*
One Week Earlier
*
"I missed you tonight." Cleo smiled softly as she held her phone to her ear with her shoulder, letting herself into her apartment. She had just finished her shift at the bar she worked at, a long night of pouring drinks and tight smiles at her leery and drunk customers.
On the other end of her phone was her girlfriend of four months, Beth. They had met when Beth played an open mic at the bar, Cleo easily falling for both her beauty and her voice. She had bought the stunning brunette a drink after her set, and they had talked almost all night in-between Cleo serving customers. From then on, Beth came to the bar as often as she could even when she wasn't performing and the two had quickly fallen hot and heavy into each other. The nights that Beth wasn't sat at her usual spot at the end of the bar were Cleo's longest shifts.
'I missed you too.'
Cleo could practically hear Beth's smirk from the other side of the phone. She knew exactly what her girlfriend would be doing right now; lay back on her bed in her boy shorts and a tank top, long wavy brunette hair thrown into a messy ponytail, tv playing quietly as she paid it no attention, engrossed in conversation with her.
"I hate that you have to work so much lately... I feel like I haven't seen you in so long." Cleo pouted a little as she perched on the end of her bed, pulling off her shoes with a soft sigh. It had been a very long night and her feet were throbbing.
'Me too baby. But I really need the extra money... my guitar needs two new strings, my rent is going up next month, not to mention I want to book time in a studio to record some new demos and it's like a hundred dollars an hour."
Cleo could hear the frustration in Beth's voice and at that moment wished she was there with her even more so she could pull her into her arms and kiss the frown lines from her forehead.
"I told you, I've got some money saved up, I can cover a session in the studio or your guitar strings. You don't have to do this alone."
'No. I'm a big girl, I can pay my own way in the world.'
"I know." Cleo giggled, "But that doesn't mean I can't treat my girl to something she wants. Especially if it means that other people get to hear how talented you are. Call it a public service."
'You're such a dork.'
Beth chuckled,
'I can't wait to see you tomorrow.'
"Me neither." A grin broke out across Cleo's face at the thought of her favourite brunette sat in her usual spot, "You should go to bed. You have work in the morning and it's 2am."
'I'd much rather talk to you.'
Cleo knew Beth was the one pouting now.
"I know baby. But unfortunately as you pointed out you need the money. We'll talk loads tomorrow night, you know we will."
'I think the highlight of my night is catching stink eye from your boss because I'm taking up all your valuable time.'
"It's the highlight of my night too." Cleo laughed, "That and getting to see your gorgeous face all night."
'You're so weird.'
Beth chuckled,
'I love you.'
Cleo's breath caught in her throat. They'd never said that before. Beth said it so off the cuff, so relaxed and spontaneous... what if she hadn't meant it, if it was just a reflex? Cleo hated not being able to see her face right now, hated not being able to gauge her reaction.
"Um... yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. Night!"
Cleo quickly hung up the phone, sighing heavily as she tossed it behind her on the bed and got to her feet to pace anxiously. Okay, there were far better ways to have handled that then she just had. God why had she panicked like that? It wasn't as if she wasn't feeling the same way about Beth... She had to call her back. Explain that she had panicked like a dumbass, but that she loved her too. Yeah. That was what she'd do.
Cleo turned back to her bed to reach for her phone, but just as her fingers brushed the device a weight collided with her from behind. She was knocked onto the bed, pinned under whoever it was that that had suddenly appeared in her apartment. Cleo's head was wrenched back and before she could scream for help a damp, sour bundle of fabric was forced into her mouth, quickly followed by a hard plastic ball that fastened behind her head. What was happening to her?
Her wrists were pinned above her head, metal handcuffs clicking tightly around them. One hand remained on her bound hands, the other pulling her head to the lips of the intruder's face.
"Now then Cleo. You're going to behave yourself or I will have to punish you, which is not how I want this to start." Hot breath tickled Cleo's ear as tears began to streak down her cheeks, scalp burning from where her hair was being pulled tightly and aggressively, "You already have my taste on your tongue, you're mine now. So, are you going to be a good girl and do what I say?"
Cleo nodded furiously, too terrified to do anything but what this woman wanted. Maybe if she went along with it she'd let her go, let her live. The hand released her hair and rolled her onto her back, Cleo's fearful and wide eyes meeting Alex's sharp and cruel green ones. Alex pulled a zip tie from her pocket and looped it through the chain link connecting Cleo's handcuffs before fastening it around the metal framework of Cleo's bed. It ensured that the flame haired young woman's hands remained bound above her head, unable to stop anything Alex wanted to do to her.
Cleo fixed her eyes on the ceiling, silently praying for this to be over quickly and for this woman to be gone from her apartment. Alex smirked at the compliance of the weeping young woman in front of her, pulling the scissors from her back pocket and cutting through the front of the polo t-shirt that Cleo wore to work and pulling it aside before snipping through the join between the cups of Cleo's bra. She carelessly pushed the fabric out of the way, tossing the scissors onto the bed next to Cleo before roughly pawing at her chest. Cleo let out a sob as Alex started to aggressively handle her breasts, squeezing them and pinching her nipples before using her mouth to lick and suck at the perky B cups. A strangled cry came from her mouth as Alex bit down on her left breast, leaving angry teeth marks in her wake.
"Beautiful. Simply beautiful." Alex mused as she lifted her head, Cleo trembling beneath her as unwanted arousal started to course through her. Cleo had neverminded being manhandled a little in the bedroom, had always enjoyed being topped by the women she had allowed into her bed, but this was so far removed from that. She didn't want this, she didn't know this woman, she just wanted this to be over.
"You know, your father said you were gorgeous, but I sincerely hope that he didn't know just how stunning you are under your clothes." Alex raised her eyebrow as Cleo's eyes widened, looking at her captor again. Her dad? What did he have to do with this?