Caleb couldn't stand lying there in the deafening silence, suffocating in the scent of Oliver that clung to the bedding. 

He'd slept fitfully for about an hour, crying and trying to calm himself in turn. He couldn't stay here any longer. He needed air. He needed out of this bed--

He dragged himself to his feet and let the towel fall off, not caring. He walked to the dresser, where one drawer in the bottom had been filled with clothes for him. He pulled out boxers and slipped them on, then a pair of gray sweatpants and a loose black t-shirt. He didn't bother with shoes; he wasn't allowed to go anywhere he might need them. 

He stumbled out of the room and leaned on the walls for support, tracing along the dark red wallpaper. His feet dragged and his back ached, but he pretended he didn't notice. He didn't want to think about it. 

The next challenge was a flight of about twenty steps. He leaned almost all his body weight on the railing and took it one step at a time, inching down the stairs at a snail's pace. He groaned in pain every time his weight settled, but he kept on. 

He made it to the bottom and started down the long, maze-like hallways, trying to do anything he could to keep his mind occupied. He counted doors. He counted how many colors he saw woven into the threads of the carpet. He almost made it to the second flight of stairs before a door down the hall flew open, and he turned around, panicking. 

Too late.

"Aww, is that little Caleb I see?" A woman's high voice called out, tone teasing like a school bully's. 

"Why, I think it is!" Bella's voice echoed through the hall behind him, a sheer giddy in her voice. She and Victoria were almost never apart. "Don't run away, little boy. . . come here!"

It had been about four months since Caleb had met the women on the first night, and the few interactions after that had always been with someone else around-- and even then, they'd been extremely unpleasant to him. He'd gathered that they were jealous of the 'attention' he got over them. They hadn't done anything beyond a few snide comments and nasty looks here and there, but he wasn't eager to see what they'd do now that he was alone with them in a dim hallway on the least-used side of the mansion. 

Caleb froze, unsure what to do. If he obeyed, he would probably have a very unpleasant experience with them. If he ignored them and tried to get away-- at the pace he was going, they'd catch him in two seconds flat. And they'd be angrier.

Caleb didn't have time to decide before he felt cold acrylic nails poking into his throat. Victoria turned him around, keeping his chin in her sharp grasp. Bella stood behind her, hands on her hips and a grin on her face. 

"So. What are you doing wandering around out here? Shouldn't you be kneeling at my husband's feet or something? Disgusting dog."

"Let me go--"

Her nails dug in as she tightened her grip. "Aww, what's the matter? You don't like being treated like this? Then why did you come here?"

"I didn't want--"

Bella stepped forward and kicked him between the legs. Caleb cried out in pain and sank to the ground as the women laughed crudely above him. 

Bella kicked him over until he was on his back, then she placed her foot square in the center of his chest. Her heel dug in and he tried to push her off. His hand slipped and his fingertips caught on her skirt, pushing it up her thigh for a moment before it slid back down. She gasped and leaned more weight onto him.

"Did you seriously just pull my skirt up?" Bella shrieked, glancing at Victoria, who nodded. "You disgusting bastard!" She reached down and slapped him before stepping away, burying her face in her hands. "He touched me!" She cried. 

Caleb scrambled up, crawling backwards as Victoria stalked closer. "I'm sorry-- I really didn't--" 

She grabbed him by the hair and shoved his face down into the floor, sitting on his back. He cried out from the addition to the pain he was already in, and the woman laughed. 

"Bella, I think you should go tell our husbands what this little shit just did. I'm sure they'll be less than thrilled to know another man tried to touch one of us in their own home!"

Bella peeked out of her fingers and grinned, tear streaks trailing through her makeup from her performance. "I'm sure they'll punish you," she taunted Caleb as she walked past him. "I'll make sure they do!" she called as she bounced up the stairs to their offices. 

"I didn't do anything-- she was hurting me-- you're hurting me--" Caleb tried to squirm out from under her, but in his weak and shaky state, he was no match. 

Victoria leaned down and yanked his hair to turn his head. 

"This is what you get for stealing our husbands away from us, you little whore." she whispered into his ear.

                 Part 25 Coming Soon