Only Consenting Adults Ch. 10

[Author's note: Aidan returns to the gym he started with Rosa (OG01). Davey has taken control of Aidan's estranged wife, Rosa, drugging and isolating her to make her compliant. Aidan wants to get her back, but his last confrontation ended in assault charges after an altercation with Davey. He learns that Davey has friends in unexpected places, that he and Rosa are in a lot more trouble than he suspected (HL02, PBH16).

Contains scenes with non-consent and drug use]

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CARBON TRADING

"This is wrong," Ant said, pulling up to the kerb.

"This is all wrong," Aidan replied.

"No, fuck, this, specifically, this is wrong. You can't just walk in."

"Who says?"

"The court."

Aidan shook his head. "No, that's the thing. The gym is my place of work, still. It's not Davey's residence, it's not his place of work either. I'm allowed inside."

"You have to stay a minimum distance. Just, shit, how about you listen to me. Do you want to go to jail?"

Aidan opened the door, but before he got out, Ant seized his arm.

"Hey, just take a moment," he said, "Think. What's this gonna do?"

"I need to see her, Ant. I need to talk to her."

"This is, uh...."

"This is what?"

Ant frowned, clearly not wanting to give voice to his opinions.

"What?" Aidan pressed.

"This is harassment."

"She's my fucking wife."

"Doesn't matter that she's your wife. Davey's got a restraining order on you, you step out of line and it's just gonna go bad."

Aidan stopped, one foot out of the car. He looked back at his friend.

"At this point," Ant continued, "There's mitigating circumstances. Davey's screwing your wife. He challenged you on the doorstep, right? You were provoked. Moment of passion. But this, it looks like you're looking for a confrontation. It changes the story."

Ant sighed.

"Aidan, you know I love you man. I'm trying to be the voice of reason here. I'm trying to be the difference between community service and jail time. That's how fucked you are."

Aidan paused, then leaned back to give Ant a hug.

"I know," he replied, "I just want to see if she's there. Straight in and out. If Davey's there, I stop and turn around. It's all good. Thanks for looking out for me."

He broke off and climbed out of the car.

"Okay," Ant replied, "Want me to keep the engine running?"

"Sure."

"Like I'm your fucking getaway driver?"

"You're the best, Ant."

"No, I'm about to be a goddamn accessory."

Aidan made to close the door, but he flashed his friend a smile.

"Only if I get caught," Aidan laughed, closing the door before Ant could reply.

The carpark was nearly deserted and he trotted across the tarmac quickly towards the gym. He scanned around as he moved, conscious of the risk he was taking despite his bravado in front of his friend. The doors were glass, giving him a view inside: the reception area was empty. He tugged on the handle and slipped into the gym.

As the door closed behind him, sealing him off from the traffic noise, he was assaulted with the familiarity of it all. The particular smell of the gym, the sounds of the treadmills, the upbeat music playing through the speakers, all of it conspired to transport him back a year, to when this place had been his life. A figure walked into the reception area and halted, staring at him.

Aidan nodded at the younger man. "Hi Jaden," he said.

"Uh, yeah. Hi."

There was an awkward silence.

"So, been a while," Aidan continued.

"You're back."

"Yeah, I'm back."

The younger man looked nervous.

"Sorry," he blurted, "I just didn't expect to see you."

"I know, right. Kinda shocked myself to be standing here. How you been?"

Jaden nodded, relaxing fractionally, moving behind the reception desk.

"Good. I've been good," he replied.

Aidan approached him, scrutinising his name badge.

"Manager now? Congratulations."

Jaden's face cracked into a smile, replying, "Yeah, couple months back, Rosa thought I was ready."

Jaden's face froze, realising that he'd mentioned her.

"Ah, that's great. You've always been a good worker. You earned it, I'm sure."

Jaden nodded.

"Look, talking of Rosa, I was wondering."

Jaden stiffened slightly and busied himself at the keyboard.

"Uh, sorry, she's not here."

Aidan paused, watching the younger man as he appeared to engross himself in the screen.

"Oh. I didn't think today was her day off. Has it changed?"

"No, uh, usually this is her day, yes. But, she hasn't been in all week."

He looked up from the screen. "You want to pass on a message or anything? I can make sure she gets it when she's in next."

