Page 46 of Corrupt Game

Every hair on my body stood up as goosebumps flooded every pore of my body. My teeth started to chatter. In my head, I knew that he wouldn’t allow me to freeze to death, but it felt like he was trying to bring me to the brink of dying.

Once again, there wasn’t anything to do, so I curled up into the corner to simply wait for him to bring lunch. Food would help to warm me up and give me something to think about instead of how cold I was.

He was very good about bringing the food like clockwork, and we’d just finished breakfast. The possibility of only being cold for a few hours ran through my brain.

No, he would make this take longer. I had dared to find a solution that went against his plans. There was no telling what he could do when he was motivated enough for payback.

What could I do to earn back the privilege of blankets? I tapped my fingers on my knees as I thought everything through. I needed warmth. I’d done something to take it away. What would he consider to be reward worthy behavior?

Here I was ready to give in and do whatever he wanted to get warm. The slightest discomfort, and I’d be his willing slave. Evidently, I was going to learn all sorts of things about myself during this time as his assistant.

I would never have made it as a prisoner of war. Soldiers were held and tortured, but the ones holding them weren’t looking out for their wellbeing. They just wanted to torture for pleasure. Not unlike what he was doing to me.

Just as the thought crossed my mind. Mr. Holdt’s voice came over the intercom.

“Oh, my dear Collette, you are more than welcome to snuggle up to me for warmth. In fact, I rather recommend it. I’ll have a very warm body, and I would love to be the one to help you forget about the cold.”

“You thought that you were winning at that moment, but there are chilling consequences for such a small moment of triumph. I can’t and won’t let you get away with that kind of challenge to my authority… Just remember, you chose this.”

You chose this. I remarked along with him inside my head.

I’d grown accustomed to his taunting remarks. It was time to take back a little of my own power. I stuck out my tongue, knowing he’d be able to see it in the darkness.

Men like him never appreciated a strong spirited person. Anyone that went against their will would make them mad. I doubted that he’d been challenged by anyone once he started making money.

“That’ll be the day when hell freezes over,” I muttered aloud then began to laugh at the thought that if hell froze over, it might feel something similar to this.

My body was not happy having gone from the extreme heat to the extreme cold. The drastic change in temperature wasn’t something that I could just tell my body to deal with.

Maybe I should take him up on his offer for warmth when he brought food next time. It beat the alternative of letting my teeth clatter against each other.

No, I wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t give in to his desires. That was exactly what he wanted me to do and I refused.

I shook my head as I waged a war with myself for even considering the idea of snuggling up in his warm arms. To have his body heat fuse into my cold skin.

They looked strong and would be a good place to feel safe for a short amount of time. To be held. I’d never been held before.

Right? I could snuggle up into the arms of a killer for safety and comfort,my brain screamed. It was like there were two sides of me inside.

One side wanted me to give in and just take something that I wanted. The other side didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Either way I would appear like I belonged in a Lifetime movie special.

Would it be so wrong to have just a little bit of human comfort in this darkness?

The fact that I would be able to be warm was just a side note. His conditions were outrageous. Nobody could live up to what he wanted.

Could there have been more between him and Andy than I’d thought? What if Mr. Holdt had tried to make him his assistant in the same manner?

Andy was straight as far as I knew, but if he’d been given enough money, he might have been willing to try anything.

With that thought, I jumped up and began to pace the length of the room. My attempts to get the blood pumping in my system would help me stay warm. I did a few jumping jacks. Let him get his kicks at my jiggly bits. Warmth was more important. I dropped and did a few push ups. Then walk around the room.

Every time I stopped, I realized he was conditioning me to want him. He was trying to make me give in to his need for power and control.

I’d already debased myself once for food. It hadn’t been that terrible after the fact, but I’d felt that I was giving up control. At this point, how much control did I really have about anything?

In the darkness there wasn’t much to see, but I looked around the room as if I was taking it in.

Rubbing my arms to help ward off the cold, I thought about my options.