Quaranteam: Piper's Prelude (Ch. 04)

Part Four

It was plain as day that Piper had tensed up, and Fiona was doing her best to keep her even keeled. They'd taken a few minutes to walk around a bit, the two of them both needing a breather before they got down to the roughest part of Piper's story.

Piper had insisted that they not shy away from the dark heart of what had happened to her, but agreed that taking a few minutes to recover and rebuild her energies before getting into the ugliest period of her life would be helpful.

Fiona had found a lot to admire about the brunette, which was good, because Piper had made it very clear that she wasn't going to let go of Andy for any reason. She had known exactly what a good man Andy was before she'd arrived, because she and Andy had shared a long, deep history before she'd agreed to move here, but it was good to see Piper felt the same way.

Andy and Fiona had been friends before they'd been lovers, lovers before they'd been roommates, and every step of the way, Andy had always put her needs above his own, to the point where she'd had to actively make sure he wasn't causing himself too much trouble for her benefit. He was selfless, often to a fault and his own detriment.

That had been quite some time ago, though, and time had a way of changing people, and not often for the better. Some of the people they'd went to college with had gone on to become the sort of folks that Andy and Fi wouldn't want to consider friends anymore - they'd been unfaithful to partners, committed crimes, exploited employees, and just generally turned into awful shits. In fact, Fiona's best friend in college, a woman named Emily Emmanuel, had gone on to become a CEO of one of the most abusive and awful companies around. She'd told Fi that she'd felt abandoned when Fi moved to Washington, and their friendship had basically died around the same time that her and Andy's relationship had broken off.

Andy, in stark contrast Fi realized, had just gotten, well, more Andy. There was something kind about the core of the man, like he was constantly trying to see the best in people, and to help them up to live up to that ideal as much as they could on a day-to-day basis. It hadn't gotten him far in terms of business, but he'd done well with friends and even better with women, as he hadn't fallen in with anyone who would take advantage of his trusting nature.

From what Ash had told her, Andy's last relationship in the Bay before the pandemic was with the kind of woman who'd nearly broken that kindhearted spirit out of him. But instead of taking the wrong lesson from it - that people were often out to hurt him - he'd taken the right one from it instead, which was that sometimes the best thing you could do with a problematic partner was to let them go, or even push them away if they just weren't the right fit for you.

She wasn't entirely certain that all of Andy's partners would be good fits for him in the long term, but Fi supposed that was why there were so many of them, so that the ones who didn't see Andy as more than a solution to their physical needs could minimize their time with him. While many of his partners seemed to have genuine affection for him, at least a couple of them hadn't really built deep and meaningful connections with him. At least not as deep as others.

For the younger girls, it just made sense. Both Hannah and Asha weren't old enough to know what they wanted to do with their lives, so how could they be expected to know what they truly wanted out of a partner? They'd show Andy a good time, certainly, and keep his libido stoked, but she wouldn't be surprised if they didn't want children with him when all the dust settled.

All of the fiancés were definitely in it for the long haul, though. They'd all seemed like they were excellent matches for him, even if some of them Fi would've considered slightly out of Andy's league, despite loving him as much as she did. But good on him for capturing the hearts of such highly regarded actresses as Emily Stevens and Sarah Washington. The heart wants what the heart wants, and if they wanted him, she would respect that.

Lauren and Taylor, by contrast, were definitely emotionally invested in Andy, but not nearly as much as they were each other. Fiona also suspected that maybe Sheridan and Tala might be the same way, but hadn't had enough time to get a good enough read on the two of them yet to make a conclusive decision. The same was true for the newest additions, all of whom probably didn't even know which season Andy was born in, much less how they felt about him. It was too early for them to have established deep feelings one way or another about Andy.

Piper? Piper had made it clear that she'd rather die than be parted from Andy, and Fiona was still coming to understand why that was, as she'd really only known Andy a few weeks now. She felt like the solution to that particular puzzle would lay in the last part of the story, but to get to that part, they'd need to get through the darkest part first.

