It took me a while to get this one done, it's quite a bit longer. Enjoy! PS- loving the reviews! Thanks guys.
The drive to Erik's cabin was long and tortuous. With his help, Christine slept continuously for the journey. He needed her calm at peace upon their arrival and it seemed the only way was to keep her asleep. Unfortunately this afforded him too much time to think.
Nadir's words kept repeating in his mind. You will never know if she really loves you if you keep her under your suggestion. He was right, of course. Erik would never be able to trust her feelings were true if she remained under his control. However, he couldn't help feeling like he would lose her if he stopped his hypnotism. He told her she need only keep their vows for one year, but he wanted her eternal love and devotion. He needed it.
It wasn't as if he had done anything to suggest she develop feelings for him yet. No, he had made quite certain to lay the nature of the arrangement out clearly. He had wanted her to choose him on her own. He needed to know that she didn't want Chagney. He simply made it easier for her by proving he could satisfy her in ways Chagney never could.
Thoughts of their brief touches would float back to him. She tasted like honey and had the softest skin he had ever touched. The mere thought of her soft milky skin being offered to him in her moments of blind desire made him ache. He wanted to do unspeakable things to her. He wanted to tear her apart, to bruise her body only to soothe away the ache, to steal her innocence and bare her soul. He wanted to make her ache for his brutal touch and beg for more.
Could anyone as sweet as Christine ever invite such advances? His doubts clouded his judgement. Is there some way I could lure her in without using suggestion? He glanced over at his bride. She looked so delicate in that moment. Her blonde hair had come completely undone and curls cascaded down her supple flesh. There was a bruise on her shoulder from where he had bitten her, and her lower lip was swollen and bruised making her lips look even more inviting.
Her make-up was almost nonexistent and her raw beauty shone bright. He almost hated her for being so beautiful. How could an angelic creature like herself have any true desire for a monster like him? He knew then that he would have to stop his suggestion. He needed to know she desired him. There could be no true love between them if she did not and he needed her love. He would give their relationship one month to develop, after that her decision would decide his fate. He would not torture himself any longer than he absolutely needed to.
Their arrival at his secluded cabin filled him with anxiety. He carefully lifted her out of the car and carried her over the threshold. He lay her on the heavy twill bead spread of his Queen bed. Her midnight blue dress pooled out onto the cream twill. He noticed then how thin and fragile she looked. He could count her ribs through her dress. That will not do. He took a deep breath and sighed his anger away. How had Chagney not noticed his fiancee was wasting away? He probably preferred her this way- visibly weakened by his ownership. Erik returned to the car and removed the groceries and the one suitcase packed with all a lady could need.
Erik immediately set about making dinner. He was not about to let his bride waste away as she had under another man's care. Provencal chicken with roasted potatoes, a dish certain to wake her with delicate aromas as well as fill her belly. An unbidden image of Christine's delicate frame swollen with his child flew into his mind and made him pause. Did he even want children? Could his children be born deformed as he was?
"This is foolish." He said shaking his head, as if he could remove the image by force.
"What is?" A soft whisper came from behind him. He turned to find Christine wiping the sleep out of her eyes in the doorway of the bedroom. He ignored her question.
"You're awake." He noted before turning to open a bottle of wine.
"I thought I was still dreaming." She hugged herself, the house had a chill that was working its way into her bones. "It's cold."
Erik turned and looked her up and down. He had no doubt the cool air of the cabin was making her cold. Her dress barely hid her body beneath what little soft fabric the dress was made with. He could hardly stifle the groan that threatened to emerge as his eyes became fixed on her breasts whose chill-hardened nipples revealed themselves through the chenille. She flushed at the hunger in his eyes. He looked so ruggedly handsome. He had changed into a purple flannel shirt and jeans and his chin bore a heavy shadow from the hair that had begun to grow there. He was certainly dressed to match the surrounding wood and stone that made up a modest cabin.
"I apologize, I will start a fire as soon as dinner is finished." He quickly turned his back to her, trying to hide the evidence of his arousal that had returned at the sight of her blush. "There is a suitcase by the door that contains clothes for you."
She peeked over at the door and noticed the suitcase. Her husband really does think of everything. She grabbed the bag and began to drag it into the bedroom- the only other room, she noted. She turned to shut the door, but lingered. He was going to see her naked sooner or later, so was there any reason to bother? Part of her wanted him to look. She wanted him to see all of her. She wanted someone to see her.
A solitary tear slipped out and made a trail down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and shut the door. She slipped out of the dress letting it pool at her ankles. She let the cold envelop her. She felt so alone sometimes. When she was younger her parents were all she had. When her mother became ill, her only boyfriend dumped her. It hurt to lose the only support she had and it only made it harder when her mother passed.
Now she was completely alone. It had been six months since Raoul had allowed her to see her father. She missed him so much it made her heart ache. It was too much sometimes. How could one person be strong enough to carry the weight of the world on their back? Her father had become the only support she had. For four months they cried on each others shoulders. For four months it was them against the world. In the course of one day, their army of two had become an army of one. She wanted someone to be there for her. Didn't she deserve love? She may have men clamoring to marry her, but none of them love her. She doubted they could even see her behind their own intentions.
She began to shiver from the cold, distracting her from her loneliness. She unzipped the suitcase and it almost burst open. He had packed it to the brim with sensible clothes. Underneath the pile of clothes was a toiletries bag filled with everything she used. This man really did know everything about her. She looked around the small log room and realized the second door was not for a closet, but a bathroom. It was simple, a shower, a sink and a toilet. There was no mirror, just the bare necessities. Not exactly what she pictured for a rich eccentric.
