The Sexual Initiation of Severus Snape

TSIOSS_6


Chapter 6: The Chains that Bind


Setting the whip aside, I picked up the scarves and crept back towards the bed. He had turned slightly onto his side and for a moment I hesitated, thinking how young and vulnerable he appeared to be. In repose, there was a softness and innocence to his features that I had not expected to see and I marveled again at the pallor of his complexion. I studied the ebony outline of his brows and eyelashes, so distinct against the paleness of his skin and then my eyes drifted downward to his jaw. There was a faint dusting of dark stubble upon his cheeks, upper lip and chin. He was indeed a strange mixture of child and man, and I paused, turning the soft silk in my fingers as I remembered the abuse I had witnessed. He had apparently suffered frequently at the hands of his father.

But then I recalled the malicious gleam in his eyes and the self-satisfied grin playing upon his lips as he had mocked and fondled me. No, I thought, he had merrily dragged me through hell this evening, and I was determined to make him pay for that. And as it was clear that he had no more money to give me, I would have to seek out an emotional payback instead.

It took only a minute or so to tie the scarves around his wrists and ankles and to secure them to the bedposts. I had done this enough times to be certain that they were loose enough not to disturb his slumber and yet would keep him restrained well enough when he awoke.

I hastily got into my costume, weaving the thin straps of leather over my body and buckling them into place. Retrieving a tube of lipstick from the bed stand drawer, I painted my lips a vibrant shade of scarlet and stood back to admire my reflection in the mirror. Tossing the lipstick back onto the table, I reached down to retrieve the last scarf-a long, shimmering strip of glossy black silk. Leaning down over him, I debated whether or not I should tie it over his face. I certainly did not want a repeat of the strange interaction that occurred when those eerily icy and black eyes stared into my own. On the other hand, I thought, as I allowed the scarf to dangle from my fingertips and gently tickle the tip of his nose, it would be a shame for him to miss all the glorious details of my current attire.

In the end, I compromised by setting the cloth down on the pillow beside his head, within easy reach if need be. Shrugging my shoulders, I stood and picked up my glass, gulping down the rest of the wine. I continued to study him for a moment as I rubbed the rim of the empty glass against my upper lip.

With a smile, I turned and traced my steps back to the kitchen. Opening the freezer door, I reached in and retrieved a large handful of ice cubes, and tossed them into my empty glass. Slamming the door closed again, I sauntered back to the bedroom.

Setting the ice cubes down, I reached over for the bottle and poured what remained of the wine into his glass. After one more quick check of his restraints, I bent over his sleeping form and whispered, \"Magus?\"

Again, he stirred slightly but his eyes remained closed. I had kept the sheet pulled up to his chest, carefully folding the sides back just enough so that I could wrap the scarves around his ankles, but now I slowly drew it down to the foot of the bed.

He apparently was having a rather pleasurable dream, for he was was semi-erect, hardening and thickening as I continued to watch. With a grin, I reached over to scoop out an ice cube and held it tightly in my fist.

I crawled onto the bed, positioning myself between his legs and supporting myself with my left hand as I moved my other over his body. It took only a few seconds for the ice to begin to melt, and as the frigid liquid streamed down my palm, I held out my hand and let a few of the icy drops splatter down over his swollen balls and cock.

He responded almost immediately, his eyes flicking open and his whole body jerking upward as a surprised gasp sprang from his lips. His sudden movement caused his bindings to tighten painfully around his wrists and ankles, and I sat back and smiled as I watched the expression on his face change from bewilderment to sudden comprehension. His eyes flicked swiftly from the bedposts to my form and I saw a momentary look of panic upon his face before he swallowed and forced his features into one of his seemingly habitual sneers.

\"Untie me!\" he ordered.

\"Or what?\" I answered, sounding bored as I looked down and began to casually glide the ice over my breasts, pausing over the nipples so that they hardened even more. Raising my eyes, I looked up to see that there was now lust mixed with fear in his face, further evidenced by the fact that his prick was now sticking straight up into the air.

\"Untie me!\" he repeated. Unfortunately for him, the crack in his voice had returned with a vengeance, making him sound much more pitiable than intimidating.

\"That\'s what you get for drinking too much and passing out,\" I scolded. Slowly and deliberately, I lowered my hands and began to crawl up the bed, allowing my cold, thick nipples to rub against his body as I slid upward. \"And you were very naughty tonight,\" I whispered. Raising my hand, I ran the ice cube slowly down the length of his large nose. \"Weren\'t you?\" I asked, sitting up slightly and allowing my breasts to dip down towards his mouth.

