Sophie slowly awoke, but didn't open her eyes. She could feel the warm sun on her face and body and she slowly stretched, wincing at the uncomfortable feeling of her tight jeans. Why aren't I in my pajama pants, Sophie thought sleepily. Suddenly her eyes flew open as reality hit her. She quickly sat straight up in bed. The sudden movement making her dizzy. She touched her cheek and felt the tender spot where she had been hit the night before. Looking to her right she saw the bed was empty and she felt a small amount of relief. Taking a deep breath she slowly moved the covers off the rest of her body and got out of the bed. Her body ached with her every movement, she looked down at her arms and saw bruises had formed in the night where that man had grabbed her. Be strong, she thought. Needing to use the bathroom she grabbed her purse that had been carelessly tossed on the floor and walked to the closed door, not sure what she would find on the other side when she opened it.
Silence filled the apartment. Sophie strained her ears and finally heard light snoring coming from the living room. Not ready to go in there yet, Sophie headed to the bathroom. Flipping on the light Sophie glanced at the mirror and blinked in horror. This is not me, Sophie thought. She looked shell-shocked. Her right cheek had a nasty bruise and her hair was wild, but it was her eyes that scared her the most. They looked empty, beaten. She closed her eyes and shook her head, taking a deep breath. Finally opening them she quickly turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face. Searching through her purse she pulled out a brush and quickly ran it through her long hair and secured it into a ponytail. Next she grabbed her compact and put powder on her face. It didn't cover the bruise completely but it helped. The less these men saw her hurt the better. Now the girl in the mirror looked more like herself and Sophie felt a small sense of calm. She glanced around the bathroom and frowned. Wow, Billy really does need a maid, Sophie thought. The bathroom was to put it mildly…. Disgusting. It was pretty good size room with a bathtub/shower combo that probably had not been cleaned in months, along with the floor and vanity. Sophie longed to take a hot shower but what was the point of washing yourself in filth. Sighing, she walked out of the bathroom.
When she walked into the living room she was surprised to see an African American man sleeping on the couch. What the hell, Sophie thought. She knew he was one of the men from last night and fear began to creep back into her body. She walked further into the room and the man's eyes popped open and he immediately reached for his gun at his hip.
"What the fuck are you doing?" he asked, his voice sleepy but still firm.
"I'm standing here obviously," Sophie replied. "Besides that I have no idea what the fuck I should be doing. Isn't that your boss's job to tell me," her voice dripping in sarcasm. The man's eyes narrowed at her.
"Look all I was told was to stay here and not let you out of my sight, besides that I'm not sure what Billy's up to." He said, his eyes softening a bit. "I'm Bodie by the way."
"Sophie," was all she said. She walked over and sat on the loveseat, not sure what to do. Awkward silence followed until Sophie finally couldn't take it anymore. "Look, I need to get some of my stuff out of my car and go to the store so I'm assuming you'll have to be my escort or whatever."
"What the hell do you need at the store? I'm not sure Billy wants us leaving." He replied.
"Look at this place! What doesn't it need from the store! And do you do everything Billy says?" Sophie said, eyeing his reaction. She noticed the last comment annoyed him a bit. She had hit a nerve, a fact that Sophie thoroughly enjoyed.
"Fine. We'll go to the store, but make it quick and don't try anything stupid." Bodie said sighing and getting up from the couch.
Quickly Sophie looked through the cuburbs, of course noticing there was barely any food but tons of alcohol. She mentally made a list in her head of all the things she needed to get. Bodie followed her out the front door and down to her car. She knew the key would be under the matt on the driver's side so she opened her door and grabbed the key. Looking the across the car she saw Bodie frown and knew he was debating letting her drive. She decided to play along as the cooperative little "hostage" until she could figure out how the hell to get herself out of this mess.
"Ever drive a Beamer before?" Sophie asked as she tossed the keys to Bodie across the hood. She saw his eyes light up a little as he slid into the driver's seat.
Two hours later Sophie and Bodie arrived back at the apartment. Bodie's misery was apparent as he helped her drag handfuls of shopping bags up the stairs. Mumbling cuss words under his breath. His eyes had started to glaze over about ten minutes after they entered the store, an hour later he looked like he wanted to shoot someone. Sophie found it almost amusing.
After dumping all the bags on the floor he went straight for the couch and plopped down, quickly turning on the T.V. Sophie began unpacking all the stuff she had bought. Food, cleaning supplies, and random things she knew she would need like a toothbrush, toiletries, and even scented candles. She didn't know how long Billy was planning on keeping her here, but she wasn't going to live in dirt and grime.
She tackled the kitchen first, putting all the food away and loading all the dishes into the dishwasher. She scrubbed the counters and stove, even cleaning out the refrigerator til it looked almost brand new. Sophie finally started to sweat when she got to mopping. It took three times to go over the floor until all the dirt was gone. She almost gave up on that project half way through but didn't when she remembered Billy's smartass comment about her never working a day in her life. By the time she was done it looked like a completely different kitchen. She lit a scented vanilla candle and then headed into the bathroom.
She was already exhausted at this point, but dammit…. She wanted that hot shower. An hour later she sat down on the closed lid of the toilet, breathing heavy. Sophie looked around the bathroom and took in the now spotless area. The scent of cleaning products filled the air and it was a beautiful smell to her and she was sure to the neglected bathroom as well.
Grabbing all the things she needed Sophie locked the bathroom door and turned on the water, putting her hand under the water until it heated up to the right temperature. She removed her sweaty clothes and stepped under the inviting spray, sighing as the warmth engulfed her. After shampooing her long hair she added conditioner and let it absorb as she shaved her legs and other areas. Finally using her body wash she scrubbed all over, almost as if trying to wash off all the horrible things that had happened the night before. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the memories. After rinsing the conditioner out of her hair she turned off the shower and stepped out of the tub. She had even bought fluffy new towels and wrapped one around her as she used another towel to dry her hair a bit before combing it out. She felt better, cleaner. She knew she would have to make a quick dash to the bedroom wearing the towel to change but she assumed Bodie was still in the living room.
When she opened the bathroom door Billy was standing there and pissed off didn't even begin to describe the look on his face.