Thursday flew by in a flash now that Ava had something to look forward to. Eli continued to withhold any form of non-chaste physical affection, but she was so excited for a change of scenery that when they went to bed Thursday night and she felt his arms wrap around her she nuzzled in and let her lips linger on his neck as they drifted off.

Friday morning dawned and she woke with the first rays of the sun. She looked over to Eli's side of the bed and saw him lying peacefully on his back, eyes closed and breathing softly with his hands clasped over his chest like a mummy.

She stifled a laugh at the pose and snuggled closer, forgetting her hatred of him in the wake of this lifeline he had just recently thrown. Eli's breathing sped up as he started to wake, and his arms wrapped around her while she felt his erection pressing into her now hardened stomach, where the flat planes of her belly were beginning preparation to stretch over the last 6 months of this pregnancy.

Ava pulled him closer, reasoning that she could pass it off as a lapse of judgment so early in the morning. Her lips were hovering near his neck and she let her hot breath tickle his throat as she felt his arms tighten around her. It was madness that she even wanted his touch at all, but she was so horny right now after 2 weeks of going without, and the excitement of the trip made her desperate to feel him moving within her.

His hands clutched her face and put space between them again, pulling himself from her grasp as he extricated his legs from the sheets and she stared at him in shock, forgetting her bid to avoid looking eager.

"I don't understand. Why?"

She felt pathetic that there were tears of frustration in her eyes, but Eli looked down at her with sympathy.

"You wanted me to leave you alone, Ava, so I have been. You wanted me to give you the option to consent, so I am. You can ask me to fuck you again at any time and I will, but you have to convince me that you really want it, because I won't keep having my efforts to please you thrown back in my face."

Ava said nothing. He was going to make her ask him to rape her? He wanted to see her push past her reservations and literally ask him to continue inflicting this bizarre, dysfunctional power dynamic on her. She sat up and tightened her lips together, giving him an insolent look.

Eli actually laughed, "That's my girl. Well, when you change your mind, I'm right here, waiting."

She glared, then turned over and closed her eyes. She would not give him the satisfaction of asking for it.

Another chuckle and he was gone. Ava heard the shower turn on and laid there, seething. She ought to go in there and interrupt him jacking off, just act nonchalant and waltz in to make a bunch of noise and distract him too much to be able to finish. He could have at least given her some kind of relief after 2 weeks without since it was entirely his fault her body continued to crave orgasms with the same regularity he had been providing them. By the time she talked herself into getting out of bed and intruding on his self-abuse, the shower turned off and he strode back in wearing his towel and a smug smile.

Ava lay there a few more minutes before she climbed out of bed and headed for her own shower. Long car trips were not her favorite, so she wanted to start off feeling clean, at least. Not that she had done anything to feel less than clean in almost 2 weeks.

When she came out Eli was already downstairs and she dressed herself alone. Before she would have been ecstatic for such privacy, now it just felt like something else being weaponized against her.

She took her time coming down to join him. What little she had in the way of clothes had all been stuffed back into the duffel bag he had retrieved for her weeks ago. Suddenly, she felt very self-conscious about her appearance.

"Am I going to look out of place wearing a bunch of grungy yoga clothes this weekend?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you're dressed in a suit."

"I think you look amazing."

Ava gritted her teeth, "But am I going to be the only one dressed so casually?"

"Maybe…" his voice trailed off, "You'll recall I've offered several times for you to order new clothes?"

"You'll recall I had nowhere to wear them outside of this prison, and you didn't give me much forewarning of this trip for me to think about wardrobe beforehand."

He looked ready to argue back but then shrugged, "You're right. We can stop somewhere along the way. There's plenty of boutiques in the little seaside towns along the coast."

"Where are we going exactly?"

Eli was leaning on the counter, keys in one hand and his glasses in the other. God, he looked so handsome bending over in that suit.

Stop it. Remember what this man is – what he's done.

But Ava's body felt warm and her nipples hardened even under her clothes. Thankfully she was wearing multiple layers so he couldn't notice, but she wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself while he answered.

"It's close to the Oregon border, near Orick. It's practically inside the Redwood National Park."

Her eyes lit up, "I've always wanted—" she stopped herself before she finished the sentence, but he had seen her slip of eagerness and latched onto it.

