Suddenly, the bathroom door was pushed open, and Nathan appeared in the doorway. Crystal was startled. She had been drinking water from a glass, and as a reflex, she yelped and threw it at his head.
Nathan dodged the glass, and it bounced harmlessly off the carpet in the bedroom. He raised one eyebrow but said nothing. He stared at her with sullen eyes. He thought that she was like a frightened bird, but that did not make sense to him. In his eyes, she had always been impervious to fear, but she had not even batted an eye when he pointed a gun at her.
Nathan was determined to get to the root of this fear. He looked Crystal up and down, acknowledged cuts and bruises, and wondered if they had anything to do with it. He walked over and pressed his hands on the counter in front of her. Then he casually leaned over and whispered, "Did you sleep well? For a while, I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up?"
What the f**k! - thought Crystal. He was acting as if he had not just about killed her. The truth was that he actually had killed her, only she had been able to revive herself by sheer strength of will.
"Are you comfortable?" He asked. He smiled, and he gripped her buttocks with his strong right hand.
Crystal looked down at her apparel and frowned. She was still wearing the lingerie that he had picked for her, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was in the gutter. He let her go, and then he spanked her three times. She cried out in pain each time, but she knew that it could be worse; she feared that it would get worse, but for now, her bum was the only part of her body without any previous injuries, so the pain was less than it might otherwise have been.
Crystal wanted to leave, but she knew that he would not let her go. Not only that, but if she struggled, she knew that it would only further fuel his lust.
Nathan put his arms around her, and she bit her lower lip to keep from crying out in pain as he embraced her. He nibbled on her earlobe and whispered, "We still have six hours left, and we are going to make them memorable."
Crystal groaned. She could not help it. All of a sudden, she wished that she had stayed dead. Six more hours with him sounded like an eternity.
Nathan walked behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and grabbed both of her breasts. "You know that I have ruined you, don't you?" He traced her right nipple with his thumb, gave it a squeeze, and said, "Since you have taken Cupid's Arrow, you can never be with another man, and the abstinence will kill you. As you know, women are like flowers. If they aren't watered, they will shrivel up and die. But do not worry, I will make sure that you are good and 'watered' before you leave. But how does it feel to know that you will have to live like a nun for the rest of your life." He chuckled and asked her if she knew why nuns were called 'nuns'?"
Crystal shrugged and said that she didn't.
"It's because NONE is all they get!" he explained. He laughed out loud, and the volume of his voice pierced her eardrums like hot pokers. Despite the pain, though, she could not help but smile. He obviously did not know about Cupid's Arrow Loophole. If she had a baby with Eric, she would be safe and could imagine how much that would upset Nathan. And the promise of his dismay gave her the strength she needed to carry on.
"Are you going to live as a widow forever?" Nathan asked.
Crystal shrugged and said, "Whatever you say…." His eyes bulged when he heard her answer, and she could not help but laugh.
Crystal did not want to rile him up any more than he already was, so she said, "I was laughing at my own stupidity. I'm sorry."
"Why would you think that you're stupid," Nathan asked. "You are the most cunning woman in the world!"
"If I were so cunning, you wouldn't have been able to con me so easily," Crystal argued. "You didn't tell me the truth about Cupid's Arrow. You had no right to lie to me like that!"
Nathan gritted his teeth and said, "You didn't deserve the truth. Furthermore, I only keep my promises to women who deserve my love. You, Crystal, definitely don't deserve love!"
Crystal shrugged and said, "I am okay with that. Since you don't want me, there should be no problems when I go to Eric."
"If he dares to touch you, be ready to prepare his grave!" Nathan snarled.
"You don't make any sense," Crystal cried. "You are like a child in a field of daisies, chanting rhymes as you pluck petals of flowers. You love me. You love me not. You want me. You want me not. Give me a fucking break." She tore away from him. She felt so dirty, and she had wanted to take a bath, but now she knew that it would not be possible until she was with Eric.
Crystal took off her lingerie and put on some clean clothes. Fortunately, it was wintertime. No one would question the turtleneck sweater that she had put on to cover the bruises.
By the time Crystal was dressed, Nathan had returned to the bedroom. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and smoking. But for the tick-tock of the clock on the wall, the room was silent.
Crystal stood as far away from Nathan as she could. Will this day ever end? - she wondered. It felt like every minute was an hour.
Nathan finished his cigarette and looked up. He checked the time on the clock and thought - It is time. He got up, walked across the room, opened the door, and went out into the hallway. His actions frightened Crystal. They made her worry that would break his word.
Suddenly, Crystal felt weak all over. Her heart felt fuzzy, and her legs began to tremble. It felt as if they could not support her weight.. She thought she was going to collapse, but then Nathan returned. He threw a key at her and said, "There is a helicopter on the top floor! Let's go!"