During the walk, Piper spent most of the time in their break asking questions about Fiona's past, focusing mostly on her time between graduating from college and her arrival in New Eden. Fiona understood how Piper wanted to spend the interval getting to know a little bit about her instead of talking more about herself. It was a chance to reclaim a bit of power in the conversation, and a chance to listen instead of talking.

For her part, Fiona did everything she could to tell Piper about herself, being generous with the details and honesty, sparing none of the gory details she might have left out otherwise. While her story didn't have as many abductions, there were more gunfights and that seemed to make Piper laugh and giggle in glee.

Piper had made it clear she was as straight as the day was long, so Fiona wouldn't pressure her, but she would've been lying if she didn't admit to herself that she would've loved to have a bit of fun with her in the sack at some point.

She was easy to like, easier still to get along with, and she seemed genuinely intent on learning as much as she could about Fiona. She also made an attempt to keep Fiona's spirits up, even though it was Piper's spirit that Fiona felt they should both be worried about. It was a miracle that the woman had come through it all with her spirit unbroken.

They completed their lap around the yard and headed back towards the house. They'd been talking much of the day, barring a half an hour break during which Piper had squeezed in a quick workout while Fiona had taken Moira into Andy's office for a chat, but now the sun was starting to set and the story was taking its turn into the nightmare portion Piper had clearly been avoiding.

"Alright, can't dodge it forever," Piper sighed as her and Fiona made their way back up towards one of the front facing balconies this time, just for a change of pace. "Time to get down to the scariest few days of my life. The important thing, the most important thing, before I get into this, the most important thing is to remember that I came through okay, and I'm here, now, happy, with a great man and wonderful girlfriends. So keep that in mind when we're talking about this."

"I don't want to push you, Piper," Fiona said to her. "If you're not ready to talk about this-"

"I'm never going to be ready to talk about it, but it's still something I've got to do, so let's just get on with it, shall we?"

"It's your story, Piper," Fiona sighed. "I'm just here to write it all down for you."

"Strap in, then. Here comes the shitstorm..."

* * * * *

With Layla removed from the room, they lightened security just a little bit, which was their first mistake, and one they'd quickly rectify. I wasn't going to stay locked up in some gilded cage like I was Rapunzel waiting for her prince to arrive. I'm the kind of woman who's willing to get her hands dirty to get shit done, so, naturally, I tried to break out.

Getting out of the room itself was relatively easy. I think they'd considered my will mostly broken, and hoped I would just roll over and play nice, so they hadn't really established all that much security around the room I was kept in beyond keeping it locked, and I learned how to pick a lock when I was like twelve, so that wasn't much of a fucking problem.

Once I was out of the room, however, I was in Covington's mansion, and let me tell you that place is one big fucking maze. I was trying to be sneaky and keep hidden, but even still, it took me much longer than I want to admit to find the edge of the building. Even when I found it, they were windows that I knew if I broke would only draw attention to me. So instead I moved along the wall and tried to keep out of sight.

A couple of minutes later, I found an external door and was surprised to find it unlocked, which let me out of the manor and onto the estate. At that point, I thought I was basically home free, which, in retrospect, was totally fucking stupid of me.

I headed out from the manor and sprinted towards the trees as fast as I could, not looking back. I didn't know where I was beyond "an hour or so away from Oakland," I didn't have my phone and I wasn't able to see any people anywhere around me. I didn't even know which way was west. I certainly didn't have a plan. I just wanted to get out and away.

I never even saw the fence.

A minute or two into the trees, I started to hear dogs barking, and they were chasing after me. I wanted to run, but I could tell they were going to be on me long before I could get anywhere, so I made the decision to climb up into a tree, because I thought if I didn't, I was going to have a Doberman tearing out chunks from my leg.

I got high enough that the dogs couldn't get me, but the trees were far enough apart that I couldn't just jump from one to another in an attempt to get away from them. The dogs were out for blood and I was so focused on them that I didn't even notice that Hope had drawn a bead on me with a shotgun and fired a beanbag round into my side, knocking me out of the tree and onto my ass. It hurt like a motherfucker and kicked the wind out of me, but I didn't get much more than a bruise. I think I got lucky, though, because it just as easily could've broken one of my ribs, or I could've taken much more severe damage from the fall itself.

