Ava's first site of Lockwood Manor was through the boughs of the trees as they wound closer to the gargantuan structure. When at last they cleared the tree line and it came fully into view she stared in open-mouthed awe. Built like an English manor house, it looked to be about 6 or 7 different stories, most spanning the full width of the house while the topmost one was half the size but ornamented with a balcony. A red clay tile roof shone in the daylight as the sky began tinging towards sunset in the lead-up to its lazy descent. In the front of the estate was a wide, stone staircase that curved up to a large pair of mahogany doors. Stone lions flanked the handrails and when Eli parked the car her eyes trailed up the imposing entrance she saw matching iron lion faces serving as doorknockers, alongside an ornate L insignia.
The doors to the car unlocked and Eli got out first, opening the trunk to retrieve their bags prior to coming around and opening Ava's side for her. No sooner had she stepped out of the car and back on her feet than the front door swung open and she heard a young, excited squeal.
Up the stairs, Ava and Eli's eyes traveled to see a small girl peeking out from the doorframe. Next to her, a thin, older-looking woman stood in the center smiling down at them.
"The young miss has been anxiously awaiting your arrival," she announced from the top of the steps, and Eli shut the car door, guiding Ava to ascend first while he followed.
Nervously, she plodded up the stairs, holding her belly on instinct and then dropping her hands when she realized how it would look.
At the top of the steps, she paused, waiting for Eli a couple of steps behind. When he crested the last one he gently took her arm and pulled her with him towards the open entrance. The old woman and the young girl beamed at them both, aiding Ava in feeling a little less tense about this initial meeting. Once inside the foyer, the woman closed the door and held out her hand for Ava to shake.
"Iris Carroll," she introduced herself, her wrinkled skin felt paper thin in Ava's hand, and her English accent was faint but unmistakable.
"Ava Chambers," she replied, then looked over to the young girl standing there brimming with awkward eagerness.
The girl curtsied, "Maisie Lockwood," she pronounced, searching Ava's face for recognition. Her accent too, was English, and she stood almost as tall as Ava. After that formal introduction, Maisie's eyes gravitated towards Eli and suddenly she lunged into his arms, embracing him with a happy laugh.
Eli chuckled and hugged her back, lifting her off the floor momentarily to swing her feet around in a show of how much taller he was.
Maisie shrieked and giggled, causing Ava to smile before she let her eyes wander to take in the grand room where she stood. Underfoot was black and white tile, potted plants lining the windows closest to the front doors, with great oaken columns supplanted by ancient Greek busts separated the formal entry into the main stairway of the house where the tile gave way to varnished hardwood just past the columns.
Iris smiled at Ava's wonder as she took it all in, her wrinkled hands gesturing they should move further into the home which Ava accepted without argument.
Large painted portraits of people she didn't recognize adorned the walls at every turn, including the staircase. To the right of it, a southward hallway led into a cavernous room which Ava found her feet moving towards without invitation. This room was 2 stories. Overhead, an enormous raised glass sunroof coupled with windows on the second floor allowed in ample daylight to see all the fossils and artifacts housed therein.
It was difficult not to gawk at the skeletons of dinosaurs larger than several of her. Bronze plaques read names of them as she passed, Teratophoneus curriei, Peloroplites cedrimontanus, Edmontosaurus, Teratophoneus...
Ava was still aware of the presence of Eli and their hosts, but she was so lost in taking in her surroundings she didn't even hear Eli's footsteps as he approached. His hands around her waist made her jump, and she turned to see him just as a deeper, male voice cleared his throat behind them.
Over Eli's shoulder, Ava saw an elderly gentleman– frail, wheelchair-bound. Iris was holding onto the handles and pushing him forward while Maisie followed silently at his side.
"Welcome to Lockwood Manor, Miss...?"
Eli jumped into the conversation before she could even think to reply.
"Mr. Lockwood, this is Ava Chambers, my uh... my friend." He grinned over at her as if looking for confirmation, and she felt his possessive hands pull her closer in a silent admonition to play her part.
She gave a wan smile and extended her hand to Mr. Lockwood as he came within reach, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lockwood. Thank you for letting me stay here."
Mr. Lockwood chuckled, "Well, any friend of Eli's is a friend of ours, isn't that right Iris? Maisie?"
Both of them nodded, Maisie excitedly, Iris with a knowing look in her eyes.
