The Awakening of Love Ch. 02

Sorry it takes so long to get into anything interesting ... I was trying to develop the characters a bit instead of just diving on in.

:: Chapter Two: The undoing::

Ashira swiped her card after the last customer walked out the door, and watched with relief as the green open sign turned to the red closed sign. She had the feeling that someone had been watching her all day. Ashira picked up the house phone and dialed to the fourth floor. "Are your beds cleaned?" she asked Jake when he answered.

"Almost, I've got two left and man, whoever was in bed forty tonight left one hell of a mess," Jake replied. "There was paper all over the place, and I'm pretty sure there was semen all over the bed," he added in disgust. He swiped his card in the reader. "Make a note of a kid named Paul Michaelson,"Jake told Ashira. Ashira entered a memo in the computer under Paul's name about the masturbation, and then clicked on the 'give warning' key.

Ashira then pushed the button for the third floor. "Crystal, how's it coming?" she wanted to know.

"All clean and clear. I'll be leaving in about five minutes," Crystal replied. Ashira called Melinda and Sunshine, and when she was satisfied that the rooms were all cleaned, she began her closing routine of vacuuming and cleaning the mirrors before counting the register. As Ashira went about her closing procedures, she let her mind wander to the dinner date she had with Mark later that evening. She was going to finally meet his parents after nearly three years of dating. She was excited, but nervous at the same time. Mark had always described his parents as uptight and controlling people.

As Ashira was putting the cash drawer into the safe, she heard the front door open. "Lindsey, what's wrong? Did you forget your keys?" she called, closing the door to the safe and turning around.

"Hello Ashira, have you used your last tan yet?" Ashira tried to scream as a masked man grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. "I have a gun in my pocket and if you scream, I will use it," he threatened. He pulled Ashira into the employee tanning room behind the coat room and forced her into the tanning bed. He then pulled Ashira's skirt down past her knees and let it fall to her ankles as he pushed his pants down and shoved his way into her. Ashira tried to scream as she swung at him with her hands. "I will kill you," he warned, covering her mouth with his hand. Then, he grabbed both of her wrists with a hand and held them over her head as he pumped in and out of her.

There was a noise in the coat room that only had him moving faster within her. Ashira glanced around the room frantically as she looked for anything she could use to make noise to alert whoever was in the coat room to get out and get help. Ashira bit her lip as her attacker moaned in ecstasy and kissed her cheek. "You were wonderful baby, thank you," he said, pulling up his pants and straightening his jacket. He glanced at Ashira who was shaking against the bed as she pressed her legs together.

"Don't tell anyone about this," he warned as he turned to leave. Ashira grabbed the lamp that sat next to the tanning bed, stood up and right before he reached the door, she brought it down on his head; but not hard enough. He whirled around. "You bitch!" He slapped her face and pushed her into the bed. "I guess you want another go," he growled, reaching for the snap of his pants. Ashira scratched at his face and he pushed her away again. Ashira grabbed at his arm, scratching it as she unbeknownst to him, grabbed his tanning ID card.

"You're not worth another go, you're just like the rest of them," he snarled, pulling the gun out of his pocket and pointing it at her. Ashira tried to slide out of the way, but the bullet caught her in the shoulder, and she cried out in pain before sliding into darkness.

Ashira's attacker shook his head with a sigh as he studied Ashira's body. He felt a twinge of guilt about having to shoot such a beautiful woman, one he wanted for his own, but he couldn't have her telling him what to do; dictating his every move. He brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her cheek gently. "It's too bad you rejected me Ashira, we could have been great together, you could have been my queen. I would have treasured you always," he said in her ear before leaving the room to avoid detection.