Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 21

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Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15|
Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20

Falling in Public


Chapter 21

When Holly woke, the sun was shining through the windows, and a well-dressed man was sitting in a chair at the side of the bed. Disoriented, she blinked a few times and then awkwardly pushed to a sitting position.

"Who are you?" she said, tightening her grip on the covers. She wasn't sure where the nightshirt she was wearing had come from, but the fact that her underthings were missing was disconcerting.

The man smiled. "I'm the man who's going to make you famous." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on laced fingers. "Play your cards right, and do what you're told - we'll all make a lot of money and your books will sell like hotcakes."

She rubbed a hand down the side of her face, confused. "I was kidnapped. And shot. And now you're telling me you want to make me a star. Do I have any choice in all of this? Because right now, I really just want to go home. And I need to make sure Edd--"

"Eddie Pierce is fine for now," the man said, holding a hand up to silence her. "As to whether you have a choice or not..." he shrugged, leaning back in his chair again. "We all have choices. Some are just more unsavory than others."

Holly's leg was throbbing, the feeling mimicked in her head. "You might as well just tell me," she said, shifting on the bed as she tried to find a less painful position. "Then I can tell you no, and be on my way."

He laughed. "You are a firey one, aren't you? I can see why Sean was so disappointed when you turned him down. He likes a little sass, though personally, I think it gets old after awhile."

The bedroom door opened, and the butler from the night before came in, tray in hand. "I'm sorry, Sir. It's time for her medication." At the other man's nod of assent, he placed the water and another small paper cup with pills in it on the nightstand and left without so much as a backwards glance.

Holly took the cup and fished out the longer pill again, swallowing that with a sip of water. Her captor eyed the leftover pills as she placed them back on the table.

"Take the others too, Ms. Saunders. It's not a request." His firm tone grated on Holly's nerves, and she folded her arms over her chest, raising her eyebrows in challenge.

"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head for emphasis. "Not until you tell me who you are, and what you want. I'm tired of these stupid games."

He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, then inclined his head slightly. "As you wish. My name is Leland Ellison. And I've been retained by Sean Winston to procure your cooperation in playing the part of his loving girlfriend in public for an indeterminate amount of time, beginning next week."
 
Holly shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. And when I get out of here, I'm going straight to the police. You can't just kidnap someone and force them to be your...or his, in this case, girlfriend."

Leland grinned. "Of course it's not legal, but it is entirely possible, I assure you. Given the cost of non-compliance, you may want to hear his terms before you rush to a decision you'll undoubtedly regret."Enjoy this installment? Try The Biker's Wench, available now at:


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Published on October 07, 2011 10:34
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