Dark Soul (Closed for LitShark and myself)

This Intro Post was written by both LitShark and Myself
Enjoy
​

"Damn, I'm tired".. and that was an understatement. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. If she found a wall to lean on, she was sure she'd just fall asleep right then and there, standing up. The last 36 hours covering the wildfires had taken their toll, both on her and her cameraman. Hell, he looked more exhausted than her, which made sense, considering he was lugging around that shoulder mount camera all day, and all night. But it was a good kind of tired. A job well done kind of tired.

"What time is it anyways?" She never tended to wear a watch... and the smokey haze made it impossible to tell if it were dawn, dusk, sunrise, sunset, or midafternoon. The only thing she knew for sure was it was not the middle of the night.

"7:45am" Elliot, her cameraman stated, very matter-of-factly, with a knowing grin. He, on the other hand, always wore a watch.

"Another 36 hour day.. aye Ell" Kris smiled back at him. There had been alot of those recently it seemed. Long days, even longer nights. Between the wildfires, the recent earthquake in the mountains, and.. well.. the Senator's daughter, a story that was still developing... her days had been more than hectic. Emotionally, she was walking right on the edge. And she knew it. She needed to take a step back from everything that was happening. In fact, covering the wildfires had been her Bosses idea of "stepping back" from the "Dark Mind" story.

Dark Mind. It was a phrase that some FBI agent had come up with. "That guy must have a really dark mind" he had said as things unfolded. She knew all about the Dark Mind case. Well, she knew all about it now. In the beginning, she only knew what everyone else did, what the Cops and Feds had released. But once she became involved, then she learned so much more of the disturbing, and horrifying details. How long ago was it now? Weeks? Months? Just days? Merely hours? Hell, it felt like years, to be honest. It felt like the Dark Mind story had been ALL she had covered since she began in this business 4 years ago. In reality, things had been happening with Laurence and the Dark Mind story long before she got involved.

Kristal Elizabeth Howe had begun this wild journey as a news reporter 4 years ago. Recruited right out of college, by Channel 14 in Miami Florida, her hometown, if one could even think to call Miami a town. She had excelled in college. She had the looks, stunningly beautiful, with midnight black hair and and equally ebony eyes...



... And she had the brains, having graduated at the very top of her class. To top it all off, she had the charm and tact needed to be in front of a camera. She had proven early on that she could think on her feet, handle most anything that came her way, and she had an gentleness about her, that helped her to speak so easily to people, whether she was interviewing them, or reporting on screen to millions in the greater southeast Florida area. It only took 2 years for her to be snatched away from Channel 14 in Miami to work for CNN in their LA office. They were looking for new blood. A new look. Kris had caught their attention when reporting on a serial killer in the greater Miami area and CNN made contact. It was an offer she couldn't refuse. She had no real ties to Miami. Her mother had long since passed away. Her father and younger sister, well, Kris had never been all that close to either of them. So making the move, the transition from Florida to Southern California was easy and drama free. But, her transition from Channel 14 Miami to CNN LA, not so much. Some saw her as a young upstart, a threat. Others thought she had perhaps "blown" her way to her current position. CNN LA was not the same atmosphere that Channel 14 Miami had been, and Kris was finding it hard to adjust to her new job. Given that fact that she was single and alone, that made it all the more difficult to get acclimated. She loved California and LA, she just needed to set down some roots, make some friends.

Things did seem to get so much better once she was paired with Elliot Gordon as her Cameraman. Elliot was a bit older than Kris, she having just turned 25 . He had been in the business since he was 18. Easy going, smart, with a sharp sense of humor, Elliot was well liked among all the reporters and others at CNN. It was another "bone of contention" for Kris to deal with when Elliot was paired up with her. He was one of the best. Many wondered... how did she rate getting him as a partner.

Kris and Elliot meshed well together. His easy going attitude kept her type A stress level under control. She found him funny, engaging, and easy to open up to. Elliot, really, was her first real friend in the LA area. And together, they were quite the team. It seemed that they were the ones to cover all the major stories. City, State, and police corruption, murder, and suffice it to say, LA had it's share of murders, blackmail of a certain Hollywood star, gang activity, drugs, weather, wildfires, if it was a big, breaking story, Kris and Elliot always seemed to get there first. They worked very well together. But, of course, the "talk" started shortly after they were paired together. That the very single Kristal and the very married Elliot were, well, having an affair. They most certainly were not. Kris had met Elliot's wife, Melissa, and had dinner with both of them on more than on occasion.

Melissa (Elliot's wife)


But there would always be gossip. Kris and Elliot had simply learned to deal with it.

Her and Elloit's connection to the Dark Mind story began when they had seen the footage, the website video that he had posted. It had been viewed by others, in the FBI, the State Police. She and her team at CNN in LA had been one of the first news organizations brought in to take a look.

~*~​

The girl was still screaming, trying to break him down with her shrill cries. Laurence shook his head violently, trying to rattle the sounds from his ears but only succeeding in reawakening the crippling migraines that had haunted him for the past six months. His leg was jumping up and down again, moving of its own accord as Laurence sat on the low stool. He had learned long ago that it was futile to try and stop it when his leg got moving like this.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut UP!!” Laurence screamed over his shoulder at the girl who was bound to several worn wooden planks. “God damn it! Why can’t you just shut the fuck up?”

“Let me go you bastard!” The bound girl insisted, her auburn hair matted against her face. “You sick fuck! My Dad is a senator! They’re going to throw the book at you, you son of a bitch! Let me go right now!”

Laurence just grit his teeth and went back to his work. The girl’s bad attitude only renewed his dedication to her suffering. Somewhere in the distance the sound of dripping water echoed in the vacant basement, illuminated only by a single neon light over Laurence’s head, bathing everything in a surrealistic blue glow. Large machines and mechanical parts littered the filthy floor and at the edge of the light, rats scurried in and out of holes in the mildewed walls.

At last, Laurence completed the last bits of refining work on his timer, designed to incrementally lower or raise whatever it was joined to. Without a word, Laurence rose from his stool and moved over to a large contraption, the face of which resembled a large, metal, crucifix. Laurence moved behind the oversized metal cross, installing the last bit of gear in among the cogs and gears of his device. Lastly, Laurence checked the leather bindings and restraints on the face of the cross, ensuring it would hold the girl tight, even in his absence.

“It’s perfect.” Laurence muttered to himself, though a violent tick of his neck.

After taking a moment to admire his handiwork, Laurence moved back toward the girl, still laying on her back and restrained. The girl wailed and cursed at him with renewed vigor as Laurence began unclasping her restraints and lifting her up onto his shoulder. The girl pounded with her fists and kicked with her legs, but he was unmoved. Laurence had been beaten his whole life.

A desperate gasp escaped the girl as Laurence drove her back against the crucifix with his shoulder. He reached around behind her to take hold of the leather belt that would anchor her waist and hips to the device. The belt tightened more and more every time the girl struggled until she ran out of breath and gave in, allowing Laurence to secure her limbs in place. Lastly, Laurence closed what resembled an oversized handcuff around her throat. As the last tooth clicked into place, the girl was sobbing and Laurence was beaming, proud of his work.

“Why?” The girl sobbed, having long given up struggling against any restraints Laurence put her in. “Why are you doing this to me? Why? Please… Please just let me go.”

Laurence said nothing, instead he simply pressed his body up against hers, inhaling her scent deeply and running his hands over her feminine curves. Laurence helped himself to her defenseless breasts and hips, feeling the contrast of her soft flesh against the hard steel to which she was bound. At last he gave a reply, his lips running over her collarbone and up to her neck.

“Because you’ve never known suffering…” Laurence whispered, his voice strained and ragged. “Because you’ve never known suffering and its all I’ve ever felt. I shall be your instructor, your tutor, your tour guide into the depths of human suffering. If you make it back out will be up to you.”

After planting a gentle kiss on the nape of the poor girl’s neck before snaking his hand inside of her thin, damp tank top and ripped it away from her body. He repeated the process with her panties, leaving her completely naked and shivering except for the few ragged pieces of cloth which insistently clung to her body.

Once she was properly stripped, Laurence moved to the other side of the room and set up a tripod with a video camera mounted to it. He hit record and adjusted the viewfinder until he had all of her in frame. Moving quickly, Laurence rushed behind the huge machine to turn it on. As the engine and gears roared to life, the massive cross lurched forward, a fraction of an inch as it would every hour from that point on.

~*~​

When she had been presented with the video feed, Kristal's first thought had been, why are the Cops and Feds bringing this to us? Are they that clueless in trying to find this guy? She knew that he had taken a well known victim. A Senator's daughter no less. But this story, at this time, was not hers to report, one of the few major stories that her and Elliot had not been on on, so she did not know the minute details. Kris, however, was completely unprepared for what she saw when the scene came into view. The image, and the sounds, ripping thru her mind.. those desperate, terror filled screams of the girl echoed in her head, haunting, gut wrenching. "Who is she?" the question, silent, motioned on her lips. "Who is she and where is this?" Kris could only stare...

~*~​

The girl was screaming again when Laurence moved over to the rusty ladder that led up into the upper level of the old abandoned shack. Water dripped from Laurence’s boots as he climbed, joining the few inches of water that already resided on the floor of the basement. The water would rise a few feet when high tide came in, but the girl would only move forward a foot a day. There was no telling how many days she would last, but like everything, she too was at the mercy of the tides.

After locking the hidden hatch in the floor of the seaside shack, Laurence replaced the salt water worn floorboards and made his way back to his car. He was smiling again as he locked the front door.

~*~​

Kris had thought, for the briefest moment, that she had seen a shadow moving, outside of camera range, and over the shrill screaming of the girl, her ears had caught something else. The screams overshadowed it. The sound was buried in the background. But it was .. something, she was sure of it. Unless her shocked mind was simply trying to come up with a sound to go with the shadow movement she thought she saw. But as the girl took her desperate deep breaths between her heart-wrenching howls for help, for a millisecond... Kris thought she heard the rusty grind of something... something that she was sure corresponded with that shadow...

"Oh god" her voice barely above a whisper. She had been watching this now for many many minutes, watching as the girl screamed, howled, cried, sobbed, whimpered. Watching as she tried to figure out what was happening, where it was, why someone would do this.

Elliot, having seen the look on his partner's face, had stepped up behind her, his eyes locking onto what was on her PC screen, and he too, just stood there staring, in silence, his hand, resting on her shoulder, tightening. "Is this real?" Elliot dared to ask... "I.. don't know" was all Kris could say, tho every fiber of her being was telling her this was indeed real. The Cops and Feds verified it was real. It was Live.

"Isn't that Senator Finnery's daughter?" Elliot tilted his head, squinting a bit to get a better look at the girl. "Sandra... Sandra Finnery, I think that's... Sandra Finnery"... "oh god" was all Kris could say... If that was Sandra Finnery, the Senator's daughter, this story was going to be.... HUGE.....

(Sandra Finnery)


And the story was HUGE...

It turned out, that the girl in the video was the Senator's daughter. And, it was Kris and Elliot, who had figured out the location of the girl. Kris had always loved the beach, being born and raised in Miami. One of the first things she had done when moving to LA, after renting a house near the beach, was visit all the waterfronts within 100 miles of LA. It was how she decompressed. How she unwound from work. She had no real friends yet, during those first few months, until Elliot. She had the time. And in exploring those waterfronts, she had found many with abandoned docks, boathouses, and the like. It had taken her some time, staring at the video, rewinding the copy and watching it in slow motion, comparing what she was seeing on the recording to what she saw live. But finally, as she stared at it thru weary tired eyes, it hit her. The Dock, the old abandoned yacht club, falling apart, at the far end of Seagull Beach. It was not all that far. Less than 5 miles away. It had to be it. Kris had gotten the glimpse of lettering on the old, decrepit wood that stood in the corner. It was barely visible, but she remembering seeing that same lettering on the falling apart sign on the Yacht club. It had been a longshot to say the least, but it turned out she was right.

They had found Sandra Finnery, in time. They had discovered Laurence's secret hideout. All thanks to Kristal.

But the stress during those hours, those days, the location was not something she had recognized immediately, it had take some time.. The stress had taken it's toll. If the girl had in fact died, Kris would have been inconsolable. And she thanked the heavens above that she had managed to figure out the location and get the cops there in time.

Since that time, Kris and Elliot had been busy investigating the underlying story. Why had he taken the Senator's daughter. Had there been others? And if there were others, where were they? Dead? Who was this guy? And, additionally, who was Sandra Finnery. Ehy had he gone to the trouble to snatch someone who obviously was not anonymous?...This story had taken on a life of it's own, now that Sandra had been rescued. It reminded Kris of the movie Silence of the Lambs... when the Senator's daughter had been kidnapped in that movie, and then rescued. Had that movie influenced Laurence?

And now, the world was clamoring for the interview... the interview with Sandra Finnery. She had been too weak, too terrified, to even think to tell what she had gone thru when she had been found. She had barely been able to recount her horror to the Feds and the Cops. But, it was several days later now, and she was out of the Hospital, almost itching to tell her story. The girl wasn't stupid, she knew this was going to make her famous. There was already talk of a movie detailing her ordeal. "I want Emma Stone to play me" she had declared. So when she and her family finally did decide it was time, time to tell her story, they specifically requested Kristal ... "She saved my daughter" the Senator explained, when asked why her....

7:45am Elliot had told her. The wildfires had been a welcome distraction, from everything that had been involved with the Dark Mind case. Kinda strange to think that out of control fire could be a distraction, but for Kris, it most certainly was. She needed to get away from everything that was Laurence and Sandra, she needed normalcy. "After our report, let's grab some breakfast, before heading back to the office, my treat" Kris grinned at Elliot. She knew he would go for that, the man could never refuse good food, and the diner a couple miles, well in reality, about 10 miles, down the road had the best pancakes. It was a 2 hour drive back to LA, they would both need breakfast before that ride. Traffic would most certainly... suck.......

And the interview was scheduled for that night, 8pm sharp, at the Senator's home outside of LA.

Nothing is ever created or destroyed.

Everything is just something else changing forms.

The thick black smoke made Elliot’s eyes turn red and water, not doing any favors at all for the migraine headache which had latched itself onto his skull the first time he saw the now infamous Dark Mind video and hadn’t let go since. Kris’ inquiry about the time actually caught him slightly off guard, not realizing how intently he’d been staring at the blazing hillside until he heard his name called.

“7:45 AM.” Elliot answered distractedly, he’d never realized how beautiful destruction could be before now.

"Another 36 hour day.. aye Ell" Kris remarked, flashing that blinding smile of hers that made the roaring orange flames of the wildfire look dull.

“You say that number like there’s an end in sight…” Elliot half chuckled, with a tone that was far too somber to be entirely light hearted. The bags under her eyes were concealed by makeup and her inexplicably resilient complexion, his eyes looked like he’d been punched twice from the lack of sleep.

Work hadn’t been the only thing disrupting Elliot’s sleep of late.

Aside from the aforementioned migraine headaches, it seemed like he couldn’t close his eyes without seeing the footage that had led them to the scoop of the century. Sandra Finnery wasn’t the sort of girl Elliot would have looked at twice ordinarily, but somehow that horrifying footage of that sicko Laurence tearing her clothes off had awed Elliot to distraction. Sandra wasn’t even a type that Ell went for, much, much too young for his taste—freckled and slightly awkward in her proportions. But helpless… he liked to see her helpless.

Ell hadn’t even been someone that anyone would have considered kinky before the Dark Mind Footage entered his life. His smoke-show wife Melissa had even tried to experiment with him before, buying out the local sex shop with restraints, floggers, masks and gags after reading an article about how fetish sex could revitalize their sex life—but Elliot hadn’t known what to do with any of it. You want me to… hit you? He’d asked, holding a crop like it was made of spiders.

There was something about that footage though, it excited him—thrilled him in a way that nothing had since his honeymoon. It was the only thing he could think about that distracted him even a little bit from the skull crushing headache that didn’t go away. The flames reminded him of the way her wet hair clung to her face as her head thrashed back and forth.

“You could feed me a dog-shit sundae and I’d lick the bottom as long as you’re buying.” Elliot chuckled, making a valiant show of toughing out his headache and lack of sleep. “Last solid food I had was three days ago. Man cannot live on coffee and Excedrin alone.”

Flames lapping. Head thrashing. Something left unfinished.

While the wildfire story may have seemed a welcome distraction to Kris, it was thoroughly unwelcome for Elliot, who couldn’t wait for his chance to lay eyes on this teenager who had survived the maniacal scheme of a deranged psychopath and lived to tell the tale. She’d tell the tale to his lens and his lens only. What a tale it would be.

Live, in an hour long special report, Sandra Finnery reveals all about her traumatic and highly marketable story of terror—brought to you with limited commercial interruption by Budweiser.

Let it all burn. Burn motherfucker, burn.

Nothing is ever created or destroyed.

Everything is just something else changing forms.

“What do you say we get this puff piece in the can and move on down the road, I’ve still got to go over and measure the Finnery house for lights and sound.” Elliot reminded Kris, with an oddly un-Elliot-like grin on his face. “How close do you want to get?”

It was a dangerous question to ask Kristal, who often ascribed to a strict “the closer the better” policy without concern for her own safety. Ell had managed to earn her trust over the years by risking his own safety to go with her without flinching—much to his wife’s chagrin.

Elliot lifted the huge RED camera off of the tripod and onto the shoulder mount that he wore whenever he was on scene. The massive antennae that was needed to transmit the live signal had been up for a while, leaning into the production truck Ell switched the audio feed from the studio into their headsets so that they could know how long until the mics and video went hot.

“Lead the way, you know I won’t be far behind. Sounds like maybe two minutes.” Ell nodded to his partner, pulling a bandana over his face and nose against the smoke and retreating into his viewfinder where danger never quite felt real, ready to walk through flames if Kris demanded it, if she desired it... or just to feel it burn.

“You could feed me a dog-shit sundae and I’d lick the bottom as long as you’re buying. Last solid food I had was three days ago. Man cannot live on coffee and Excedrin alone.”

"You sure have an eloquent way of putting things Ell..." her voice held the same little laugh that his had. He was always straight to the point, one of the things she loved about him... and Kris did love Elliot to peices. He was her best friend. For a while, he had been her only friend really. That had changed as time went on. Kris now had an established little "click" that she called friends. But given her work schedule, and fitting in time to work out at the gym, and sleep of course, one did have to sleep, she didn't spend a whole lotta time with anyone else.

