Lily

"Yeah, it was cute when he came and got me and told me to tuck you in and take care of you. So, you like him?"

"He's nice... and funny... and so hot. And he smelled amazing."

"Skinnier than your usual type."

"But so tall!"

"Freakishly tall."

"Not freakish! Perfect. I like him."

"So if he calls and wants to see you tonight? Would you cancel for..."

"No. You know me Terri. I wouldn't do that."

"I know, just didn't know if it applied to assholes."

"You don't know that, I don't know that, not for certain. And it's not worth my job for a bit of conjecture. I won't drink tonight and I will keep you on speed dial, ok? I will also text you where we are going."

"Ok, good. Anyway, he is too old for you," she teased, getting up. "Come on, let's go down to the Perk-O-Latte and get some coffee and scones."

"You think they have chocolate croissants?" Lily asked as she got up to get dressed.

Terri stayed longer than usual that day, hovering and staying close. In the end, Lily finally convinced her to help with her hair and make-up since she was there.

"Look at you," Terri said, facing her towards the mirror. "He does not deserve you."

"Let it go Terri," she sighed, then smiled as she twisted. "But he does have good taste in clothes? And I hate heels, but these are super cute."

"You look amazing."

The door buzzed.

"Oh, he's early?"

"No, it's five after."

"Oh, shit!"

Lily hurry-hobbled to the door, trying not to fall in the heels and pulled it open. Luke looked perturbed, but his face brightened when he looked down at her.

"You are a vision! Are you ready?"

"Yes, umm, you remember Terri? From the office?"

"Yes, of course," he said, going stiff and a little cold as she opened the door wider so he could see Terri.

"She was just leaving as well. Let me grab my purse."

"Do you not know how to wear heels?" he asked in surprise.

"Umm, not really, but I will figure it out."

"I assumed a girl of your stature would vye for all the height she could get."

"Why? I'm not ashamed of it," she laughed, coming back with her purse and locking her door.

Terri hugged her. "You look awesome girl, have fun and text me."

"We are going to a dinner party, no one will have their phones with them. It's rude in certain circles," Luke said, pulling Lily's hand into his arm so he could help her walk.

"Oh, with other people?" Terri asked.

"Of course. A dinner party usually entails a variety of guests."

"Like who?" Terri pressed.

"Associates. Goodbye, Miss Cooper."

"Later Terri."

"Bye Lil... be safe."

Luke closed the passenger door and got in the driver's seat, looking perturbed all over again. "Your friend is nosy, isn't she?"

"I think all friends are, it's part of being a friend. So, where are we going?"

"Dinner party."

"You are dressed up, is it super formal?"

"A little. You look lovely, you will fit in."

"The dress isn't too short for a formal?"

"No. Stop worrying about it. Are you wearing everything I sent?"

"Yes... umm... did you take my underclothes the other night?"

He smirked and looked over at her. "Isn't it a little thrilling to think that I took them to work with me the next day so I could think of you? Of us?"

Lily blushed.

"I will replace them... many times over again if I have my way."

Lily went red to her ears and he chuckled.

They drove far out of the city and into one of the outlying suburbs that was well known for its upscale houses and posh residents. He pulled up to a lit up house that was more mansion than house, it was huge! It had expansive gardens and trees and no neighbors in sight, despite being in the city proper. Lily stared, a little wide eyed as he led her in and through the house to the backyard where there were about a dozen couples. The men were all older, like Luke and in tuxedos, like Luke was and most of the women were older as well, with evening gowns. She was definitely under dressed. She tried not to act as out of place as she felt as he introduced her to everyone.

A waiter lowered a tray to her, offering her champagne and she took one immediately, wanting some liquid courage. Standing and listening to people talk about things she had no clue about was stressful. She had never felt stupid or insipid before, but she did now. She realized that she was arm candy. That was all.

She reminded herself that she was not stupid, she was amazing at her job and a whiz at math. Just because she was ignorant about what they were speaking about, that didn't mean she was stupid.

She drank another glass.

A man, short and stout with glasses sidled up to her. He looked very familiar, but she couldn't place him. She looked up at him curiously and he smiled down at her.

"And what about you, young lady, what do you do?"