While I was trying to catch my breath, Melody sprinted over, flipped me onto my stomach, yanked my wrists behind my back and handcuffed me. "Okay, bitch," she hissed at me. "We were going easy on you before, but no more of that now."

They dragged me back to the house, and I do mean dragged, in that I was in a bit of shock. Melody just grabbed my ankles and hauled me towards the house, my track pants getting loads of tiny rips and tears in them from the ground. Melody obviously didn't care what shape they were in, and when we were back at the mansion itself, her and Hope lifted me up as Hope slapped ankle shackles onto me as well.

"Didn't have faith you could hold out, huh?" Hope laughed at me dismissively.

Right then and there, I vowed to wipe that fucking smug look off her face if it was the last fucking thing I ever did.

Instead of the library, they dragged me down into a parlor room with nothing much of value in it, just two big arm chairs and a knee-high footrest or padded bench or something that looked strong enough to hold three or four people standing on it. The door was heavy oak, and locked from the outside, and the ceiling was high vaulted with covered recessed lighting. I know all of this, because multiple times over the following days, I thought about self-harm, and never saw any real viable way to do it. There was also a bucket for me to shit and piss into. I wasn't even given the dignity of access to a bathroom.

Once we were in the parlor room, Melody fished out a Leatherman from her pocket, snapped it open to the blade, and literally cut my clothes off me. I'd never gotten my track top back from when I tried to cover Layla with it, which meant I was just in a sports top, a sports bra, track pants and the grungiest pair of faded green panties I owned, all of which they just stripped away from me, leaving me completely naked, except for the handcuffs and their connected shackles. Then they attached the chain of the shackles to a ring I hadn't initially noticed coming out of the floor. That was when I understood this was Covington's sex dungeon.

Melody inspected me a little, checking that when I'd fallen I hadn't broken or sprained anything, and that the beanbag round hadn't done any severe damage. When she was satisfied with that, she nodded to Hope, and the two of them headed for the door.

After Melody had walked out, Hope looked back at me and sneered. "He's gonna fucking break you, bitch, and when he does, every single fucking one of us is going to spend the rest of our lives reminding you how fucking proud and stubborn you were, all for fucking nothing." She spat on the floor, then stepped out and closed the door.

A few hours later, Hope reappeared with two dog bowls, one filled with what looked like fried rice and the other looked like water. "How do I know those aren't drugged?" I said to her. "Or that you didn't slip some of Covington's cum into them?"

"You don't," Hope laughed. "But Master Covington has made it clear he's not going to give you any of his precious jism until you beg him for it. So he's not going to do something sneaky like that. He's going to take way too much joy in hearing you desperate to get it. But if you don't want to believe me, then go on and starve yourself. See if I give a fuck."

I debated for at least half an hour, but eventually hunger won out and I just needed to eat and drink. Of course, I didn't have access to my hands, and so I had to eat from them like I was a fucking dog, but I learned long ago that pride isn't worth anything. Neither the food or water was drugged, but the minute I heard the door opening, I backed away from it again. I would eat their food and drink their water, but I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of watching me like that.

Covington came in with Melody, Hope and Lisa in tow, and he was wearing that damn robe again, like he was too good to put on real clothes, or that maybe he didn't have to put on real clothes. I remember him strolling in, all cock of the walk, like he couldn't wait to see me broken, because the minute he saw the look of raw resistance on my face, I could see his confidence waiver. He tried to dispel it as quick as he could, but I saw it, and I think the son of a bitch knew I saw it.

"Ready to give in yet, Piper?" he said to me, his hands resting on his hips, like he couldn't wait to untie his robe and have a go at me.

"I thought I made it perfectly clear," I said to him. "I'd rather die first."