Almost against his will, his lips opened and his tongue flicked out eagerly towards the stiffened peaks.

\"No, not yet,\" I cooed, holding myself just out of his reach.

His eyes glanced back up at his wrists and then they darted past me. I turned and saw that he must be looking at the pile of his clothes, still lying undisturbed upon the bureau. Looking back, I saw that the fingers of his right hand were curling slightly, as if reaching out to grasp something.

\"I could-\" he began.

I raised my right eyebrow, trying to do a credible imitation of his own masterful look of scorn. I apparently needed a lot more practice, for he looked much less scared now.

\"I can get out of these restraints anytime that I wish,\" he assured me.

It was really amazing, in a way. Once more the frightened kid had disappeared behind the mask of a supremely confident man. He was really getting quite good at that, I thought. But this time, I wasn\'t quite convinced.

\"You just go ahead and try, Magus,\" I said, shrugging my shoulders. \"Or maybe,\" I added, bringing the ice cube to his chin and slowly drawing it down his neck and chest, \"You want to play with me for a little while longer.\"

I moved back slightly and felt the throb of his cock against my thigh as I began to slowly run the ice cube over his chest. His nipples were already jutting out, but I dribbled the chilly water over them before bending down and lapping at the rigid tips with my tongue. Raising my head, I pursed my lips and blew on them as well. He moaned and I felt his hips jerk upward as I continued to nuzzle him.

\"See how nice that can be?\" I asked, rising up to my knees again.

Bringing my hands together, I slowly rubbed the ice between my palms, the water flowing down my wrists after a few seconds.

\"What shall I play with next?\" I asked.

\"No!\" he said, a note of fear creeping into his voice again as I moved downward.

I clucked my tongue as I settled myself between his legs again. Reaching out for his prick, I wound my fingers around it, pressing the ice cube firmly against the reddened skin for a few seconds as I glanced up to watch his response.

His teeth were clamped down upon his lower lip as he forced himself not to cry out as I began to glide the cube over his member. It quivered in a most curious manner, the erection lessening but not disappearing as I continued to play with him.

\"Oh, Little Magus doesn\'t seem to like that as much, does he?\" I asked, opening my hands and tossing the cube to the side.

I felt him relax just a bit, but he tensed again as I wrapped my still-frigid fingers around his prick and squeezed his scrotum firmly.

\"But now I get to warm him up again,\" I cooed, slowly sliding my tongue up from the base and feeling him harden rapidly. I took my time, alternating licks with little kisses and nips and bringing my chilly hand back to stroke him whenever I sensed he was getting a little too pleased with my ministrations. I finally reached the top, placing both hands on his thighs and pressing down firmly as I began to suck upon the very tip, lapping up the warm stream of pre-come that was beginning to flow out of him. Wrapping my lips firmly around him I bent down and took him deeply in my mouth, allowing him to slide all the way into my throat and taking in several swallows. Then I raised my head and slowly drew away from him, allowing him to slip away from me once more.

\"You do have a deliciously huge dick,\" I whispered.

\"Thank you,\" he replied with a smirk. \"Now,\" he said, jerking his head towards his wrists, \"Why don\'t you untie me so that-\"

\"Oh, no, this is just too entertaining,\" I said, shaking my head and pinching the tender skin of his thighs between by thumb and forefinger just enough to make him cry out before letting go again. \"I get to have a little more fun first.\"

Sliding slowly off of the bed, I got to my feet and stretched languidly for a moment before bending down to pick up the whip. Raising it over my head, I moved it lazily from side to side for a moment before suddenly flicking my wrist and landing a direct hit on the small fringe of amber beads hanging from the lampshade. Turning to smile down at him, I was quite gratified to see his mouth hang open in surprise for a moment before he abruptly snapped it shut again. Once more I saw his fingers twitch slightly as if he were reaching out for something.

\"You wouldn\'t dare!\" he hissed.

\"Oh, don\'t worry, Magus,\" I purred, slowly wrapping the whip around my left hand, \"I won\'t be too harsh with you. And I\'ll be careful,\" I assured him, releasing the coils so they tumbled down upon his chest. \"I won\'t leave marks where anyone is likely to see them. After all-\" I reached down and ran my hand soothingly against his cheek. \"I\'m sure you don\'t want \'Daddy\' to know where you were tonight.\"

He laughed ruefully. \"I assure you that it would not be to your benefit either for him to learn about this.\"

\"Then it\'ll be our little secret, won\'t it?\" I whispered.

