I knew I would've let Ajax do whatever he wanted to in that moment. I would lie on the workbench if he wanted me to and I would let him take me. In fact, I almost wanted him to do it, to take advantage of me when I was in such a helpless position. I knew it was wrong, I knew it was awful of me. But I felt like I couldn't stop it. It was like he had some kind of spell over me and I wasn't strong enough to fight it.

Thankfully, it was Ajax who took it upon himself to maintain control. His hands released my arms and grasped my hips. He held me firmly while he pressed into me, letting me feel the growing hardness in his pants. It the pressure made me bite my lower lip to suppress a moan. His lips were dangerously close to my ear and the heat from his breath was enough to keep me still with my arms folded behind my back. My eyes fluttered shut when he leaned into me more, like he was moving to kiss the side of my exposed neck. Then, with a low groan, he pulled back.

With the space in between us it felt like my rational mind clicked back into place once more. I untangled my arms before using them to push my upper body off the work space. Then I whirled around and stared at Ajax with wide eyes. I probably looked like a terrified fawn. It was what I felt like. He was a powerful predator and I couldn't fight him off.

But Ajax was glowing. His cheeks were flushed red and the smile on his lips was growing, like he had just come to some amazing conclusion. He opened and closed his mouth like he was about to say something, but then shook his head and ran a hand through that auburn hair. A second later he reached down and grabbed the shopping bags that he had dropped previously.

"Come on, let's get you back inside. Being alone with you is affecting me more than I'd like to admit," he confessed.

I was horrified at his words. But it wasn't fair because they were true for me too. Still, with the distance my head was clearer, therefore I was ready for a fight, "Fuck you, I'm not going back into that house with you. I demand that you take me home," I snarled. I braced for one hell of a rebuttal.

Ajax stunned me by running his tongue over this lower lip as he watched my mouth move. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes that I couldn't quite read as that smile on his face twisted into something darker. The powerful, dark gaze made warmth pool in my stomach.

"Don't talk to me like that. I don't take challenges to my authority well," he warned. But his voice sounded like he wanted me to keep pushing him. It was almost like he wanted to me to keep going.

"Take me home. Now," I ordered.

"Keiko, enough. You don't know what you're doing to me," he pressed as his head tipped back ever so slightly. His hands twitched like he was trying to conceal the urge to touch me.

"I don't care what I'm doing to you. You have no right to keep me hostage here."

At that he seemed to steady himself once more. "You aren't a hostage."

"Then let me go."

"No," he denied, then cocked his head to one side, "You really don't understand what is going on here, do you?"

"I know that you're crazy and you kidnapped me using a park ranger in Utah."

Ajax smirked at that, "I think that was a pretty clever way of going about it," he said with a certain level of pride. "I had to pull some strings, but now that you're here it's well worth it, wouldn't you say?"

"You're crazy," I whispered, shaking my head. Whatever lust was affecting me earlier had evaporated now.

"I think it's time to go back inside," he said. The smile left his face now and his green eyes flashed with annoyance. "We have a lot of things to cover and you are going to need to get your rest."

I was about to protest but he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side door. As he opened it I became acutely aware of the fact that he had always avoided touching my skin. Even now he was holding onto my arm through my sleeve. I just stared at his hand as he pulled me back outside. There were two men outside and when we stepped out of the garage they both stopped tending to the garden and stared at us. The second Ajax met their gaze they turned away. So they would be of no help me either. I didn't understand how so many people had seen this altercation and done nothing about it.

My eyes drifted over the area that he was leading me through. Glorious green grass that was cut to a precise length covered the majority of the space, but the estate was surrounded by a dense forest. There was one way in and one way out. The gravel road came up from a towering gate, circled around a fountain, then led to the house with one off shoot to a barn like building and another to the garage we had just left.

I wasn't entirely sure the structure in front of me should be called a house though. It wouldn't do it justice. The home before me was a marvel. It wasn't modern by any means, but that only made it grander and more elegant. The stone on the outside was dark and a large turret made the place seem like a castle. Large windows dotted all sides, letting light into the daunting place. I suppose it could have been beautiful if it hadn't been the place used to hide me.

Ajax pushed open one of the heavy double doors and dragged me inside.

The woman from before was still there, but instead of looking kind her face was covered with apprehension. She was talking softly to a man. A man with auburn hair just like Ajax's. he didn't have a crown resting upon his head, but he was wearing a deep blue suit that made his shocking eyes stand out even more. There was a wildness to him that almost made me want to hide behind Ajax. My ears burned as I listened to their quiet conversation. Maybe they would offer up information that would help me escape.

"Just tell all the staff that they can't be shifting for the next few days," the woman pleaded.

"Addy, that's ridiculous. If anything we should be telling the poor girl the truth and having a hard conversation with that damn mother of hers," the man argued.

"Please, Ryan," she pressed, "He needs any time we can give him with a case like this."

Then they heard the door shut with a slam behind us and they jumped. It was like a switch flipped. Their postures shifted into a casual, happy stance and they both turned to beam at us.

"We should have a quick chat, Ajax," Ryan suggested with a massive grin.

"Yeah, I'll just get her set up in the room and come right back down," he replied.

I was speechless. The woman, Addy, had seen me race out of that house. She knew I didn't want to be here and was being held against my will. Still, she said nothing as I was pulled towards the staircase I had raced down. I went with Ajax, shocked and numb. He took me back to the room I had been in earlier. When he let me I sat on the bed, my mind whirling.

His eyes met mine as he set down the shopping bags on a thick, white rug. I wanted to be tough and strong. I wanted him to be terrified of my next angry outburst, but I could only stare at him with tears in my eyes.

"I have to go down and talk to my parents," he whispered, his voice gentle, "And I'm going to leave you alone for the rest of the day so you can get settled. Feel free to use anything I bought. The bathroom is just over there," he said, jutting his thumb towards one of the open doors. "There's also a phone with a little directory beside it if you need anything else. If not then I'll see you in the morning. Try and get some rest in the meantime, okay?"

I didn't respond to him the slightest. I just stared at him, unable to believe what was happening. He let out a little sigh and turned to leave. When the door closed behind him softly I heard the muted click of the lock sliding over.