It would be one thing if there was just a single murder in the town.  One unfortunate accident that had taken place between two people.  Today, I found out we had the sixth one.  Yet another victim.  Another crime had taken place during the hours that I was asleep.  I thought about how careless I had been.  How I had not locked my front door, left after eight, went out by myself.  I was so concerned about being single to a party that I put my own safety at risk.  It could have been me paying for it.  I could have been the one dead, and that was terrifying.

I listened to Harry's broadcast.  He did the usual recap around nine-ten, and I thought it was funny that he usually did it when I normally started to tune in.  Banking on the fact that he probably did that after every couple commercial breaks throughout the show, I found myself choosing to listen only because of the fact that the new victim was a girl who was twenty-one.  She was my age, had a year left of classes, and was trying to be a teacher.  She had similar characteristics of me, and yet she didn't get the opportunity to finish her life in the way that she may have wished.

Around ten, when the broadcast was finishing up, I shut the radio off.  I needed to let my mind run ramped for a little while.  Taking a few deep breaths, I pulled the journal out of my bag that Harry had gotten me my first week here.  I hadn't filled it with much, maybe just a note or two, but today felt different.  I found myself writing about how scared I was to live here on my own.  I had wondered if these things would be happening if it weren't for my ex and I splitting up.  Of course, I couldn't say that these murders wouldn't be taking place, but I felt that if my ex and I had still been together, I wouldn't have been in Winter Haven at this time watching this murder spree take its course.

It wasn't until about fifteen minutes later that there was a knock at my door.  I quickly put my journal away before telling the person to come in to my office.  He didn't say anything, simply came to sit down in one of the chairs in front of my desk like normal.  Or, I thought he was going to sit down until he passed the chairs, Harry taking a seat on my desk.  I stared up at him, his hands gripping the edge of the desk.

"How are you this morning actually?" he asked.

I knew what he meant.  He didn't want me to tell him that I was doing well, and simply move on from the subject.  This was a matter of how I felt; how I genuinely thought and felt about the whole situation that was unfolding here. Glancing away from him, I tried to look at what size was doing before I had written in the journal. The newsletter I was trying to make and accomplish for this week. Though I felt his fingers under my chin, tilting my head up so that I would look at him.

"Magdalina," he stated.

"Right. Uh, I'm freaked out."

"We can talk about it. I can come stay with you on the weekends if you want? Whoever is doing this seems to be active on the weekends for the most part."

He was very generous. I didn't know why he was always so kind and friendly to me, but I really did appreciate it. After all, he didn't have to be this way with me. He could have been rude, distant, and cold. Yet here he was being sweet, friendly, and incredibly caring with this entire situation. Of course, I had friends who lived around here—people I could trust. However, they already had other people to worry about like their kids and their husbands. Why would I want to bother them with me?

"You don't have to stay with me," I told him.

"I know I don't have to, but I'd like to know that you're safe," he told me. "And, you know, not leaving by yourself past eight."

My face burned and I found myself wrapping my hand around his wrist. When I tried to pull his hand away from my face, he quickly moved, his thumb gripping one side of my face while his fingers gripped the other. It was something I noticed he normally did with me, a cheeky look on his face.

"There's another reason as to why I don't enjoy watching you hang out on your own," he stated lowly, his eyes very focused on my face. "But of course that's just me being of the jealous kind."

He quickly let go of my face, my eyes widening just slightly before I tried my best to restore my composure. What did he have to be jealous about when it came to me? Not to mention, why would he be jealous? I had not forgotten how he had walked in on me on my knees at the bar, but the thought of him being jealous just didn't seem correct.

"Maybe I should go out by myself more often. I think seeing you angry is kind of funny."

"Funny? You almost started crying when I punched someone. But sure, you totally think when I'm angry it's funny."

"You were gagging, so it was kind of funny," I shrugged.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Do you still want me to come to the dinner party with you, doll?"

I smiled, glancing down at my notes and then back at him. It was sweet that he was asking again, the fact that he hadn't forgotten something I really appreciated. However, with the way we had been interacting recently, I almost felt like I wanted to push his buttons. It was fun. I usually enjoyed it, honestly.

"I was thinking I could just go out and do a whole lot of talking, so to speak, with someone else. Do something for them and then ask them for a favor in return, you know?"

"You better watch it, doll."

I knew I made him mad.  It was obvious by his body language.  He usually hated when I spoke like this, and while I should have known better, I always thought it was fun.  Not only did it keep him on his toes, but there was something that was so riveting about watching him grow frustrated with me.  I had never wanted to make a man angry before, but the way Harry handled me when I had said something to frustrate him was unlike anything I had ever seen.  And, while I hated to admit it, I kind of liked it.

"It's not like you're going to do anything," I said to him softly.

A mistake.  Truly, a mistake.  He got off of the desk, my face burning when he glanced over to the door.  I knew he was checking to make sure it was shut, green eyes assessing me briefly before he quickly worked to undo his belt.  I had no idea what he was doing, but I watched as he pulled the leather from around his waist completely, my eyes following his every movement.