"I work with Luke."

"You do? I've not seen you at the board meetings?"

"You will someday, she is up and coming. My newest little protege," Luke offered.

"Little is right. You look very nice this evening, Miss?"

"Lily. My name is Lily."

"Lily then. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, Mr?"

There were chuckles all around.

"She is kidding," Luke said quickly. "Of course she recognizes you Mr Erikson."

Lily froze, her blood turning to ice. How had she not recognized the owner and CEO of the company she worked for? She passed his picture every single day in the lobby. She forced a smile and held on to Luke's arm for dear life. He patted her hand, then handed her another flute of champagne.

"I am going to show her the gardens," Luke said mildly.

He led her away from the people and she was mortified. "I'm sorry!" she said in a whisper.

"No, it was refreshing, I am sure. He gets so many people trying to curry favor and here you are with no idea who he is. Thank you," he said to the passing waiter as he took two more flutes from the tray. "Let's step into the carriage house and sit for a bit. Get you off of your feet. Doesn't that feel better?"

"Yes! Oh my gosh, how do other women wear these?"

"You look amazing in them. Here."

She took the champagne and held it, looking around, her head already heady with too much champagne. She didn't want to get wasted at a party like this.

"To us, and a lovely evening," Luke said, tapping his glass to hers. He downed his and looked at her expectantly.

She drank it and he immediately took the glass and set them aside before turning back to her and taking hold of her face. He pressed her down on the couch, kissing her passionately and she let out a small gasp as he left a trail of kisses down her neck. She opened her eyes and the room was spinning.

"I... I think I drank too much?"

"Shhh," he whispered, lifting her up. Her world spun and tilted and she landed on a soft cloud. No. A bed? She was on a bed. Luke kissed her again and she felt his warm hand slide up her leg. Another, smaller hand touched her calf and slid up, and yet another groped her breast. Something hot and wet wrapped around her toes and she had a moment to think there was something very wrong.

Lily groaned as she woke, her stomach heaving. She started to roll out of bed, but hit a wall.

"Here," a male voice said gently, pulling her the other way and holding her hair back as she vomited into a plastic bowl he had ready. He lifted her limp body back into bed and wiped her mouth with a wet cloth.

"Ryan?" she croaked. "What... what is happening?"

He gave her an embarrassed smile. "Do you remember anything? From the party?"

"Where am I?"

"Here, sip this and take these. It's just water. Do you remember the party?"

"I feel horrible."

"Yeah... part of what you were given."

"What I was given?"

"The drug they gave you to make you... pliable. So that they could all..."

"What? No... Just... stop."

"Here, drink some more. We need to flush this out of your system so you feel better. And try to eat this. I know you don't feel like it, but it will help, I promise."

"Where am I? And how did I get here?"

"I... I brought you here. We are at the lakehouse, no one comes here except in the summer. When I saw it was you they had on the bed... I took you out of there after they were done with the first round. After the second round and they are done, they let the staff have a turn. That's why you only saw male waiters and no one else. Girls won't work there anymore and ones that do quit pretty quick."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying that all those men? They all had sex with you. Took turns with you in that bed. You don't remember any of it?"

"No! What the hell! I need to go and call the police!"

"Hold on! Just wait. Look, you can't do that. If my dad found out that you didn't manage to get up and wander off in your delirious state, that I took you, he would completely disown me. If you tried to go to the police? You would end up in a cage somewhere being sold to the highest bidder. Disappeared completely. Just... just calm down a little and try to eat this?"

Lily felt numb and shell shocked as she took the bread. "They all...? What about their wives?"

"They don't care, as long as no one else knows. They'd cut you up for bait if you told, faster than the men would."

"Why? Why would he do that? He said I was smart and a hard worker?"

"You are... but you are also super hot and it's what he does. I tried to warn you off of him."

"I need to go, I need to text my friend. What time is it?"

"Hold on, hold on. It's around two in the afternoon and your phone and purse are all still back there."

She looked down at the white men's button up she was wearing. "Whose shirt is this?"

"Mine."

"Can I use your phone?"

"Look, we really do have to wait for this to blow over. They are looking for you. If they think for a second that you might know, you will be gone forever."