"Of course one could not live in coffee and Excedrine alone, you need beer too.. remember that" Beer.. their drink of choice. One may have thought she'd be more fond of the fancy drinks with little umbrellas sticking out of them, considering she came from Miami and all, but nope, Kris preferred an ice cold Coors Light above anything else. And there had been many a night that she and Ell had decompressed over a few beers at the local bar... Murray's, around the corner from the news studio was the preferred spot. Of course, that only fueled the "they're sleeping together" rumors all the more... Tho those nights were gone, since she'd quit drinking. Even Coors light was off the table now. Now when she and Ell decompressed, yes, they went to the same Pub, Murray's, but she drank soda water with lime, or Pepsi. It may have bothered some to be around all that alcohol and not drink, but Kris was strong, and for her, it was easy. Ell had convinced her she was ready to quit and ... she was...

“What do you say we get this puff piece in the can and move on down the road, I’ve still got to go over and measure the Finnery house for lights and sound.” Elliot reminded Kris, with an oddly un-Elliot-like grin on his face. “How close do you want to get?”

Kris just smiled.. and winked... Tho, when she focused on her friend's face, and that grin, she paused. Elliot's grin, and moreso the look in his eyes, was a bit... unsettling. For a moment, just a millisecond, he seemed to be far away, seeing something else, or smiling at something or someone else. And that smile was almost... evil... almost like a dark, hellish gleam deep in his pupils, and then it was gone, and he was winking back at her.

"Tired" Kris muttered to herself.. "I'm just tired".... But, she had work to do, a breakfast to buy, and then an interview to do. She had no time to be tired....

~*~​

"Dad.... DAD!!!...." where was he? One minute he was standing there in the hall, the next he was gone. Was he checking on the security guards again?? "DAD!!!"....

"What Sandy???" He hollared up the stairs. What did she want now? With a shrug and a shake of his head, he made his way back upstairs. She'd only been home a few days, thank whatever god was in heaven that she had survived that maniac, but she'd been more than a handful since then. He loved her more than life itself, that's what he kept telling himself at least. But she was driving him nuts. She saw all of this as some kind of adventure that could make her famous. It was as if she had forgotten all about the horror she'd been thru, never mind the fact that she could have died! Sean knew this was his daughter's way of coping, the Doctor had told him that. Sandy had refused any kind of counseling after that first session, and that had been while she was still in the hospital. "I'll be FINE!" she told everyone, including her father. And apparently, Senator Sean Finnery didn't know his daughter well enough to know she was not fine.

Fact was, Sandy, well, she was far from fine. It had only been a few days, but already the nightmares were keeping her awake. Everytime she closed her eyes, she saw Laurence, heard his voice, felt his lips on her, felt his hands binding her. But, there was no way she was going to tell her father. He'd insist on her seeing a "shrink" and there was no way she was going to go for that. Now, if her mother had been prevelant in her life, maybe she would have told her. But reality was, she never told her mother anything. The woman was an alcholic in rehab, this was the 4th time in 2 years. And in the years before that, the woman had been so drunk, she hadn't been much of a mother. Now that Sandy was 19, she didn't her her "mommy" anymore. Not like she had when she was younger. "why doesn't mommy love me" she had asked her father over and over again when she was nothing more than a child. He could never answer. Instead, he left her in the care of the various nannies, and went about his own life.

But now, her dad was much more interested in being involved in her life. In playing the "I almost lost my child" sympathy card. Sandy wasn't stupid. She knew this would get him re-elected. So, if he was going to be more famous, so was she.

"DAD".. When he appeared at the top of the steps, Sandy just smiled sweetly. "What should I wear for the interview Dad?" In reality, she was kind of liking the attention she was getting from her father. It had been a long, long, long time since he had shown any interest in anything about her life. "The black dress? No, no, I'll look like I'm dressing for a funeral. The red one? No, too loud" she was more or less talking to herself. "Honey, whatever...." he began, as he stepped into her room, only to be cut off ... "but Dad, I want to look my best. Millions of people will be watching!!!"... He just shook his head. He really just wanted this to be over. He had his own interview scheduled with CNN's political Reporter, Josh Harrison, tomorrow at 11am... to be broadcast at Noon, 6pm, and 11pm. He really wasn't interested in hearing what his daughter went thru, it was over now. He wanted to move on to what this would do for HIS career....

"I know... I know... I'll wear this...." she danced around her room for a moment, holding up a pretty, emerald green dress. It would certainly look stunning with my green eyes, she thought to herself. "I think I'll pull my hair back too, maybe into a long ponytail with a matching green ribbon. That way, everyone can really see my face"... She was going to milk this for all it was worth!!!

"That's fine sweetie" her father commented, giving her a fatherly pat on the backside as he turned and left the room.

Sandy stopped and stared at herself in the mirror. Stepping closer, and closer, she lightly traced a fingertip under her eyes, where the darkness from lack of sleep was deepening. "I'm going to need to make sure my makeup covers that" she murmered to herself... before turning away, then twirling back again, holding the dress up... but as she did so, she saw Laurence in the mirror, grinning that lewd grin of his at her... Sandy jumped back, almost screaming, dropping the dress...

“Why are you doing this to me? Why? Please… Please just let me go.” she heard her own voice pleading in her head... and then... she heard his voice, as if he were in the room with her... “Because you’ve never known suffering… and its all I’ve ever felt... I shall be your instructor, your tutor, your tour guide into the depths of human suffering. If you make it back out will be up to you.”

Sandy collasped on the floor along with the green puddle that was her dress.. weeping...

~*~​

Back at the newsroom, now that the report on the wildfires was done, on scene of course, breakfast had been eaten, and it was much better than the dogshit sundae Elliot had mentioned, and the followup voice-over had been recorded for the subsequent wildfire reports, Kris sat down in front of her PC.

"Ell, go home for a couple hours. Visit your wife... You remember her, Melissa." Sometimes Kris just had to push him out the door. She wondered how Melissa put up with such an absentee husband. It had crossed her mind that maybe Melissa had a little boytoy type thing going on the side, but that just didn't seem to mesh with Melissa's personality. The woman adored Elliot, Kris could see that. The woman was sweet, loving, and ... well, Kris would never say it to Elliot, but a bit submissive as well. But then again, maybe she saw that because she herself was such an independent and outgoing personality. Melissa was a bit meek and shy, tho always nice... really nothing more than a housewife, who worked part time at the local mall, selling purses at the department store. Last time, when Kris had dinner with the 2 of them, which was just a few days ago, just after the Dark Mind story broke and Sandra Finnery had been found, Melissa had mentioned how she and Elliot were trying to get pregnant. It was funny, Melissa never ever called him Ell. That was Kris's name for him. But it seemed weird to Kris that his wife would call him by his formal name, Elliot. He had snapped at her, and told her that this was not the time or place to discuss that. Melissa had nearly burst into tears and even Kris had never seen a reaction like that from Ell. He explained later, when he was walking her to her car, something he insisted on doing everytime she been at his place for dinner and stayed til after dark, that "I'm was just not really ready to be a father" and that Melissa was pushing the subject a bit, and he was just frustrated. Kris understood, tho she thought that Elliot would make a wonderful father and told him so. He had blushed at that.

"Let's meet at the Finnery estate at 4:30... I'll help you with your set up, then we can get a drink and some dinner before the interview. Your treat this time" Kris winked. This would give her 3 hours to catch up on some sleep, before that night. She'd just sleep in the spare room at the news studio... no need to go all the way home. She had dresses and the like here. By the time she got home, she'd have lost 30-45 mins of precious time to sleep.

~*~​

Thrashing, sheets bunched up around her, body bathed in sweat, she trying to scream, so desperate to scream, to beg, plead, but the only sound she could make was a strangled cry, muffled, muted, as if she were gagged, or a hand were over her mouth. Back arching, she was gasping, panting, begging... "no ... please... don't.. NO!!!" tearing pain ripping thru her chest, the heated splash of her own blood, the abject terror tightening around her, she couldn't breathe, her desperate screams cutting thru the darkness...

... the darkness...

... the darkness...

Was she alone? Alone in the dark, the all consuming darkness.... Was she alone? Would he return? Return to torture her again, return to watch her scream, beg, sob... return to watch her... die? Kris shuddered violently. Chained down, thick golden chains, unable to move, unable to escape...Her mind, lost in the nightmare, was completely confused, unable to focus on what was real, and what was only in her... mind...She lay there, struggling, in that all consuming darkness... wondering, was he watching her even now? Staring at her? Smiling at her pain, at her fear, at her humiliation? Would he rape her again? Carve into her skin again? Rip out her heart again? Tighten his clawed hands about her throat again? or.... worse? This was just another kind of torture, another kind of chilling terror, making her think, making her wonder, making her beg, in the dark. Did she just hear him breathing? Was he watching her with that dark, almost hellish gleam to his eyes? Kris thought for a moment, that she could feel the touch of his fingertips, the glide of claws, she thought she heard the sound of a blade sharpening against a stone....

"no... NO.. PLEASE NO..."

She saw faces, faces of people she loved. There were only 3, her father, her sister, and Ell. She saw their faces, she saw their heads. She saw the horror in their eyes, the horror and the condemnation. It was her fault.. her fault they were dead... HER FAULT..

A clawed hand clamped down over her mouth, tight, threatening to crush her jaw. It's other hand, a long razor tipped finger alights against It's own lips in an obscene "Shhhhhhh" just as she tries to scream out "NOOOOOOO!!!!!"

“Ohhhh that ambition. It fuels you, drives you, defines you! It IS you, Kristal! It’s who you are. All for one thing, that great, mighty illusive…” The voice whispered in her ear, no, wait, it WAS in her ear, she could feel it moving, could feel it's slime, the moisture if It's voice, not just hear it..

The thing’s hand tightened around her face, clawed nails digging into her jaw as It's head angled back, “Anchor’s desk!” As the creature cried the words aloud, the huge steel, wood and glass newsdesk from the sound stage tumbled through the darkness. "OH GOD NOOOOO" but the words had no where to go...

Kris snapped awake.

The words did not escape past her hand, which was still firmly planted over her quivering lips. Kris was shaking violently as she finely began to emerge from her nightmare. As she blinked into the darkness, she felt a chill, a presence, looming, lurking, slithering like an evil snake in the shadows, then it was gone. Turning the light on, she drew the small blanket she had curled up under for her nap, about herself, trying to calm her nerves. She was sweating, yet she was freezing. Her heart was racing, her breathing almost as fast. A glance at the clock told her it was nearly 4pm, she'd been sleeping for almost 3 hours.

"I gotta get moving" she said to herself...

"I need a drink"

SANDRA FINNERY: SURVIVOR

Elliot’s fingers moved over the keys with distracted recognition as he built graphics for the interview, tabbing back and forth between the footage from this morning as he cut and edit it together into a package. He wore his headphones on one side, timing and splicing Kris’ studio recorded voice tracks over the footage of the burning hillside.

KRISTAL ELIZABETH HOWE: . . .

What could he call her? Savior? Samaritan? Code-cracker?

KRISTAL ELIZABETH HOWE: HERO

Elliot smiled at the screen. That seemed to carry the requisite pretention of this entire farcical, exploitative dog-and-pony-show. Not that Kris was to blame, she’d only been acting on instinct—pure old-fashioned altruism. It was their bosses—the producers and executives who felt like the near death experience of a nineteen-year-old girl was some kind of marketing Mardi Gras for them to line their pockets with. It was sickening really.

Ell had been in the midst of making the final cuts on the wildfire story when he realized that Kris’ voice was in stereo—actually talking to him in addition to her voice on the overlay track.

"Ell, go home for a couple hours. Visit your wife... You remember her, Melissa."

“Huh? Melissa who?” Ell asked back with a sly smirk, making light of how busy they’d been since they leaked that footage. “Who’s she?”

The sound of going home to see his wife actually did sound quite enticing, downright blissful in fact. He didn’t know why, but the very thought of his beautiful, supportive and flexible wife was enough to send a surge through him that started in the tips of his toes and ended in the tip of his cock.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I ought to at least go make sure she hasn’t changed the locks on me yet—not that I’ll have time for much more than that.” Blindfold, riding crop, ball gag, nipple clamps, butt plug. “Thanks for looking out for me, like always.”

Ell smiled at his partner, his eyes seeming more affectionate than usual, almost expectant. His smile faded when she continued and the mirth left his eyes entirely.

"Let's meet at the Finnery estate at 4:30... I'll help you with your set up, then we can get a drink and some dinner before the interview. Your treat this time"

No. No. No! Fuck no!

The last thing that he wanted was Kris hovering around, occupying the very center of attention at his first meeting with the supple and resilient Sandra—though he couldn’t quite understand why. He did know for certain that he wanted to be alone when he first met her, wanted to see those big green eyes of hers appraising him, wanted the chance to make his own impression on her without the rest of the crew there to resign him into his role as cameraman.

He wanted to see her helpless.

Yet none of this internal anguish made any evidence in Elliot’s outward reaction, seeming very much like his same old self.

“Oh, now I see your game, Howe. You ply me with pancakes in the morning, just so you can stick me with your bar tab at night.” Ell chuckled, returning Kris’ wink with one of his own. “Really, don’t worry about the setup, I can handle it. I’m a pro, after all.”

With that, Ell grabbed up his duffel bag, loaded with miscellaneous film equipment.

“Since I’m going straight to the Finnerys’, I’ll take the van.” Ell mumbled, grabbing the keys from a side pocket in his bag and tossing them through the air to Kris who he knew to be quite sure handed. “You can drive my car, we’ll switch back after I buy out the bar.” Another flirty wink.


It was nothing new for the CNN News-truck to be parked out in front of Elliot’s house in the suburbs, since he was so often on his way to or from some new assignment almost every time he managed to make it home (particularly during daytime hours), so it seemed perfectly common for him to be rolling up in the oversized, graphics wrapped van on this day. What was uncommon about his arrival was the fact that he carried in one white-knuckled fist a massive flower arrangement and with his other hand smoked a cigarette.

Cigarettes had never been a crutch of Elliot’s—not to imply that he wasn’t without his share of proclivities and addictions—just that cigarettes weren’t among them. The bouquet of flowers seemed equally as out of character on the other end of the scale—not that he wasn’t considerate and loving to his wife—only that spontaneity had never been his strong-suit. By the time he’d made his way from the van to the house, a confident lean creeping into his stride as he smoked, Elliot seemed an entirely different man than usually pulled up in the CNN van.

Flicking the last of his cigarette into the flower bed, Ell opened the front door swiftly, sweeping the bouquet of flowers into the house.

“Where has my sexy fuckin’ wife gotten to? Papa needs some sugar!”

The dog-headed demon Anubis stared down, his onyx face implacable and stern with muscular tanned arms crossed across his chest. His arms, chest and the stone walls that surrounded the grand amphitheater were all covered in hieroglyphs over every square inch. Anubis’ headdress was similarly inscribed in solid gold with shimmering topaz and onyx gems where the symbols made solid shapes.

At the very center of the massive, underground arena lay Kristal—fully nude and bound by heavy chains at her waist and wrists. The chains were strung through large, suspended hoops of gold that hung from unseen supports at the towering heights of the arena, lost in darkness by sheer scale. Huge, polished brass bowls dangled from the opposite ends of the chains, both empty.

Along the rafters and in tiered rows that extended beyond the inscribed walls were scores of slender men and women, their cloth headwraps made dingy by their decaying flesh—eyes and mouths all meticulously sewn shut with red yarn.

After what seemed like an eternity, a figure strode from the darkness. He was frightfully tall and lean beyond rationality, his limbs like gnarled tree branches. He was dressed like a pharaoh, with jagged, needlelike teeth protruding past his cracked lips.

“At last we meet, Kristal. At last I’ll see what you’re made of.” The figure hissed, its face still obscured by shadow as its long, razor-sharp claws dragged lightly over Kristal’s exposed torso. “I owe you a debt of gratitude, you know… Maybe you don’t, but you will.”

The great God Anubis nodded his head and gave a bark, at that signal, the shadowy figure plunged its sharpened talons into Kris’ chest, spraying blood into the air that splattered across the red dirt floor below. A moment later, his claw emerged, bearing the woman’s still beating heart from the wound, spurting arterial gluts of blood in all directions as it convulsed upon itself.

From the shadow of the thing’s face, a long, black tongue slithered out and probed into one of the main arteries of Kris’ heart, coming back out streaked in crimson.

“I’ve tasted your worth. You haven’t got what it takes.” The thing spat in disgust, discarding her heart into the bowl at her feet and turning its back on her. “You shouldn’t have intervened, but now that you have, the consequences defy even my conception! I am immortal, I am forever! You are mere flesh.”

From the rafters a floppy mess of skin and tissue landed with Kris’ heart, followed closely by a steady stream of blood that began the work of filling the bowl and tugged hard on the chain around Kris’ ankles.

“You’re a slave already. A slave to your addictions.”

At this, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the stone enclosure. Beer bottle after beer bottle shattered and spilled into the bowl tied to her wrists. A tequila bottle, Jack Daniels, a keg landed with a thud and bent her elbows inward.

When her body grew taught and lifted up from the stone slab, Kris tried to scream, but the shadow was there to clap its strong hand over her mouth, raising a finger in front of the patch of shadow where its mouth would have been.

“Don’t scream, not yet. We’ve only just begun. You’re not a total waste, there are people you love.”

Ten pounds worth of Elliot’s head landed in the soup of Kris flesh and blood, followed closely by ten more pounds from Melissa’s head. Their bodies, bit by bit, stretching out her hips and vertebrae, snapping muscle tissue, tearing ligaments.

“And your ambition!” The shadow boomed, his voice resonant and powerful enough to crack the stone tablets that surrounded them. At his command, piles of paperwork, files, monitors, video tapes all manner of work related garbage crashing into the bowl at her wrists, the shattering and crashing overshadowing the sounds of her shoulders dislocating.

“Ohhhh that ambition. It fuels you, drives you, defines you! It IS you, Kristal! It’s who you are. All for one thing, that great, mighty illusive…” The thing’s hand tightened around her face, nails digging into her jaw as its head angled back, watching the massive structure levitate over to the bowl tied to her wrists. “Anchor’s desk!”