At first, I didn't know what he was doing. He began to thread the tail of the belt through the buckle. It was followed by him threading the tail back through the frame, to create an eight. Or, realistically, what looked more like handcuffs. If I thought I had been blushing before, I had no clue what temperature my face was now.

"Hands," he stated, holding one of his out to me while the other held the looped belt.

"Excuse me?"

"You give me attitude, you pay the consequences, doll. Now give me your hands, I will not ask again."

I swallowed hard, holding my hands out to him. It didn't take long for him to slip my hands into the cuffs, Harry continuing to finish off the belt cuffs. He tightened them, making sure they were secure. Of course, I had absolutely no idea why I was even allowing this, Harry reaching forward to grab a fistful of my hair. I tried to look down, but he didn't allow it, tugging on my hair so that I would be looking up at him.

"Now let's try this again," he stated. "What are we wearing to this dinner party?"

"Oh, you know. Something formal."

"Elaborate. God, you always make it so much harder than it has to be. No wonder you're cuffed."

"Do you do this with Cherry?" I asked.

"Why? Jealous?"

"Not really. Why would I be jealous of a man and his girlfriend?"

"Maybe because you want to fill the hole of my girlfriend. Or, you know, let me fill a couple of—"

"Harry!" I whisper-shouted.

"You're going to tell me I'm wrong? You were practically begging for me Saturday night."

"No."

"Oh, Harry, won't you sit with me? Oh, Harry, don't leave just yet.  Oh, Harry, don't you like my outfit. Oh, Harry, won't you help me change?"

My eyes widened.  "I did not say any of that."

"Okay, Magdalina.  Sure you didn't."

Had I really said those things to him? I was most worried about the fact that I had asked him to help me change and I had no recollection of it whatsoever. It made me wonder what else I didn't recall. However, a part of me figured he hadn't done anything weird. Especially since he told me he had made cookies the previous evening for me and there had been some on the kitchen counter the next morning. It wasn't like he had been lying, so I doubted that he did anything wrong when it came to the evening with me.

"Will Cherry care if you come with me to the dinner party?" I asked.

"I don't know, why don't we call her?"

While I was still handcuffed, he reached over me, calling who I assumed was Cherry. The thought of her seeing what was going on was incredibly embarrassing, and I suddenly felt like I had to be crossing some sort of boundary with their relationship now. Then again, a part of me also knew they weren't that interested in one another in a sense. I mean, Cherry had spoken about a bunch of different guys she thought were hot when we were dancing together, so maybe her and Harry were not as serious as I had previously thought.

"Hello?" I heard someone answer.

"Hey, is Cherry there?" Harry asked. "It's Harry, I have a question for her."

"Oh hi, sugar. How've you been?" the girl speaking asked.

"Fine, Summer. Can you get my girlfriend, please? It is incredibly important."

The girl assured him she would get her, Harry glancing down at me with a small smirk crossing his features. I glared up at him, knowing that he was very much enjoying this—probably more than he needed to be enjoying it, honestly.

"Babes!" I heard a familiar voice greet not much later.

"Hi, Cherry," Harry stated. "Listen, I have your favorite friend of mine Magdalina here. She has a dinner party on Wednesday, I was wondering if it would be okay if I went with her? She said she was worried to ask me since she knows we're dating."

"Maggie!" Cherry called. "You're the sweetest. I would love it if Harry went with you. We have to hang out soon, though!"

"Absolutely," I agreed. "Thank you for letting me borrow him."

"Of course! Make sure he behaves."

I glanced up at him, Harry raising his eyebrows at me.  I didn't know exactly what he wanted me to say, but the fact that I felt like he was misbehaving right now made me smirk up at him.  After all, I held a lot more power than I think he realized.

"Does he misbehave with you often?" I asked.

"Maggie, you're so funny," Cherry stated.  "He doesn't usually unless he is absolutely plastered."

"Babes," Harry complained.  "It was one time."

"And I'm still embarrassed," she stated.  "He tried to get all handsy in front of his friends."

"Tell me about it.  I tried to get handsy with someone the other night, and he totally stopped me."

"Oh, he told me!" Cherry laughed.  "The guy sounded hot, too!"

"Right?" I complained, Harry giving me a dirty look as I continued to speak.  "And there I had a man ready to let me do whatever, and Harry just had to ruin it."

"He did tell me you're not usually like that, so I guess I understand.  He was trying to keep an eye out for his friend."

"Oh, he wishes we were friends."

He gripped my hair tighter, a grimace settling on my face as I stared up at him.  He mouthed for me to, "Quit it," even though I didn't want to.  I knew he didn't enjoy listening to my words as Cherry laughed on the line.  I wanted nothing more than to make him angry.  It was a game that I truly enjoyed, even if I knew he wasn't a big fan of it. 

"Honey, I love talking to you, but I have some errands to run today.  Babes, call me later, won't you?"

"I'm going to do more than call you," Harry stated.

"Babes," she complained.  "Not in front of Maggie."