"So, I can just show up to work tomorrow and pretend that I don't remember anything!"

"Yeah, you did a great job of that last time. He knew you knew and he didn't care. He knew you also wouldn't say no if he put it to you a certain way."

"I need to let Terri know I am ok!"

"I can let her know tomorrow at work. You have to lay low, I mean it. Those men are not messing around! Now please, eat something and finish the water."

Lily looked at the shy man and realized something as she looked at his light brown curls and glasses. "You are Mr. Erikson's son?"

He nodded.

"Why are you working? In IT? Why..."

He shrugged, "It's a long story, but I have never liked what they did. They have been doing that for a while now. I took off and went to college, determined to make my own way without him and his... anyway, I got out of college and applied for a few jobs but no one would hire me. No one. Turns out, he had made some calls. The only place I could work is his company, under him. He thought I wouldn't do it, I would just come home."

"But you go to those parties?"

"He has no idea I was there last night. I only went when I found out it was you that Luke was bringing. I wanted to get you out of there before he came, but you had your friend with you and I couldn't. I got you out as soon as you were alone, as soon as I could, I promise."

"Did you...?"

"No! No... I did clean you up though. In a bath when we got here. I tried to clean it all off of you. Uhhh, sorry."

Lily curled up on her side and cried, sobbing brokenly as she thought of what Luke had done. What all those men had done.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you out sooner," Ryan said softly. "I should have tried harder. Come on, please don't cry? Please sit up and drink some more so you have all of that out of your system? There, good girl. Some more. Now eat some of this. Keep drinking and eating and a little rest, you will be right as rain by tomorrow."

"When can I go home?"

His face went red and he looked at the wall.

"I get to go home, right?"

"You should stay here until they are done looking for you. Look, I already got a fake ID and fake passport for me, I can get one for you too. I can take you to Canada."

"Run away with you? Ryan, I don't like you like that."

His face went red and there was anger in it as well as embarrassment. "Why? What's wrong with me? Am I too nice for you? You only like jerks? Like Luke? Or that bass player in that shitty band? You know he wasn't being nice, right?"

"How do you know about Nick? Are you stalking me?!?"

"You know he sent you home the way he did because his girlfriend was about to show up. Not five minutes after Terri took you home, she showed up, leggy blonde bimbo dressed like the other girls there. He was setting you aside for later, a nice little side piece. Real nice stand up guy."

"He never even called me! Maybe he was nice and just flirting and taking care of a drunk girl without hurting her feelings."

"He didn't call because I swiped his phone and deleted your number before telling the bartender I found it on the floor."

"That isn't your choice to make!"

"I was protecting you! But that's not good enough. What is wrong with me? Why aren't I good enough for you?"

"You're too short," she said feebly, sounding like a jerk for saying it out loud.

He stared down at her, incredulous. "I am a foot taller than you!"

"But you aren't even six feet. I... I like tall guys."

"Are you kidding me? I don't make the cut because I am too short? That's it? No other reason?"

Lily looked away from him, feeling awful. She hated confrontation and right now she felt awful.

"So tall guys only. Despite the fact that you aren't even five feet tall. Do you know how ridiculous that is?"

Lily hunched in on herself more, fighting back tears.

"And they have obviously all done right by you, seeing as you keep picking winners. You could have at least given me a shot instead of shutting me down before you even knew me. Sorry I didn't meet your exacting standards!"

Lily flinched and broke down crying again, all of it too much.

"Shit," he huffed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled, not with what you are going through. Sorry. Calm down, it's no big deal, right? I will just have to show you that a guy doesn't have to be a giant to be worthy."

Lily shook her head.

"No?"

"Thanks for getting me out of there, but I don't like you like that. I just don't. You... you creep me out."

"What?" he asked, in confusion. "What have I ever done to creep you out?"

"Waiting around for me, following me, you admit to following me to the club Friday night, you always just happen to be getting on the elevator when I am. I know it's not coincidence!"