Christy took a quick shower. Very quick as there was no hot water. After her ice bath, she quickly bundled herself up. Jeans topped with a pale blue tunic and a grey sweater. The clothes were beautiful and fit perfectly. She looked at her ring- Erik's mother's ring. I wonder what her name was. She hoped his mother was a good person. She hoped she could make Erik happy. She hoped she could make this marriage the real thing.
When she left the bedroom she found a blazing fire and a hearty meal awaiting her, but Erik was no where to be seen. She took the opportunity to look around the modest cabin. Wood logs stacked high made up the four walls encasing the large room containing the living room, dining room and kitchen. The stone island was the only structure separating the space. The whole cabin spoke to a minimalist lifestyle she hardly expected from a rich man.
The cabin had just enough of everything to be comfortable. There was a solitary leather couch facing the fireplace, a small dining table with two chairs behind the front door, one chair perched at the island, and the tiniest kitchen she had ever seen. Then it dawned on her, this was a bachelor pad! This was a home for one and only one. It had everything a bachelor could need and nothing more. No wonder he had no closet, he probably didn't need one. There weren't even any decorations beyond necessities. There were candles and candlesticks, black-out curtains, and one picture frame.
Christy walked over to the fireplace and picked the picture off of the mantle. It was a black and white photo of a dark haired beauty. She had beautiful grey eyes that sparkled through the image and a great white smile. Christy imagined the woman with lightly tanned skin as if some mediterranean queen with light colored eyes. She could only hope this was Erik's mother and not an ex. She certainly couldn't compete against the dark allure of this beauty.
That was how Erik found Christine, cradling the last image of his mother. He had retrieved more firewood from outside the cabin. Covered in dirt and bits of wood, he entered the cabin with his pile of wood only to be stopped by his bride. Her hair hung limp and wet, but she looked gorgeous in the clothes he had purchased for her. She glanced at him, immediately blushing and apologizing for being in his way. When he released his burden in the basket near the fire, he dared a glance at her. She was clutching his mother's image to her bosom and her eyes glowed with unspoken need. He quickly looked away. She awoke a lust in him that he could barely control.
Not daring to look at her again, he suggested they begin dinner before the food grew any colder than it already had. They were sitting for mere moments before she blurted out her questions. "Was that a picture of your mother? Was she nice?" He could feel her blue eyes on him, but he couldn't bare to meet them. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable without the mask on?"
Erik paused with a spoonful of potatoes in midair. "You should eat." He grumbled out before his hand continued on its path to his plate.
Christy looked at the food and her stomach growled at the thought of a hot meal. She could hardly control herself. She stabbed a piece of chicken and barely got it to her plate before she was shoving big mouthfuls in her mouth. She sighed in pleasure as the flavor of the moist chicken burst on her tongue. It took only a couple minutes for her to finish the chicken and then she was scooping roasted potatoes, asparagus and carrots onto her plate. In between bites she would let out moans of appreciation and whispered about how delicious the meal was.
Erik could only smile smugly at her response. He was an excellent cook and had received great lessons from his mother when they lived in France. However, he had never been paid such enthusiastic compliments. Nor had he had such a lovely creature to cook for. He couldn't resist gloating that he was better than Chagney in another aspect of his care for Christine.
"Did Chagney never feed you?" He half chuckled, staring at his food. He had only a bite or two because his stomach was churning in his anxiety of how to proceed with the lovely woman in front of him. He didn't feel ready to tackle her questions, but he didn't know how to deflect her attention.
Unknown to Erik, his question embarrassed her. "I'm so sorry! You must think I have terrible manners!" She gushed, her cheeks rosy with shame.
"I didn't mean it like that." Erik began apologizing profusely realizing he had offended her. He met her eyes for the first time since they sat down. She looked like she was ready to start crying with her red cheeks and water brimmed eyes. He reached across the table, took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I didn't mean to suggest any fault of yours. In fact, my intention was to determine what your treatment had been like under Chagney's care."
"Oh," Christy's eyes looked to their hands. His hand was so warm and it cradled her own cold thin fingers. She didn't want to talk about Raoul. She wanted to pretend Raoul never existed, that the last few months never occurred. There was no denying it, he would no doubt ask her more questions about him and their engagement.
"It wasn't that he didn't feed me, simply that should I want to eat I had to join him at the dinner table." She sighed thinking about how she hated being Raoul's play toy. "I told him I would play the dutiful wife in public, but I would be damned if I did it in privacy." She glanced at Erik and saw his smirk. "I avoided any meals he would be able to attend. After a couple of months, he gave up, but by then my appetite had left me." His smirk faltered at her admission, and she removed her hand from his. Hugging herself for courage, she revealed to herself as well as Erik the truth she had never admitted, "I wanted to die."
Erik stood so fast that the action threw his oak chair back against the door. His thunderous steps, though few sent tremors of fear up her spine. She couldn't help flinching away from him when he suddenly grabbed her arm and drew her up against his hard body. She was stiff as a board when he wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her in his warmth. He rested his chin in her slightly damp hair.
The feeling of his deep, sure breaths lulled her, and she relaxed against him. The warmth of him enveloped her and chased away her fears. "I really want this to work." She whispered against his chest, nuzzling deeper. For a moment she was afraid she had angered him with her admission. Now that she was cradled in his arms, she knew his anger was directed towards Raoul. She hardly knew Erik, but in his arms, she felt like the most precious jewel. It had been so long since she had been hugged. It felt good. Better than it ever had.
Christine pulled away from the embrace just enough so that she could look at her husband. He looked down and his eyes softened their gaze. She wriggled her right arm free and raised it to cup his scruffy jaw. Her thumb traced the edge of his mask. When she spoke again, her voice was fragile, strained by the emotions welling up. "Can I see you?" Her thumb dipped under the mask...
