The Rose Diaries Ch. 15

"So, I wasn't sure what you liked." Charm began as she poured him a bowl. He licked his lips as he watched the streams of sugar-frosted shapes fall into the bowl. The second she handed the bowl off to him, he was already scarfing down his breakfast. "Don't choke!"

He hadn't eaten in so long he had forgotten what it had felt like. He could feel the ice-cold milk rushing down his esophagus soothing his burning throat before settling in his empty stomach. His teeth almost buzzed from the introduction of the sugar and his taste buds sung praises at their reunion with flavor. Charm laughed as Peter quickly poured himself seconds and then thirds before finally catching his breath.

"Thanks." He panted wiping his mouth on his arm.

"No problem?" She smiled as she took the bowl from him. "I'm gonna take this away before you eat the bowl."

"Okay." He sighed contently. "Can I have more later?"

"We'll see." She shrugged. "How do you feel?"

"Much better." He could feel the immense heaviness of his body beginning to lift. Had that truly been the answer? Was he just starving?

"Good!" He tried not to flinch as she stroked his stocking-clad legs. "I'm glad."

"Are you really going to let me just sit here?"

"For now, sure. Mistress Luck still wants to use you but that can wait."

"Great." He rolled his eyes.

"You might enjoy it." She shrugged. He felt his stomach turn sour and churn at her words.

"No." He spat back. "I won't."

"Alright." She walked around the bed before sitting down next to him. "Tell me what you want to do."

"Not that." He growled.

"Okay. But what else?"

"You won't set me free, will you?" Mistress Charm gave a small sigh at his words.

"No. But you knew that didn't you?" He licked the remaining sugar from his teeth and gave a small nod.

"Had to try." He said after a moment of quiet between the two of them. He always had to try at least. Perhaps one day it would finally work.

"No shame in trying." She chuckled.

"Thanks."

"This isn't so bad right?"

"Well, you're the first person to feed me anything solid in a fucking eternity so it's not the worst."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Mistress Charm gave a small smile. Her eyes were absent of any luster or shine and he stared back into her blank gaze as she focused like a laser on the dark television screen. He watched her uneasy happiness fade away into something much more somber and quieter. Her breathing became unsteady and she drummed her fingers anxiously on the bed.

"You okay?" He asked after awhile. He didn't know why he offered any sort of kindness towards her. She had hurt him. She had used him, and she still was keeping hostage in this suburban prison.

Worst of all was the fact that she was a part of Blackstone. How easy it was to forget how closely she was related back to the main conductors of his suffering.

It had been Miss A. who had brought him here. Her and Mrs. Tyson who had plotted and schemed to cause him as much misery as possible. He cursed himself in his own mind. The product of a righteous upbringing and the sum of both his parents kindness and empathy.

"Yeah." She nearly whispered. "I'll be okay."

"Okay." He nodded. He didn't care to pry any further. Any secrets or pain that she had she could continue to clutch tightly too on her own. He was not, ever, going to attempt to help someone like her.

"How do you feel?"

"Better."

"Good." She smiled. The sadness that once gripped her was still tight as a vice. She struggled to maintain even the smallest of smiles as her lips slowly uncurled back into her blank expression.

"What did you say to Mistress Luck?" He spoke attempting to clear the rising awkwardness in the air.

"I told her that you weren't feeling well and that today I was going to let you rest. Tomorrow, however, she will accept no more excuses."

"Of course not." He sighed. "Shouldn't have expected much from you two."

"Hey!" She frowned. "That's fucking rude, Doll."

"Sorry." He muttered under his breath. "I'm just upset."

"Yeah, well," Her voice trailed off. "Doesn't matter. You should treat us both with the utmost respect."

"Look being faced with my eventual assault is bad enough. You can't make me like it."

"I mean, yes. I actually can but I'm choosing not to do that."

"Thanks." He scoffed. "That's real reassuring."

"Doll, I'm gonna be honest here. This is more so a break for me then it is for you. Amanda took something precious to me. I want it back." He rolled his eyes at her words. She spoke them with hints of frustration, yet she still played this demented game of Miss A.'s. Whatever was so important to her was obviously not as important as his freedom or her moral duty to not keep a human being in chains.

"Yeah?" Was all he offered in response.