As the creature cried the words aloud, the huge steel, wood and glass newsdesk from the sound stage tumbled through the darkness. Just as it crashed into the bowl, tearing her limbs from her torso—Kris snapped awake.

She needed a drink.

Promises to quit no longer mattered.

She needed a drink. And she needed it now!

Kris shook her head, still sitting in the darkness, trying desperately to rid her mind of the images, and not just the images but the voice as well, from her nightmare. “I’ve tasted your worth. You haven’t got what it takes.” She could not see what he did with her heart, but she heard the wet, bloody thunk as it fall into the bowl... Why wasn't she howling and writhing in pain.. why wasn't she dead? Was she dead? Was this hell? The Thing turned its back on her. “You shouldn’t have intervened, but now that you have, the consequences defy even my conception! I am immortal, I am forever! You are mere flesh.”

Intervened? What did It mean by that? Intervened?

Then she heard it, as if someone turned on a faucet. Liquid, running, splashing, as a steady stream of blood, that Kris could not see in the dark chasm she was in, she could only hear that disgusting sound, began filling the bowl that contained her still beating heart. She felt a sensation then, a tugging, forceful, pulling, on the thick chains that bound her ankles.

“You’re a slave already. A slave to your addictions.”

Slave. A slave already? Again her confused mind tried to make sense of what was happening. Tried to understand.

At this, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the stone enclosure. Beer bottle after beer bottle shattered, alcohol spilling, followed by her own personal favorites, a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, a bottle of Jose Cuevo tequila. Kris could only jerk and twitch at every harsh crashing of glass as the bottles continued to break, the sound masking her sobbing.

Kris hadn't had a "drink" of that kind in over 6 months now. When she mentioned to Ell about dinner and a drink, she knew that he understood what she meant, even when he joked about the bar tab. He'd been part of the reason, no, more than that, he was the reason she had quit drinking cold turkey. He had taken her aside and told her what it was doing to her, and to her career. He'd stood by her, supported her.

Kris had started drinking when she was 16. Her mother and sister were gone... and that was a story, a memory, she did NOT want to relive. Ever since that night she had felt she had no one. Nothing. And it was a past she desperately tried to hide...

Except she could not hide it from Elliot.

None of that mattered now. She needed, desperately needed... and moreso wanted... a drink. Elliot had, after all, stated he could handle the prep work and set up at the Finnery place on his own. Kris never doubted that, she just liked helping out. So, since she really didn't need to meet Elliot, she could head to the nearby restaurant and meet him there.....

Yes, that's just what she'd do....

~*~
​

Melissa had gotten used to Elliot's hours. She didn't like those hours, but she'd grown accustomed to it. He made damned good money, six figures actually. Really really good money, Melissa had discovered when talking to the wives of other cameramen. He had the knack. He had the eye. He had the instincts. And... he had Kris... Melissa knew it was because of working with her, that his career had flourished. He was one of the best before her, now, he was seen as THE BEST. Plain and simple. And ever since they had broken the Finnery kidnap story, reporters had wanted to speak to him. He was part of the story, not just covering it.

Was she jealous of Kris? Not in the conventional sense. She trusted Elliot. She adored Elliot. She'd fallen in love with him after their 2nd date. She knew then, that he was the one. When he proposed, a year later, she said yes before he'd even finished speaking. It had been a long year for her, waiting for that proposal, waiting for him to return her love.

He was her whole world.

This particular week, after the Finnery story, had been pretty hectic. She hadn't seen him all that much, and even when she had, he was distant. Another aspect of this relationship she had to get used to. Even when he was home, alot of the time he was still "working"... she often wished she was as outgoing as Kris. Melissa tended to see Kris as a bit forceful, very opinionated, and a little intimidating. Did she consider Kris a friend...? Not really. Kris was not the type of person Melissa would hang out with, have lunch with, go shopping with. She had her clique of other wives in the neighborhood for that, as well as the couple of girls she worked with at the mall, when she put in her 20 hours a week. But, truth be told, Melissa was not the kind of person that Kris was all that comfortable with either. But Kris did consider Melissa a friend, because of her friendship with Elliot.

Melissa had not expected Elliot home today. She knew he was covering the fires with Kris, and had the "big interview" tonight. He'd been a bit more distant as of late, since the Sandra Finnery thing. When he had been home, he'd been moody and quiet. She found him in his office, watching the video of the girl being found, and unchained, over and over again. He had taken that very video, what was he looking for? When she asked him about it, he'd snapped at her. So when she heard him burst in the door, she was taken a bit by surprise...

“Where has my sexy fuckin’ wife gotten to? Papa needs some sugar!”

She had just gotten out of the shower, and was still drying off when she heard him. She was supposed to meet Caroline, her newest BFF, for lunch and some mall shopping, Melissa's favorite passtime. So when she heard her husband's voice, she was a bit shocked. Not to mention, his rather crude choice of words. Elliot was not usually crude, not even in bed. Not quite like that.

"Elliot?... what... what are you doing home?" she came bounding down the stairs, tightening her bathrobe around her. Him being home was a welcome surprise, that's for sure. But she stopped on the second to last step. She could smell that he'd been smoking, a habit she had nagged him to quit, especially if they were going to eventually have kids. She did not want smoking around her kids, when the time came. But moreso, was the look on his face. There was just something.. "wrong"... about it.. Between that and his choice of words....

"Elliot, are you ok Hun? Is something wrong?"

"You usually don't well.... Ummm... talk like that....."

~*~​

Kris already knew there would be no booze in her office at the station, and there was no booze at home either, not that she had the time to go home. But she may have made the time if Jack Daniels had been there to greet her with open arms. She and Ell had disposed of Jack, Jose, Mr. Grey Goose, and her stash of Coors Light, her fave.

But she needed that drink. The nightmare was still roaming around her mind, and Kris was getting more and more desperate to forget it. The booze would do that. She HAD to forget.

The interview was at 8pm. She had plenty of time. Her dress and makeup packed up and ready to go, Kris pulled her hair back into a pony tail, threw on her jeans and a tee shirt, and headed out. She was waving at the receptionist by 4:35 and heading out the door, thanking god that Ell didn't need the help. She was a mess. She needed... that.... drink...

Murray's was out of the question. She'd head straight to the restaurant that was near the Finnery house. It was nothing more than a chain restaurant, but the bar would be anonomyous which is exactly what she needed. With no makeup, in jeans and a tee, she was not as easily recognizable as when reporting. While Ell was doing the final prep for the interview, right before, she would use the van to get herself together. She'd done it many times before, she was an old pro at it.

"I need a drink" she told the bartender as she settled at the bar at Chili's. The place was fairly quiet. It was a weeknight after all. Kris bet the place was hopping on the weekends tho, as most bars were. "What can I get ya" he drawled. "Shot of Jack" She wanted a Coors to chase it down with, but beer was easy to smell on the breath, and overpowering. Jack was a bit more... subtle. Within the hour, she'd had 3 shots. "Another?" She knew she'd better not. She had to make sure she was steady enough to do this interview. At least, she had forgotten, well, it was more like putting it in the back of her mind, the nightmare. Now she got to focus on the nightmare of another, Sandra Finnery.....

~*~​

Sandy wondered... could she do this? Anyone talking to her would think she was fine. Sane. Capable. But she wondered, to herself of course, could she really do this? She had gotten herself up off the floor, wiping the tears from her eyes. Laurence could not hurt her anymore. He would never be able to hurt her again. "Then WHY can't I get him out of my head??" she asked. It was a question she should be asking a "shrink". But she refused. If she was going to have to tell this horror story, she was going to make money off it, get famous off it. And that... was that... "I bet the Tonight Show, or Oprah, will want to talk to me after this" she told herself, finally feeling a little better. Now if only she could just... sleep.

Taking a glance at the clock, Sandy saw that it was 5pm. Still 3 hours to go. Maybe she'd go get a drink to calm herself. Sure she was under the legal drinking age of 21, but she was the Senator's daughter. The bartender at the local Chili's down the road knew her and let her drink. She was kinda the local celebrity. She got away with things others did not. It was that "perk" that Sandy wanted to carry over to national celebrity. Being known by everyone, and getting the money associated with it. That way, she'd not have to depend on daddy.

It was funny how alike, both Sandy and Kris really were, given their homelives and their... fathers....

"Sweetheart" speaking of fathers.... Sean Finnery tapped on his daughter's bedroom door and stuck his head in. It hadn't occurred to him to ask if she were decent. He'd never cared, she was his daughter. As far as he was concerned, seeing her naked was par for the course. More than once he had oogled his daughter's body. She certainly was a beautiful girl. More than once, he'd jerked off afterwards...

"The newscrew is here. They are going to be setting up for lighting and such for the interview. So you may hear them moving around"

"I think I'm gonna go out for a bit daddy" Sandy answered. The dress she'd chosen for the interview had been rescued off the floor and was hanging on her closet door. She herself was still in the white shorts and pink tank top she'd had on earlier. "Ok dear, just make sure your back in time" She'd better be back for it, he thought to himself. This interview was going to get him back into the Senate. Hell this interview may even eventually get him into the presidency. This interview was going to make the Finnery name more of a household name than it already was, thanks to his daughter's rescue. It seemed to Sean that the reporter, Kris whatever her name was, had gotten more noteriety since the rescue than his daughter had. That... would change tonight.

He, retired to his study, sitting in front of his PC and clicking on College Party Girls ... his hand already slipping into his pants. The newscrew had no need to come in there, so he had all the privacy he needed. Sean stared at the image of the red haired college girl with all the freckles, not unlike his daughter. The girl was on her knees, sucking off some college stud. Sean closed his eyes, and imagined... now stroking his rock hard cock...

Sandy grabbed her purse and closed the door to her room, heading downstairs. She paused on the 2nd to last step, much the same as Melissa had not that long ago in a house not all that far away, her big, sparkling green eyes appraising the man she saw standing on the formal front room, where the interview was going to take place. She kinda remembered him. Kinda. There was something so very familiar about him. She had expected an entire news crew, but at the moment, it was just him..

"Hi" ... she felt a little timid at the moment, and was unsure why. "Damn he's cute" her inner voice piped up. "Really cute"... and Sandy felt her pulse quicken just a little, and her skin growing warm... "I'm ..... " she hesitated as she stepped down the last 2 steps, extending her hand... She had a sudden sensation... warm and cold, entwining, and then wrapping around her. She didn't know if she should shiver or sweat. He captured her green eyes with his own gaze, and as hard as she tried, Sandy could not look away.... "Sandy".... she managed to finish, her voice soft, almost musical. "I want my daddy" was what suddenly went careening thru her mind... that and "I need a drink".....which almost seemed to echo, as if she and another were saying it, or thinking it, at the same time...

((Collaborated writing of LitShark & AmbrosiaCaress))

Elliot’s face lit up when he saw Melissa come down the stairs to greet him, wearing nothing below her bathrobe. He set the bouquet of flowers aside and reached out to her, arms crossing below her ass cheeks and hugging her against himself. He picked her up and carried her from the last few steps onto the floor, leaning in to kiss her passionately with a feral abandon that was very unlike him, especially in recent months. Caught a bit by surprise, Melissa tensed for a second, before trying to relax into the force of the kiss. Her tongue met his own, but was pushed almost aside in his need to thrust within her mouth, as if he were tasting her for the first time.

When the kiss finally broke, Melissa actually breathed a sigh of relief. Her lips felt bruised from the force of his passion, and she was a bit confused by his urgency. Elliot had never been "urgent" about the need to make love. He was always gentle and soft and almost timid, always wanting her to be satisfied first..

Once Melissa was on her feet again, she actually tried to step back from him, to gain her footing and her breath, but Ell swiped at the belt of her robe, untying it without much resistance and snaking his hands inside of the damp, absorbent material. His palms flattened over her skin, roving over hips, stomach and chest in eager lust.

“No, nothing’s wrong my dearest love. I just couldn’t stand to be away from you for any longer.” Ell smiled, coaxing the robe off of one shoulder so that he could watch his hand caress and knead the firm flesh of her breast. “I needed my fix, baby. This is just how I talk when I’m all charged up and ready to get sweaty.”

What? He was talking nonsense and Melissa was beginning to wonder if he were playing some kind of joke on her.. "Elliot, what in the world... Ohhhhhhh MMmmmmm" she could not stop that low, slightly surprised moan from mingling with her words when his hand found and fondled her breast. She felt her nipple beginning to harden, her nipples had always been sensitive, as he massaged her. Her question went unanswered... His mouth gave up any further explanation in favor of frantic kisses and light nibbles along her porcelain throat. Behind her, his hand lifted the back of her robe and he squeezed her firm ass with all the strength in his forearm, guiding her toward the couch. "Elliotttttt...." she extended the t sound when he grabbed her ass, she struggling to keep steady as he began forcing her backwards.

“Sky rockets in flight, baby.” Elliot smirked, pushing Melissa hard against the couch and forcefully turning her to face away from him. She was about to protest, but her breath was knocked out of her by the harsh push down over the arm of the couch. “I’m here for a little afternoon delight.”

What? Again he was talking nonsense as far as she was concerned. Hell that had been a line SHE had tried to use on him one afternoon many months ago. "Want a little afternoon delight" she had offered, he had laughed and thought she was nuts using that reference.

Grasping her silken, platinum hair, Elliot forced Melissa’s head down and hiked up the bottom of her robe around the small of her back. She grabbed the soft material of the couch, again trying protest.. "Elliot.. baby... please stoppppp" this was not like him at all. Sure they'd fucked like this before, she bent over the bed. But he had never so forcefully shoved her around and down, and then held her there like this. There was a metallic noise as he unfastened his belt, and Melissa tensed... "No.. NO.. Elliot.. STOP FOOLING.. AROU" .... her words ended in a shocked gasp.... He had lowered his pants, releasing his thick, engorged member, slapping slap down against his wife’s ass and without much foreplay beyond what had already taken place, forcing himself inside of her roughly. Melissa cried out, the mixing of pain, pleasure, and complete and total surprise, all melding into her yell. As his balls pressed against her, filling her with his hard cock, Ell gave her a tug by the hair and drove his hips into a brutal thrust, yanking her body back to meet it, and that turned her cry, into a scream. Melissa began struggling... "ELLIOT... STOP" but she was not in a position where she could get away from him, or get him off her. He had her effectively trapped against the couch. At least her body was reacting positively, to some degree. Where she had not been all that aroused or wet when this began, her pussy was rapidly becoming soaked, the warm wetness spreading over his deeply impaled cock. That did nothing for her state of mind though... "Please Elliot.. STOP!!!"....

“You say we never do things together anymore. Now we are.” Ell smirked, feeling the warm trickle of Melissa’s arousal creeping down his thighs. “Stop fighting, just enjoy your husband’s cock for a change. You know you love it.”

With his grip on her hair, Elliot began driving his hips harder into his wife, again and again—stuffing himself balls-deep into her warm and inviting sex. He hadn’t realized how long it had been since he’d had sex, until he felt the mounting pleasure of his climax begin to approach.

Releasing Melissa’s hair, Ell grabbed the terrycloth belt that he’d taken from her robe, winding the long piece of durable cloth around his wife’s slender neck and drawing it tight. He gripped the ends of the belt like reigns, choking her faintly and fucking her frantically, he wanted them to finish together. Another outward tug from his arms cinched the belt tight enough to cut off his wife’s breath entirely as Ell felt his balls tug inward faintly and his cock swell and twitch inside his beautiful wife.

“Oh God! Yes, baby, yes! I’m going to cum! I’m gonna cum! Oh fuck, it feels so good! Cum with me baby, cum for me! Come on! Come on! Come on!” Ell barked and shouted as he buried himself inside and rotated his hips in faint, clockwise circles, stirring her up.

Just as he felt his thick, hot seed begin to spew from his cock, Ell released the tension on the belt, allowing Mel to breathe freely once more as he flooded her tight sex with his jizz. When he’d finished, Ell pulled out slowly, letting his cum dribble out after the head of his cock. He gave a playful, yet possessive swat to Mel’s ass as he turned back toward the door, fixing his pants.

“I’ll be out late tonight, babe. Don’t wait up.” Ell remarked casually as he made his way back outside, lighting a cigarette as he went.


Something was different.

The lookalike college whores from his favorite subscription website no longer satisfied Sean’s deviant lust for his daughter. No matter how vigorously he tugged his cock, he just couldn’t maintain an erection. It was beyond frustrating, but he couldn’t quite look past the ways in which the red headed pornstars fell short of his daughter’s radiance. It was clear that they were trying for the same look that Sandy just naturally carried with her, but even with all the makeup, hair dye and generous lighting they were still little better than hollow imitations of Sandy’s natural radiance.

I want to see her helpless.

Sean’s hands seemed to move of their own accord, tabbing away from his premium HD porn site of choice to YouTube. He searched his daughter’s name and pages upon pages of results instantly flooded the screen. Right at the top was the uncensored footage from when that monster had bound her to his terrifying contraption.

As Laurence’s disembodied arm reached into frame and tore away Sandy’s wet tank top, Sean’s dick became rock hard and he resumed his furious bout of masturbation. The panties were next, and just before the clip ended, Sean cued back to the moment just before Laurence stripped her. Watching the scene unfold again—and again—and again.

He let out a groan that may have been audible in other parts of the house as he came, but Sean didn’t care. His seed shot up in a rigid white column before him and he felt a pleasure like nothing he’d ever imagined. Seeing her helpless—seeing her vulnerable. It was better than sex.


Elliot spent most of his drive to the Finnery house despising himself. He could scarcely believe what he’d done, how he’d behaved—to his wife of all people. What was wrong with him? Worse still, was that this bout of self-loathing and reproach had reawakened the skull-splitting agony behind his eyes. Light took the form and feeling of daggers and sound carried baseball bats on its wavelengths. Odd that he’d all but forgotten his migraines when he was with Melissa, and now they’d redoubled in their intensity—and come on so suddenly.

He parked across the front steps into the Finnery house, knowing that he’d need to make several trips, back and forth to the van to retrieve equipment throughout the setup process. He massaged the bridge of his nose as he climbed the stone steps, trying in vain to prevent any more light from filtering into his eyes.

Some of the grips and techs had already begun their side of the setup, evidenced by the black tape that held bulges from clusters of wires running in and out of the edges of the front door. Since other crewmen were already inside, Ell felt no hesitation about walking right into the front door—nearly walking headlong into Sandy coming down the stairs.