"We have ridden the elevator together a hundred times! You just never noticed me before! Yeah, I waited for you one morning, hoping to say hi, but I didn't when you made it obvious you were ignoring me. It was Emanuel who sent you the roses from me, not me, I knew you wouldn't like them but he was trying to help. I did say sorry the next day and pick you the wildflowers, hoping you would understand the gesture. That you were worth the effort of going and hand picking flowers and I wasn't just going to try and buy your affection with money and store bought roses. You just got rid of them like they didn't matter. Like my efforts didn't matter! Like I wasn't good enough! But when Luke had his secretary send you flowers, suddenly you can smile and act lovesick."

"You... you were watching me?"

His face reddened again. "Not usually... I just... I have the feed up and I notice when you are doing something besides just bending over your work."

"Watching me is a creepy thing to do!"

"I just like you is all! I like seeing you. It's not a bad thing... I just... really like you. A lot. And I think you should give me a chance."

"No! You are a creeper and I want nothing to do with you!" she said, wiping away her tears and kicking back the blankets, trying to get out of bed.

"Hold on! Don't try and get up yet, it's not out of your system yet, they gave you a lot."

"I don't care! I am going to go and call the cops, go get my things and go back to my moms house for a couple weeks."

"They will look for you there!"

"They won't go all the way to Iowa for one girl who isn't saying anything."

"You have no idea what they would do to make sure you don't talk. And they will know that you know as soon as you don't show up tomorrow, but you can't show up tomorrow because you will give it away the first time you see Luke."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Like last night? Just drinking anything you were given without even noticing that no one else drank from the tray Mikael was carrying. No, Lily, you can't take care of yourself. I will see you through this and prove to you that I am good enough for you."

"I don't want your help!" she said, trying to get up again.

He laid her back down, hardly having to force her at all, she was so weak. "You will lay down right here and rest, even if I have to cuff you to this bed."

"You would be no better than your father!"

"I would be doing it for your own good! To keep you safe, even from your own idiocy!"

"I am not an idiot!"

"You went back out with a guy who you knew raped you!"

"I didn't know that for sure, I thought I was overreacting."

"Yeah. Idiocy. Someone needs to save you from yourself. Drink your water!"

"I don't like water!"

"Stop being a baby. Drink your water and I will go get you a coffee. Come on, this is so you will feel better. I am doing this for you!"

Lily sipped the water, glaring at the man who was now her kidnapper. She would show him who was the idiot if he thought he could trap her here.

He watched her finish the water, then he tucked the blankets up around her. "Get some rest. I will get you some coffee and some more groceries. You want anything?"

"To go home."

He sighed. "Do you want to be sold as a sex slave to some foreign asshole? I know you have heard of human trafficking. You can't really think you are above it. They've had their fun with you, now they just need rid of you. Girl as pretty as you, your size, your body, you would be worth a lot to the right buyer. That what you want? Really? That is a better option than staying here and letting me keep you safe?"

"I know how to take care of myself!"

"So you have proven. Look, this isn't a debate," he snapped, leaning from his chair to pull the dresser drawer open. He pulled out two sets of handcuffs. With one set, he cuffed her hands together, the other set he cuffed to the bed and the chain between her cuffs. "I don't need to worry about gagging you," he said softly, stroking her cheek and thumbing away her tears. "There's no one anywhere near here this time of year. So. Anything besides coffee?"

She turned away from him, curling up to cry alone, feeling lost.

He sighed and got up, leaving quietly. When she heard his car pull away, she immediately tried the cuffs. They weren't the pretend ones, they were solid and heavier than he had imagined handcuffs being. She tried pulling her hand through, but there was no give on her right hand. Her left might give if she were willing to put herself in a lot of pain. She looked around, then tried to reach the drawer handle with her toes. If the cuffs were in there, the keys probably were as well. That was useless, stretching as far as she could was still six inches away. She rolled herself and held onto the headboard while she pushed on the wall with her feet. She got the bed to move an entire foot, then rolled and tried the drawer again. She hooked her big toe under the handle and pulled hard, hoping it didn't stick like her drawers did at home. The entire drawer came sliding out, clattering and spilling its contents on the ground. Panting now, she stretched, trying to see the floor, but he had her cuffed to the middle and she couldn't see well. Just a few things out of her reach like a bottle of tylenol, a box of bandaids, vicks rub, a box of condoms. Great.