Ava felt uncomfortable to have all their eyes upon her and crossed her arms over her stomach, then realized it highlighted the soft swell of her belly and awkwardly hung them at her sides. Eli's shoulders relaxed and he kept her held her in a side-hug.
"We should let them get unpacked," Iris broke the quiet with her suggestion, and Ava saw Maisie's look of disappointment just before she brightened and offered, "I can help you!"
"Now, now, Maisie," her grandfather held up a hand, "Our guests have had a long trip here and are very tired. Let's give them time to rest before dinner. You'll have all weekend to ply them with questions."
Maisie relented with a sigh and muttered, "Alright," whilst her grandfather smiled at her.
"We'll begin dinner promptly at 7:00 if that is agreeable to you," Iris told them.
"Sounds perfect," Eli nudged Ava, indicating she should also offer her agreement.
"Yes, thank you," she felt tense. This was worse than being trapped under Eli's care, where the only person she had to worry about angering was him. The stakes were much higher here, and one wrong word could set into motion a chain reaction that would likely mean even less freedom for her going forward. This was her chance to make a good impression, but it was hard to do with three people at once.
Eli led her back towards the staircase where he had cast their bags onto the floor. He let go of her waist to grab both of them, then nodded his head upward to show her which way to head. Ava traipsed up the stairs slowly, one hand on the railing with Eli just behind her. Once, she looked back down to see all three of them, Mr. Lockwood in his wheelchair with Iris and Maisie standing behind him, watching her and Eli's ascent. Maisie gave an enthusiastic wave. Ava returned it with a meek wave of her own before they turned a corner at the top of the stairs and were out of sight.
A long hallway lined with doors on either side stretched far, ending in a window draped with floor-length lace curtains and a large armchair under it.
Suddenly exhausted, Ava stumbled along, letting Eli take the lead to guide her towards a door in the middle of the hall. Everything looked so ancient here, the door even had a skeleton key lock, but when Eli turned the knob it opened with ease, albeit a loud creak.
Inside the furnishings were dated. Green and pink wallpaper, dark wood wainscoting and a massive king-size canopy bed with ruffles covering every inch of the pillows and duvet in the same green as the wallpaper. A large unlit fireplace adorned the wall nearest the door to an en suite bathroom. Two pedestal sinks, a toilet and a claw foot tub with a shower had been prepared with a fresh stack of fluffy white towels and a pair of terrycloth robes hung on the hooks nearest the door. Brass knobs and floral wallpaper hearkened back to the furnishings at Eli's house, but here at least, there was a window into the bathroom letting in natural light, and, she soon noticed as her eyes took everything in, there were no cameras in the corners of either room.
Eli had dropped the bags onto the dupioni silk bedspread and begun unpacking his clothes into the dresser. Ava stood there and watched him from across the room. She walked over and pulled her duffel bag onto her side of the bed before she turned around, spread out her arms and let herself fall back, sinking into the mattress like a cloud.
"This is amazing," she murmured, then felt Eli's legs against her knees. Her eyes opened to see him bending over her, lips puckered, leaning in for a kiss.
She allowed him to. After all, he had warned her once she invited him back between her legs that the frequency of their earlier romps would resume. She pulled his body on top of hers where he hovered, not resting his full weight atop her.
The kiss deepened. Ava wound her fingers into his hair and pulled tightly, enjoying the moan he made into her mouth this time. Part of her wanted to ask if she was doing everything right so far with the Lockwoods, if she was ticking all the boxes he had for her, but then his hands were on the waistband of her pants and stripping her, and she assured herself that he couldn't very well think of her like this were she not still in his good graces, at least for now.
After their rendezvous in Eli's private bedroom, Ava dozed for a while, lounging beside him in bed while Eli leaned against the headboard in nothing but his boxers and glasses, poring over spreadsheets on his computer and making sporadic notes.
It felt peaceful like this. Ava felt herself drift in and out of sleep, often woken by a shift in the mattress when Eli moved or the sound of keys clacking, but overall she draped her arm over a pillow and let the cool air from the window Eli had opened soothe her back into slumber against the backdrop of the sunset outside the window.
As the hour for dinner drew nearer, she felt him leave the bed and close his laptop, setting it on the nightstand. A few minutes later she heard the shower running. Quirking one eye open, she rolled over to see if he was in it. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, steam already beginning to hang in the air. Eli whistled from inside. She took the chance to lean over and grab his laptop. Before she lifted it, she memorized the way he had left it placed so as to make sure she wasn't careless when setting it back.