The moment their eyes met, Elliot’s headache evaporated completely. He was suddenly radiant with endorphins and elated with pleasure at just the sight of her. As she finished descending the last two steps and offering up her slender hand to him, Elliot’s face bloomed into an earnest, heartfelt smile. He took the offered hand and gently pressed his lips to the back of it, bowing forward lightly, his lips making fire against Sandy’s soft, nubile skin.

“Of course you are.” Elliot grinned, his green eyes meeting hers as though nothing on Earth mattered outside of her. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember me, I was there when you were rescued—of course I was mostly hidden by the big camera between us. I’m Elliot, and it’s an honor to finally, officially meet you Sandy.”

Elliot let go of her hand, just before the lingering contact of his fingertips was long enough to be noticeable. He glanced around, making sure that none of the other techs or her parents were around before producing his recently purchased pack of cigarettes.

“I know I probably shouldn’t, but after what you’ve been through—would you like a smoke? I don’t usually, haven’t for years but today… Well, I’d murder for one right now. Won’t you join me Sandy?”

I’ve seen you helpless...

“You say we never do things together anymore. Now we are. Stop fighting, just enjoy your husband’s cock for a change. You know you love it.”

"I most certainly do ... not.... lo.... ELLIOT!!!... Ohhhhhhh Godddddd" He was driving into her so hard, her breath was knocked out of her, she gasping to try and regain her voice. What the hell was he doing? To say she was confused was an understatment. Melissa dug her nails into the soft cushions, as her body violently shook with every harsh pumping of his hips into her. His cock impaling her over and over again, her sex twitching, convulsing, around him, grasping, only to release for a moment, and gripping him again ... He had her pulled back by her hair, her back curving, every muscle in her torso screaming out in protest. Her protesting scream of "ELLIOT!!!" matching her now tensing muscles, but this time her voice was cut off by the snaking of her robe belt around her throat and suddenly tightening. Her eyes went wide. Oh GOD.. He was CHOKING her!!!!!!!!. Gasping, Melissa tried to grab ahold of the belt and loosen it, but Elliot merely yanked back on it, cutting off her supply of life giving air completely... She began shuddering, her mouth open, as if moaning, with no real sounds other than a strangled whimper, able to escape.

Yet he was still thrusting wildly into her... their bodies slapping together... the wetness of her spilling out from around him.. she had never been so aroused....

“Oh God! Yes, baby, yes! I’m going to cum! I’m gonna cum! Oh fuck, it feels so good! Cum with me baby, cum for me! Come on! Come on! Come on!”

Again, he had never used those words quite like that. And he certainly had never screamed them out that like. Melissa was still struggling to catch her breath, clawing faintly at the belt but unable to even get her fingers under it. She could feel his cock beginning to spasm inside the tightness of her pussy, feel the heated flood of his seed as he began emptying himself inside her... and at that moment, he released the belt and Melissa gasped in a deep, needed breath. Another splash of his spend and another, she felt him coating her walls with his cum.. and that, drove her over the edge, she suddenly tensing and as she exhaled that needed breath, she cried out to her husband... "Ohhh ELLIOTTTTTT!!!!" Her body shook as she sailed over the edge of pleasure and orgasmed, her own juices mixing with his deep in the tunnel of her pussy. Collapsing onto the couch arm that she was positioned over, Melissa could only moan and mewl in pleasure and humiliation at what her husband had just done to her....

She couldn't see it yet, she would when she looked in the mirror, but there was a deep red marking around her throat from where he had tightened the belt as he rode and strangled her. It would take hours and hours to fade...

She felt him pull back and out of her, her own body finally beginning to come down from the exquisite high of her climax. She let out a surprised "EEEPPP" when he smacked her bared ass...

"I’ll be out late tonight, babe. Don’t wait up.” He remarked casually as he made his way back outside, lighting a cigarette as he went.

Melissa slid down to the floor... still panting... unable to find the strength just yet to get to her feet. She did not answer him, she was too busy just trying to breathe....

~*~​

Kris sat at the bar, the empty shot bottle in front of her, next to it, a glass of club soda. 3 shots of Jack, and she was already feeling the effects. There was a time she could down twice that and still be able to function. But she needed to be sharp and on her toes for this interview. This, conceivably could be the biggest interview of her life. Tie this in with her stunning observation and realization of where the Finnery girl had been held, the fact that she had been found alive, the fact that Laurence, now that they all knew who he was, could not do this anymore. This could lead to something huge.... She had to be on point for this. Jack was not about to help her with that.

So she had switched to plain old club soda with a twist of lime. And now, she was scribbling notes to herself... notes about the case... notes about the Finnery girl... notes about the interview....

Kidnapped... When? How? Did the girl know him beforehand? Did he sexually assault her other than what he did to her on that tape?
Was she afraid of water? Why such an elaborate contraption? (Most likely the girl would not know that answer)...

Sandra Francis Finnery. Only child of Senator Sean Finnery... Where was her mother? Natalie Finnery? (well known that she is in rehab)
19 years old. College bound. Wants to be a reporter as well. Seen a Psychologist? Recommended? Girl has refused... How is she doing since being rescued (the world wants to know)... BF? Dating? (seems irrelevant but the public wants to knows, wants to see how she is doing)

Laurence...???

Kris had already been told to not delve too deeply into who or what Laurence was. Whether he had been sane, crazy, or what when he kidnapped Sandy. And truth be told, there was not all that much information about Laurence. She didn't even know his last name. He'd been found and whisked away. There were rumors he had been in a coma or still was in a coma. Rumors that he had a split personality. Rumors that he had been and still was on drugs. Rumors that he was just plain nuts. Rumors that he was dead. The thing was, Kris could not substantiate any of these. He was just... gone... supposedly locked away in a secret federal secured psychiatric hospital, that was the rumor that Kris heard from law enforcement itself. He was psychotic and locked away. If Kris asked any more questions, and oh did she have questions, she got the same answer every time. Laurence was psychotic and locked away. They would not even confirm if he was dead or alive.

She glanced at the clock behind the bar. It was 6:00. Ell should be here soon, she thought to herself. Kris then glanced at the empty shot glass, then to the bartender. With a resigned sigh, she tapped the glass. The memories of that nightmare were beginning to try and creep back into her mind... she needed Jack to drive it away again.

~*~​

"I'm...... Sandy....."

“Of course you are.” Elliot grinned, his green eyes meeting hers as though nothing on Earth mattered outside of her. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember me, I was there when you were rescued—of course I was mostly hidden by the big camera between us. I’m Elliot, and it’s an honor to finally, officially meet you Sandy.”

She thought she had recognized him. That day, the day they had found her, she had seen such a jumble of faces, and she'd been so terrified and weak, that most of those faces were just swirled together. But she did remember Kris, the girl, and her camerman. They had figured out where she was, they had saved her. Those were the 2 faces she wanted to remember.

"It's nice to meet you Elliot, and in much better circumstances." she nodded, lowering her eyes from his. He had an intense stare, almost as if he were trying to see past her eyes and into her... soul....

“I know I probably shouldn’t, but after what you’ve been through—would you like a smoke? I don’t usually, haven’t for years but today… Well, I’d murder for one right now. Won’t you join me Sandy?”

"Thanks, but I've never smoked" she shook her head lightly... "But I could go for a drink. I was going to head down to Chili's for a quick drink, just to calm my nerves.... " as she spoke, she reached out and took his hand, a pretty "foward" move actually... and lead him out the back door... "follow me, you can smoke by the pool... my father doesn't like smoking in the house. Reminds him of mom"... her mother smoked whenever she was on a binge... The large, inground pool, stretched out before them. Sandy took a quick look around, then almost tip toed over to the cabinet in the corner... another quick look around and she produced a bottle of Southern Comfort from the cabinet and headed back to where Elliot was still standing.

"Sit down, take a load off" she offered, as she sat down at the pool edge, dipping her feet and lower legs into the water. She watched with a grin of amusement as he sloughed off his shoes and socks, pulling up his pants legs and sat his ass down next to her, his feet as well submerging into the cool water. Sandy popped the top off the bottle of SoCo and took a long, deep, swig... "Mmmmmm... good stuff" she murmured, passing the bottle to Elliot with a smile....

Elliot grinned like the cat who ate the canary when Sandy took him by the hand and led him outside. The moment that he was clear of the house, Ell lit up the smoke perched between his lips and pushed the sliding glass door closed behind them with his boot, leaving a smear across the glass. When she released him to sneak over to the liquor cabinet, Ell let his fingertips drag and linger over her palm and fingers, trying to savor every last instant of physical contact between them.

He watched her.

Her movements were fluid and long—her slender build reminded him of a leopard. Ell delighted in the way that her lucid eyes darted back and forth, over and over, desperately vigilant against anyone who might deliver consequences for her actions. She overlooked Elliot as such a threat, which pleased him greatly. He watched her return with a bottle of SoCo—a favorite of his during his brief heavy-drinking period during college.

Sandy invited Elliot to join her poolside, sitting on the edge of the immense blue oasis with her feet in the water. Ell removed his shoes and socks with his big toes, ashing on the lawn before taking his place beside Sandy, sliding his feet into the water beside hers.

Instinctively, seemingly encouraged by their previous physical contact, Elliot slid his arm around Sandy’s back, coming to rest on her hip as he leaned over to accept the bottle with his other hand, the lit cigarette still smoldering between his index and middle fingers. He tipped the bottle back, taking several loud swallows before handing it back to Sandy with about a third less liquor in it.

“Nice and sweet, with lots of character—just like you.” Elliot smiled, scooting just a bit closer as he passed the bottle back. “You really are something, Sandy. I don’t know how you do it. I mean—the whole nation has adopted you as their little guilty pleasure. The uncensored video of Laurence tearing your clothes has over ten-million views on YouTube, every network and cable news outlet is dying to get an interview, more people know your name now than know your father—it must be quite intimidating.

“Yet, here you sit, as down-to-earth and well-adjusted as any girl your age. You don’t even seem bitter or angry about what happened. You’re truly a wonder.” Elliot went on, speaking softer as his face leaned closer, his nose brushing her hair back from her ear in an intimate whisper. “Everyone wants to be closer to you. But what I want to know what you want, Sandy. What do you want, if you could have or do anything?”

“Sandy!” Sean Finnery shouted from the sliding glass door, glaring out with hateful eyes at where some stranger, barely younger than himself, was hanging all over his daughter. “I thought you were going out, what’s going on here?”

Elliot moved quickly, taking the bottle of SoCo back from Sandy and capping it tightly before slipping it unseen into the pool gutter where it would stay hidden until he could put it back into the liquor cabinet. His hand slid from Sandy’s hip, lightly dragging fingernails along the small of her back as he withdrew, reluctant but unafraid. Ell’s only concern was for Sandy, he recognized the weakness in the Senator.

“I’m sorry Mr. Finnery, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself properly.” Elliot said, rising to his feet and flicking his cigarette into the grass. “I haven’t seen your daughter since I was helping drag her out of that hole she was left in. I’m glad to see her doing so well, I suppose that I let my affection for your daughter override my duty. I have measurements to take, if you’ll excuse me.”

With that, Elliot went inside to begin the arduous process of converting the Finnery’s formal sitting-room into a miniature, mobile TV studio.

Sean sneered in derision and also a touch of jealousy as Elliot moved past him, charging out after his daughter as soon as the cameraman seemed to be out of sight. Sean grabbed Sandy roughly by her arm and lifted her to her feet with a violent tug.

“You little bitch, just what the hell do you think you’re doing with a scum-ball like that? Are you trying to humiliate me, is that it? Trying to make this into a scandal that could ruin me? Goddamnit girl, you give me such a headache!” Sean was growling, trying not to be heard within the house but still conveying his sincere displeasure at his daughter’s actions.

“I guess everything that’s happened hasn’t been enough for you, you’re still seeking out suffering!” Sean barked, using his grip on Sandy’s slender arm to double her over at the waist.

Sean’s hand made an exquisite swatting noise as it landed hard on the firm surface of Sandy’s tight shorts, it stayed and lingered there caressing for longer than it ought to before rising and falling again on the other cheek. This time, Sean rubbed his palm slowly and languidly over his daughter’s firm ass, squeezing before raising back again.

“You think I’ll let you make a fool out of me? Do you? Not on your life, you little whore. Not so long as I have breath in my lungs and the strength to stop you.” Again, Sean’s hand landed hard on his daughter’s out-thrust bottom, this time his fingers sliding down between her thighs, pressing her tight shorts into the faint cleft of her pussy lips. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Why did she feel so comfortable around this guy? Was it because he helped rescue her? But there had been other "guys" there.. the cops for one. And he had not been the one who had figured out where she was, that was that girl, that reporter.. Kris... But Kris wasn't there yet. Maybe that was why, he worked with Kris. Maybe that was it. All she knew was that she felt comfortable around him, comfortable and a bit aroused. He was cute, really cute and Sandy found herself attracted to him.... There was some level of bad boy that was just oozing off of him, and Sandy had always fallen for the bad boy. The outcast in school, the neighborhood bully, the biker from the "wrong side of the tracks" as her father was fond of saying, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. She just liked pissing her father off, was the real story. It was the only kind of attention he seemed to want to give her, at least until now, until her kidnap and rescue....

"What I want to know what you want, Sandy. What do you want, if you could have or do anything?”

That question made her pause. When was the last time anyone had asked her anything close to that? What did she want? Did she really want fame? Did she? If she had to answer honestly, the answer would have been no. She'd rather just be left alone. But there was no way she was going to let her daddy reap the benefits of her kidnap and rescue, she had already decided that. So she would use this to break away from daddy, finally. Once famous, she'd make her own money, be able to live her own life. That, was what she ultimately wanted...

"To live my own life" was what she almost blurted out to his question.. almost. But she stayed silent.. there was more to it than that. Living her own life, yes... but she also simply wanted to sleep again...without the horrifying nightmares. She just wanted to be able to close her eyes and not see the dog-headed demon Anubis staring at her, an evil smile cracked across his onyx face, muscular tanned arms crossed across his chest. His arms, chest and the stone walls that surrounded the grand amphitheater they were standing in, all covered in hieroglyphs over every square inch.

Her last nightmare had been especially disturbing. She had no more than just closed her eyes, when she saw Anubis, once more staring at her with that cruel, vicious grin. From the darkness surrounding him, a figure strode forth. He was frightfully tall and lean beyond rationality, his limbs like gnarled tree branches. He was dressed like a pharaoh, with jagged, needlelike teeth protruding past his cracked lips.

“At last we meet, Sandra. At last I’ll see what you’re made of.” The figure hissed, its face still obscured by shadow as its long, razor-sharp claws dragged lightly over her exposed torso. “I owe you a debt of gratitude, you know… ” The voice belonged to Laurence. The shadowy figure then plunged its sharpened talons into Sandy's chest, spraying blood into the air that splattered across the red dirt floor below. A moment later, his claws emerged, bearing the woman’s still beating heart from the wound, spurting arterial gluts of blood in all directions as it convulsed upon itself. From the shadow of the thing’s face, a long, black tongue slithered out and probed into one of the main arteries of Sandy's heart, coming back out streaked in crimson.

Sandy had woke up screaming into her pillow. Screaming and sobbing, and shaking violently. That particular nightmare had been just the night before, when she had tried to sleep. Her "nap" had lasted 2 hours. For her, it felt like an eternity in that nightmare. And she wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep again. Just the thought of that Demon thing, made her go ice cold in abject terror. And... it's voice, that had been Laurence's voice....

She never had the chance to actually answer Elliot's question when her father suddenly interrupted.... “Sandy!” Sean Finnery shouted from the sliding glass door, glaring out with hateful eyes at where some stranger, barely younger than himself, was hanging all over his daughter. “I thought you were going out, what’s going on here?”

“I’m sorry Mr. Finnery, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself properly.” Elliot said, rising to his feet and flicking his cigarette into the grass. “I haven’t seen your daughter since I was helping drag her out of that hole she was left in. I’m glad to see her doing so well, I suppose that I let my affection for your daughter override my duty. I have measurements to take, if you’ll excuse me.”

No no no... don't go... No.... But she said nothing, watching as Elliot disappeared inside the house. Turning to look at her father, she was about to say something when he blurted out... “You little bitch, just what the hell do you think you’re doing with a scum-ball like that? Are you trying to humiliate me, is that it? Trying to make this into a scandal that could ruin me? Goddamnit girl, you give me such a headache! I guess everything that’s happened hasn’t been enough for you, you’re still seeking out suffering!”

What the fuck was he talking about??? She was just TALKING to the man...

<SMACK> WHAT THE FUCK??? Sandy was in a complete state of shock as her father bent her over and smacked her ass... <SMACK> another one, his hand making hard contact with her butt cheek...

"DADDY!!!"

Her outcry obviously caught him off guard this time because he did not raise his hand to strike again, not right away. Instead, Sandy felt his palm and fingers lingering on the smooth surface of her ass, her shorts barely covering her. "DADDY... !!!!" she again wailed, and he raised his hand finally and <SMACK> ... her entire body shook this time from the force of his hitting her. Sandy nearly burst into tears.. he was hurting her, her ass was stinging....

"You think I’ll let you make a fool out of me? Do you? Not on your life, you little whore. Not so long as I have breath in my lungs and the strength to stop you.” Again, Sean’s hand landed hard on his daughter’s out-thrust bottom, this time his fingers sliding down between her thighs, pressing her tight shorts into the faint cleft of her pussy lips. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

"DA.......dddd...." she stopped, tears flowing down her cheeks. He was spanking her and she was 19 years old... WTF was going on?? But worse.... Sandy's breath suddenly caught when she felt his fingers easily slipping between her legs, along the now moistened slit of her pussy, nothing seperating his touch from her sex accept a thin layer of cotten. She was moist from her interaction with Elliot, and now her father was feeling her up...

"Daddy..... Stopppppp" the words came out as a low whimper as he continued pressing his fingers into her. Sandy's heart was beating wildly, she was panting, heated, confused, yet she didn't try to break away, not immediately. But as Sean's fingers moved forward even more, seeking out the warmth that he now felt, the tips brushing where her clit was, then pushing a bit into the entrance to her sex, the shorts the only thing preventing his finger from penetrating her, she reacted, suddenly jerking herself away from him....

