4.
~ Arthur was still breathing hard as he stared at the beautiful, naked Architect in bed with him. Yet, whatever lust she had made him burn with, was quickly lost to the blow she had struck him.
His Ariadne was now like a vicious animal as she was panting hard and eying him like a cat would eye it's prey.
"Ariadne." He panted as she made to hit him again.
His instincts kicked in and he was quick to stop her from trying to hit him again.
Easily, he caught her hands and pulled them aside. Like a magic spell, Ariadne collapsed under him as he held her down to keep her from attacking him. A peaceful look crossing over her face as he held her this way.
"Ariadne! What what the hell is wrong with you? Why did you hit me?" He demanded.
She scowled at him and made to hit him again. His large, powerful hands keeping her restrained. She struggled for a few seconds before giving up and relaxing again. Her breathing easing as she seemed to want his hands there.
She looked calmer as he couldn't help but gaze over her body. Bruises and all, she was still beautiful. Her body helpless under him now as he kept her arms pinned to her side.
"Sir?" She breathed softly.
"Ariadne, it's me." He whispered to her. "It's Arthur."
"Sir, I want you on top of me. Please, Sir." She begged as her legs moved restlessly. Her sex exposed and obviously wet from her strangely ignited desire.
Arthur's own need was aroused at seeing her like this. Her sweet lips parting and begging for him to do things to her. Asking his permission to do things to him. Wonderful, exciting images came to Arthur's mind at her words. Images of things he had only seen in movies and tacky guy's only talks. Lecherous things she was asking to do to him that made him question who Ariadne really was.
"Please, Sir!" She begged as he held her down. Her hips and body moving with imagined thrusting.
"Ariadne. This isn't making love. What's going on?" He demanded roughly.
That wild, manic look was back on her as she struggled against him.
"Let me go!" She screamed shrilly. Her voice so loud and sharp the Point Man was sure they would wake the proprietors of the inn.
He released her immediately as she scrambled away from him to a corner of their room. Her hands going to her breasts as she shielded her body from him.
"Ariadne." The Point Man was gasping helplessly as he tried to move closer to her. "Ariadne, what's going on?"
"Don't touch me!" She cried as she sank to the floor. Her naked body half hidden as she curled her knees up to her chest and sobbed.
He didn't know what to do. Didn't know how to help her. He retrieved her night gown and softly approached her.
"Let's put this back on." He whispered.
She nodded and allowed him to redress her like a toddler. Gently placing her arms though the right holes and smoothing down the soft fabric.
The world seemed better now that she was redressed and he helped her to stand. The Point Man smoothed out her hair and she let him. In fact, she seemed to welcome everything he did to her. He wetted a wash cloth and carefully cleaned her face as she sat dutifully still and let him care for her like she could do nothing for herself.
"I'm sorry, Arthur." She said at last.
Arthur wanted to ask what had happened. What had made her do this. But, he already knew the answer.
Christian.
"It's all I know." She said simply.
The Point Man nodded and finished cleaning her face.
"Lie back down." He told her as he kissed her forehead. Again, like she was a child. She nodded and climbed back into the bed without question. He covered her up and climbed in under the covers with her. His body fitting around hers neatly as his hands rested over her arms. A natural instinct to hold her and make her feel safe possessing him.
"Go to sleep." He whispered in the darkness. His lips on her shoulder.
"You're going to stay with me?" She asked hopefully.
"Yes. Now go to sleep." He told her.
~ Morning broke and Ariadne had slept peacefully. Her dreams untroubled and she woke up feeling oddly recharged. Her body hurt. Like she had done something to it that made her insides sore. She tried to sit up and was greeted with a sharp abdominal pain that made her wince.
"Good morning, Anna." Christian's voice came to her. "Your first day training went well. You'll be my whore yet."
~ The Architect jolted awake. Her breathing was hard as she glanced around the empty bed.
She didn't know where she was at first and before panic had a chance to set in, Arthur was there.
"Hey, it's alright." He said kneeling by her. His strong hands finding her arms and holding her. "You're alright."