Quickly, she opened it and waited for the screen to populate. Immediately, the first thing she saw was the login. Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to leave a computer near her that wasn't password-protected. For a moment, she deliberated trying to guess his password, but after considering a litany of options ranging from 30-character dinosaur names to her own, she closed the laptop and carefully set it back exactly as she had found it.
Ava gave a faint sigh. It had been a long shot, and she wasn't holding out much hope for him to have let his guard down so early, but, she reasoned, there was always a chance, and eventually, he would slip up. She just needed to make sure she was paying attention when he did.
Eli walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, his body still glistening from the shower. He looked over at her sitting upright in the middle of the bed, then at his laptop on the nightstand. Ava said nothing, and he sauntered over to the dresser where he had already unpacked his clothes, letting the towel drop to give her a clear view of him in all his naked glory.
"Did you have a nice nap?" he asked, pulling out a pair of boxers.
"Yes," she answered faintly, feigning more grogginess than she actually felt, hoping to disarm him from thinking she might have been up to something while he showered.
He looked at her as he pulled a white shirt over his head, followed by a button down. It seemed he was still expected to dress formally for dinner, but when he pulled on his dress pants and shoes sans the jacket from earlier, she remembered the black dress they had bought in the boutique earlier and reasoned she ought to wear that this evening.
Eli walked over to the bed, and her, depositing the dress wordlessly as if he had read her mind.
"Thank you," she murmured, holding it up and remembering how soft the fabric felt, but how obvious it made her bump at the right angle. She wasn't sure if Eli was planning to tell the Lockwoods about his child growing within her, but as she wasn't even okay with the idea yet herself, she didn't want to draw any attention to it unless forced.
"Can I take a shower?" she asked him as he strode over to his side of the bed and looked at his laptop.
"Find anything interesting?"
He posed the question almost conversationally, but Ava's face blanched in fear all the same.
"I didn't... I couldn't..."
"I know. But you tried, although for what purpose I don't know. Nothing on my computer would make sense to you, it's all figures and such that were above your pay grade."
That comment stung, but he couldn't very well punish her with sex right now when the Lockwoods were expecting them downstairs in 15 minutes. Outside, the last rays of sunlight clinging to the horizon were slipping behind the trees, and Ava watched his face, half-shrouded in the shadows, as he came closer and leaned over her.
"Don't try it again," he warned.
She swallowed, then nodded.
Dinner was served at 7:00 PM on the dot. Eli had bid Ava dress quickly after their showdown over the laptop, and when minutes later the dress was on her he came behind her as she looked in the mirror and produced the earrings he had also purchased for her from the same shop.
"Wear these."
She didn't argue. The holes in her ears were harder to utilize after weeks of no use, but she managed to get the hooks through. Eli smiled when she turned to him for approval, whistling low and kissing her forehead as he caressed her stomach.
"I love how you look in this," he murmured, "You're going to get so much rounder soon."
Her breath hitched as he leaned in closer, hand splaying across the back of her neck. His lips trailed delicately along the vein of her throat, then pulled back the dress fabric to kiss her shoulder.
"Not enough time," he lamented, "But later, I will have you again, several times."
Ava gasped, clutching the sleeves of his dress shirt and closing her eyes, imagining all the things in store for her after dinner while the rest of the house slept.
Downstairs was a huge formal dining room befitting a house of this grandeur. The table was equipped for 20 guests, Ava counted, although set for only 4. She almost asked why Iris would not be sitting with them, then thought better of it, and sat down in the chair Eli pulled out for her next to his own. Across from them sat Maisie, wearing a sweet blue velvet dress with a bow in her hair. At the head of the table sat Mr. Lockwood, his chair having been removed so he might utilize the table from his wheelchair, albeit still residing at the forefront to show his position as head of the house.
Iris had cooked an enormous turkey with potatoes au gratin and a vegetable medley of green beans, string beans, and summer squash. She served Mr. Lockwood first, then Eli and Ava, then Maisie, who waited patiently for her plate, content to watch Ava and Eli like any person starved for contact with someone outside their day-to-day household. It was a feeling Ava could relate to.
"So, Ms. Chambers, how did you and our mutual 'friend', Mr. Mills become acquainted," Mr. Lockwood began the conversation while waiting for everyone to be served before digging into the food.