"Let GO OF ME" she found her voice again and pulled away... almost falling to the ground, but instead careening into the pool with a loud splash. When she came back to the surface, sputtering... she looked up at her father... "I was just TALKING to him Dad... NOW GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!!" Her pink tank top was now almost completely translucent, clinging to her breasts like a second skin. The cool water, and perhaps more, had woken her nipples up and they now stood at proud attention, peaked and deepening in color. But all this was lost on Sandy, she was too angry and upset to notice.

Climbing out of the pool, her white shorts were even more see-thru than her top, and given the fact she was not wearing panties, the pale red of her pubic hair was now a deep, wet, almost crimson and again, easy to see beneath her soaking shorts. She may as well have been naked.

Storming past her father, she stuggled to cover herself as she ran to her room. He, considered following her, his cock was rock hard and screaming at him. But there were too many people in the house. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't, and instead, found his way to his study, on his PC, watching that video of his daughter and Laurence, and jerking himself off. When he came, he swore he hit the ceiling with his cum....

Sandy, was sobbing now as she ran to her room, feeling eyes staring at her, she unable to hide herself completely from her father's gaze as she passed him, never mind the guys working in the house. But, just as she got to the stairs, she looked up and saw Elliot staring down at from the top .... And she ran up the stairs and straight into his arms....

Why did she feel so comfortable around him?????

~*~​

Kris finished that 4th shot of Jack. "Ok.. enough" she told herself, once more glancing at the clock. It was nearly 6:45. It wasn't like Elliot to be late like this. He'd been setting up since 4:30. She was sure he'd been at the bar by 6pm at the latest. But here it was, nearly 7pm and no sign of him, and the interview was at 8....

Was something wrong?

Kris pushed the button on her cell for Elliot... but no answer. Not surprising. He often left the cell in the van, he hated being disturbed by a ringingn cell phone when he was busy. Thinking for a minute, she decided to give Melissa a quick call, make sure Elliot had not gotten sidetracked by a little romantic time with the wife. Sometimes, Kris knew that Melissa would turn on the dramatics to keep Ell from leaving, even if he was reporting for work. She hoped this was not one of those times.

It rang 4 times before finally, she picked up... "Melissa? Hi, it's Kris... Listen... is Ell still there with......." Kris went silent. Melissa was crying on the other end of the phone. "What's the matter? Is .... everything..... OK?" .... "Oh everything's just fine... Kris" Melissa spit out. "Tell Elliot to find other arrangements for tonight and NOT come home!!!" and with that, Melissa threw her cell phone across the room, effecitvely cutting off the call. "Let him fuck HER" Melissa raged at no one. "LET HIM CHOKE HER!!!" .....

Kris just looked at the phone. What the fuck was that all about?? She wondered. Sure, they'd fought before, but this was ... well.. surprising to say the least.. Kris was not about to try and figure it out. She'd just ask Elliot... More than likely Melissa was just having a cow over him having to work late, again... with her.... again...

"Hey Charlie" Kris called out to the Bartender.. "Thanks for the drinks" She left the money on the bar, including a generous tip... "Guess I'm gonna have to head to the Finnery house and see what's up" she said to herself. She hadn't thought there'd been an accident or anything, she'd have heard the sirens or gotten a call. She was on Ell's "emergency contact" card in his wallet, so. She just figured he'd gotten busy setting up, or ran into a snafu and was working thru it. She'd just head there see what was going on...

With that, Kris headed out the door and to her car. The Finnery house was 20 mins or so up the road.....

It was tense for Elliot returning to the house. He had to watch and listen, helpless as the senator spanked his nineteen year old daughter. Yet in some deep, primal part of Elliot’s subconscious—it also turned him on. Watching the way her long hair would hop from her shoulders on the moment of impact, the way her lips hovered apart like they were opposing magnets. She looked so helpless.

Elliot was helpless too.

He wanted to stick up for her, to protect her from that sick father of hers and wrap her up in the safety of his arms, but that would have been beyond unprofessional. Ell’s return to the house also reawakened his crippling migraine.

Elliot was both dismayed and unsurprised that the other members of the mobile film crew had already begun wiring the formal sitting room for lights and sound—his alleged purpose there. Juan, a young but promising grip was wrapping the wires protruding from the soundboard in black electrical tape. Juan gave Elliot a knowing glance.

“Su nuevo novia, boss? Wouldn’t your wife object to—“

“Can it Hernandez, I don’t have the time or patience to deal with your mieda today.”

“Oh, of course. Smoking, drinking and flirting can be quite time consuming. Lucky you’ve still got a crew to pick up your slack. When can I start getting paid smoke breaks and time off for flirting?”

Elliot was seeing red. It was a common occurrence for members of the crew to bust each other’s balls, but today it made Ell livid pissed. He wanted to bash the fucker’s face against the stone fireplace until his brains leaked out of his eye-sockets. He wanted to break every rib in the chunky man’s torso and dislocate his shoulders. Instead he just sneered and sighed at Juan and went upstairs to ensure that they had a backup power source and to ensure that all the wires that had been run so far were secured.

He was upstairs when he heard the splash. It caught his attention immediately and snatched his mind back to poor Sandy. What was that monster doing to her? Ell tried in vain to put Sandy out of his mind until he heard the sliding door open and slam, followed by the sound of several techs jumping into action, trying to prevent vital electronics from being ruined by water droplets. He was standing at the top of the stairs when he saw her again, soaked to the skin with her young, nubile body on full display behind her clothes made transparent by saturation.

She ran to him, he opened his arms to her with no concern over the water that quickly soaked through his button up shirt and khakis. His hands seemed to move of their own accord, cupping and supporting her firm ass cheeks as he lifted her into his embrace and kissed her.

Elliot didn’t hesitate for a second, the thought of hesitation didn’t even enter his mind as his eyes drifted closed and his lips met hers in a passionate kiss that didn’t end, only deepened. As he felt Sandy’s tongue writhing gently against his own, Ell lost his balance briefly—stumbling back first into the wall of the hallway and then banging his shoulder into the opposite wall.

The first instinct that seized Ell was to carry Sandy back into her bedroom and fuck her brains out—but that was too obvious. Her room would be the first place they would look. Instead, he kicked open the door to her bathroom and carried her inside, pushing the door shut with his boot and fumbling to lock it against intruders.

He was already unbuttoning his shirt when Elliot set Sandy down on the counter, turning on the shower behind himself to muffle any sound that might betray their tryst. When he turned back to Sandy, Ell tossed his damp shirt off of his shoulders, revealing his well-defined torso as his hand came to rest on the side of Sandy’s face and his lips returned to hers.

Elliot’s other hand slipped down the front of Sandy’s soaking wet shorts, his middle digit sliding under the soft, fleshy hood to rub gentle but focused circles against her clit. His finger moved faster and more urgently as the kiss deepened, eventually sliding down and penetrating her as his tongue made its first gentle entrance into Sandy’s warm, young mouth. His finger was joined by another and he began to lightly finger her while his thumb combed through her wet pubic hair to resume the task of massaging her clit.

The room began to fill with steam as Ell released his gentle grasp of Sandy’s face to slide under her and begin peeling her wet shorts off of her hips. He had to reluctantly extract his fingers from the weeping, velvet warmth of her pussy to complete the task, but as her wet shorts landed on the tile floor with a slap, Ell’s face was moving in between Sandy’s creamy thighs, his lips lightly sucking on her now thoroughly awakened clit.

Everything happened so fast...

She was running up the stairs, sobbing and soaking wet, and right into Elliot's arms. Wrapping herself around him, he so easily embracing her, lifting her, hands on her backside, her legs curling tightly about his hips, lips meeting, mouths opening, tongues entwining. She didn't even realize where he was carrying her until she was set on the counter by the sink. But even then, she had no time to comprehend what was happening or about to happen. Lips meeting once more, low purring moans exchanged, the feel of his fingers invading her sex, stroking, clit swelling, the tightness of her pussy grasping... Her own fingers winding into his hair as she tasted his tongue, playfully tickling along his lips, delving her own into his mouth... "Ohhhh goddd... Ell" she whispering that nickname that Kris so often used, the name coming almost naturally to her...

And then her wet shorts were off, a soft smack to the tile floor as he dropped them there. Her panties gone as well. And when he lowered, and the warmth of his mouth suddenly found her sensitive clit, the glide of his tongue as he lapped at her, the subtle pressure as he suckled that throbbing nub into his mouth, Sandy threw back her head and almost cried out, the sound was right there, about to escape from her lips, but a little inner voice whispered... "quiet... " and instead of that wild keening of pleasure, Sandy began a low mewling, purring, sighing... her entire body began to tremble, she lifting both legs over his shoulders, her hips tilting up a bit as she reclined back against the wall mounted mirror... one hand bracing on the counter she was seated on, the other finding and grasping the back of his head. Sandy began to rock ever so slightly to his mouth, she gasping now, panting, the wetness of her now flowing, slick, heated, sweet, coating the lips and silk soft skin of her sex..

"Ooooohhhh god... yessssss" she murmured, over and over again, letting her eyes roll back and close in the intense pleasure that was now cascading over her. Forgotten was her father and his treatment of her. Forgotten was the interview in an hour. Forgotten was Laurence. Forgotten was those horrifying nightmares... her mind, her body, flooded now with Elliot and what he was doing to her... and the small fact that if he kept this up, she was going to explode... Her clit was pulsing, as were the inner walls of her pussy, matching her wildly beating heart.

This is wrong... that little voice starting to insist.. This is wrong.. he is married.. you saw that ring on his finger... Sandy shook her head, again moaning low and deep as he increased the wet suckling pressure on her clit... He started this... He kissed her. And again she shook her head, ridding herself of the voices. If he wanted to cheat on his wife, why did she care? All she cared about was his mouth on her clit, his hands on her body, and hopefully his cock pumping in and out of her soaking wet pussy...

"Oooooo goddd..... I'm gonna..... Ohhhhhhhh I'm gonnna... cummmmm" she began to almost chant tho she was still whispering in a hushed tone... Sandy continued rocking her hips to his mouth, head thrown back, eyes closed, her entire body shuddering now...

~*~​

Kris had to sit in her car and just focus for a few. "Damn it Jack" she scolded, as if Jack Daniels were a person. "I could drink twice what I did tonight and drive fine. Why am I having such an issue now?" Reaching for the bottle of water she always kept in her car, she took a long, deep drink... the hydration helping to clear her head. Another long swig... and one more...

"Ahhh, that's better..." Kris felt her mind finally clearing. "OK, I'll get to the Finnery house, find Ell, make sure everything is ready, then I can change into my dress, get myself together and then we can do this." It had been along time since she had to give herself a pep talk. She wasn't all that sure why she was a bit nervous, well, maybe because she had, literally, saved this girl's life. Kris had never been responsible for a life before, well, other than her little sister. Sure, she had saved her little sister from drowning way back when, not that anyone ever said thank you. Her father had been so relieved that her sister had survived and was all right, but never asknowledged that SHE had saved her.... bastard.... Oh well... that had NO bearing on this...

Kris turned the radio on, loud and let the music drive away any of those thoughts, memories, and worries. She'd done lots of interviews. Sure this one was one of the biggest, but it was, in reality, just an interview...

With the music playing, the ride to the Finnery house seemed alot faster than 20 mins and Kris found herself pulling into the driveway. She saw Elliot's van, as well as the News Tech Van as well. Oh great, Juan was here. Kris didn't like that chubby little guy, he was always busting on Elliot and Kris thought that Juan had a secret crush on Ell's wife, Melissa... hence why he seemed to always want to bust on Elliot, out of that weird, misplaced jealousy... Oh well... she, like Ell, would just have to deal with it.

In fact, Juan emerged from the Tech van just as Kris got out of her car. "Hey Juan" she smiled, fake tho it was. Juan just grinned that toothy grin back... "Hey Senorita" he drawled, as he hoisted the cables he had just extracated from the van over his shoulders..... "Where's Ell?" Juan just winked and pointed inside. He had seen the girl run into his arms, but hadn't seen where they went after that, but bet your bottom dollar he was gonna tell Elliot's wife, first chance he got.. of course he didn't say any of this to Kris.. Just a wink, and a point inside.. "I think he's upstairs talking to the girl" he admitted. Juan had wanted to march up there and find out what Elliot was doing, but didn't dare. Elliot was still his boss and he needed this job, no matter what. But if Kris found him doing something inappropriate with that girl, tht was an entirely different story....

Kris just nodded, and, after grabbing her dress and makeup case out of the back of her car, she headed inside. Pausing, she took a look around for the Senator, but he was no where to be found. With a slight shake to her head, she set her dress and makeup down and made her way upstairs.

The layout was easy enough to figure out, 6 rooms total. 2 of the rooms, the doors were open and the rooms empty. Bedrooms. Kris found and checked what looked to be a study... but that too was empty.. "Ell??" Where was he? And where was the girl? When Kris checked the next room, she realized that was the girl's bedroom. There were pictures of her and her friends scattered about, and a really pretty dress hung up on the closet door.... But no Finnery girl and no.. Elliot... "ELL??? Where are you?" ... it was then as she stepped back into the hall that she heard something from the small door she was now standing in front of... running water.... A shower running. OK, this was obviously the bathroom and someone was taking a shower. But then she heard it, over the monodrone of the water.... moaning.... No... wait... more... "ooooohhhh godddddd... I'm gonna... ohhhhhh goddddddd".......

Was that... Sandy? It had to be. But who was she with, and where... was Elliot?

Had it always been like this?

Had life always been so simple and so pure?

Had Elliot always been able to snatch whatever his heart desired out of thin air and make it his by doing nothing more difficult than to reach out and take it? Maybe it had. Maybe his whole life had been nothing but a string of missed opportunities and blown chances to have everything he could ever dream of and more—so much more!

Sandy’s sweet pussy writhing and weeping against his eager and attentive tongue was a revelation for the middle aged cinematographer, a tightly wound epiphany just waiting to be penetrated, exposed and opened to him. His eyes had been opened as well.

As her sweet whimpers and sex-fueled sighs mixed with the ribbons of steam that filled the tile bathroom, Elliot was encouraged and bore down, plunging his tongue deeper inside her and flickering it back and forth as he slowly raised his chin to paddle his way back up to her clit. This time, as his lips made subtle contact with her now swollen and reaching clit, he sucked it forcefully between his lips and puckered up to pinch it from the sides. Inside his mouth, the flickering tongue treatment became more urgent and determined, battering at that tiny little tent of exposed nerve endings like a prize-fighter working the speed bag.

When her husky moans promised him a climax, Elliot slid two fingers inside her and curled his index finger upward, like he was trying to hold his fingertip to his lips in the universal sign for quiet—had there not been a firm, nubile, young body in between his digit and his lips. The middle finger remained straight and in that forked posture, his hand started moving back and forth, like he was imitating the way a saw cuts a board in half. Faster—faster—faster his fingers fucked Sandy’s tight, clenching little hole until the muscles in his shoulder began to clench and sink into the creases of his musculature.

“Munmhgh fohm meegh!” Elliot’s muddled voice barely resembled intelligible speech, as his lips maintained their grip on her clit. He’d meant to say cum for me but the gibberish that made it past the flesh gag between his lips was unintelligible, except in tone and intent.

They weren’t words so much as they were a physical command, a union of motion, sensation, vibration and desire that informed Sandy’s lithe, young body that it was time to let go—time to release.

As he felt her body tense, the fear of being discovered made Elliot reach his free arm up to clasp his palm over Sandy’s open mouth, muffling her cries as the first wave of her climax washed over her. The sound was not unlike the garbled command Elliot had vibrated into her clit just a moment ago. Her long limbs strained and lashed out in slow, uncontrolled motion, nearly lifting her up from the counter, but Ell held her down, making sure that his tongue and fingers carried his new, young lover through every last drop of exquisite pleasure that he could milk from her inexperienced body.

When at last, she settled down, legs still twitching but no longer tense, Elliot reluctantly let her clit slip from his mouth, taking care to drag every last inch of his tongue along her still weeping and flame-hot slit as he raised his smiling face.

“Damn…” Ell sighed, smiling as he wrapped her up in his strong and heartfelt embrace. “Sandy, you’re so damn beautiful.”

I want to see you helpless

Elliot kissed her again, cradling the side of her neck in his palm as his hand slid away from its grip over her mouth, passionate and tender—a more sincere kiss than he’d shared with his wife in ages. A kiss from his heart.

As the kiss broke, he pressed his forehead against hers, desperately trying to regain his breath. He was vaguely aware that there were reasons not to be doing what he was—but for the life of him, he couldn’t think of a single one. She wanted him to fuck her, he could see it in those expressive green eyes, hear it in her wanton sighs as plainly as if she were begging for it out loud. Had it always been this easy? All that was required of him was to reach out and take it.

Just then, he heard a floorboard in the hallway creak and the reality of his situation washed over him like a bucket of ice water. Dear God, what had he done? Yet his outward visage disguised any such feelings from Sandy. He just stayed there, close and sighing in perfect unison with her breathing.

“I want you.” He sighed, his thumb gently sliding against her cheek as he looked into her eyes.

I want to see you hepless

“But the things I want to do to you… There just isn’t time.” Elliot sighed, his other hand gently cupping and massaging her firm, upturned breast, thumb rubbing circles over her perky, pink nipple. “Get a shower, get pretty for the cameras—my camera—and make love to me through the lens. Afterward, I’ll take you away from all this. We’ll never look back.”

One more gentle kiss, and Ell managed to reluctantly tear himself away from Sandy’s nubile young body to retrieve his shirt. He dressed slowly, watching every move that Sandy made as she finished undressing herself and getting ready for her shower. His shirt was still wet with pool water, but his body was so hot by now that it was a welcome sensation.

Stealing one last kiss, Ell unlocked the bathroom door and tried to slip out quietly, nearly colliding with Kris in the hallway in his haste. He was quick to kick the door shut behind himself, a wave of genuine panic reawakening his migraine as he was forced to wrap his arms around the lovely, young newscaster in order to avoid knocking her over.

“Jesus Christ! Kris! What are you—you’re not dressed yet?” Ell wrapped his arm around Kris’ shoulder, eager to steer his coworker away from the bathroom and steer the conversation away from what he’d been doing in there. “Kris… Have you been drinking?”

As he asked it, Ell turned and took hold of her shoulders, his gaze penetrating and stern—unabashed in his hypocrisy and judgment.

“Damnit, Kris. You promised.”

“I want you.” He sighed, his thumb gently sliding against her cheek as he looked into her eyes.