He chuckled.  "Bye, Cherry."

"Bye, Cherry!"

She said a goodbye before she hung up, Harry hanging up the phone as well.  I could tell he was thinking about what he should do, Harry still gripping my hair tightly while my hands stayed cuffed.  Breathing deeply, I watched as he glanced around the office briefly before letting go of my hair.

"You're lucky I have a girlfriend."

"Yeah?" I asked.  "And why is that?"

"Oh, doll, the things I'd do to you if I didn't," he stated as if it was perfectly normal.  "Anyway, have fun getting those off."

"Harry," I stated quickly when he pulled away from me.  "No, wait."

"I told you not to play," he shrugged, walking toward the door.  "Good luck."

"No.  Harry, no, please."

"Maybe this will teach you to be good.  As always, feel free to finger through any personal files while I'm away."

He sent me a smirk before leaving me fully alone.  I was in complete shock.  My hands genuinely were cuffed, and there was absolutely nothing that I could do about it.  Groaning loudly, I had zero clue how I was going to get out of these, knowing that I had never truly been in a situation like this.  However, Harry was always surprising me, so I really should have started to expect absolutely anything from him.

I spent at least ten minutes attempting to get out of them with just my hands before I tried to attempt using my feet to help. I was hoping that I could use my feet to grab the loose tail of the belt, but to no avail it didn't work. So, by the time it hit about eleven-thirty, I was a hopeless mess. Getting up out of my chair, I made my way to my door, pulling it open before I knocked on Harry's. I knew I looked like an absolute fool, and I would probably turn over and die if someone saw me in my current situation. Though, I jumped when the door was unlocked on the other side, my cheeks flushing when Harry pulled the door open quickly.

"What?" he asked.

"What do you mean, what? Get me out of these right now," I grumbled.

"No."

"Harry," I whined, quietly. "Please. I have work to get done."

"You said I wouldn't do anything about your attitude," he stated.  "Now that I did you're upset? Tell me where that makes sense."

"I want out," I begged him. "Please. I'll be good for you. I won't give you anymore attitude."

He sighed, pulling me into his office and shutting the door. I was worried he was just going to continue teasing, my eyes wide when he grabbed my hands and pulled me over to where he had a floor length mirror. I was confused at first until he held onto me from behind, one his hands on my waist while the other grabbed my hands.

"You see yourself?" he asked.

"Mhm."

"Don't hum, I want words. Do you see yourself?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"And what's wrong with this picture?"

"I have handcuffs on."

"And why is that?"

"Because I have an attitude with you."

"And if I take these handcuffs off, what are we most definitely not going to have?"

"An attitude with you."

"Good girl," he nodded.

He purposely kept me against him while he undid the belt constraint, my breathing slightly labored simply due to nerves. I was confused with what was happening and where we stood. After all, the average person would not treat me this way, and especially not a person with a girlfriend, I would think. Deciding that since I was going to choose to behave, we probably would not have anymore incidents like this, I let out a breath I didn't even know I had been holding in when he got me out of the handcuffs, my eyes focusing on Harry as he slid his belt back on.

"You'll be good for me, won't you?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Very good," he nodded. "Now, I have busy matters to attend to. Get back to work."

"What do you mean?"

"I have work to do.  What's not to get?"

I nodded, rubbing my wrists.  I didn't think they had been terribly tight, but now that I didn't have the restraint, I realized just how much pressure had been on my wrists.  Pushing my sleeves back some, I raised my eyebrows when I saw light bruising, my eyes narrowing on him.

"Harry," I grumbled softly.

"I didn't say I was going to be nice," he shrugged, walking over to take my hands.  "You know I'm not nice."

"You can be."

"This is true," he agreed, my eyes glancing down to where he was holding my hands back to his face.  "I'm sorry I bruised you, though.  I really didn't mean it."

"Okay."

"Really," he stated, brushing his thumbs over my wrists sweetly.  "I didn't want to hurt you."

"I get it."

"Good.  Now I hate to kick you out, but I really have a lot to do."

Nodding, I walked toward the door, Harry quickly grabbing the handle before I could.  At first, I was confused.  But then, he pulled the door open for me, gesturing for me to exit.  I had noticed that he almost always tried to open the door for me any time we were around one another, the gesture incredibly sweet.

"Be good," he told me.

"Of course."

"Let me know if there is anything I need to get for the dinner party."

"I will."

"Perfect," he nodded.  "Have a good rest of your day, Magdalina."

I thanked him softly, bidding him a good day before I went into my office and shut the door.  It didn't take long for me to examine my wrists again, still shocked that I had bruises from a man that was not even remotely close to being anything other than a friend.  I mean, I had received bruises from men in the past, but never like this.  Never from a form of restraint.  It was interesting, to say the least, and I wondered why he felt so comfortable doing such insane things with someone who wasn't even his girlfriend.  Deciding not to dwell on it while I had a lot of work to get started on, I put all of my energy into my newsletter, praying that the dinner party would get here quickly just so I could get it over with.