"We can go while we're there. Maisie would love that." He took her duffel from her hands and looped the strap over his shoulder.

"Where's your suitcase?" she asked him.

"I already packed it in the car."

Ava nodded, then realized something.

"Where, uh… where is your car?"

He smiled like she was a curious child who had too many questions about things, then he shoved his keys into his pockets and led her towards the backroom of the house with his hand gently guiding her on the small of her back.

The room she had briefly seen but never spent much time in was dark in the early morning light. He led her towards the backdoor, then, by turning his body so that she couldn't see the code he input, he unlocked it and led her out into the yard.

It wasn't large by any means. A short deck led down several steps into a postage stamp-sized grassy area, and beyond that, a small stone pathway led around a tiny shed toward a gate in the fence. Eli opened it and held the door for her as it wobbled on rusty hinges. On the other side, she found herself in a narrow street used for residential parking. Each house had two spots, and where she stood was Eli's parked in the middle, no second spot was needed.

"After you," he opened the passenger door for her. Ava took one last look around, up and down the street, in utter disbelief that this was real, she was actually outside again, breathing fresh air.

"C'mon, let's get out of the city while traffic is still low. It will give us more time for stops along the way."

She ducked her head and slid into the seat. Black leather interior, it still smelled new. Eli opened the back door and tossed her duffel bag into the backseat along with his much fancier travel bag. It still felt so strange to see him standing there in a 3-piece suit while she was dressed for Saturday brunch at best.

He wasted no time climbing in and pulling out of the parking space. Before Ava could even think to ask anything, he was at the end of the drive and turning onto the first cross street, then speeding off towards the interstate.

"Did you lock up before we left?"

Eli smirked, "Are you worried someone will break in and steal everything?"

"Aren't you?"

He kept one hand on the steering wheel and used the other to indicate his phone in the middle of the console, "I can control everything from this. Even if I did forget to lock up, all it takes is one button."

Ava swallowed. Of course, he had a plan for everything.

Rush hour traffic was already in full force. Eli wove the car through row after row, and a couple of times Ava found herself gripping the seat and bracing herself against the door when he darted into a particularly tight space without warning.

"You're a maniac," she breathed just after he veered suddenly onto the on-ramp heading north.

"Ha, I prefer the term, assertive driver."

"I prefer the term, alive passenger."

Eli chuckled, "Well, that's certainly an improvement on your attitude weeks ago." It was clear he was trying to make a joke, but it still stung. She pressed her lips and refused to look at him.

When they were nearing the outskirts of the city and the traffic started to thin, Eli fiddled with his phone temporarily, until the music began to pour from the speakers.

"Mumford and Sons? Really?"

"You're welcome to make a request." His hand held the phone fast. There was no way she would convince him to give it to her.

"Isn't there a 90s boy band playlist we can listen to?"

"I have my limits, Ava."

The banter felt more light-hearted between them, but Ava was still miffed and tried to stamp out any thawing of the tension between them. She looked out the window pointedly, ignoring or giving short answers to any question he asked her, and so Mumford and Sons continued to play as they cruised along the highway.

"How far is it?" she asked again, feeling her bladder already becoming impatient.

"Far. We're barely an hour in, why? Have you got somewhere pressing to be?"

Ava shot him a look, "Your baby makes it very hard for me to go long without access to a bathroom."

She thought he would clap back with a retort of his own but she was left hanging until finally, she glanced over to read his expression. He had a look of almost wonderment, his eyes darting back and forth from the road to her.

"Do you know… that's the first time you've spoken about the baby in that way?"

Her chest tightened, "In what way?"

"You called it a baby. Not fetus or demon spawn or anything else you've used before. I don't know, it just feels nice. Like we're finally beginning to find our groove as a family."

His hand reached over to take hers and she yanked it away.

"We are not a family," she grumbled, "And this fetus is dancing on my bladder so can you pull over somewhere soon?"

Eli didn't react to the way she pulled away from him. He merely sighed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "Nearest rest stop is in 10 miles, otherwise it's pissing on the side of the road for everyone to see. Can you hold it?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

The next 10 minutes passed in silence. Ava folded her palms together and squeezed them between her thighs. When the sign for the rest area passed by it said 1 mile. She huffed a sigh when Eli finally pulled over, parking in the nearest spot to the front doors.