Ava's eyes widened. She should have foreseen a question like this coming and asked Eli ahead of time what he expected her to say.
His eyes darted over to her and she could tell from the way they narrowed that a lot was riding on her answer.
"We, uh, we met at work."
"Did you?" Mr. Lockwood smiled and speared a bite of turkey on his fork, "He is your superior there, I take it? How is it working for Eli as an employer?"
He winked at her, clearly enjoying the opportunity to tease Eli, but Ava was too tense to play along especially with Eli's knee pressing against hers.
"He was a good boss," she answered lamely, relieved when the pressure against her knee lessened and Eli smiled as he took a bite of his food.
Maisie watched Ava and Eli wordlessly, chewing her food and seemingly content to listen to the newcomers as her grandfather proceeded to tease Eli more.
"Now, I'm sure, Eli has mentioned that inter-office relationships are not allowed to take place unless given approval..."
Ava's mouth was too full to answer that she no longer worked there, which gave Eli the opportunity to answer, "Yes sir, I was explicit about that with her. She left the company a few months ago when our relationship became more serious."
Mr. Lockwood chuckled, "Ah, yes. You always were a stickler for rules, Eli. That's part of why I hired you."
It was hard not to choke on her food at that remark, but Ava managed to swallow and take a few heavy sips of water to cover her reaction.
"Well, then, Ava. What about your family? Where do you hail from?"
It was amusing to hear him use the word 'hail' as if it were a normal conversational word. Her smile waned when she remembered the first thing he had asked her though.
"My parents both died several years ago in a car accident."
"Drunk driving accident," Eli interjected, giving Mr. Lockwood a somber look as though trying to drum up pity on Ava's behalf.
"Yes, they were killed by a drunk driver," she made sure to specify who was at fault lest this man think her parents were the cause of their own demise, "I sold our family home in Vermont shortly after and moved down to Boston. From there I was recruited for a human resources position out here and I took it."
Mr. Lockwood spoke, "I'm sure a change of scenery felt like a balm to the soul."
Ava's eyes pricked with tears, and for once she felt at leisure to shed them. If anything, Eli would probably love for her to cry, softly, to sell her tragic upbringing and paint himself as the hero.
"Well," Mr. Lockwood cleared his throat as though he too, felt an upswell of grief, "You've certainly found yourself a good man here. How fortunate that you two found each other, eh?"
Eli looked at her with genuine affection on his face, and part of her wanted to slap him while the other part wanted to melt into his arms.
The rest of the dinner passed smoothly. Towards the end, Maisie became more talkative, finding her voice to ask questions and learn more about this interesting outsider in the hallowed halls of the only place she'd ever known.
Mr. Lockwood seemed amused by Maisie's enthusiasm, but he made no effort to stifle her or interrupt. She asked Eli more questions about the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar and asked Ava questions about their life in the city.
"I wish I could go..." she sighed.
"Go where my darling?" Mr. Lockwood asked.
"Anywhere. We never leave. It's boring."
All the adults chuckled and Maisie blushed.
Eli interrupted, "Well, Maisie, I thought perhaps you and I could show Ava the redwoods while we're up here this time. She's always wanted to see them, and you certainly know your way around the park."
Maisie's eyes lit up, "When?" she breathed, "Tomorrow?"
Iris jumped into the conversation, "The weather tomorrow is supposed to be very rainy. Better to go on Sunday morning, before luncheon, I think."
"Excellent idea," Mr. Lockwood chimed in, "That will be a grand thing for the three of you."
Maisie beamed at Ava and Eli from across the table and Ava couldn't help but smile at her excitement.
Later, after dinner was cleared away and the conversation, mostly between Eli and Mr. Lockwood, had died down, Ava felt herself withering from tiredness. It had been a long drive, and a long day overall. Eli even noticed and leaned over to squeeze her knee, "Why don't you go on up to bed, my love?"
While she was annoyed at the term of endearment, she was grateful for the reprieve he offered.
"Yes, I think I'm quite exhausted, I'm sorry to cut the evening short," she stood up and Eli stood as well to pull back her chair for her. Maisie's eyes brightened, then gave way to disappointment, though she hid it well, especially after a look from Iris who was standing over Ava's shoulder with a pitcher of water.
"Of course, my dear, you must be very tired after such a long journey. Go and rest, we'll send Eli up to you shortly."