"When's she gonna be in next?"

"Dunno. She's rostered people to fill her slots, and we've got a new guy covering."

"New guy?"

"Yeah, Davey sent him over to help out."

"Okay. Uh, when she came in and updated the roster, did she say what she was doing this week?"

"No. Look, she didn't do it personally. The new guy came in with updated roster sheets."

Jaden met his stare, briefly, but it was enough. Jaden knew something was going on, but he didn't want to get dragged into the middle of it. A stranger showing up and replacing Rosa was above his paygrade. He stopped typing, looking up at Aidan tentatively.

"Sorry Aidan, I don't know any more than that. I can't help you."

Aidan forced a smile.

"I know. It's all good. Don't worry about the message. I'll catch her later. Good to see you again."

Jaden nodded, "Good to see you too."

Aidan turned and passed through the glass doors into the sunshine. He kept walking, locking onto Ant's car waiting by the curb. But his brain was working overtime, churning through Jaden's information.

Davey had slotted someone else into the gym, had arranged the staff rosters. Rosa loved the gym, and had barely missed a day since they'd both started it together, even at the peak of the fertility treatments. Davey's grin on the hallway floor, the blood seeping from his shattered nose, had told Aidan something. There was the contrast of Rosa's fiery call with him in Sydney and then later, the dead-eyed conversation in the car, the contrast between the passionate woman Aidan had fallen in love with and the shell she had become. It all came back to Davey, the man who needed to win.

He came to a halt in the middle of the tarmac, pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

"Well, didn't expect this," said the voice, "I was...."

"Drop it Davey," Aidan snarled, "Where the hell is my wife?"

"Not your wife, remember. You cut her loose, remember?"

"Fuck you."

"Is that the sound of you violating your restraining order?"

"I need to talk to her. What have you done with her?"

There was a laugh on the other end of the line. It made Aidan ball his hand into a fist, white knuckled.

"She's safe, don't worry. She's somewhere that you can't go fuck her life up anymore," Davey replied, "She needs stability, continuity. You're the exact opposite."

"Where the fuck is she?"

"She's at the spa. It's my place of work, which means you can't come anywhere near it without I just call the cops to haul you off to jail for breach. Now, am I calling them, or are you going to be fucking off like a good boy?"

"Davey, I need to talk to her. Just, uh... I need to talk."

"No you don't. You want her back."

"I...."

"Nah, no bullshit. That's what this is. How about you just be a man and admit it?"

"Yeah. I want her back," Aidan snarled, trembling now with rage.

Davey was silent for a few moments.

"Okay, so, Aidan, tell you what, how does this work out for you? If you want your broken-down wreck of a wife back, how about we do a deal?"

"A deal? Like what?"

"A trade. I give you Rosa back, you give me something else."

The change of tone set alarm bells ringing. Suddenly, they were in new territory. Aidan felt his mouth go dry. He stood in the middle of the carpark, his body trembling. How had it all gone so wrong? The fertility issues had been hard enough, without the games and the cheating on top, and walking out had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. The part where they talked, worked out if there was enough water under the bridge, that was supposed to be the easier part, getting to a resolution. But now, it was getting worse with each passing hour, the unbearable pressure on his shoulders threatening to grind him into the ground.

"And what do I give you in return?" he asked.

There was a long pause on the phone.

"Oh, you just need to return something you stole. Or, more precisely, someone. Let's call it carbon trading."

Aidan stabbed the phone, cutting the call off. He stared at the screen without seeing it, his mind blank. Indi? How did Davey know about her?

"Hey."

Aidan looked up. Ant had wound the window down and was calling out to him from the car. Reflexively, Aidan began to stumble forward, putting one foot in front of the other until he was running towards the car and away from the gym, from the people he had known inside it, from the life that he'd left behind.

---

Davey pushed the phone across the desk, away from him. He ran his fingers through his hair. So, Aidan had found out that Rosa was gone. He smiled to himself. It was justice, after a fashion. He'd disappeared on his wife a year ago and now it was his turn to be left behind, wondering. The question was now whether Aidan would do a deal, give him what he wanted in exchange for getting Rosa back. Checking the time, he got up from his chair and walked out of his office into the reception area of Sanctuary Point.