He exited the car first, but when Ava went to open the door it was locked. Eli appeared and opened it for her as she glared at him through the window. When she hobbled up the sidewalk, clenching her legs together the whole way he followed wordlessly.

Even in the rest area, she had no luck. He shadowed her all the way to the women's bathroom entrance and, before she could enter, he poked his head inside and whistled, "Yoohoo, maintenance. Anyone in here?"

Not a sound.

Ava ducked under his arm and rushed towards the nearest toilet, slamming the stall door shut and making an exaggerated sigh of relief when she sat down and finally unleashed her bladder. The wall separated them but Ava could almost feel Eli's presence still standing watch right next to the door, just waiting for her to return.

After she was done, she sat there for a minute, reading the crude comments scratched into the paint on the walls of her stall and it struck her that maybe, if she was quick, she could also leave something behind, a cry for help that someone might see when they came in.

"Let's go, Ava," Eli called from the doorway. Not for one second did she think he would hesitate to come barging in and pull her out himself, especially since they had yet to see another person at this stop.

"Can I take a shit in peace?" she yelled back, scrambling to think what she could write in such a short time that would lead to her rescue. She could say she was being held at Eli's address, but she didn't know what it was. She could mention Lockwood Manor, but she didn't know the address for that either and anyone who read it would probably think it was a prank. She could write her name and an explanation, but that would take too long…

With a shaky groan of frustration, she stood up and wiped. There was no point. No one who read it would take it seriously, and nothing she could write would be detailed enough to lead to her rescue. Her best chance lay at Lockwood Manor, but who knew how that would even go…

She stepped out and washed her hands, splashing her face and staring at herself in the sink, turning to see her side profile in the mirror. Her hands crossed over her belly, satisfied that it was still not obvious what state she was in yet, although the slightest pooch had begun to show and she knew it would only grow from there.

Back out the door, she went and Eli was standing just as expected, waiting and impatient.

"What were you doing in there?" he asked, suspicious.

"Trying to shit, Eli, what part of that was unclear?"

"No, you didn't. I was right there at the door the whole time, I didn't hear or smell—"

"You're a fucking psycho. I said I was TRYING. I get constipated when I travel, I can't just poop on command, especially not under duress with you banging on the door rushing me."

He eyed her, not convinced. She started heading for the doors out when she heard the bathroom door again and looked behind her to see Eli had ducked inside.

"What the fuck?"

He was insane. She looked at the doors. If she ran now, she might clear the tree line before he was back out. The woods would be her best bet for evading him, and once he drove off she could wait for someone new to park for the bathrooms and then beg them to use their phone.

Movement from the door brought her back to reality as he came back out, looking flustered, but thankfully not furious. She sighed in relief that she had not managed to scratch a plea for help in the stall.

"Let's go," he grabbed her arm and led her back out, not releasing his grip until he was opening her car door for her again and then shutting it behind her.

Ava buckled up then buried her face in her hands and rubbed her temples. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Every time she had an opportunity to make a break for it, she mucked it up by overthinking. Run first, figure it out later - that should be her mantra going forward.

And how will that work out for you when Eli catches you immediately after because you didn't think it through enough and he thinks everything through? He probably had 10 different potential scenarios for how that bathroom break could go before he even parked the car. Did you?

She leaned her head against the window, ignoring him when he climbed back in and buckled himself before starting the car again.

The music started playing a new song from a band she was unfamiliar with. Ava stared out the glass and turned her body away from him, trying to create distance even here in the closest confines she had ever been forced to share with him.

"Are we going to talk?" he asked nonchalantly.

"About what?"

"Anything? It's a long car ride."

"And? You have Mumford & Sons to entertain you."

Eli chuckled, "And what do you have to entertain you?"

"My phone would be really handy right about now."

He didn't laugh at that one, but his somewhat sterner look belied the previous grin.

"I could entertain you if you'd let me."

Ava pressed her legs together and stared deliberately out the window, not wanting to think about the means of entertainment he had in mind, even as her body practically begged for it.

As always, Eli seemed to read her mind. "I meant that in a non-sexual context, by the way. However," his hand reached over to graze the top of her arm, trailing over her thigh and squeezing the flesh there, "You already know I'm willing and ready whenever you are."