He opened his mouth but before he could utter a word it I had pulled away and raised my arm. Whatever he had meant to say was forgotten as I expertly brought the very tip of the lash across his upper left shoulder, drawing a cry of shock from his lips.

\"One,\" I said.

His mouth was open again and his eyes were blinking rapidly as he gazed in astonishment at the small welt upon his skin.

\"You bitch,\" he said, slowly turning back to face me. \"You\'re really going to do this aren\'t you?\"

\"Quiet!\" I said, raising my arm again. \"I didn\'t give you permission to speak. Magus. And if you do it again, I\'m going to have to give you much more than three lashes. Oh, yes,\" I said, lowering my arm and answering the unspoken question in his eyes as he raised his brows. \"I only intend to give you three.\"

His eyes narrowed and I saw his whole body tense as he watched me bring my arm up again. But I noted gleefully that his prick was still standing straight up in the air. It appeared that he was enjoying this scenario a little more than he cared to admit.

This time, I pivoted my body as my arm came down and aimed for the top of his right foot. At the crack of the whip, another red mark appeared on his skin just below his big toe.

\"Two,\" I said slowly, turning back to face him. His lips were drawn back slightly now, and although there was still some tenseness in his features, I also saw a small gleam of grudging respect in his eyes as well.

\"Yes,\" I murmured, rolling the whip around my hand again. \"Only one more to go. But where should I aim this time?\"

He kept his eyes fixed upon my face, watching me carefully. Leaning forward, I released my hold and let the coils circle slowly around his rigid cock.

\"No!\" he said, and as I lifted my eyes to his face, I could see that he looked rather green again.

\"Shh!\" I admonished, raising my finger to my lips. \"No talking now.\"

Lifting the whip away again, I reached down to grab the sheet. \"Of course I won\'t whip you there, Magus. I\'m rather fond of that part of you,\" I said as I brought the linen up and carefully covered his genitals. \"But maybe-\" I slowly trailed my fingertip down that lovely line of soft black hair that began underneath his navel. \"Right here,\" I said, brushing my fingertips his lower abdomen. Although he was so thin that it was slightly concave, I could still detect the faint outline of muscles lying underneath the pale, tender skin. \"Lie still,\" I whispered, as I brought my arm up again. \"Don\'t distract me now-I just might miss,\" I warned.

He managed not to cry out, but I heard him take in a sharp breath as the tip of the lash made contact. His whole body had been quite rigid, and this time there was a tiny speck of blood as well as a welt upon his white skin.

\"Good boy, Magus,\" I said, tossing the whip to the floor and climbing back onto the bed. Bending down over him, I parted my lips and planted a small kiss upon the wound before reaching over to pull the sheet away from him again. \"I think you deserve a reward for taking your punishment so well.\"

Getting to my knees, I slowly repositioned myself so that, while still straddling him, I was facing in the opposite direction. Looking back over my shoulder, I threw him a small smile as I slowly ran my hand up over my bum, reaching up to undo one of the buckles, freeing one end of the small leather strip that was fastened between my legs. Moving my left hand back to his cock, I began to milk him gently as I brought my right hand up and undid the buckle at the front. Tossing the strip over the side of the bed, I released my hold and supported myself on one hand as I stretched out my legs and raised my arse up into the air. I threw him a quick glance between my legs before clamping my mouth over his todger again. This time there was a feral, satisfied growl as I began to suck him much more vigorously. Working my right hand between our bodies, I began to stroke myself in rhythm with the movements of my tongue and lips. I heard him cry out again and I smiled, knowing that the sight of me pleasuring myself was adding to his excitement. Feeling his prick harden even more, I stopped suddenly and shifted my weight to my knees again, pressing myself against him so that my moistened pussy was now rubbing against his lower abdomen.

\"Oh, yes,\" I heard him whisper.

\"Want another fuck do we?\" I asked, raising up slightly so that I could brush my wet, swollen labia against the tip of his prick.

\"Yes,\" he said, trying to move up into me, but finding that his bindings would not allow him to move that far.

\"Oh, dear, I\'m afraid I\'m not quite ready,\" I said, shaking my head and turning once more so that I was facing him.

\"Bollocks!\" he exclaimed, and I noticed that there was the slightest hint of red upon his cheekbones now.

