Enticed:A Dangerous Connection (Secrets) by Melody Carlson Page A

sure you can.” I let out a weary sigh. “But honestly, I’m just lonely and I’m going stir crazy. I promise to be good if you let me out.”
    “All right.” He steps aside now and waves to the open door. “Just so you know, all the windows are locked and barred. We have dead bolt locks on all the doors. And I control the keys.” He pulls out what looks like a bulky iPhone from his pocket. “You know what this is?”
    “A phone?”
    He chuckles as he points it at me. “It does send a powerful message.”
    “Huh?”
    “It’s a Taser.”
    “What?”
    “A stun gun.”
    “Oh.” I nod like this is no big deal. “It doesn’t look like the one Rod had. His looked more like a gun. Kind of a sci-fi gun.”
    Jimmy’s brows lift slightly. “Did Rod have to use it on you?”
    I shake my head. “No way. I was a perfect little lady for him.”
    “Okay.” He slips it back into his shirt pocket and snaps the pocket closed. “You just keep that up and we won’t have any problems then.”
    It feels strange to follow him out of the room. As we pass the bathroom, I ask him if I can use it and he just shrugs. “Sure, whatever.”
    “And would it be okay if I took a shower too? It’s been almost a week and — ”
    “Yeah, no problem. We don’t expect you to be all stinky and gross.”
    “Thanks.” Now I look at my sad little black dress and frown. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance I could get a fresh change of clothes?” I ask hopefully. “I mean, I don’t want to sound whiny, but — ”
    “I’ll ask one of the girls to find you something.”
    I thank him, curious as to the other girls. I go into the bathroom where, to my surprise, he doesn’t even lock the door once I’m inside. I consider locking it from my side, but why bother since I’m sure he can get in if he wants to? Besides, it would probably only make him suspicious. Why rock this boat?
    It feels like such a luxury to take a shower and wash my hair. I help myself to the bath products and take my time to scrub off what feels like layers of filth and grime. Then I dig around in a messy linen cabinet until I find a clean towel. I’m just drying myself off when I notice the small pile of clothes next to the sink. It’s not much. Just athletic shorts and a baggy T-shirt and a pathetic pair of underwear and a bra, but at least they look and smell clean. Or cleaner than my sad little dress.
    After I’m dressed, and since no one is knocking on the door yet, I take a few minutes to wash out my dress and my underwear. I’m hoping I can dry them in front of the window in my room, and I’m just rinsing the soap out when a petite girl walks in. She has shoulder-length hair that has been dyed magenta and is in need of a good conditioning treatment. As she gets closer to me, I can see that the roots are brown, just like her eyes.
    “What’re you doing?” She frowns curiously at my hands in the sink of murky-looking water.
    I give her a smile as I lift the dripping black dress. “I’m just washing my clothes.”
    “You know, we do have a laundry room for that.”
    “Oh?” I nod. “Good to know.” I’m being extra friendly, hoping to win this girl’s trust. She’s very petite and seems a little younger than me. “But this dress is supposed to be hand washed anyway.” I study the poor misshapen garment, wondering if it will ever be useable again. “This was my choir dress in high school.”
    “You were in choir?” Her big eyes brighten with interest. “Are you a good singer?”
    I shrug as I squeeze water out. “I’m okay.”
    She’s sitting on the counter now, kicking her heels as she watches me finishing up my washing. “I was never in choir or anything like that,” she says wistfully, “but I do love to sing.”
    “Are you any good?”
    Just like that, she breaks into a Katy Perry song, and although she’s a little off-key, her enthusiasm is genuine. So I smile and tell her that she sings beautifully. Really, what can