She slapped his hand away, crossing her arms over her chest and practically hugging the door to convey how little she wanted to be here with him or play his mind games.

They drove on in silence after that for a while before Eli spoke again.

"Should we talk about ourselves? I'd love to know everything about you. Do you have any funny stories from your childhood you want to share? Any wild tales from college life?"

He was acting goofy, trying to lull her into thinking this was a harmless way to kill time instead of a fact-finding mission for details he could later use against her. Ava didn't say a word in response.

Eli was undeterred, as usual.

"I grew up in Connecticut. Middle of 5 kids. Boy, girl, me, girl, boy. My mother was a math teacher and my father is a former stockbroker. My siblings are all in various financial fields as well except for the youngest, she and her husband are both software engineers."

"Does your family know you keep a woman captive and slave to your sexual needs, impregnating her against her will?"

He looked over at her with a smile, like he was just glad to get a response out of her even if it was inflammatory.

"I think someone is very testy because she hasn't gotten off in several days."

"You don't know that. I make myself cum all the time when you're at work."

"Really? I don't think so because I'm always watching the cameras to see if you do and it never happens."

"You don't have cameras everywhere. I masturbate in the bathroom every time I take a shower. I get off to the thought of every ex I've ever had meeting you outside the front doors and beating your face into the sidewalk."

A pause, and then, "See, I know you're lying, because you rarely use the bathroom for longer than 2 minutes at a time and you've never been one to cum quietly, so I would hear that on the cameras in the hall even if I didn't see it. Also, if you make yourself cum so often, why is your body clearly so high-strung right now?" His hand dipped into her lap and pried between her legs while his other held the steering wheel. Ava bit her lip with a whimper, trying to push his fingers away before they caressed her clit through the fabric of her leggings.

"See? Why do you deny yourself the pleasure, Ava? I don't understand. I've never failed to make you cum, I spend ample time on foreplay whenever possible. I always get you off first. Often second. Sometimes a third time or more. I know you don't want to let yourself feel it, but your body craves me. Let me give it what it needs. Beg me, and I might pull over right now and fuck you the way you need me to."

Ava was shaking. Her muscles tried to keep her legs closed while her cunt demanded them to open and be serviced. She leaned back against the headrest and looked up, exhaling in frustration, "No," she breathed, but it was a pitifully unconvincing denial.

"Alright," his hand slithered back to his side of the car and she gave a sigh of loss, watching it go. If she thought there was any chance she could get in the right headspace to wank herself right here in this car in front of him out of spite, she would have, just to show him that she could pleasure herself without his help, or permission. Instead, she brushed away the tears of frustration gathering in the corner of her eyes and crossed her legs even though it made the pressure between them worse.

The road stretched on forever and they passed sign after sign for towns she had never heard of. Trees seemed to line every square inch of this highway except for the occasional dirt road leading off towards a farm or tiny town with a population of 10,000 or less. Time felt interminable out here without anything to entertain her except the person next to her, and that made her even angrier. He had made her dependent on him for everything, and then he wondered why she resented him for it.

An entire hour passed without a single word between them. Out of pure spite, she kept her body diagonal towards the door, leaving her back the closest part to him. Her eyes stayed locked on the side of the road or sometimes the horizon ahead, but not once did she cast them in his direction. Thankfully, he made no move to touch her or talk to her again, and the pressure between her legs lessened somewhat.

Gradually the roads were becoming busier again, with more cars alongside them for longer stretches she noticed. The signs for pit stops were getting more prolific, and Eli cleared his throat, but she still didn't look over as he spoke.

"We're coming up on the kinda sorta halfway point soon. Do you need to use the bathroom again? Should I get us some food or can you hold it until we get to the coastal towns?"

Food was the last thing on her mind, and since she hadn't drunk anything since they left the house this morning she had no urgent bathroom needs. Ava made a 'humph' sound in lieu of a response and Eli passed a particularly slow car ahead of them in the left lane.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then," he said after they were once again in the lead. Even his driving was calculated and methodical. A couple of times they passed a police car on the side of the road for a speed trap and not once was he ever pulled. He seemed to go exactly the maximum safe speed to avoid trouble with the law, then again, he made this drive often, she remembered.

