That makes me number seven.
"And you let all of them go right after you…after you were done?" I ask, not even being able to say the word.
"Every. Single. One," he says, enunciating each word to me.
I narrow my eyes at him, feeling skeptical. "How do I know you're telling me the truth?"
After a brief pause, he tells me, "Why would I lie? I have no reason to."
So he kidnaps women, brings them here to his island. And then, as soon as he sleeps with them, he lets them go. It makes no sense. Why go through all that trouble, unless… "Were all the women virgins?" I ask.
"Of course," he says as if I should know this already.
Some of the pieces of this giant puzzle are starting to click in place, but Lucien really is an enigma wrapped inside a riddle. I can't make heads or tails of him or his erratic behavior. I feel like I'm really missing the bigger picture here.
The promise of going home appeals to me, but I would have to sleep with him to gain my freedom. The thought of having sex with a stranger, especially the man who is responsible for kidnapping me and holding me against my will, makes me physically ill.
I feel bile rising up the back of my throat, and I have to swallow hard to keep it down. If he stays true to his word, then having sex with him once will get me what I want most in the world right now --- my freedom.
Could I actually go through with this? Could I actually betray my soon-to-be husband? What would Gio think of me if he learned that I didn't save myself for our wedding night? He probably wouldn't even want me anymore.
And my father…oh, god, my father would probably kill me…if I don't wind up dead on this island long before that.
I release a shaky sigh from between my parted lips as I meet the eyes of my kidnapper. "What happens if I don't want to sleep with you?" I ask, my question just above a whisper.
"Then you don't go home," he says, his tone cold and detached.
"You would keep me here? Forever?" I ask, disbelieving. Surely, if Lucien doesn't get what he wants, he would eventually let me go. But as soon as the thought rolls around in my mind, I already know my answer before he even speaks.
"If that's what it took…yes," he answers calmly. "I'm very good at waiting for what I want," he adds. Then he pulls his hands out of his pockets and checks the expensive-looking watch on his wrist, appearing to be bored with me and this little chat of ours, and it makes me furious.
His eyes meet mine as he says, "The sooner you give me what I paid for, the sooner you can leave. It's that simple."
And then he turns and leaves, locking me inside this room once again and leaving me spinning with the knowledge that he holds the only key to my freedom.
* * * * * * *
THAT EVENING OVER dinner, Lucien's words echo over and over again in my brain, bouncing against my skull and reverberating until it's the only thing I can hear and focus on.
The sooner you give me what I want, the sooner you can leave.
But how could I possibly give my virginity to this man? I would remember it for the rest of my life, and that thought alone sends fear straight through me like an icy dagger in my spine. I can't do this.
Spending all day in solitude with only my thoughts and worst fears keeping me company is starting to make me feel crazy.
I miss Giovanni.
I miss my room and my things.
I even miss my father. Well, maybe only a tiny bit.
I want to go home. But could I really commit this sickening act with someone I don't even know and deep down loathe? Emily, a girl I knew back in high school, told me that you always remember your first. I most definitely would remember this regardless of it being my first time or not. The circumstances are heinous, and I wouldn't want to remember any of it, but I would be forced to. This is something my mind would play over and over again until I either got psychological help or shoved it so far down into my subconscious that it never resurfaced again.
Can I actually go through with this?
At this point…I don't think I have a choice. He's not going to let me go until I give him what he wants, what hepaidfor. So, maybe I should just get it over with. I can deal with the consequences and mental anguish later.
"Adeline?"