\"No, really,\" I said, putting my hands above his shoulders and lowering my body over his. Raising my left hand, I brushed some of the oily locks away from his face. \"I\'m going to tell you a little secret, Magus,\" I whispered into his ear.

He snorted loudly in derision.

\"No, truly,\" I said, clucking my tongue. \"You see, you really do have a wonderfully big prick-but it\'s almost too big.\"

\"Too big?\" he repeated, incredulously as he raised his eyebrows.

\"Oh, yes,\" I assured him, running my finger lightly over the bridge the end of his nose. \"If you don\'t take the time to get a woman really ready for you, it\'s actually going to be a bit painful for her.\" I reached down to stroke him again. \"Like trying to force a cucumber through a donut hole.\"

\"That\'s a rather graphic image,\" he murmured, grimacing slightly as I continued to massage him.

\"But,\" I said, releasing my hold and leaning down so that my nipples brushed against his face, \"If you take the time to get her really excited, you\'ll find that you can slip into her as easily as-\" I paused and bent down to flick my tongue against his lips. \"-a snake slithering into its den.\"

I drew away as I heard him begin to chuckle.

\"That is a far more apt metaphor than you can ever imagine,\" he said, smiling broadly.

\"And it will be wonderfully satisfying-for both of you,\" I finished, sitting back up and raking my fingernails lightly across his smooth, pale chest.

\"Perhaps I\'m not interested in making it \'satisfying\' for her,\" he challenged, narrowing his eyes.

\"Oh, yes, you are,\" I purred.

\"Because I\'m so altruistic?\" he drawled, his lip curling up nastily.

\"No,\" I answered, leaning over him again. \"Because you want power.\"

His black eyes gleamed with interest as they met mine.

\"I think you\'ve already figured out that inflicting pain will only take you so far. Pleasure is what will really make a person do what you want. And once you\'ve driven a woman crazy with desire, you can make her do just about anything.\"

\"Of course I can,\" he said, a frown appearing on his face again.

\"Without your other little tricks,\" I amended.

He considered that for a moment and then smiled up at me. \"Then you had better untie me so that I can \'satisfy\' you completely,\" he urged.

\"No,\" I said, shaking my head again. \"The part of you I want you to use isn\'t restrained at the moment.\"

He glanced down at his cock, a rather puzzled expression upon his face until he saw that I was moving up closer to the headboard.

\"Ah,\" he murmured, running his tongue over his lips. \"Oral gratification?\"

\"Oh, yes,\" I said, repositioning myself so that my legs were on either side of his head. \"You did very well for your first time.\"

\"Thank you,\" he leered.

\"And I\'m sure you\'ll do even better this time,\" I added, leaning down to pick up the silk scarf. \"Since you\'ll be relying entirely on senses other than your sight this time.\"

\"What-?\" he began.

But I was already tying the blindfold around his head, making no attempt to keep his hair from getting caught in the knot as I secured it in place.

\"Sorry, luv,\" I said, pulling the ends tight. \"But I don\'t care to have you peering into my mind again, and the only way to prevent that is to keep you from staring into my eyes, isn\'t it?\"

For a moment he clamped his mouth shut, and I could tell, even under the blindfold, that his eyebrows were knit together in a scowl.

\"Might as well get started,\" I said, reaching down to circle my clit.

\"How am I supposed to tell if I\'m pleasing you?\" he hissed, clenching his teeth.

\"You\'ll be able to tell by the sounds I make,\" I assured him with a laugh. \"And by how wet I am and maybe even-\" I paused as his large nostrils suddenly flared open.

\"By how you smell?\" he finished, as I parted my lips and bent down over him.

\"Oh, yes,\" I breathed, as I felt his nose burrow into me. I had really meant to only fake my responses but it was a genuine moan that arose from my throat as he moved his head back and forth.

\"Have you always been such a quick learner?\" I teased, as I felt him begin to lick me with his tongue.

\"Always,\" he assured me, his voice somewhat muffled as his face remained buried between my legs. There was no hint of a squeak now, his voice was a deep and rich baritone, and I felt an excited shudder run through me as it reverberated against my flesh. I closed my eyes and bit my lip as his mouth brushed against my aroused bud. Moving slightly to guide him, I moaned again as he sucked upon it unhurriedly, slowly increasing the pressure and then suddenly releasing it and flicking his tongue rapidly over it. He kept experimenting, varying the position and movements of his mouth, teeth and tongue and making me jerk excitedly, my hands reaching to spread my labia even farther apart as he continued to concentrate on pleasing me. A few times he even raised his chin so that the bristles could run against the moist surface of my pussy, and I found to my amazement that even this was a strangely enjoyable sensation. Within only a few minutes I was shrieking loudly as he brought me to a climax.