It wasn't until after they had passed the last sign for the larger city that it dawned on Ava she had missed yet another opportunity to escape. If she had demanded food, and a bathroom again, she might have been able to find a moment to run. She looked at the lock on the door. There was almost no chance Eli didn't have child locks preventing her from opening it herself. He would have probably taken her through a drive-thru, not some fancy, sit-down restaurant reminiscent of their first and only date, a night which she would regret to her dying day.

No, there was no point in pondering how she might have used a pit stop to her advantage. As the landscape slipped past her and the sun climbed higher overhead, she leaned her cheek against the window and let her hand rest over the slight protrusion of her belly.

"Should we talk baby names?" he asked conversationally, and she rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"No."

They passed a long stretch of trees that broke to reveal a saloon-looking structure with a sign advertising yard art. The next point of interest shortly thereafter was a retro diner as the plains began to give way to rolling hills and then mountains.

"It's beautiful up here," Eli remarked, "I've always loved this drive."

Ava chanced a look over at him and pressed her legs together again. God, he looked so handsome sitting there in his suit at the steering wheel. Right now all she wanted him to do was to pull over and…

"You know, if you begged me to pull over and make you cum, it might improve your mood for the rest of the trip."

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the mental image of how sexy he looked, but it was impossible, especially when she felt his hand slide over her thigh and rest there.

"Just say the word."

Gray clouds up ahead warned of rain, their dark underbellies making the sky and mountains ahead look ominous.

"I'd rather die."

Once, that comment might have angered him. Now it simply made him laugh like she was a sullen child he was humoring during a tantrum.

The trees began to show their fall colors the further north they traveled. At some point, the monotony of the drive whilst ignoring any attempt by Eli to connect became tiring enough that Ava leaned her head against the window and fell asleep. When she woke, it was to the feeling of the car slowing to a stop, then the sound of Eli putting it in park.

She opened her eyes. The sky was still gray and cloudy, but the sun seemed like it was trying to peek through. A gentle hand on her shoulder tried to rouse her.

"Wake up, Ava. Time to get out and stretch our legs."

"Are we there?" she asked, still feeling the pull of sleep tugging on her eyelids.

"Less than an hour left. I thought we'd stop for lunch and let you shop for a bit."

Ava sat up. Naps often made her either too nauseous to be hungry or unexpectedly ravenous. As the minutes ticked by her stomach burbled its assent to the latter.

"I could eat," she admitted, looking over at him and his damnable smile.

"Excellent. There's a nice little brunch place overlooking the water I've always wanted to try. Can I take you to a public place without issue?"

Her face fell from drowsy to the same glare she reserved for him whenever he spoke to her like a child.

"Keep talking to me like that and I'm sure to lose my appetite," she threatened, reaching for the handle of her door to let her out. It stuck. Of course, she had been right about him utilizing the child locks.

"Allow me," he got out and came around her side, looking around for anyone he might need to be wary of, any dangers he should assess before letting her stand on her own two feet. By the time he opened the door for her Ava was irritated and mightily hungry.

"Took you long enough."

She stepped out and leaned against the car, feeling her head spin after so long sitting down without a break. A chill breeze blew in from the ocean which she could hear distantly behind the row of shops and restaurants that made up the main thoroughfare of this small town. Gulls screeched overhead and the scent of saltwater tinged the wind that played with her hair as she wrapped her arms across her chest for warmth.

Eli shut the door and ignored the taunt. His arms shrugged off his suit jacket and put it around her shoulders. At first, she just stood there, letting the warmth of his body heat in the jacket ward off the chill. Eventually, she slipped her arms into the sleeves and looked down at her feet, waiting for him to tell her which way to go.

"Do you want to shop or eat first?" he pulled her against him, hugging her tightly enough that she felt much warmer in spite of her aversion to the overall gesture.

"Eat first," her reply was emphatic enough that he chuckled and lifted her chin up to look at him. The sky overhead was giving way to a light blue as the clouds passed over the sun, and Ava caught her breath looking at him, his hair tousled by the wind, his blue eyes looking bright behind his glasses, his tall, firm body keeping her steady and warm.

His thumb stroked her cheek before he leaned in to kiss her. Like all the other kisses recently, it was soft and tender, rather than forceful and yearning. Ava felt her body strain at first from resisting the intimacy, then melt when his tongue parted her lips and sparred with her own while one hand held her cheek and his other wrapped around her lower back then pulled her closer to him.