"I just want it back. But to get that back I have to train you. But last night I thought of something. Can you guess what it is?"

"No and I don't care to."

"You can just pretend to be trained. As long as you act the ways she wants then I can get what I want. It's easy right?" He scowled at her words. Nothing was easy as long as Blackstone was involved. Especially when it came to the bullshit ideas that they had hoped to inspire within him.

"No." He growled.

"No?"

"No. It's not that easy. You're asking me to sacrifice everything that I am. I won't disappear again, Mistress Charm." She cocked an eyebrow at his choice of words leaning up so she could stare intently into his eyes.

"Disappear? Where'd you go the first time?"

"Hard to explain." He sighed. He lay back against the bedframe casting his gaze far above and beyond the white walls that contained him. How could he even begin to start? How could he even begin to elaborate what oblivion felt like?

He was nothing. He was no one. He wasn't anything. What could you even call something so bleak as that?

"I'm sorry." Mistress Charm offered. "But I still think that my plan works best."

"Your plan isn't a plan." He spat quickly shaking the cold tendrils of eternal darkness from his mind. "It's a suggestion."

"One that I'd really like if you followed."

"So, when Miss A. finds out that you're attempting to trick her. What do you think she'll do to me? What do you think she'll do to you when I tell her you were the mastermind behind this?"

"Don't know." Mistress Charm shrugged with a small laugh. "Don't care."

"Why do you even want to be a part of this anyway?" He was stunned at her stupidity. She wanted him to lie to Miss A.? Lie about being that monster? It would never work.

"Money and lots of it."

"Of course." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest. "Should've known."

"It's a lot of money that Amanda is offering me to do what she wants. I also happen to be good at this."

"You and every other twenty-something girl I've seen recently." He scoffed. "If you need money, you should get a job."

"Yeah, tried that. Amanda's offering me an insane price for a decade of doing her dirty work."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Miss I., another woman at Blackstone, said something similar."

"Surprised she told you." Mistress Charm rubbed her chin in thought.

"She was having a mental breakdown at the time."

"That would explain that."

"How about your friend?"

"Luck?"

"Yeah." He nodded snuggling into the bed. "What about her?"

"She would not approve of me saying that." Mistress Charm sighed.

"She doesn't seem to say much."

"Woman of few words." She laughed. "Never says more than she needs."

"I can tell." He gave a small laugh of his own.

"Don't speak of her too loudly or she'll come upstairs." They both laughed at that.

It was genuinely warm and sweet. Mistress Charm had been honest with him this entire time. He could feel it in the way her voice shook, in the sparkle in her eyes, and then emotions she finally allowed herself to share. She was animated, kind, and even a bit sad today no longer hiding under the cruel cold mask of a Blackstone woman. He felt a sickening feeling beginning to build and he swallowed the ever-growing lump in his throat.

He liked Mistress Charm.

She was still his captor. She was still a threat that would need to be dealt with. But she was actually a person! Not just some cruel bitch who wanted to see him suffer. She was so much more.

"You okay?" Her voice broke through his thoughts.

"I think," Peter flashed her a warm smile. "I think I am."

"You warmed up quick." She giggled placing a hand on his thigh.

"T-Thanks."

"Do you, umm," She slid her hand further up as she bat her long delicate eyelashes at him. She leaned in the smell of cherries on her breath as she slowly came closer and closer. He gazed deep into her deep cerulean eyes to glimpse a modicum of her true intent in those depths.

"No." He spoke quickly. "No." His words didn't stop her as she slid another hand up his chest and brought her lips even closer to his.

"Tomorrow." She breathed. He drank deep of the flowery bouquet that emanated from her and of the pure unbridled lust in her eyes. He felt himself grow ever weaker to her charms the longer he continued to gaze into them. He turned away from her as soon as he could.

"I'm going to ruin you." She giggled in his ear from behind. "I'm going to make you mine." He shivered at her words as his throat ran dry.

"I-I-I thought we were friends." He stammered.

"Friends with benefits." She laughed. "You're intoxicating, Doll."

"Mistress Charm-"

"I can't believe how turned on I am. So delicate and soft. Such a sweet little toy and you are all mine to play with."

"I don't-"Her laugh cut his thoughts short.