"Arthur?" She panted as she felt her body relax. She wanted to hug him. She had never been so happy to see anyone.
"Christian is after me." She said as she didn't fight the urge to wrap her arms around him.
The Point Man sighed and ran his hands over her back. His touch comforting. She wasn't used to being held. The things Arthur was doing now, hugging her, and being so gentle and kind. These were things Christian would never do.
"I know he is. But he won't be for long." the Point Man whispered as she didn't want to let him go.
"What do we do?" She asked as he held her.
"Were going to go back. Take the fight to him. Were going to tell him that he needs to leave you alone." Arthur said.
"He won't let me go." Ariadne said. "It's like I insulted him when I left him. He wants revenge."
"Well, he's not going to get it. You know I won't let him hurt you. I'd never let anyone hurt you. Not in dreams or in real life." Arthur whispered.
Ariadne nodded.
~ They left the inn within the hour. Arthur asking her to wear the locket with the tracker in it.
"Just in case." he told her as she felt oddly reassured by the heavy jewelry.
The Point Man checked his cell phone.
"Cobb is waiting for us back at the warehouse." He said with a confused scowl.
"Not the beta sight?" Ariadne asked. She knew all their escape plans. Their work being so dangerous that the always had to have a plan B.
"Cobb texted that Christian is at the airport. He must think you left the country." Arthur said looking over his cell phone worriedly.
"The ruse worked." Ariadne laughed as they started up Bella and left the little village.
~ The convertible top was up as it started to rain. The sun shinning brightly as warm spring showers fell and added a beautiful, if not eerie, scope to their drive.
"I'm sorry about last night." Ariadne whispered after several miles of silence.
"Can we talk about what happened last night?" Arthur asked.
"Arthur." Ariadne said shaking her head.
"I'm not going to demand every detail of your life with him, but I need to know about this. What was it that had you so... different?" The Point Man asked.
She bit her lip and looked ready to cry.
"It's what Christian would do to me." She said.
Arthur looked at her worriedly.
"It was exciting at first. He would hold me down. He would tie me up. It was this lifestyle that he brought me into. I think, normally, it's meant to be only a game. I read about it a lot after I escaped. The submissive is supposed to be in control. She's the one who says when the game starts. But with Christian, it was 24/7. He was always in charge and I couldn't say no." She said weakly.
Arthur kept his eyes on the road. His knuckles turning white.
"He would demand I do things to him and it was like I didn't have a choice. I don't think it was rape, because I would orgasm, but it's like my body couldn't take it. Then, he started to tie me up. He would tie me up and he would do things to me. Some of them I liked, some of them..." She let out a sob.
"It's alright. We don't have to talk about this anymore." Arthur said.
The truth was, he didn't want to hear. His mind swimming with images of the more disturbing porn he had seen and didn't care for. Images of women being brutalized while they were hot tied. He didn't want to think of Ariadne like that.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. "It's all I know now. He's the only man I've even been with. I don't know how to... make love. I only know that he would do these things and it would make me feel... good. Then I would feel bad. And I was always afraid." She said that last part in a whisper.
"That's how he wanted you. He wanted you afraid." Arthur growled.
"Yes, yes that's exactly it." She whispered.
"He was lucky all you did was escape. Any other woman would have planted an ax in his skull." Arthur told her.
"I told you, I did love him." She said sadly.
"Do you still love him?" Arthur asked. "After what he did to you? After he made your life like that? Then made you live three years in fear?"
Ariadne looked at her hands and said nothing.
~ Bella roared into Paris as the rain finally let up. The workshop was quite as the Point Man and Architect took the lift to the top floor where the Team worked.
"Cobb, why aren't we meeting at the Beta sight-" Arthur was saying as they left the left. The Point Man's sentence cut off sharply by a brutal blow to the back of the head.
Ariadne froze as Christian Tate stood over the Point Man's prone body.
"Anna." Christian said throwing down the old fire extinguisher he had struck Arthur with.
Ariadne was slowly backing away from her former lover. Ice water running though her veins.
"I thought we were beyond such games." Christian said eying her viciously.