The familiar lust blossomed in her stomach and shot straight to her crotch. Ava moaned into the kiss, grabbing his arms in a vice-grip when she felt the familiar tenting of his erection straining against his clothes, pressing into her stomach.

Eli pulled away suddenly and she whimpered, looking around to make sure no one had seen her act so lewd with this man in public, but then looking back to him incredulously.

"I told you, Ava. Not until you convince me that you want it. When you admit to me and yourself the way I make you feel, when you beg me to make you feel that again, then," he moved his face close and his mouth hovered over hers while he held her jaw, "Then I will fuck you, over and over again, until you beg for more."

She pushed him away, heart hammering and her body screaming to let him pin her down right here in a gravel parking lot and fuck her out in the open for anyone to see, so long as she could get relief from this gnawing desire churning in her gut.

He grinned and took her hand, holding it too tight for her to pull away when she tried.

"Best behavior," he reminded her, then kissed the back of her hand and pulled her along toward the line of shops.

It felt almost nice, walking hand in hand with a handsome man, wearing his jacket and watching the movement of his body in that tight blue button-down with his gray suit pants and striped tie. Why did he have to look so good? Why couldn't she find him repulsive? How much longer could she hold out before she did exactly as he said and gave him full permission to have his way with her out of desperation to be relieved of this agony?

Stockholm syndrome. You knew this would happen eventually if you didn't manage to escape.

Her heart froze as she looked at him, striding down the sidewalk with her hand in his, and worried about the ramifications of welcoming him back between her legs if and when her baser instincts won out.

The place he led her to was a quaint little restaurant situated on the boardwalk that wrapped around the cliffside overlooking the Pacific. They paused at the railing to look down and saw sea lions basking on the rocks below, unbothered by the waves crashing beneath their perches. The sun was shrouded by the clouds again but the brisk air and the sight of the ocean buoyed her spirits even if she had to share the moment with Eli, who watched her open-mouthed expression with amusement, looking very pleased with himself for this idea.

Inside the restaurant, they were seated immediately at a booth with a window facing the scenery. Ava was so distracted watching that she didn't even notice the waitress come and take their drink order, although she eventually felt the weight of Eli's eyes staring and turned her face back to him.

"Enjoying the view?"

He was seated across from her, leaning back in the booth with his arm resting on the top, his tight-fitted shirt showcasing his lean frame and the muscles she had seen and felt move against her time and again. God, how pathetic was she for lusting after this man that had ruined her life?

"It's alright," she looked away from him and down at her menu, determined not to give him the satisfaction of thinking she enjoyed the view either of the ocean or of him.

Ava scoured the breakfast options, her stomach rumbling fiercely as she read through them. She rested her hands over her torso to quell the noise and felt the bulge of her waistline. It wasn't noticeable yet, she reminded herself, but she didn't want to draw attention to it either.

"I think I'll have the breakfast special," she told him, catching his eyes over the top of his menu and squeezing her fists against the vinyl booth seating. He watched her with narrowed eyes and a playful, sexy smile like he knew exactly how enticing he looked right now and enjoyed making this battle even harder for her.

"Just say the word," he murmured, eyes gravitating back down to the selections on offer while she sat there, breathing heavier than before.

You're too hungry to be horny right now. Focus on eating. Then getting to your destination. Baby steps. Keep him at a distance whenever you can.

Great advice if there was even a chance of that happening. No doubt they would be sharing a room at the Manor so even if she managed to make there without mounting his lap mid-drive, it was unlikely she could resist him for long. How had it come to this? How could she be so attracted to him right now, after being forced to fuck him and carry his child no less?

The waitress returned and smiled at Eli, who, per usual, turned on all his charm as he ordered for both of them. When she asked how Ava wanted her eggs, he answered for her.

"Scrambled."

The woman wrote it down and then clicked her pen and stuffed it with the notepad into her apron pocket, "Coming right up," she winked at Eli and turned back towards the kitchen.