“But the things I want to do to you… There just isn’t time.” Elliot sighed, his other hand gently cupping and massaging her firm, upturned breast, thumb rubbing circles over her perky, pink nipple. “Get a shower, get pretty for the cameras—my camera—and make love to me through the lens. Afterward, I’ll take you away from all this. We’ll never look back.”

Wait... what???

Sandy didn't even have time to formulate an answer to his words. She had expected to hear the "I want you" and the "your so damn beautiful" remark was more than welcome. But she had not expected for him to state, pretty matter of factly, that he'd take her away from all this... that they'd never look back... what the hell was he talking about? Blinking, she just stared as he quickly and quietly exited the bathroom... leaving her half naked, her pussy sopping wet with her own climactic juices, hell, she was still shaking after that wild orgasm.

Yes, she wanted to fuck him. Sandy admitted that to herself. He was older, handsome, and damn did he know how to use his mouth, tongue, and fingers. She could only imagine how good he was in bed. The climax he had taken her to left her shaking and weak. The waves of pleasure that had washed over her were unlike anything she had ever felt before. She'd been with boys before, it was one of the things that she loved tormenting her father with, the fact that she was not a virgin, that she had sex and would continue to have sex. But this, this was entirely different. Her orgasm had been so intense, she thought she was going to pass out. And he had fucked her with only his mouth and fingers. It left Sandy trembling, and it left her wanting more... So yes... she most certainly did want to fuck Elliot.

But she was not about to run away with him. He was married. What was he thinking. Not that being married really was the thing to Sandy. It was just the fact that after one interlude, he was ready to take her away forever. What was that all about? She wasn't in love with him. Hell, she wasn't even in lust with him, well, she was now, but not when this began. She had no designs on seducing him or anything. She just... well.. felt comfortable around him. And obviously, he felt comfortable around her. But she wasn't about to run away with him...

He, with his quick exit, didn't even give her the chance to protest. Or explain, or anything. He left her there, sitting on the counter, pussy dripping wet, nipples still peaked, she was aroused and now.. confused... She almost got off the counter and went after him, but as Sandy lay her hand to the doorknob, she heard him talking to someone just outside the door...

~*~​

“Jesus Christ! Kris! What are you—you’re not dressed yet?” Ell wrapped his arm around Kris’ shoulder, “Kris… Have you been drinking?”
As he asked it, Ell turned and took hold of her shoulders, his gaze penetrating and stern—unabashed in his hypocrisy and judgment.

“Damnit, Kris. You promised.”

The door had opened right in front of her face, just as she was about to lean in and listen, like a nosey schoolgirl wanting to hear her friend making out. She cared less about what Sandy was doing. That was her business, but she couldn't find Ell, Juan had stated he had been talking to the girl and now.... hearing Sandy's moans before her voice was cut off....

And then, Ell was in front of her..

Wait.. what? Drinking? Could he...?? Of course he could. Elliot had always been pretty astute when it came to Kris and her drinking. She had never been able to fool him, not for a minute. Why had she even entertained the thought that she could now. What had she been thinking?

"I... umm... I.. Ell..." looking down and away... she wasn't even sure what to say to him. Tell him about the nightmare the words slowly slid across her mind. Tell him... Kris did trust Elliot. He had listened to her for the last couple years while she worked thru her drinking and her issues and not once had he laughed or belittled her, or thought she was overreacting or nuts. Why would he this time? A nightmare could be a serious thing, right?

"I... I'm sorry Ell... With everything going on with the girl and her kidnapper and the coverage, I.. had a pretty bad nightmare when I fell asleep earlier and got.. well.. spooked... " she paused, lifting her lowered eyes to look into his... "I didn't mean for it to happen Ell...." that was when she grew a bit... suspicious. He had a gleam in his eye, as if he were distracted, or .. worried... and then she caught the scent on his breath. Kris was not a connoisseur of pussy when it came to taste or smell... but, she knew the scent of sex. It was distintive, and she recognized that scent on Elliot's breath. Kris had pleasured herself enough times with her fingers to recognize that scent. He was in that room with Sandy... he was the reason Sandy was moaning as she was. She didn't know the specifics of all that happened in there, but she didn't need to know that....

Kris took a step back from him, shrugging his hands off from her shoulders.

"Elliot".... shaking her head, she took another step back... "what the hell are you THINKING???" her voice emphasizing the last word... Kris would never condemn Elliot, she couldn't... and she would never tell Melissa. But she was disappointed... Sandy was just a kid really, compared to both of them.. and after what she'd gone thru, not to mention how inappropriate it was from a business standpoint. "What the hell is the matter with you? Are you CRAZY? You know better than to... to... ELL... she's only 19!!!!!!!"

This was not like Ell... Kris knew him well enough to know that he was not one to easily just cheat on his wife. In fact, she didn't think he ever had, tho there were a couple of times, when they were on assignment together, that she had caught him flirting with a couple of women. But she had never seen him do anything inappropriate. And the flirting always looked harmless to her. He was a handsome man, Kris always told him that. She would, of course, never admit to him that she sometimes fantasized about him when she did pleasure herself. She knew that part of the reason they worked so well together was due to the fact that they were attracted to each other. But she also knew they were both professional and had never acted on it in the least bit, despite with others thought..

But now, the thought of what he had been doing, just behind that door, to the Finnery girl.. that thought suddenly dominated Kris's mind, and she couldn't seem to get it out of there.. The fact that the scent of sex was on his breath.............

The image hit her so hard, that she actually recoiled from it, almost falling backwards. The wall behind her was the only reason she managed to stay on her feet.. She saw Elliot... she saw the Finnery girl... tied down to what looked like an alter, the same alter that she had been chained to in her nightmare... The girl was writhing, moaning, crying out, Ell was between her widely opened legs, bent over, his face buried in the warmth of her pussy.. the girl was rocking her hips to his mouth as he feasted on her... Kris closed her eyes, trying to drive the scene out of her head, to no avail. But it did change, melting together, becoming fuzzy and hard to see.. and a moment later, it snapped back into focus again, and this time it was Kris, chained down to that alter, naked, writhing, moaning, begging, and Elliot was now feasting on her, his tongue delving deep into her virginal sex, drawing out the sweetness of her honey.... NO NO NO NO NO... her protests falling on deaf ears.. tears flowing from her tightly closed eyes, as if maybe she could will her way out of what was happening.. "PLEASE.... please stopppp... ELLIOT...." she was begging, from the depths of her soul, begged for him to stop what he was doing to her...

And..... he did....

For a brief moment. She thought it was over. Kris even dared to open her eyes. Dared to hope that the nightmare had passed. She was wrong. Her tearfilled gaze focused... focused on Elliot, still standing between her outstretched, widely parted legs. He was grinning at her, that same toothfilled grin that the dog-faced Anubis had smiled in her earlier nightmare. For a minute, she was confused as to why he was smiling at her that way. Until her eyes traveled downwards.... He was holding his hard, engorged cock in his hand. NO.. NO.. GOD NO... she was screaming... ELLIOT.. NO.. DON'T DO...... TH...... Her pleas were cut off when he thrust forward, driving the length of himself into the heated, soaking wet, tight, hole to her sex. Kris howled in pain, her back arching, the chains that held her going taut. If felt to her as if he were driving a dagger deep inside her. It took her a moment to realize, as she caught her breath, that he had pulled back and out of her... NO... DON'T..... and again, he rammed himself forward, his cock pushing into and disappearing inside her pussy, the thick head finding the flimsy skin that blocked his way into her depths, that same skin marked her as virginal... with a low growl, he thrust forward, as Kris shrieked in pain, ripping thru her virginal barrier and impaling her upon his shaft as deep as it could go.. Her scream of pain, of humiliation, tore thru her and left her panting, sobbing, a low keening sound vibrating past her lips. She couldn't stop what he was doing, and as she heard chanting in the background, she catching a glimpse of Anubis watching, arms crossed, that same fanged grin cracking his muzzle... Elliot grabbed onto Kris's hips and began rocking his hips obscenely, his cock, coated with her lubrication and virginal blood, slick and slippery, now plunging in and out of her, the wet sound of skin on skin mingling with the chanting all around her... She was mewling, keening, whimpering, with every thrust if hips... her body shuddering, she closing her eyes once more as she cried out, over and over again.... PPPPlease stop... ppplease....

Kris was trembling against the wall ... her eyes tightly closed, but even when she opened them, she wasn't seeing Elliot in front of her, or the hallway of the Finnery home. It wasn't until Sandy opened the door to the bathroom, having heard the commotion, heard the THUD when Kris had backed up into the wall... It had taken her a few minutes to get her shorts on, get her top situated, and splash cool water on her face. She was still soaking wet from her climax, so her shorts were already getting damp from her own moisture as she opened the door to see what was going on in the hall..

"Is... everything alright?"

Kris blinked, as if waking up. Her pupils were wide, almost unseeing, and it took a few seconds for her to be able to focus and see Elliot and the Finnery girl. Just looking at the girl confirmed what she had thought. The look in Ell's eyes, as he turned to glance at the girl before looking back to Kris .... that's all it took....

"I'm ok.... " Kris shot a look at Elliot that said WE need to talk.... "I just almost fainted is all.. I'm ok... long days... little sleep" Kris nodded to the Finnery girl. "I'll be fine...." She reached out and grabbed Elliot's wrist, looking at his watch. "We have less than an hour to get our collective shit together. " She had to find something else to occupy her mind and get that nightmare image out of there. DAMN, I could use some Jack.. she thought to herself as she pushed out from the wall she was leaning on and past both Sandy and Elliot. "We.." she gestured to Sandy and herself.. "need to get dressed and into makeup. We both don't need to be looking like we haven't slept".. that was when Kris realized, Sandy looked as if she hadn't slept in a very long time. Kris could see those telltale signs, the darkness under her eyes, the dull look in those eyes, the pale hue to her skin, her slightly unsteady gait..

"I know.. I know" Sandy said.. "I just need to shower quickly. Feel free to use my room to change if you want." and she disappeared back into the bathroom....

Kris looked at Elliot with a sad shake to her head. "You know we have to talk.." and she turned, headed downstairs to get her dress and makeup... she was about to shut the door to the girl's room and get herself changed and all that, when she turned and looked at Elliot, stepping up to him, close, her body a mere hair's breath away.. "Ell.. you know I love you dearly and I only want what's best for you. She, is not best for you and you know that.. this situation is not the best for you... and you know that too... Kris reached up and let her fingertips trail lightly along his cheek... then she turned and disappeared into the room, the door closing behind her....

Elliot was so close to getting away with it, he’d almost redirected Kris’ suspicion with enough poise and conviction to make her forget what she thought she saw or heard—close but no cigar. A whiff of his breath was all that it took and Kris’ keen and inquisitive intellect assembled the pieces, even impaired as she was, she was still an investigative journalist at heart. Undone by pussy-breath—how embarrassing.

At least it was Kris who’d caught him in the midst of his tryst and not Melissa—Kris would never turn on Ell, and he knew it. She was too hopelessly in love with him for that. Still, he understood why it hurt her so deeply. If Ell was going to cheat on his beautiful, young wife—Kris wanted it to be with her.

All in due time.

When Kris began scolding him, like a misbehaving toddler, Ell’s eyes glazed over with rage. He didn’t have to take this from her—nor did he intend to.

“Shhhhhh…” Ell whispered as Kris cried out Sandy’s age much louder than he would have preferred, he pressed the very tip of his index finger against her supple bottom lip and without even an ounce of pressure, silenced her scolding and pushed her back against the wall.

Kris’ eyes were rolled back in her head and her lips parted as she faintly shook and made gentle sighing noises. It was an odd thing to behold, but Ell knew that somehow this was his doing… He didn’t know exactly what was even happening, but he could feel the doing of it within—like he’d always had this ability and just never known before.

“Your turn is coming…” Ell whispered against Kris’ neck with a voice that was not entirely his own, his arm wrapping around the small of Kris’ back as he pressed her back tighter against the wall. “Be a patient prey.”

Ell grimaced as the sound of the bathroom door opening brought him abruptly back to his senses, taking a swift step back to polite conversation distance as Sandy poked her nosey little face out of the bathroom. He had to work hard not to grasp her face in his palm and shove her back into the tiled room.

You’re not needed here.

Rage.

Fuck, why was he so fucking angry? It took every ounce of patience he could muster to endure the embarrassed chit-chatting between Sandy and Kris—where to change, how much time there was, what cleaning would be necessary, where to have makeup applied.

You’re both just warm meat. Useless, fluid-filled flesh, writhing about, begging pocket change from wide-eyed gawkers made of the same. Matter out of place.

Sandy eventually retreated back into the bathroom and Ell was finally left alone with Kris. She moved close, close enough to be described as intimate and spoke softly to him, touching his face gently as she did—it was all in his best interest she said. Her fingertips dragged velvet fire down his jawline and just as their lips seemed helplessly drawn together, an inevitable force of animal magnetism drawing them toward their most basic and primal impulses, she retreated to Sandy’s room and shut the door behind herself.

That ought to have been an end to it, let it lie and focus on the work to be done. But Ell couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t allow Kris to think that she’d witnessed what she actually had. He needed to dissemble—to make the truth cloudy again so that no one could definitively say that he’d done anything out of the ordinary. With brazen fervor, Ell swung open Sandy’s bedroom door after Kris, locking himself inside after. The best defense is a good offense.

“No. No, we’re going to talk now—not even that—I’m going to talk and you’re going to shut up and listen, Kris. Understand? Maybe it never crossed your whiskey soaked brain, but what you think is not only untrue but also deeply offensive. Did it ever occur that in the three hours or so you spent tipping your glass that I might have had occasion to swing by the house? No, you only like to fantasize about my home life—reality is incidental. As it happens, the pussy you’re so sure you smell on me came from Melissa, my wife! In the scant hour or so I finally had to myself today I took the time to go home and fuck my wife. Ate her pussy too, even choked her with a belt and spanked her ass. I fucking loved it too! I don’t want to leave anything out, since you’re so keenly interested in what and where my tongue and cock end up. I came inside her and drove straight over here. I was helping Sandy dry herself off—not eating her goddamn pussy, you drunk bitch!”

Ell’s voice was tense and rasping with heated emotion, he seemed to have doubled in size and was stalking Kris into an ever shrinking corner of the room, invading her intimate space this time.

“If you’re really so interested in my mouth and cock, all you’ve got to do is say the word. If I ever decided to cheat on my wife it would be with you, Kris.”

With that, Ell grasped the small of her back and the back of her neck and kissed her deeply and passionately, forcing his tongue—still coated in Sandy’s pussy juices—into her mouth, writhing against her own tongue that tasted vaguely of cheap whiskey. His hand trailed down to her firm, malleable ass and pulled her close enough to feel his erection through his jeans.

When the kiss broke, Ell came away holding Kris’ hastily scribbled notes.

“You work on figuring out what you really want from me, Kris—I’ll sort through your notes and see if I can shoehorn some coherence into them.”

There was a click as Ell unlocked the room and returned to the hall, followed by another click of his pen. In between the lines of Kris’ loose arrangement of hastily scrawled notes he wrote concrete questions that seemed to flow from his hand faster than his mind could even formulate them.

Did your abductor ever mention any other girls?

Did any part of you enjoy what was done to you when you were in Laurence’s care?

Now that you know suffering, how are you living your life differently?

“You work on figuring out what you really want from me, Kris... I'll sort through your notes and see if I can shoehorn some coherence into them.”

He left her standing there, speechless. The click of the door as it closed echoing in the depths of her mind. What the hell just happened?
Blinking, taking a very needed, very deep breath, the tip of her tongue darting out to moisten her lips, and it was that act that brought her back to reality. She could taste.. him.. her.. sex... on her lips... from kissing him... what the hell just happened??

Had she been that wrong?

Never mind the fact that she was trembling. Leaning against that wall where he had pressed into her, where he had whispered to her "shhhh, your turn is coming.. be a patient prey".. where he had kissed her.. Damn, now she was shaking. His voice.. His touch.. His words... Her heart was racing...

What the hell just happened?

Had good ole Jack Daniels, her favorite drink, clouded her usually sharp mind that much? Had Jack fucked with her that badly? Had she made that big an error in judgement, in observation? Her gut, her intuition, her sense, told her no. She had been spot on with what she had insinuated from what she saw. But there was the tiniest spark of doubt. Jack had never been one to help. Jack was never a help, always a hindrance. Jack exaggerated things. Jack misheard things.. did Ell say something about her turn was coming? That she was ... prey? Jack was known to make mistakes... the pussy you’re so sure you smell on me came from Melissa, my wife! In the scant hour or so I finally had to myself today I took the time to go home and fuck my wife. Ate her pussy too, even choked her with a belt and spanked her ass. I fucking loved it too! I don’t want to leave anything out, since you’re so keenly interested in what and where my tongue and cock end up. I came inside her and drove straight over here. I was helping Sandy dry herself off—not eating her goddamn pussy, you drunk bitch!”

Choked her with his belt??? Spanked her ass? LOVED IT?? Drunk Bitch? He had NEVER used that tone with her. He had never insulted her like that before. What the FUCK was going on????

He had not even given her a chance to respond. He had not given her a chance to say anything, and that wasn't like Elliot. Not like him at all. Or was that Jack, twisting things around yet again?

“If you’re really so interested in my mouth and cock, all you’ve got to do is say the word. If I ever decided to cheat on my wife it would be with you, Kris.”

And then... he kissed her. It sounded cliche. It sounded like an old song she had loved as a child... and then he kissed me.....

I didn't know just what to do, So I whispered, "I love you"
And he said that he loved me too
And then he kissed me

He kissed me in a way, that I've never been kissed before
He kissed me in a way
That I wanna be kissed forever more

And then he kissed me...

But, this kiss was far from cliche. Kris let her lips part, the soft sigh that escaped was swallowed by his mouth and tongue as he delved within the warmth of her mouth. Her own tongue sought his, curling, twisting, tasting, submitting. It had been such a long time since she had been kissed this way, such a very long time. Her mind told her, pretty matter of factly, that it was back in high school, with Jeremy, that's how long ago it was. Kris melted into the kiss, into his embrace, and for a moment, a very brief moment, she let her desire overflow her emotions, and felt the heat tingling thru her. She undulated against him, pressing to his form, her own seeming to fit against his perfectly, as if 2 halves of the same whole.

