second, I basked in the comfort, knowing I’d be safe within these walls.
The lock on the door clicked behind me, and I heard Knox clear his throat. “Remove your clothes.”
I blinked under the blindfold. “All of them?”
His keys dropped onto a surface nearby. “You fucking heard me.”
I hesitated, my fingers curling into the hem of my shirt as heat crept up my neck. It shouldn’t have mattered, considering he’d seen me stripped bare before. But standing there before him blindfolded made me feel even more vulnerable and exposed. Slowly, I began to peel my tank top upward, knowing he was watching me closely.
I hated that I couldn’t see his eyes.
“You’re wearing the gift I left for you,” he said, sounding pleased as I tossed my top on the ground. I moved my hands to the back of the white bra from Solène, unhooking it one clasp at a time. “Looks like it fits.”
“It does,” I answered, licking my lips. I slid the straps of my bra down my arms, exposing my breasts to him. I dropped the garment to the floor and stood still for a second, my heart racing in my chest. A rush of cool air from a nearby vent made my nipples taut.
“Keep going,” Knox said. “I need you naked for this.”
I wondered if he could see the goosebumps on my skin as I slid my denim shorts down my legs and kicked them off, along with my sandals. I shimmied my panties down next, acutely aware of his gaze on my nude body despite the blindfold covering my eyes.
For a moment, he said nothing. My arms dangled loosely at my sides, and my mind raced with thoughts of what he might be about to do to me. The power imbalance between us had never been so evident. I imagined him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, taking in my nakedness. I couldn’t help myself—I let one of my hands drift down my lower abdomen, sliding over the soft, freshly-groomed skin just above my pussy. But before my fingertips could reach between my legs, Knox’s strong hand pulled mine away.