"I can feel you. The heat, the lust, and the want in your eyes. I thought that maybe I was too harsh on you but it seems that little lie of yours was working."

"What lie?" He swallowed hard attempting to move away from the growing aggression from Mistress Charm.

"That you aren't turned on by this."

"I'm not!" He protested at once. But all she did was give another soft laugh.

"You can lie to yourself but not to me. You're turned on. Maybe at some point you didn't want this. But something changed."

"Miss K." He blurted out then blushed even harder at his own mistake. She placed a hand on his shoulder turning him back to face her. He watched Charm's face melt from seduction to confusion and then turn into laughter.

"Oh! Seems like I confused you there." She giggled. "You have a thing for Miss K.? Is she as pretty as I am? Can she make you feel as good as I can?"

"Mistress Charm." He tasted her name in his mouth. A name fit for humiliation and cruelty. How quickly she was able to get back into her character to bring more pain down upon him. Her eyes gave a small twinkle of sadistic glee at watching him squirm in the bed.

"Yes, Doll?" She cooed in his ear.

"Please stop." He sighed. "Please."

"Only because you asked so nicely." She smiled. "But I'm not quite finished yet."

"Thanks."

"Tomorrow, Tomorrow." She sang as she turned on the TV in front of them. "You got any preference?"

"For what?"

"A movie. I figure we can just cuddle and watch a movie today."

"Just cuddle?"

"Yeah? I'm not going to force you today we've been through this." He scoffed as his rolled over again.

"Doesn't hurt to double-check. I've been tricked before." He muttered.

"Okay. So, if you don't have a preference, I'm going to put on a Harry Potter movie."

"Why?" He cocked an eyebrow at her suggestion. He was never the biggest fan of that series. The gross ineptitude of magical society. How would a wizard fare against a machine gun? Why didn't anyone just shoot Voldemort?

"Because I like Harry Potter?" She shook her head.

"Didn't see you as the type."

"I used to read a lot as a kid. These books helped me through some dark times." She muttered.

"Okay." He nodded. "I guess I can make do for you."

Mistress Charm gave him a bright smile as she pushed his head down on to her chest and began to run her fingers through his hair.

For just a moment, Peter Baker could swear that he was comfortable, and he let the sweet music from the movie sweep him away to another world.

He didn't mind the movie. He didn't mind the next two either. Peter just sat contently lying in the embrace of an attractive woman as she laughed and joked with him. Every so often, she would run her hands down his thighs or bat her eyelashes in such a way that sent shivers down his spine. Mistress Luck came upstairs halfway through Chamber of Secrets with a scowl that eventually faded into just an annoyed look. A look that he quickly learned meant nothing as he saw the large bowl of popcorn that she carried with her. The three of them sat in that large bed cuddling and laughing together long after the sun had set. He remembered letting out a small yawn before laying his head on Mistress Charm's warm chest. She smiled down at him giving him a gentle kiss on the top of his head. He didn't remember much else after that. Only that he closed his eyes and drifted off soon after.

His body, aching and sore, from the myriad of punishments slowly began to recover. His mind, shattered and weak, slowly began to restructure. If only he could be allowed days like this. Days in which he could rest for once. Not just sleep. Sleep was easily attainable under duress. He could sleep bound and gagged. He could sleep suspended in the air. He could sleep anywhere provided he was tired enough and he was always tired. Long torturous days that stretched in despondent nights curled up in a strange bed or place wishing for death or destruction.

Mistress Luck and Charm's place was not that. Instead, they held him close, kept him warm and secure, and let him rest. He woke up several times to see one of them sleeping quietly beside him. Luck, in all her menacing glares, had her hand around his waist and nuzzled her head into his neck. Charm, for all her malicious taunts and attacks, slept soundly against his shoulder. The two of them, monsters in their own right, looked normal and peaceful.

This he did not mind. He did not mind this at all.

--

In the early afternoon, he was roused from his sleep by the strong hand of Mistress Luck. He barely understood a single word that she spoke to him in that low growl that she was prone to do. She grabbed hold of his arm and hoisted him from the bed and into her arms. He tried to blink away the slumber from his eyes but found the task much harder than expected. She carried him down the stairs, through the living room and kitchen, and out a door he hadn't seen before.

