Ruby gasped for breath as Steve pulled away, groaning.
“I’m sorry. You’re just so beautiful.”
Ruby spat into the air several times, trying to get the taste of him from her mouth.
“Don’t be like that, sweetheart. Maybe you need something to relax you a little.”
Steve left the room, returning moments later with a bottle of whisky. He glugged from the neck of the bottle before holding it out towards her, then he laughed. “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot.”
He poured some of the amber fluid into the lid of the bottle and, after placing the bottle on the floor by the bed, he grabbed Ruby’s head and held the whisky to her lips.
Ruby tried to resist, clamping her lips tight together, but he poured anyway. Horrible, stinking whisky ran down her chin and chest, and when she protested, the fiery liquid made it into her mouth. Ruby choked.
She’d never been a drinker. The odd glass of cider was her limit. She’d never even tried hard liquor before and from the taste of it, couldn’t understand why anybody drank it willingly.
Steve took another drink, sucking on the neck of the bottle like a baby sucks on a teat, ending with a satisfied, “Ahhhh.” He handed it back towards her. “More?”
She shook her head.
“Suit yourself.”
He allowed his eyes to travel up and down her body once again.
“Please, please, let me go,” Ruby begged, totally exhausted.
“Shhh.”
Steve flashed hard eyes towards her. His demeanour seemed different from earlier.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I want to love you.” He ran a hand down her side, over her waist and hip, to her knee. Then he slowly lifted the hem of her dress and traced the outline of her underwear with his fingertips, sucking in air between pursed lips.
Ruby whimpered again as tears ran down her face. She held herself rigid. Silent prayers filled her head, wishing for someone or something to intervene.
Once again, Steve placed the bottle down. He leaned forwards and unfastened the top button of her dress, exposing her small breasts encased in the simple lacy bra. He gasped. “You are totally perfect.”
Reaching for the bottle, he took another swig. “I suggest you get some shut-eye, my dear. We both should.” Steve got to his feet and produced a roll of tape from his jacket pocket. He tore off a strip.
Ruby tried to wriggle away as he bent forward again, but the struggle was useless.
He placed the tape firmly across her mouth.
A loud, inarticulate sound escaped her. She thought she might pass out as in her panic she struggled to breathe through her nose.
“Sorry, sweetie. It’s not that I think anyone will hear you—you’ve seen there’re no neighbours, but I need some sleep and I won’t get that if you’re wailing all night.”
She made a louder, angrier protest, but he ignored her.
“Sleep tight, Ruby.” He switched the light off and left, closing the door behind him.
Sobs ripped through her and made it even harder to take a deep breath.
How the hell did she get herself into this? She’d always been so careful. But Cody had seemed sweet and sensitive His dad did too. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
Now Cody had gone to sort her mother out, so Steve said. What the hell was that all about? Her mother was her only hope. Ruby had been relying on her mother’s over-the-top protectiveness to alert the police when she hadn’t returned home. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Shivering, she tried to use her knees to flick her dress back down, but she couldn’t. She figured the cold was the least of her worries right now.