Ava rolled her eyes, not sure if she was more annoyed that he answered instead of her or the fact that he knew her well enough by now to anticipate exactly what she was going to order. Part of her wanted to call the waitress back and tell her differently just to piss him off, but she was so hungry now that she would have probably eaten the eggs raw if it would fill her. With a small sigh, she looked back out the window, trying to concentrate on the scenery while her stomach rumbled louder.

Eli's hand reached over the table like he meant to hold hers but she pretended she didn't see it from the corner of her eye. Her gaze was fixed on the water, hoping he would retract his hand. He did, and she tried to focus on some spot on the horizon to resist the urge to turn back around. This gave her an excuse to avoid looking at him a little longer, but it was a boring sort of victory.

A sound like a phone camera clicking startled her. Eli had his in hand, the lens facing her directly, and smiled.

"Beautiful," he gushed as he went to view the photo, "I'm glad I caught it in time."

Ava leaned forward over the table, her determination to avoid him forgotten.

"Let me see."

He leaned in close to her to show the photo. For the first time in months, she saw herself in something other than a mirror and it was jarring. Her usually angular jaw looked softer, and her face was more pale than usual for obvious reasons but the sunlight pouring through the window masked it well, giving her skin a slightly golden hue. Strands of unkempt hair framed her eyes while the rest was cast up in a messy bun. Even Eli's jacket, huge as it was on her, gave the appearance of someone who was here in normal circumstances. Just a couple of young lovers moseying up the Pacific Coast Highway and stopping in small towns along the way. Another pang of regret that this was all a farce rolled over her and Ava suddenly felt the urge to delete the picture before he could stop her.

Instead, she sat back and squared her shoulders. Her little belly pooch made it uncomfortable to lean across the table for long anyway, and Eli seemed to still be congratulating himself on taking such an ethereal shot.

"My new screensaver," he announced as he put the phone back into his pocket and reached both hands across the table to her, "I need to start taking more pictures of you, so we can remember this special time for our family."

Ava scoffed, looking away, "Whatever you say, Eli."

His eyes flickered with anger, but he rapidly recovered, "Here comes our food."

Ava's plate was set down first and she emitted a low moan in the back of her throat. A pile of scrambled eggs, several strips of bacon, and a small stack of pancakes smothered in butter steamed in front of her while Eli's omelet was set in front of him.

A cup of orange juice and a bottle of maple syrup were set next to her plate. She downed the OJ in almost 4 gulps before she smothered the pancakes with syrup and tucked in to the spread.

Eli watched her enraptured as she scarfed it down in record time. He took reasonably-sized bites from his omelet as she proceeded to all but inhale 75% of her plate in less than 10 minutes.

When her stomach strained in protest and Ava felt nauseated, she pushed the plate a couple of inches forward to signal that she was finished. The small paunch of Eli's assiduous efforts was even more bloated now and she groaned.

"I ate too much. Now I feel sick."

Eli speared a few bites of pancake from her plate. The bacon was completely gone, and the eggs were half soggy with the runoff from the maple syrup. "I didn't realize you were so hungry or I would have stopped sooner. You've barely eaten anything for months now. I'm glad to see you eating a healthy amount again."

Ava groaned, "It wasn't a healthy amount. My stomach is struggling right now."

He laughed, "Give it a few minutes. Dinner won't be served at the Lockwood Estate for many hours and we've got some walking around to do plus another hour of driving. You'll need the energy."

She popped her head up at that, "What else were we supposed to do here? I forgot."

"Shopping, remember? You wanted something other than 'grungy yoga clothes,' as I recall."

"Right. This is a pretty small town though. I doubt I'm going to find a lot of options that don't fit the 'coastal grandma retires to the seaside' aesthetic."

Eli threw his head back and laughed hard at that one, "I'm sure we'll find at least one thing you wouldn't be horrified to wear. Otherwise, we can stop in another town along the way, but this is one of the biggest ones before we get to the Manor, so I thought it was our best bet."

Ava found herself grinning. It felt nice to share a laugh together, to forget the sordid arrangement that existed between them - that bound her to him now, forever.

Soon afterward Eli paid the bill and helped her out of the booth, letting his hand roam over her waist as he helped her stand up. The aching lust between her legs returned, muted, but intense nonetheless and she knew in an instant that she was not going to be able to sleep tonight before she let him fuck her again, likely several more times.

She swallowed the thought and allowed him to link his arm through hers as they strode out together into the sunshine.