It was a simple garage and inside a black sedan waited for the two of them. He noticed Mistress Charm sitting behind the wheel of the car staring at them both with a look of frustration. Mistress Luck placed him down in the backseat before taking her spot beside her friend. The two exchanged no words as the garage door opened and the car pulled away.

Peter's mind took what felt like hours to recover from the realm of sleep. His senses, dulled and hazy, slowly sharpened one by one until he was back to his alert and sharp-eyed self. It wasn't until the car stopped in front of what appeared to be an office building that he felt himself truly awake once more. Mistresses Luck and Charm were out of the door first without a single word between them. He couldn't help but wonder what the silence meant. There was usually some sort of conversation between the two friends. But, in this moment, there was nothing. A nervous sort of energy crackled between them from the rigid posture of Mistress Luck to the wild darting eyes of Mistress Charm.

Mistress Luck threw open the door grabbed hold of his ankles pulling him halfway out of the car. With a scowl, she slipped his bare feet into the same black pumps before releasing his legs once more.

"Out." She growled and he had no choice but to oblige. The warm summer air of wherever they were was not enough to take the cold edge off the chill he felt on his bare skin. He wasn't used to being outside having spent nearly half a year cooped up in Blackstone Manor only looking at the sun through panes of glass. He closed his eyes and let the warmth of the sun's rays wash across his face before he felt a strong hand push him forward.

"Where are we?" Peter asked nearly stumbling on the uneven ground as his heels struggled to find purchase.

"Wish I could tell you." Charm shrugged. "About an hour from home." The three of them approached the building with an odd sort of hesitation. Peter, for one, hated walking into new places dressed in ridiculous outfits.

He had no idea why those two were nervous, however.

The brick-and-mortar exterior quickly gave way to a bright corporate interior. White crème walls with an almost beige carpet that drew no attention nor detail to its cookie-cutter design. He glanced quickly around the place and noticed an oddity, however. There were no names, no offices, no details. Just a bored looking receptionist in a soft pink dress typing quickly away at a keyboard in front of her. She barely looked up at them as she continued to work as they approached her desk.

"We were told to come here?" Mistress Charm spoke approaching the desk.

"One sec." The woman smiled. "Okay! Do you have an appointment?"

"I think."

"Name?" Her smile never faded.

"Um, try Mistress Charm and Luck."

"One sec." The woman didn't even regard him as odd. Nor the fact that Mistress Charm and Luck just identified themselves as such. "And who are you representing?"

"Representing?" Mistress Charm balked at the question. "All I know was I got a call with this address and was told to bring Doll with us."

"Oh! I see you now. So, go through the door on the left and it'll be the third closed door on the right. If there's no one in that room, please come back to the reception area and I'll page someone to see you."

"Thanks." Luck nodded pulling him along. They followed the receptionist's directions taking a slight right through a closed door and into what appeared to be a more standard office setting. Inside, a group of cubicles staffed with various women in pink dresses and men in suits were busy answering ringing phones or typing away at keyboards. It wasn't a large office by any means, but it was still bigger than any Peter had seen before. Before he could stare any longer, Mistress Charm opened the third door from the right and pushed him through.

Peter couldn't help but let out an audible groan as the unmistakable figure of Doctor Johnson sat comfortably behind a desk with his hands folded in front of him.

"Oh, come on!" Peter groaned again.

"Good to see you too, killer." He smiled.

"Hi Doll!" Nurse April called from a chair to his right.

"Are we really doing this again?"

"Afraid so. Orders from the higher-ups. You understand, don't ya?"

"Look, I don't want to talk to you. I don't want your help. Can you please just fuck right off?"

"Well, it's not like you have a choice. You two must be Mistresses Luck and Charm?" He shifted his gaze away from him as Peter sighed again.

"Yes." Mistress Charm nodded shutting the door behind her. "We are."

"Spectacular work. Who did you come from? No wait let me guess. I'm going to guess you were girls of the Dollhouse Salon." Doctor Johnson flashed a bright smile as he leaned further back in his chair.

"I don't know what that means." Mistress Charm cocked an eyebrow as she folded her arms across her chest.

"You aren't previous girls of any of our partners?"

"No." Mistress Luck shook her head.

"Fascinating! Well, I'd like to get this underway and get out of your hair. If you would secure our patient to her chair that would be fantastic."