What the hell was happening???

“You work on figuring out what you really want from me, Kris.”

The kiss broke and she was left, standing there, against the far wall of the pretty, girly bedroom, gasping, the door clicking shut as Ell left the room.

What the hell just happened?

Kris had never thought of Ell that way. Never. Yes, he was quite attractive, and yes, Kris had certainly noticed that. But that was the extent. She had never felt any desire to sleep with Elliot... Not until this very moment. She loved him more than anyone in the world other than her little sister. He was her best friend. She trusted him. But that did not equate to... what just happened. And she knew for a fact that he had always felt the same for her. He had never flirted with her, never put the moves on her, even during those long long nights reporting those breaking stories. Always it had been nothing but friendship between them. When it had been just the 2 of them alone in the editing room, He had never made an inappropriate comment or tried to touch her, and she had never done any of that with him... They were a team... They were best friends...

What the hell just happened?

Had Jack completely fucked with her emotions? Hell, had Jack completely fucked with her everything? Now she was completely confused. Confused at what she thought she saw.. Confused at what she thought she smelled for that matter. Confused at the conclusion she had come to. Confused at his reaction, his anger... no... his almost rage at what she had said.. and then his ... his... kiss.... and his confession that if he were to cheat on his wife, it would be with.... her.... HER!!! Was all this simply a product of Jack's imagination????

There was a quiet knock on the door, and it was that sound, that drew Kris back to the here and now. Sandy popping her head in. "Hi, I didn't want to startle you... " she slipped in, bathrobe wrapped around her freshly showered body...

It was a bit strange, the Interviewer and the Interviewee in the same room getting prepped for the interview. But this was different and Kris knew it. It was because of her, afterall, that the girl had been found and saved. And Sandy, she felt a certain closeness to Kris now because of it.

Ask her....

That had to be Jack talking .. again. Damn that fucking bottle of whiskey...

Ask her....

Sandy sat down on her bed, trailing her long, slender fingers thru her damp, crimson red mane. "So.. do you think this interview will make me famous?" she tentatively asked, looking at Kris... "Well, I think you are already a household name, this will only intensify that. You survived a nightmare, that makes you pretty special"

"Do you think there will be a movie deal?" That idea made Sandy smile. A movie.. that surely would make her famous. That would get her the hell out of here, that's for sure. She could live in Hollywood, go to all the parties, maybe marry a movie star....

Kris had already heard that several movie studios were vying for the movie rights to this story. Nothing had been finalized, so Sandy had not been contacted yet. But they were chomping at the bit to tell the story of the girl who survived and the reporter who figured out the puzzle and saved her.

Kris, was dreading the idea.

Ask her...

The question popped back into her head. Ask her....

They could include Sandy's little sexual escapade with the cameraman, Elliot, in the movie as well..

"Let's just get the interview done and maybe we can meet for dinner and chat about that" Kris really didn't want to talk about any of that at the moment. Jack and Ell had her thoughts all muddled. She just needed to get thru this and then go home and sleep it off.. and forget both of them...

ASK HER.....

"Sandy..." Kris turned to face the girl. With focused steps, she strode to where the girl sat on the bed, looming over her, almost threatening.. "What were you and Elliot doing in that bathroom?" her dark eyes locked into Sandy's lighter gaze.

"I.... " Sandy stammered, having been caught off guard. "He...." she stopped again. What had she done? Wait, she knew exactly what she had done, the question was ... why. "I didn't mean for it to happen" she finally managed to spit out. She certainly had not set out to screw around with the cute cameraman... "Don't say anything to my father. He'd have a cow and I don't want him ruining this interview" she nearly snapped out the words, a spark alight in her eyes. Yes, she loved driving her father nuts with the boys she banged. But this, this had been entirely different. He'd have a fucking fit and she didn't want him interrupting or screwing up this interview. This was her big chance. Her chance to be famous. She wasn't about to let that get all screwed up because she couldn't control her hormones and had a tryst with the camera man. Anyway, it was her father's fault. He had spanked her, SPANKED HER.. she was an adult and he treated her like shit!! Never mind the fact that Elliot had kissed her. He had undressed her. He had gotten down on his knees and eaten her out. It was HIS fault as well. And he had babbled something about taking her away... She'd have to set him straight on that little fact. Yes, she was getting the hell out of here, but she was going to LA, since she'd be famous. She'd be away from her idiot of a father. If he thought she embarrassed him now, wait til she got out to LA!!

That was all Kris needed to hear. I didn't mean for it to happen...Elliot LIED to her. LIED. Had he ever lied to her in the past? Kris had always thought they were too close, too good of friends to ever lie to each other. She had never lied to him. Why would he lie to her? She'd never condemn him. She might tell him what he was doing was wrong, but she would never judge him, or condemn him.. and she would never say anything to his wife. He must know that...

What the hell was happening here?

Kris merely nodded to Sandy and turned away. Jack was clouding her senses and emotions. She needed to get herself under control and get this interview in the bag. She'd confront Ell later tonight, when this was all over and they were alone.

"Let's just get dressed and get this done Sandy" Kris said quietly, taking her dress and makeup to the bathroom.

~*~​

The interview

The setup crew was gone. Now it was Kris and Elliot's show. Jack or no Jack, Kris was determined to get this interview in the bag and for it to be... perfect...

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Charles Berger, CNN News. Tonight, the interview you have all been waiting for. Exclusive. Kristal Howe speaks with the victim that she, herself, rescued, Sandra Finnery. You will hear her story. You will feel her terror at the hands of a madman. You will experience her relief and joy at her rescue, after Kris recognized where she was being held, and the police got there just in time. Tonight, the interview with the Survivor of a Maniac, Sandra Finnery."

Kris really hated that particular News Anchor, Charlie Berger. Pompus Ass... He was still pissed off that he hadn't been offered the interview.

Sandra sat across from Kris. She was just beautiful, in her emerald green dress, low cut, silken,which clung perfectly to her every young, firm curve. Her flaming red hair, pulled back in a long braid, lain over one shoulder, and those expressive, big, wide, jade colored eyes. Surely boys from 15 to 30 were falling in love with this beauty tonight, as she sat there, her freckled skin yet another epitome of innocence.

Then there was Kris, with her smoldering dark eyes, her mane of nearly midnight hair, falling free about her face and shoulders. Her flawless darker complexion that seemed to shine for the camera. Her dress was less "look at me" colored than Sandra's. She had chosen a deep wine colored dress, high necked, sleeveless, conservative. The color, the dress itself, accented her exotic beauty.

Kris had glanced at her notes just as the lights came on and the announcement started. She saw Elliot's additions, which made her raise an eyebrow. Interesting questions, she thought to herself, trembling a bit from a chill that just shot thru her.

Did your abductor ever mention any other girls?

Did any part of you enjoy what was done to you when you were in Laurence’s care?

Now that you know suffering, how are you living your life differently?

Laurence's care? Did any part of her enjoy????? She was not about to ask that question. If she asked that, her Editor, as well as the general public would crucify her. What kind of question was that? What the HELL was Elliot thinking?? The girl was not in his care. The girl would NEVER have enjoyed what was done to her. He had kinapped her. Tortured her. She had almost died!!!

"Good Evening, this is Kristal Howe, for CNN... and I'm here tonight to speak with Sandra Finnery. I'm sure you all know the story of what happened to this brave and very lucky girl. Tonight... we get to hear what happened in her own words....."

This is it.. Sandra thought. This is it.. I'm going to be FAMOUS...

The interview started with Sandra's father, Senator Finnery, discussing his reaction to his daughter being reported missing and the steps he took, his reaction to the police informing him that she had been kidnapped, and the frantic search to find her alive. They spoke about the video feed that had been sent, showing her bound, showing her helpless. Kris noted a gleam in his eye as they discussed that aspect of this story and she found it slightly disturbing. That same video feed was run during the story as well, and Kris noticed that the Senator, Sandy's father, appeared to be excited at seeing his own daughter helpless. Again that chill crawled down her spine. She could only hope that Ell noticed it as well and aimed the camera accordingly, not showing the inappropriate bulge that appeared in his pants. He, on the other hand, was only thinking of how this would boost his name recognition.. and cement this place in politics....

"I love my daughter, Kris, and I am grateful to you and to God, that she is home safe with me now" His smile was so fake, Kris thought she would vomit right then and there...

Some time was then spent talking with Sandy and her father, about her family, her childhood, and their reunion after her rescue.

Finally, after that series of discussions and questions, came the questions everyone was waiting for... the questions regarding her kidnapping and her time as the captive, the victim of a madman. Kris easily dismissed the Senator, knowing that Sandy would be much more comfortable answering these more sensitive questions without him present, which was fine with him. He had another interview scheduled with a local station anyway, and he headed out the door to his waiting state limo, to take him to that appointment, leaving Sandy with Kris and Elliot. He was grinning ear to ear like the cheshire cat. This just may get me to the Presidency.. he thought to himself...

Sandy did her best to answer as Kris peppered her with questions. "How were you kidnapped, can you tell us what happened? Can you give us an idea of what he did to you while you were captive? Did you think you were going to die? Did you beg for mercy or for him to release you? What did he say to that, and how did you react? Did you think you would be found? Did you pray? " These were not easy questions, but Sandy had been prepped for them.

She was going to be famous.. that was the thought that kept going thru her mind. She would be famous!!!

"Had you ever met him before?"
"No, I never saw him before"
"Do you have any idea how or why he chose you?"
"I wish I did, but no, none at all"

"Did he ever mention any other girls?" Sandy shook her head.. "I don't know. He talked alot, babbled, but I don't remember if he ever mentioned any other girls or anyone specific. I'm sorry, but I don't remember." It was the truth. The police had asked her the very same question and she had no answer for them either.

Kris nodded... "Understandable.. Did he say anything to you? Anything specific... before he left you to die?"

That question made Sandy pause... and that pause was noticable to both Kris and Elliot. She hesitated in her answer, and had started to tremble, something she had tried to keep under control. She didn't want to look scared in front of the camera or the people watching. Famous people didn't tremble, right? But that question, that question spooked her deeply....

"yes, yes he did, Kris" Sandy slowly answered. She was looking right at Kris, but when the words came spilling from her lips, her wide, and now very frightened green eyes, turned to stare right at Ell, behind the camera... "he said... you’ve never known suffering and its all I’ve ever felt. I shall be your instructor, your tutor, your tour guide into the depths of human suffering. If you make it back out will be up to you.”

Both Kris and Sandy went silent. Sandy had not been prepped on that particular answer. Kris had not been prepped to ask that question. In fact, she had not even meant to ask the question, it had just.. slipped out. The answer, was chilling. And Sandy, silent and shaking, was staring directly at Elliot. A fact that Kris quickly took notice of, but did not say anything.

That question and answer easily lead the another of the questions that Elliot had suggested, altho she did reword it...

"Tell me Sandy... are you living your life any differently after having endured what you suffered?"

Sandy nodded. "Yes, I know now that life is fragile. And that I need to live life to the fullest. But I also know that I need to learn how to take care of myself. I enrolled in self defense class, starting next week. And I told myself, no, wait, I promised myself, I will never be a victim again!"

"Never be a victim again... I think that is the perfect ending to this interview" Kris stated, smiling warmly at the girl. She did wonderfully. She had been talkative and engaging. Kris had wanted to ask about any kind of conseling that Sandy may have gotten, but the girl, long prior to the interview, had refused to answer any such questions. It had been the one area she did not want to discuss. She was ok with disclosing what Laurence had done to her while she was captive, talking about her fear of dying, her begging him to let her go, but the subject of anykind of aftercare with a Psychiatrist or Doctor was off limits.

Kris spoke momentarily with Charlie Berger, signing off of the interview with a promise to follow up with the amazing and lucky girl in 6 months time to see how she was doing. As the camera light finally turned off, Kris turned to where Sandy had been sitting. "Sandy, you were great. How are you feeling?... Sandy?" The girl had gotten up, and was staring at Elliot and backing away. She had a almost terrified look in her eyes. She had felt so very comfortable around him earlier, much too comfortable, but now she felt, chilled, almost to the bone, and she couldn't explain why. She just knew she had to get away from him...

Elliot trudged solemnly down the stairs, slightly in awe, slightly terrified of himself. How could he have said those things—done those things? With Kris, with Sandy—dear God! How could he? Rubbing the bridge of his nose intently, Ell took his seat behind the pair of monitors and stacks of equipment, all set up for the live feed. Rows of bundled cables snaked their way over carpet, hardwood and marble floors out the front to the antennae truck that Ell had arrived in, all secured by wide, black bands of sturdy tape to avoid stumbling risks. He secured his earpiece that let him hear the audio feed from the anchor’s desk. A smaller third monitor was clicked on that allowed Ell to see the prudish, old anchor getting his pancake makeup.

“Testing, one, two. Testing, one, two. You have me at the desk?” Ell said softly into the mic which extended from his earpiece.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got you. Just make sure you stay out of my goddamn ear during the telecast.” Berger answered haughtily, still butt-hurt over not being allowed the chance to grill Sandy over her birth control preferences and pro-choice leanings.

“I’ll keep chatter to a minimum, just getting things set over here.” Ell was grateful for the distraction of work at a time like this, to keep his mind off of writhing bodies, sweating thighs and sighing lips. Blessed familiarity.

Ell got up and readjusted the cameras ever so slightly on their stands, backing up the one that would shoot Kris to accommodate for the slight disparity in the women’s height. It wouldn’t be good for anyone if either of these women were made to look superior to the other, the premise of the interview was vital—Kris the humble hero and Sandy the resilient survivor. This was the moment for both of them to shine, and the coverage of this interview was more than enough to be shared.

Just as he was about to start shouting “five minutes!” up the stairs, Kris and Sandy appeared—each of them a vision of seductive loveliness. Sandy’s tainted and rebellious innocence, Kris’ unique and enticing beauty—each made-up and dressed to accentuate their best attributes. They were so beautiful, Ell wanted the world to see them as they looked to him, coming down the stairs.

It took some tweaking to get the saturation right on each camera, given the disparity between the girls complexions, but Ell was well practiced in the art of finding Kris’ unique wavelength in High Def tracking to make her look her very best, and simply inverted the process to prevent Sandy from being washed out. When he was at last satisfied with the view in each of his full-sized monitors his earpiece told him that the studio was counting Berger in.

The silence that predominated the time when all three were getting settled might have been awkward or even tense to some, but for Elliot it was a relief, a respite from the deep and uncomfortable long talks he was going to need to have for weeks after the events of the day. The silence allowed him to focus, which wasn’t easy since his headache had come back with a vengeance.

“The studio’s leading us in, we’ve got twenty seconds of the senator’s package and then we’re going live. You two ready?” Ell asked, forcing a smile, he found that it helped keep his on-screen talent relaxed if he was smiling. “Five, four, three—“

Two and one were both silent pantomime as Ell threw the feed to Kris, one finger pointing at her as the other hand switched over from the prerecorded package to Kris, who’s name and role as “HERO” were both neatly packaged to run as the light over Monitor 1 turned red. Kris handled the toss like the pro she was and Ell felt sick at himself again for what he’d said—she was like an angel and he’d called her a drunk bitch.

Switch to two.

As Kris finished her introduction and began the interview, Ell cut quickly to Sandy who seemed so vibrant and beautiful through his monitor that he almost let go of his regret over what had transpired in the shower. He was only human after all. Who could resist such a vital, nubile and enticing young morsel? The truth was, Ell still wanted more of her.

Back to one.

Kris was preparing for her next question, responding and proceeding like the professional she was. She handled everything with such poise and dignity. Goddamn she was beautiful. Kris was the kind of beautiful that made Ell ache all over just to look at her, to wish that his circumstances were different, that he could just scoop her up in his arms and sweep her off to somewhere private, interview be damned…

To two.

That silken red hair with its mirthful disorder and her slender, pale curves. The dress she was wearing was so stunning, he wanted more—to taste her again and grow closer, deeper. To feel her writhing against his larger body as she trembled in ceaseless climax…

Back to one.

At last, Kris was coming to the questions that Ell had prepped for her and he was growing excited. The other girls, no one was looking for them anymore, but somehow, Ell knew there were others. Lawrence’s contraption that he bound Sandy too was far too advanced to be dismissed as a first-time attempt, he’d done it before, which meant that there had been others—who knew how many? There were others, Ell was sure of it.

Back to two.

When Sandy shook her head and brushed off the question, Ell clenched his jaw. Liar! There was no way, it was just not possible! He must have said something, mentioned some others—Ell knew there were others. He just knew it, even if he didn’t know how he knew. He knew it.

“You’re letting her off the hook too easily. Push her about the others.” Ell muttered softly into his cupped hand around the mic, directly into Kris’ earpiece. “There must have been other girls.”

He was too late, a few more switches back and forth and Kris was bringing it home, like only she could and Ell was left with too many unanswered questions. He’d need to press Sandy about his suspicions on his own, which was as fit an excuse as any for seeing a whole lot more of her.

“And… we’re clear! Great job ladies. Sandy, come over here and I’ll help you out of your mic.” Ell smiled, seeming every inch himself again. “Kris, you know the drill by now.”

Ell shot a look to Kris that was both apologetic and expectant. They did need to talk, and he knew it.

“Do you have a sec, Kris?” Ell asked hesitantly as he unclipped Sandy’s mic from the collar of her silken dress. “Now that the worst is over.”

(Sorry for the delay, real life had gotten to me, but I have returned and LitShark has agree'd to continue our story... and for those who may or may not know, I am also AmbrosiaCaress... )

****************************************************************

"Sandy, you were great. How are you feeling?... Sandy?"

But Sandy had turned and nearly raced up the stairs, actually stumbling for a moment and nearly going down. The last sound Kris heard was the slamming of her door.

What the fuck was that all about? But Kris thought she knew. The interview. It had obviously triggered memories. The girl had been through hell after all, and had managed to survive. Of course she'd have scars, no matter how hard she tried to hide them. Kris knew all about trying to hide scars. Trying to seem normal. Didn't really matter what caused the pain, the scars... it never mattered.

NO NO.. the last thing she needed was to start thinking about that again. It had taken her a long, long time to put those memories, those experiences deep into the locked vault of her mind. Yes, this case, Sandy, the Monster that had tortured her, almost killed the girl, had awakened those thoughts, those memories of her past. But Kris could NOT let them take over again. Could NOT let them awaken, and drive her back to Jack... (Jack being Jack Daniels Whiskey, of course). Jack had been her lover for so long. Leaving him behind had been the 2nd hardest thing she had ever done. The first, well the first had been .........