He closed the door carefully behind him, cutting out the hum of the security monitoring systems and storage servers running on his office desk. It was time to do the rounds and check in on the guests. After that, he'd be able to spend a little more time with Rosa.

It didn't take long to do a circuit of the spa complex, looking in on the pool area, and the sauna. The gym was deserted, but the receptionist on the spa treatment desk reported she had a couple of clients in the treatment rooms. Davey nodded, smiling, taking the details in, stopping by the kitchens to go through the menu for dinner, taking his time with the finer points, making sure it was all up to his standards.

Yes, Sanctuary Point was ticking along smoothly. They would be at full capacity this weekend, breaking even in the forward plans two months earlier than he'd forecast. He opened the tall double doors at the end of the corridor and emerged into the open air, following a covered boardwalk to the cluster of luxury chalets set a little way down the hill with expansive views across the lake. He made his way to the furthest chalet and pressed his master keycard to the door. It clicked open and he stepped inside.

When the door shut behind him with a reassuringly-study clunk, he was greeted with absolute silence. Davey smiled to himself as he strode through the chalet to the bedroom. The door was open, just as he'd left it an hour ago. An occasional rubbing, slapping noise emerged from within, accompanied by a faint susurration.

On the bed, there was a female shape, writhing slowly on the clean, white sheets, desperate fingers sliding between her thighs as they chafed and rubbed together.

A black latex hood had been placed over her head, reducing her face to an expressionless, featureless latex expanse punctuated by two nostril holes and a shiny steel zip cutting across the mouth like a demented smile. He picked up a water bottle from the bedside table.

Davey tugged the zip open and her jaws worked, relishing her freedom. A pink tongue emerged from between soft lips. He bent down to kiss her.

"Time for some refreshment," Davey said, holding the water bottle against her lips until she fastened onto it and began to drink.

"Good girl," he murmured, soothingly, "Drink it all up."

Davey held the upturned bottle patiently, until she was done, and then replaced it on the table. Next to it was a smaller bottle with a little dropper filled with a faint bluish liquid. With one finger, he teased her tongue.

"There, all good. You're my good girl, aren't you? All safe. I'm taking such good care of you aren't I?"

Davey didn't wait for a response. Delicately, he closed the zip again, sealing the moist lips behind slick black latex, removing the one feature that marked her out as human.

"I love you like this, all quiet and waiting for me," he breathed, listening to the regular susurration of her breath resume through the nostril holes.

"No more need to worry, now you belong to me."

Davey's hand roamed over the contours of her body, navigating over the mounds of her breasts, down to her belly button and then further, into the little valley outlined between her thighs. His fingers pressed lightly, tracing slow circles. The woman's body began to writhe, but Davey withdrew and stood up, watching her as she rolled over onto her front. Before he left, Davey stopped at the doorway to watch as she drew her perfect bottom up, her thighs tensing, then drove her hips down against the bed, slowly humping the bedclothes, desperate for that last little bit of sensation that would tip her over the edge into orgasm.

Davey made his way back into the main building. The corridor was flanked on one wall with a decorative overlay of verical lengths of wood, all different timbers and hues. Halfway along he stopped and peered at the wooden slats, tracing the disguised outline of a secret door.

Sealed inside her tight latex hood, Rosa's mind was becoming accustomed to the endless need he was engendering inside her. He would need to push her just a little further, and then she would be ready for what lay beyond the wooden facade, down a concrete corridor to the hidden space embedded within the hill: the Silent Room.

Davey played to win. Even if Aidan did the trade, he wouldn't be getting his wife back. No, Davey would make sure of that. Aidan would be delivered a person whom her believed to be his wife, but it would be too late by then. Rosa would have already become nothing more than Davey's toy, something for him to reacquire afterwards. It was only a matter of time.

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[Next chapter: In the Lost and Found, Quinn puts himself on display. He tells them: all are punished.

What is the Silent Room? Cameron and Mina explored Sanctuary Point while it was still being completed, what did they find in AUC06?

Follow me for updates to this and my other stories. If you like what you read, please leave a comment or a star rating. Constructive feedback is always welcome. If you want further adventures, or to check out my other stories, my story page is here]