A New Life

Alora didn't know what was happening when she awoke with a pounding head and blindfolded eyes. She couldn't see a thing and could barely even use her other senses until a few minutes had passed and her head was clearing. From the feel of things, she was sitting on the floor a van rumbling along the roads. She could hear a man and woman having a quiet conversation nearby but she couldn't tell if anyone else was there. Her hands were bound behind her back. She didn't make a sound, but the woman must have heard her move, because the conversation suddenly turned to her.

"She's awake," said the female voice.

"So?" replied the male nonchalantly.

"She's probably scared out of her mind and thinking we're going to kill her. The last thing we need is a panicked captive."

Alora turned toward the voices. "So you're not going to kill me?" she asked fearfully, her throat dry and her voice scratchy.

"No," replied the woman, and Alora heard her step toward her and suddenly there was a hand under her chin. "Do you want some water?" she asked.

Alora nodded, and she felt the cool neck of a bottle being pressed against her lips. She drank a few gulps down before the woman took back the bottle and presumably sat back with the man. They didn't speak to her for the rest of the trip, which was at least twenty more minutes but it was hard to tell. The van finally rumbled to a stop and Alora felt a rough arm lift her to her feet and guide her from van, across a path and into a cool air-conditioned lobby. The person let go of her arm and she heard them leave, while another hand grabbed her, crueller this time, and pulled her toward an elevator, which she only realised was an elevator when

it started to rise.

Wherever she was going, it must've been the top floor, because she was rising forever until the elevator dinged and she was dragged out. Only a few feet into the room, she was forced to her knees, and the grit bore into her bare legs. Of all the days to get kidnapped, it had to be the one where she wore a dress. She heard a man behind her speak, and she did her best to stay still, despite her fear. They didn't want to kill her, she didn't want to give them a reason to.

"Here she is. Our gift to you," the man behind her said, and her heart sped up tenfold.

"Show me her face. I want to be sure," said a voice from in front of her, it's sound so menacing she had to keep from cowering back. She felt someone fumbling behind her head and then she blinked as the blindfold fell away and the light momentarily blinded her. As her eyes adjusted, she looked at the man in front of her. He was seated behind a large oak desk, staring at her with such intensity that his eyes seemed to bore right through her. He was much younger than his voice implied, looking only a few years older than her, 20,21 maybe? But he still looked as menacing as an older man would.

She looked around her surroundings, seeing herself to be in what looked like a spacious but sparsely furnished office with a wall length window that showed her it was still dark out. The man studied her for a moment longer, then turned his gaze back to the man behind her, a glare looming over his handsome face.

"How dare you," he said, his voice calm and collected, but you could hear the anger peeking. "You dare bring me some random girl you found at some club instead of South's mistress, like I asked. If he wants peace, he will not get it by lying. He will have to pay his debts another way then."

Before she even knew it, the man had a gun in his hand and there was a shot that rang through the air. Alora was sure he had shot her, until she opened her eyes and realised that she was now kneeling right in the path of a river of blood. The blood left her face, and she couldn't maker herself turn and see without fear of passing out. Her hand went over her mouth as her eyes widened, staring at the blood. She looked up at the man, the gun now disappeared from his grip.

He gave her a commanding look and gestured her forward.

With her heart pounding, she slowly rose from the floor, doing her best not to look at the blood, and ignoring every instinct in her body, she began walking toward him. When she reached his desk, she stopped and looked at the floor.

"Look at me," he commanded, and she did. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Alora," she replied.

"And how old are you Alora?"

"16. I turn 17 next month."

"It's good to meet you Alora. My name is Orion, and I won't hurt you, there's no need to be afraid, okay?"

She nodded.

"Unfortunately, you've seen my face, so I can't let you go, but you can stay here until I find a use for you, maybe doing paperwork or something. Or if you want, I could have someone end you. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just letting you know that you don't have to be a prisoner, some people would prefer death. Do you want to stay?"

She nodded again. He sighed. "Breathe," he told her. "I won't hurt you. That man killed one of my friends then tried to give you to me to appease me. He was not innocent. I'll call someone to get you cleaned up."

He pressed what looked like an intercom and called someone named Belle to his office. A few seconds later, a small woman appeared and he spoke with her in hushed tones until he gestured for Alora to go with her. She followed Belle around the top floor until they eventually came to a bedroom, which seemed odd in such a modern office, but Belle managed to get Alora into a shower and dressed her in fresh clothes when she stepped out. She hadn't realised that some of the blood had gotten on the back of her hair until the shower water went red. She didn't speak for the whole time, still in shock, until Belle finally got her in the bed and went to turn off the lights.

"Belle?" she asked.

"Yes dear?"

"Was he telling the truth when he said he wouldn't hurt me?"

Belle sighed and came over to sit on the bed. "He's not a bad man. He doesn't hurt innocent girls just because he can. In the morning I'll see if I can get some work for you to do, but for now, get some sleep, okay?"

Alora nodded and Belles smiled, leaving the room and shutting off the light. She didn't get much sleep, only dozing off slightly before the sun began to rise and she pulled herself from under the covers to open the curtains, watching as the sun slowly rose over an unfamiliar city. She had been travelling around the states with some of her friends before they took her. She just wanted to have a good night, but as far as she could tell, they took her before the night had even really begun. She was from Ireland, and unless she could see the Golden Gate bridge, she had no idea where she was.

Belle eventually came in with some proper clothes, getting her dressed in jeans and a blouse, and leading her back to the office she first arrived in. Orion sat behind his desk again, and when she looked, there was no sign of blood or a body from just a few hours previous. He had her sit in the seat opposite, which hadn't been there the previous night, then smiled over his desk at her.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, and she shrugged. "After Belle gets you some breakfast, I'll see about setting you up a computer in admin, so you can help with entering paperwork. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes sir," she replied shyly, fiddling with the hem of her blouse.

He groaned. "Just call me Orion, please."

She nodded, a little confused at his groan but not wanting to poke the bear.

"You ever done admin work before?" he asked, and she nodded.

"I worked at a construction firm every Friday for a year, doing their finances."

"Then you should be well acquainted with the technology." He smiled again. "Don't worry, you won't be hurt, and I think you'll fit right in here."

"You have many kidnapped girls around then?" she regretted the words as she was saying them, unsure of what came over her. "Sorry, sir, I don't know-"

He cut her off, but instead of anger, there was a flicker of amusement in his words. "No, only you."

He sent her off with Belle, who fixed her something to eat then sat her in a small office with a computer and a stack of paper, and Alora got to work.

"Can I kiss you sir?" she asked, and he didn't even correct her for saying sir, it just turned him on more. He brought his mouth down on hers, kissing her more passionately than he'd kissed anyone in a long time. He licked her lip and she parted them for him, allowing him access into her mouth as he dominated her, pressing her against the desk. He wrapped a hand in her hair at the scalp to control her better, she let him, moaning into his mouth. He lifted her up so she was sitting on the desk, his mouth never leaving hers. She ran her hands down his front until she reached his pants, fumbling to unbutton them for only a moment before he pushed her hands away. His mouth left hers only long enough for her whisper into her ear, "Don't rush me woman", and she melted into his dominance, letting him control their kiss, despite her arousal rising faster than ever before.

With one hand in her hair, the other slowly drew up her blouse, fondling her breasts. The fact she wasn't wearing a bra brought a smile to his face. He pinched her nipple harshly, just to see how she'd react, but instead of crying out, she moaned. So she was a masochist? he thought to himself, torturing her nipples more thoroughly, swapping between breasts so both hurt like hell when he was finished.