\"That was fantastic,\" I admitted, moving off of him. He was slowly running his tongue over his lips again, but this time the entire bottom half of his face was slick with my own wetness. In fact, I noticed that even the edge of the scarf was wet as I bent down to untie it.

\"Ouch!\" he protested, as I tugged upon the stubborn knots, causing it to pull on the ends of his hair.

\"Sorry,\" I said, pulling the blindfold off and tossing it over the side.

\"Liar,\" he hissed, as I bent down over him and kissed the slick bridge of his nose.

\"Maybe,\" I laughed, as I sat up again.

\"And is your pudenda properly prepared?\" he asked, jutting his right eyebrow into the air.

\"Huh?\"

\"Is the \'den\' ready for the \'snake\' now?\" he gibed.

\"Oh, yes,\" I said, nodding my head enthusiastically.

\"Aren\'t you going to untie me?\" he asked, sounding irritated as I drew away from him.

\"Nope,\" I replied, picking up a pillow and tossing it between his spread and bound legs. \"Just lay back and enjoy this.\"

It really wasn\'t my favorite position, but I figured he had earned the right to something special after the whipping. Besides, it also meant that we wouldn\'t be staring into each other\'s face, and I was a little concerned about him doing that weird thing with the eye contact again. Moving back to straddle his waist, I reached down to hold his prick steady as I slowly lowered myself onto him. He really did slip in easily this time, and I took in a deep breath and clenched my muscles tightly around him once I was sure he was all the way in. I heard him utter a few soft grunts as I continued to constrict and relax and then I heard him take in a deep, surprised breath as I lowered myself down onto the pillow. Supporting myself on my arms I drew my legs up and extended them over his chest with my feet perched on top of his shoulders.

\"Not many girls are going to give you a fuck like this,\" I said.

Even if he hadn\'t been tied up, there wasn\'t much he could do in this position but lie still as I braced myself against his legs and began to move my hips. I threw him one quick glance and saw that there was a look of amazement upon his face. His head was shaking slightly as he strained to raise it off the pillow, but it was apparently worth it as he was allowed to see a clear view of his huge prick sliding in and out of my pussy as I swayed back and forth.

And, as if that weren\'t enough, I suddenly became aware of the fact that there was a loud and quite luscious slurping sound resounding through the air as our bodies strained together. I was so wonderfully, gloriously wet that my moisture was both allowing him free access to my passage and imparting a strangely pleasurable friction against his cock as he moved back and forth. It had been ages since I felt so thoroughly lubricated without resorting to artificial means and I stared up at the ceiling with a satisfied smile. After a moment, I reluctantly forced myself to make a conscious effort to start thrusting against him more rapidly, feeling quite sure that it wasn\'t going to take him very long at all to come.

\"Maybe I should have a mirror on the ceiling,\" I mused, continuing to look upward. His only reply was a series of grunts and moans. Pausing for a moment, I tightened around him again and this time his prick vibrated wildly inside of me. Once I released him, it took only a few more strokes before I felt his hips surging forward and the warm stream of jism start spurting out.

I laughed quietly and then allowed myself to sink back completely onto the pillow. \"Are you satisfied now, Magus?\" I asked, raising my hands and running them over the soft, silky hair that covered his legs.

He was still gasping for breath, so it took him a few seconds to reply: \"Completely.\"

Closing my eyes, I brought my fingers up to where the silk bindings were beginning to dig into his ankles. \"Still think you can escape from these?\"

\"Of course.\"

There was a short silence.

\"Oxxy-owe-ond!\"

I heard a strange, whistling sound as something seemed to fly over my head.

\"What the hell?\" I began, raising my head. But by the time I opened my eyes, all I could see was a large, blindingly bright ball of light that was headed straight toward me.

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

\"What?\" I exclaimed, waking up with a start. I was trying to move my hands in front of my face so that I could shield myself, but my arms didn\'t seem to want to cooperate.

Oh, shit, there\'s something around my wrists.

I heard a deep chuckle from the side of the bed.

Fuck, he had tied me up.

But as I tried again to move, I realized that I actually could pull my hands down if I tried hard enough. Blinking my eyes, I stared down at my wrists and saw that there were scarves tied around them, but they had apparently only been loosely looped around the bedposts. Once I had pulled hard enough, they had come free. Raising my eyes, I saw the boy standing at the side of the bed, pulling on his t-shirt.

