I had taken a hot bath in the morning and a cold shower shortly afterward, nothing alleviated my suffering. Wishing I could’ve indulged in the cool water swirling around my fingertips, I closed my eyes. Varied strategies pervaded my thoughts. Nothing I had planned prepared me for this. How different things would’ve been if I was more experienced with men and Elias was as simple as Roth. Then again, I knew I wouldn’t have survived more than one encounter with someone like Elias. As it was, I hadn’t a clue as to what he had planned for me. I would’ve been sure before, but after last night, anything was possible. He was unpredictable in his volatility. Announcing his return—after being vacant from my side in bed all night and during breakfast this morning—the taps of his shoes resounded loudly on the concrete as he paced near me. Feeling frozen in place, my body began to react viscerally and tensed at his presence. It didn’t matter where we were, and if my sense of smell, hearing, and touch went away.