The knowing look on Eli's face reminded her that they had a lot of lost time to make up for and Ava should prepare herself to accommodate him.
Her heart sped up in anticipation, instead of revulsion, and she both hated and pitied herself for it.
Back in their room, she ran herself a hot bath in the claw foot tub, drawing the curtains to the bathroom window even though there was no one within miles to see her naked body in the window. While the tub was filling, she pulled off the new dress and hung it on a hook next to the door, then removed the rest of her clothes to stare at herself naked in the mirror.
Ava turned each way, seeing her side profile and the delicate swell of her bump. She rested one arm over the top of it to cover her breasts and the other underneath to highlight the curvature of her belly. This was real. Eli's baby was really growing inside her, and against the odds, he had taken her out of her prison to bring her here, amongst people whose good opinion he very much valued, at the risk of her spoiling everything. Surely that meant something? Surely she meant something to him?
The water was getting close to the edge and she turned it off, dipping a toe in to test the temperature. It wasn't too hot, so she checked the bedroom to make sure Eli wasn't back yet before she climbed in.
It felt amazing. She hadn't had a bath since those first few days under Eli's captivity when she had been so sore from the act of being penetrated by him around the clock while he unwillingly raped a child into her womb. Now she caressed her belly under the water and let the heat relax her muscles, trying not to think about those early weeks even though it was impossible not to. No matter how nice he tried to act, Ava knew the truth about him. Even in moments of warmth, like dinner tonight, she felt his eyes warning her not to trifle with him or blurt something out which could cause trouble. His thinly-veiled threat about the laptop had been a stark reminder that she was, and would always be his prisoner, regardless of how he justified it to himself. He might feel genuine affection for her, but she was not his equal, although while she carried his child, she knew she must have a larger degree of protection than before.
Out in the bedroom, she heard the door from the hallway open and stopped tracing circles around her belly button. A moment's pause, then she heard Eli's footsteps approach the bathroom door, opening it slowly to reveal his large frame filling the doorway, still in his formal dinner clothes minus his suit jacket, his arms braced on either side of the door as if trying to look casual. She looked over to see him smile at finding her like this.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"It's nice."
He strode in, making no effort to hide his gaze over her nakedness. Ava looked away, feeling suddenly shy.
Eli knelt down next to the tub and leaned against the edge, unbuttoning and rolling up his sleeve before plunging his hand under the surface to touch her tummy the same way she had been before he arrived.
"God, you carry so well," he gushed, letting his thumb rub circles lower and lower as the rest of his fingers trailed along, sending goosebumps over every inch of flesh above and below the water.
She hated how her body reacted to him so strongly. As soon as his fingers made contact with her sex she leaned her head back against the rim of the tub and bit her lip, suppressing a groan.
"No one can hear you in here," he murmured, "Mr. Lockwood has a bedroom downstairs and Maisie and Iris sleep on the other side of the house."
His words accompanied another swipe of his fingers as he fit two, then three inside of her and she tried to stifle an even louder moan.
"Don't deny yourself. You've gone without for almost two weeks. Let me make up for lost time."
Ava's legs spread open, welcoming his intrusion and grabbing her breasts to squeeze in time with the motions of his fingers.
"That's it, my girl. Whatever makes you cum."
Through half-lidded eyes, she saw the way he stared at her, wide-eyed and savage, from her face poised on the edge of pleasure to her cunt with his hand half-buried in it under the water. His fingers rubbed along her inner walls as his thumb worried at the bud between her thighs, adjusting his pace at every hitch in her breath until finally she squeezed her breasts one last time and let go to grab the edges of the tub as she came.
It wasn't a full scream - she managed to press her lips together through the wave of delicious agony, but the hot water sloshing over her sensitive breasts in conjunction with Eli's fingers still delicately curving inside of her made the muffled cry of her climax rise in pitch until she parted her lips and let the last notes of it slip out with a weak sigh.
Eli's hand withdrew. He leaned over to grab a hand towel from the sink and dry his arm.
"More to come when you're out and dry," he promised with a wink, then stood and bent to kiss her forehead, "Don't keep me waiting for too long."
Ava was still trying to catch her breath, clinging to the tub's edge and sinking further below the surface to let the hot water reach her chin.
He said nothing else, just turned and left. After a few minutes, when she felt like her legs would hold her, Ava climbed out of the tub, wrapped herself in one of the fluffy white bathrobes, and followed him.