~ Memories ~​

It was 3am. Why did these stupid fights always happen at 3am? Kristal blinked, sitting up in bed. Her room was dark, except for the soft glow of the nightlight that she had to have on. Funny thing was, even as an adult, Kris still had to sleep with the nightlight on. Full darkness terrified her, something she never told anyone, except Elliot of course. He knew about her fear of the dark. They had laughed about it more than once. It was good to laugh... Laugh in the face of terror....

But she wasn't laughing that night. The yelling woke her up. She was all of 9 years old. Didn't her father and mother understand, she needed her sleep? Kris heard her younger sister, Ami, start wailing after being woken up. She was just under 3 years old, and certainly didn't understand what was going on. Kris herself, at 9, barely understood. But she understood enough to know that her father had obviously been drinking again. And her parents were fighting again...

Her father had a love affair with Jack too.

The screaming escalated, and then came the sounds. Her father, beating her mother... again. The screams mingled with cries, mingled with the sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh, body hitting the wall, the floor... Ami's wails were nearly deafening among everything else. Kris climbed out of bed, slowly opening the door and making her way down the dimly lit hallway to her younger sister's room. "Shhhh, shhh" she tried to quiet the now clearly upset and terrified child. But Ami was having none of it...

"MOMMY..." the girl screamed and struggled, managing to break away from Kris and careen out into and down the hall "MOMMY.. MOMMMMMYYYYYY"....

Kris didn't see it all. Thank whatever God was in heaven for that. But she heard it. And she saw the aftermath. The desperate scream from her mother, that visceral sound of a body being slammed into the wall... bones breaking... a cry being cut off as her last breath was driven from her. Ami hit the wall so hard, her back broke, the back of her head was crushed, and the thud as she hit the floor was dead weight, like a 20 pound bag of meat hitting the floor. Kris came around the corner, calling for her sister, to see Ami dead on the floor, a bloody smudge on the wall where her body had struck it when her father had picked his young daughter up and flung her...

"STANLEY" Kris heard her mother howl... then Kris heard the shot. A gun shot. Stanely Howe, her father, and a Detective on the local police force, had pulled his side arm and the shot he fired ripped a hole thru Kristal's mothers face. Kris saw it. Kris heard it. The blood flew, and her mother went silent, her lifeless body thudding almost quietly to the floor. He turned, the gun barrel aiming at Kristal.

That was when she heard a voice deep inside her head... RUN...

RUN... RUN... RUN.... RUN!!!!!!!!!

But it was dark out. And Kris was afraid of the dark. RUN!!!!! Kris burst out the door of their modest house and bound, barefoot and in her pajamas, into the cold of the 3am morning, across the still snow covered grass, to the neighbor's house. Her father bellowing "GET BACK HERE GIRL" behind her. When Norman, their neighbor opened the door, Kris had always called him "Normal Norman" because their household seemed so quiet and normal to her, no fights, no drinking, no strange men (Kristal's mother had taken to bringing home strange men), Kris collapsed on the floor at his feet, sobbing. "Kris, what the...." when he looked up, he saw Stan coming across the snow, gun in hand. Normal Norman slammed the door, called to his wife to call the police, and got out his loaded shotgun. Putting Kris behind him, he called thru the door "Stan, I've called the cops, just put the gun down and walk away"...

"I AM A COP, YOU STUPID BASTARD"

With that declaration, Stan fired at the closed door. That was when Normal Norman fired back, both barrels of the shotgun, blasting thru the door and tearing a hole thru Stanley Howe's belly. He bled out on the porch, moaning and calling out for Kristal, still trying to wave that pistol in hand, still trying to point it at his sobbing 9 year old daughter.

The hardest thing Kristal had ever done, was when she was 9 years old, and she watched as her entire family was wiped out before her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


She shook her head as the memory flooded her mind. She desperately needed a drink. A nice shot of Jack would drive that memory back where it belonged. It would help her, it really would. Jack always helped....

“Do you have a sec, Kris?”

Instead, it was Elliot's voice that came gently flowing thru the fog of the memory that had clouded her brain. Elliot. Sometimes he was her rock. Sure, they had their moments, like earlier, when she had accused him of .. well... with the Finnery girl, and he had pretty much yelled at her and put her in her place. Tho, to be honest, Kris didn't buy that he had been with Melissa and the scent, that sex/pussy scent, had been from her. It was much to fresh, and his cheeks much to flush, his breating to rapid, excited. What had he been thinking? Sure the Finnery girl was beautiful. But what had he been thinking?

Kris was grateful to have her own memories interrupted by Elliot and all that. Sure, she was disappointed in his behavior, but she'd never tell on him to Melissa. She loved him too much to do that to him. But she'd be sure to set him straight. Melissa was a wonderful woman. Why would he want to jeaporidize that with a fling with the teen?

Taking a deep breath, Kris turned to face Elliot, with a nod of affirmation.

"of course"... she answered... "but to be honest, I'd prefer to talk with you after we've wrapped everything up here. I want to check on Sandy, and just get a couple of comments from her Father to add to the report. Then we can talk.... " she paused, looking up at him... "without interruptions"....

She didn't give him the chance to protest, instead turning and making her way upstairs. She wanted to check on the girl, then find her father.

Kris was about to knock on the door to the girl's room when she heard it, the unmistakable sound of sex. The low breathing, the soft moaning, the sound of skin on skin, bodies coming together. That gentle song of the bed springs when moving ryhthmically. But.. who was the girl with? Kris had not noted any boys around. Even most of the help had made themselves scarce. Maybe it was a pool boy, or a gardner. That would make sense. Well, she was not about to burst in on that and see, so Kris decided to go find the Senator and get his comments.... But after checking the office, the kitchen, the entire downstairs, she had seen him earlier, just before the interview began, Kris had gotten a glimpse of the Senator as he walked by, so she knew he was around, but where the heck was he now? Kris even checked his bedroom, and found his jacket and tie there, but no Senator. She paused at the girl's door again, but she was still going at it with whoever was in there... tho it sounded to her as if it were nearing the end. Kris heard a loud groan from the man, and she figured he was climaxing.

Curious as to who it was, that Reporter part of her winning out, she ducked into the bathroom closeby and closed the door. Elliot was finishing up down at the truck, so she had just enough time to at least see who the girl had turned to for some loving. Kris was a little jealous as well, her only release as of late had been her trusty vibrator. She couldn't help but feel that yearning deep inside, feel herself becoming just alittle moist having listened to the sounds of fucking the way she had.

But she was a bit shocked as she peeked out from behind the bathroom door, to see the Senator emerge from his daughter's room, his face red and heated, his hair sweat laden... a smile on his face. Kris had to silence the gasp that almost escaped her lips. The Senator... and his daughter!!!!!!

The Senator made his way to his room and closed the door.

Kris, snuck from the bathroom, she paused one last time at the closed door to Sandy's room, and could hear the girl still moaning low, but obviously sated. She entertained the idea of confronting the Senator, but decided against it. Not without consulting with Elliot first. She would get his opinion first and then decide...

When she emerged outside, her voice low and hushed, "Oh Ell.. Do I have to talk to YOU" her own cheeks were reddened, her pulse racing and she was still feeling that wetness along her own sex.....

The interview wrapped without incident, though Ell still felt like Kris had used kid’s gloves and let this girl off the hook. Ratings would inevitably be higher if the interview subject broke into tears, Barbara Walters had built her whole career on that simple but tried-and-true principal. Now, here they were on the biggest scoop of either of their lifetimes and Kris was playing nice. He needed her ruthless—needed her to be her most primal self, but she was holding back. He needed her to stop holding back—needed her uninhibited. That was the only way. Sandy bolted from the sitting room up the stairs, stumbling faintly on her path back to her room.

“Do you have a sec, Kris?” Ell asked casually, in the midst of pulling up gaffer tape from the rug to free up the cords below.

Kris demurred, clearly distracted by Sandy’s abrupt departure, leading Ell’s eyes up the staircase in her wake, feeling that he was at once expected and unwelcome in that room, that feeling of something left unfinished was gnawing at him from all sides. Nonetheless, he nodded and went back to work on the equipment when Kris gave her rain check for their heart to heart and disappeared in Sandy’s wake. Better that she go after her than Ell himself—he figured that he’d disgraced himself enough in that regard.

Ell was packing up the cameras and lighting rigs when Juan came by, gathering the sound wires in much the same fashion as Ell was. Juan couldn’t help but make light of Ell’s obvious discomfort at the increasingly complicated situation that occupied his presence in the Finnery household. Juan had long held a private rivalry with Ell, as the two of them had been hired at around the same time with almost identical credentials, but time after time Ell had received the better assignments—his relationship with the beautiful and desirable Kris helping him along that path. Meanwhile Juan was routinely passed over for promotions and the attentions of Kris—who he desired—in spite of the fact that he was unmarried and equally qualified, leaving him to toil away in obscurity as his father had done—relegated to the role of the Mexican help, rather than the producer that his business card said he was.

“Trouble keeping all your novias in line?” Juan asked with a wry smile as he folded a large, cloth reflector for the lights, “perhaps you should stick to keeping one happy, that might be more your speed.”

It was then that the sounds of the bedsprings became apparent from upstairs, and suddenly, Juan’s familiar ribbing was like a dagger between Ell’s ribs, and every sound that the bedsprings made twisted that dagger ninety degrees.

“That’s about enough of that shit for one day, Juan.” Ell snarled through clenched teeth.

He gathered the essential camera equipment and began moving the essential components out to the truck. He needed to be away from Juan and the song of the bedsprings for a while, he was envisioning doing terrifyingly violent things—mostly to Juan, but also to Sandy—and even Kris, who was innocent in the recent circumstances. Not that she was innocent in general, she had it coming…

Ell lit a cigarette, he needed a drink.

It wasn’t usually his style to abandon the break-down before he’d secured all of the camera equipment, but he wasn’t exactly himself lately. Kris joined him a short time later, still wearing her sexy interview dress and stage makeup. Ell found himself envisioning fucking her against a wall—grabbing her long, black hair and slamming her until there was a bloody smear on the wall behind her head.

“Ready to talk now, huh?” Ell smirked, not quite ready to drop his guard from their confrontation earlier, but even as tense and full of rage as he was, Kris was tough to stay mad at, “how about we let the crew finish breaking down the set and hit a bar? I know I need a drink.”

Ell stubbed his cigarette out under a boot as he opened the driver’s side door to the van that they’d been using.

It took more than a couple of hours for Melissa to even start recovering from the fucking... and the choking... that Elliott had put her thru. Her pussy hurt. Her throat hurt. It hurt to pee. It hurt to breathe. Her entire body ached. And around her throat, there were what looked like rope burn marks, from the robe's belt, that he had wrapped around her neck, and twisted, and tightened, until she could not longer breathe, no longer scream for help, scream for him to stop...

And then, when it was all over, he left, with a casual "I'll be late tonight babe, don't wait up".. lighting a a cigarette as he strode down the walkway to the truck.

"no.. no more" she said to herself. Ell hadn't been himself in a long time. Ever since he began working with Kris, and that case broke, that Darkness, or Dark something, whatever it was. He had changed. And she didn't like the change.

Was he cheating on her with Kris? Was that it? Melissa could never quite get a handle on that. Kris always seemed nice enough and never flirted with Ell at all when she saw them together. And hell... Kris was gorgeous... she could have anyone she wanted. Melissa knew that Juan, the other Producer that worked with Elliot had a thing for Kris. He practically drooled whenever she was around. But it was as if Kris didn't even see it. Her focus was always on the story, and on Ell... but again, Melissa never got the "I'm fucking your husband" vibe from Kris...

But none of that mattered anymore. Today was the straw that broke the camel's back. Melissa took a shower, put on a tee and jeans, and packed her 2 largest suitcases. After placing a call to her father, telling him she was coming to stay with him for a while, he was thrilled of course, the house had been very lonely since his wife, Melissa's mother, had passed away, she loaded up the car, locked all the doors, and drove away, tears streaming down her face.

She'd left no note. "I'm gonna have to tell him" she murmured to herself. Thank goodness for texting. She figured, based on the time, that the interview that he was working was most likely over and he was doing all the cleanup work, the "grunt" work as he had always called it..
Grunt work... that made her smile briefly..

****************************************************************

“how about we let the crew finish breaking down the set and hit a bar? I know I need a drink.”

Ahh, a date with Jack. That was just was Kris needed. Of course, coming from Elliot, that was a bit surprising. Ell was always the one to encourage her to quit drinking, and got on her whenever she lapsed. And now he was ... well... suggesting it?

Truth be told, this case, this story, had certainly gotten the best of them. Stress, and just the sheer horror of it all, was beginning to take it's toll, even tho the case was, for all intents and purposes, all over. Yet there were inklings that there were still victims, bodies, to be found, and that, in and of itself, was not a pleasant prospect.

Climbing into the van opposite Ell, Kris waited until he started the engine and was pulling away before telling him what she had seen and heard... "The Senator is fucking his own daughter"... Now incest had been, in the past, big news, and this was a Senator after all, but Kris had not gotten proof, number one, and number two, the public was ... well.. feeling for the guy, after he nearly lost his daughter to a serial killer/maniac, and managed to get her back.

"When I followed Sandy upstairs, I heard her with someone. He came out the door just alittle while later, zipping up his fly"....

Kris was trying to think of a way to spin this story. Of how she could get proof... "Should we confront Sandy about it? Get her help and in the meantime, hang the Senator by his balls?"

But then again, even before Elliot could comment, Kris's mind was racing. Shaking her head, realizing there was no story here. Incest as a story had come and gone. It just was not that big a thing really, not anymore, never mind the fact that Sandy was an adult... which was one of the points that Elliot pointed out.

"Let's weigh the pro's and con's of this story" Kris offered, as she climbed out of the now stopped van She didn't want to give up on a potential story unless she talked it thru... She paused, smoothing her hands along her dress, thereby caressing every curve of her body. The thing was, it never dawned on her how gorgeous she really was, or how sensual, and it never occurred to her anyone else would see her that way either, especially not Ell.... Now, get a few shots of Jack in her and things changed quickly..... The bar looked to be pretty quiet this particular night, they both noticed as they approached it...

But before they even got into the bar, Elliot's phone jingled with a text message...

****************************************************************

Melissa had pulled over in the rest area off the highway. She still had an hour's worth of driving in front of her, but she had to get this text sent. She had to tell Elliot it was over. She couldn't go any further until she did.

She carefully typed the message into the cell phone.. stopping for a moment to adjust the scarf she had around her neck to hide the marks he had left behind....

"Elliot, I'm sorry, but something's changed in you and I just don't know what. You are not the same. You haven't been for a long time, and I just can't deal with it anymore. Today was just the breaking point for me. I've packed and am on my way to Dad's. Don't bother coming and looking for me, I don't want to see you. It's... over.... I'm... sorry."

She pressed the SEND button with a sigh and a few minutes later she was back on the highway, tears streaming down her cheeks....

****************************************************************

Kris nearly stumbled over Ell when he stopped in his tracks. The look on his face went from puzzlement to something almost... demonic.

"Ell? ELL? What's the matter? What's wrong?????? "

Elliot was glad to drive away from the Finnery household, to leave all that bizarre sexual energy and freaky incestuous vibes in his rearview. Maybe Mel was right, he was acting differently these days—he felt different too. Something about this story resonated with him in a way he’d never expected and couldn’t explain, but the truth was that he liked it. He’d liked fucking Mel rough, he’d liked eating Sandy’s pussy, he liked not caring if Kris fell off the wagon and he liked smoking—it was like a veil had been lifted from his eyes and he was seeing the world clearly for the first time. Nothing was what it had seemed before.

“The Senator is fucking his own daughter,” Kris told him as they exited the freeway toward they closest dive bar, and she went on weighing the idea of running with the Finnery family’s unique relationship as a story.

Really, there was no reason not to run with it—incest, sex, politics—it had lead story written all over it. Yet, with his newfound clarity, Ell saw a greater opportunity in such a story. He saw leverage against a powerful politician and his beautiful daughter—both would make useful puppets if he only had the nerve to stick his hand inside them and make them perform for him. That visual made him smile as he pulled into a parking spot close to the bar.

“I think we should stick with what we got, we can use that info later to leverage the Dark Mind story deeper. You’re Sandy’s savior already, now I can become the Senator’s tormentor. We’ll leverage from both sides until we find out where the other bodies are.”

Ell didn’t really think about what he was saying until the words had left his mouth, ‘other… bodies,’ not victims, not girls, but bodies—lumps of dead flesh with no feelings or aspirations—only semblances of people. Who were they? What had been done to them? When had they been taken? Where were they? Why wasn’t anyone else looking for them? How did Elliot know they were out there?

“If there are others, I mean.”

Ell turned his head as Kris ran her hands over her body, smoothing out her exquisitely tailored dress over her lithe body, it felt like a come-on. He wanted her, had wanted her for so long, but for the first time she felt so within reach. It seemed foolish that he’d held back so long, now. Why had he bothered? For Melissa? Mel was so fucking bored and unhappy she didn’t know what the fuck she wanted. Ell knew what he wanted.

Just as the new fantasy of fucking Kris against a wall was replaying in Ell’s mind again, he felt his phone buzz to indicate a new message. Somehow, Ell knew it was from Melissa before he even saw the screen. What the message said, however, was completely unexpected and it stopped him dead in his tracks. Kris must have noticed the abrupt halt he came to, she asked what was wrong and the truth just fell right out of his mouth.

“My wife just left me,” Ell said, his voice sounding distant and almost bemused by the news, “she says I’ve changed.”

Ell laughed as he heard himself say it, not exactly the reaction that most would have deemed appropriate for such dire info, but Ell just couldn’t muster any sorrow over the loss of Melissa. Looking back, he’d done so much and tried so hard just to keep her that he’d never stopped to consider why he wanted her so badly. She wasn’t exactly the most supportive, she wasn’t concerned with what he was going through—only with what he wasn’t giving her, or what he couldn’t provide her. With Melissa, the world was defined by lack and now that Ell was lacking her from his world, he felt a great relief.

“Fuck that bitch anyway,” Ell muttered to himself, opening the door for Kris, “let’s get hammered.”