\"Glad to see I\'m still entertaining you,\" I muttered, as I sat up. Looking down at my ankles, I could that they had been tied the same way as my wrists. I reached down to release them.

\"Truthfully,\" he said, sitting down upon the bed and beginning to put on his socks and shoes, \"I\'m a little disappointed-I did so hope that you would panic a while longer before you realized that you weren\'t really tied up securely.\"

Having finished undoing the knots, I threw the scarves to the side and glanced over the side of the bed.

\"Where\'s the whip?\" I asked, feeling quite uneasy again.

He paused and looked back over his shoulder at me before allowing a smirk to spread over his face. \"In the drawer,\" he said, nodding in the direction of the bureau. \"Not that I wouldn\'t like to try my hand at that as well,\" he allowed, standing up. \"But I am afraid that I must be on my way.\"

\"Have to get home before Daddy finds out where you\'ve been?\" I taunted.

\"Actually, yes,\" he said, frowning slightly as he placed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

There was a faint jingling sound and he laughed again as he looked down at me.

\"Oh, I do have a few coins,\" he said, bringing his empty hands out of his pockets. \"But I\'m afraid they wouldn\'t be of much use to you. However-\"

He paused and tilted his head to the side. \"I suppose it really is only fair to give you something to compensate you for your time this evening.\"

He strode over to the bureau and picked up his leather jacket.

\"Here,\" he said, tossing it onto the bed. \"The tags are still on it and the receipt is in the pocket. You can return it to the store. If they won\'t give you a complete refund they\'ll probably let you exchange it for something else.\"

\"Gee, thanks,\" I said, reaching over to pick it up.

\"It is the least I can do.\"

\"Yeah, the least,\" I replied.

\"Besides,\" he added, shrugging his shoulders, \"I shall not be needing it again.\"

\"Not planning on making a return visit?\" I asked, hugging the jacket against my chest.

He stared at me a moment before smiling again. \"Unfortunately, no,\" he admitted. \"As you said, my father would not be pleased to learn of my coming here. But he is out of the country tonight-which is why I was able to come and pay you a visit.\"

\"If you ever do show up here again, I won\'t let you in the door,\" I said.

He laughed again and I trembled as he bent down over me.

\"Oh, come now,\" he said, reaching out to grab my chin with his left hand. \"After all that\'s happened here tonight, do you really think you would have a choice?\"

\"No,\" I answered, honestly.

\"No,\" he repeated, releasing his hold. \"But do not fear. As I said, I do not plan on returning. Although you have been an interesting tutor, I am afraid I must turn to others to complete my education. Although,\" he raised his hand again, this time to stroke my cheek very gently. \"I will never forget you.\"

\"I\'m going to do my best to forget you,\" I retorted.

\"I could arrange that,\" he said, and his smile broadened as I shivered.

\"But I doubt that is necessary,\" he added, bending down to brush his lips softly against mine. I was almost startled by the gentleness of the gesture, but it was instantly negated by the fact that at the same time I felt his hand slip underneath the jacket and pinch down quite painfully upon my nipple.

\"On the other hand,\" he said, letting go and standing up again. \"I do like to flatter myself that I am a rather memorable character.\"

I said nothing for a moment, moving my hand down to massage my breast as he stood before the mirror and brushed his hair away from his face. I certainly wasn\'t going to offer to let him use one of my combs or brushes on that oily mop.

I waited until he had opened the bedroom door before speaking again.

\"How are you going to get home?\" I asked, curiously.

He turned and regarded me rather suspiciously. \"Not that it\'s really any of your business, but I plan on taking the bus,\" he replied.

\"I don\'t think they run this late-definitely not around here anyway,\" I said, glancing at the clock.

I heard his laughter echoing down the hall as he continued on his way. It took all the willpower I possessed to stay where I was until after I heard the sound of the flat door slamming shut behind him. In an instant, I had thrown the jacket and the covers aside and had scurried down the hallway, turning the lock and making sure that all three of the deadbolts were in place. Sighing loudly, I leaned back tiredly against the door and wondered if he was telling the truth about never coming to see me again.

I was still there when I heard a loud banging sound and saw a bright flash of light coming from outside the building. Hurrying back to the bedroom, I pulled the curtain aside and stared out the window. But all I saw was the dark and empty street below.