She learned to follow his lead as much as possible. Obedience, though degrading, could yield moments of thoughtfulness from him.
Even this past night, she wasn't sure if she fell asleep due to extreme fatigue or passed out in a massive impact of his carnal desire.
Arianna dried off her body with the bath towel before wrapping it around her body.
She unlocked the door and stepped out of the humid bathroom.
Travis was sitting on the sofa by the window, wearing a silk bathrobe. He was reading a stack of papers with a cigarette in his hand.
When he saw her, he gestured for her to come and sit next to him.
Arianna strode over to the sofa and took a seat on the armrest. As Travis realized he was sitting in the middle of the couch, he slid over to give her a spot.
She slipped off the armrest and onto the couch; however, she was sitting tightly against him now.
Travis's cigarette-holding hand moved from the back of the sofa to her bare shoulder. He hooked her neck and pulled her in as he went for a drag of his cigarette.
Holding her breath, Arianna fought the urge to bite his arm to free herself. She remained motionless. Her body was exhausted.
At least in this position, he wouldn't touch her with the cigarette. She hated it when the glowing ashes dropped on her body. She believed he never felt guilty about hurting her.
He finally finished reading the paper and put out his cigarette.
Grabbing a magazine, he flipped through the pages with Arianna. They were looking at beautiful advertisements for expensive jewelry.
Travis suddenly asked, "Which one is your favorite?"
Arianna's body stiffened as she leaned away from him slightly and said, "None of them."
He pointed to one image, "How about this one?"
The picture showed a large diamond-encrusted square emerald. It was crystal clear and translucent. It looked gorgeous and elegant on the young woman's back.
"The model is pretty. Is she your new love?"
Travis laughed mildly, "No, but I should consider it."
Arianna remained silent but slowly sunk back into him. Travis was warming up, "Do you like this one, though? You were looking at it for longer than the rest."
"I was looking at how the jewelry doesn't match the model's personality. It doesn't reflect well on the brand."
"You're right. This model is nowhere near as charming and sexy as you." He turned to her, "Arianna, you know that I like you being obedient, but are you just trying to please me right now?"
She ignored him and rested her head on the armrest with her eyes closed.
Travis folded the papers and threw them in the garbage can. He turned on the TV with its remote before lighting another cigarette.
Arianna was tired of the smell of smoke and said, "Give me one."
Without his consent, she leaned forward to take his cigarette case. Her arms had to stretch across his body to place her fingertips on the case.
But before she could capture the box, he slid the case further away from her and said, "A smoking woman is not charming."
As she was bringing back her arm, she snatched the cigarette from his mouth and sucked on it hard for two seconds before placing it back in his fingers.
She blew a ring of smoke and said, "You used to say you wanted to see the real me. But I don't think that's true."
Travis moved his body backward a little, peering at her like she was a stranger.
Arianna looked back at him without fear; her eyes were focused.
They confronted each other like two martial arts masters. It seemed peaceful on the surface, but two invisible forces were raging between them. Arianna lost her momentum first. She stood up and tried to step away.
However, when she stood up, he held the hem of her bath towel. The towel was torn off as she tried to get away, and she fell into his arms.
Using his strength, he turned her over and pinned her body down on the sofa. His lips pierced through the already injured skin on her chest. She whimpered in pain.
The sofa was very small, though particularly soft. Arianna was like a small bug trapped in a cobweb with nowhere to escape.
She pointed to the bed and spoke weakly, "There." But her request was totally ignored.
****
When Travis stepped out of the bathroom, wiping his hair dry, he noticed Arianna was already dressed.
She wore a light blue cotton shirt and jeans. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and she did not have any makeup on.
A folded pile of clothing caught her eye. It was one of the pantsuits she wore for work. She forgot she left that here. It must have been there for over a year by now.
Arianna rarely stayed overnight, and when she did, she tried to make sure that she never left anything behind. Whatever she needed was always delivered to her while she was there.
Surprisingly, she had never found any other woman's belongings. She sometimes wished that Travis would have affairs with many women, so he would torture her less often.
Travis Cooper must have other women. Arianna was not extremely stunning physically, nor was her personality amazing. It must have been fun for him to play these games with her. The torture must be his form of pleasure.
In fact, Arianna remembers one night when he received a phone call from another woman while he was in bed with her. Though his response was brief, his tone was gentle and patient.
When Arianna saw Travis approach her, she stood upright inadvertently. Travis looked at her for several seconds and said, "You are still young and energetic. Just like when I first met you."
Her expression softened a little before she recovered. She remained quiet while scooping up her white dress from the floor. The collar and hemline were shredded.
She kneaded the dress into a ball and threw it into the garbage can.
"What a waste," Travis said slowly.
"I'm not the one who tore it up."
"Are you going home tonight? You've been full of energy recently."
That 'energy' was a dangerous topic. Arianna responded with caution, "I have to finish a work file that's due tomorrow."
"Let Ryan drive you home then."
"Just take me to Hillside so I can pick up my car."
"Let Ryan drive you home."