"You feel it, though, don't you?" he said, walking closer towards me. "That painful need in the pit of your stomach, or, more accurately, in the center of your cunt. You don't want to worship at my cock, and yet you feel like you need to, don't you?"

"No," I said, trying to be as blustery as I could. "Whatever it is you think I'm feeling right now, I can endure it. I can outlast it. You aren't going to break me, motherfucker."

"I don't understand why you're trying to resist this, Piper," he told me, sighing as if he was bored with the very act of having a conversation with me. "This isn't about morals or ethics or any of that other nonsense. This is biology. This is chemistry. This is inevitable. You will have to give in. Eventually. Everyone breaks."

"I don't have do anything but die sooner or later, you asshole, and that isn't happening any time soon," I growled. "Once I'm out of here, I'm going to fucking making it my life mission to ruin you, and make sure you never pull this shit on anyone else ever again."

"You have spirit, I will grant you that," he said. "Hope, why don't you strip down and we can remind her what she's missing?"

"Yes sir," Hope said, although the look on her face made it clear she wasn't pleased to be doing this in front of me. She was kind of a giant Valkyrie of a woman, Germanic and blonde with intense blue eyes, and when she stripped off the workman-like clothes she had on, I could see she was absolutely jacked, one of the most muscular woman I'd ever seen before. She reminded me of the sort of women bodybuilders I'd seen pumping iron with guys on the Florida beaches growing up. I think that may have been why Covington added her to his house - for the intimidation factor. She didn't have very big tits, and I could tell she was a little self conscious about it.

Her right arm had a tattoo of barbed wire wrapped around the bicep. She was also completely shaved bare. That wasn't the only tattoo she had, however, as when she turned while undressing, I could see there was a large rectangular tattoo just above the crack of her ass on the small of her back, about the size of a mass market paperback book. It was detailed, designed to look like the sort of brass plaque you see on old historical buildings. It said "Property of Arthur Covington the 4^th, Bitch #7, HOPE" in stacked large letters, easily readable from a good distance. The son of a bitch had given them tramp stamps with his fucking name on them, and their fucking name so he didn't have to bother to remember them. The inkwork was heavy, and having it removed would be a long and painful process. Shit, it probably would've been easier to just blackout the whole area into one giant spot of ink.

It was hard to think of her and Rachel as sisters, purely for how visually different they were, but as I'd find out over the next few days, they were only half-sisters, sharing the same father but different mothers. Hope mentioned it in passing one day, as if it somehow excused Covington's behavior.

"How do you want me, sir?"

He grabbed the footrest and pulled it over before gesturing to it. "On your hands and knees, obviously, but let's be sure to keep our distance from Piper," he said, his voice dripping with smug. "We wouldn't want a fleck of my cum to accidentally get into her mouth. She hasn't earned it yet."

"Of course, Master," she said, moving down onto her knees before placing her hands before her. The height was perfect so that he didn't have to crouch down or shove her down much to get his cock aligned up with her snatch.

"You see this, Piper?" he said. "This is what good little bitches get."

For the next few minutes, he fucked her brains out in front of me, as she moaned and pleaded with him, a marked change of how she'd been acting before. Before she'd been proud and defiant, but the minute he got his cock inside of her, she turned into a spineless simp, begging for him to use her harder, faster, to fill her up.

That scared me more than anything else I'd gone through so far, because she seemed so broken, like a drug addict pleading for her fix. I'd seen addicts before. One of my girlfriends growing up had picked up a cocaine habit in college and when I was back in town for the Christmas holidays, me and a group of her other friends basically kidnapped her and checked her into a rehab facility, forcing her to get clean, even as she begged and pleaded with us that she could quit any time she wanted. Hope reminded me of her, willing to do or say anything to get her next fix.

I think he thought seeing Hope in the throes of orgasm was going to make me want him more, but all it did was convince me that I needed to hold out.

When he came inside of her, I saw that controlled demeanor of hers shatter, and that orgasm that overwhelmed her nervous system was clearly no less intense than the one I'd seen Layla go through just the night before. So much for thinking the story about increased potency of orgasms was bullshit.