A hotel. Of course she'd been given a hotel. A luxury one that had everything she could have ever wanted in it. Frank was trying to buy her happiness in order to keep her compliant, and it wasn't working. She reluctantly checked in and went up to the grand suite, but she wasn't going to like a minute of it.

Upon entering the door, the first thing she saw was the bed. So large. At least four people could sleep in it comfortably, and when it dawned on her why Frank probably picked that particular suite, her stomach formed tight, painful, knots. She was so close and he was so persistent, like he was determined to get as much out of her as possible until she was released from his clutches.

Off to the side was the bathroom which had a jetted tub and large shower with a glass door around it. As a young girl, or even the woman she was before she'd become jaded, she would have been excited. Instead, all she felt was an increasing sense of dread.

How many days did she have to stay there? Two? Three? Too many. Even one night might have been too much. Where else could she go? She was supposed to move into a basement apartment of a young man named Gage. Living with him sounded scary too. She didn't know him or what he was like, only that he was a dragon. There she would watch his son and spy on him and possibly try to seduce him. Her, seduce a man? Who did Frank think she was? Lori?

From his picture, Gage seemed nice. She recognized him from a few magazine articles three or four years ago. If she remembered those correctly, he came across as a nice person then too. Then again, Frank had seemed nice the day she'd first met him and that didn't turn out all too well either.

"Are you there?" Frank texted her. At least he'd texted and not just invaded her mind again.

Martie thought about texting back to let him know that she was in her new room and settled, but decided against it. "Stopped for breakfast. Check in isn't until three." It'd buy her some time. They'd let her in early because she'd asked so nicely. The drive into the city was exhausting. Not because it was a long trip but because the traffic had been frightening. She'd be walking as much as possible.

"I'll meet you later then."

Wow, it'd worked. Martie gazed over at the bed. It did look big and cushy. She bounced on it a few times before sprawling out across its length with her entire body. A couple hours of rest was all she needed and then she could have at least one worry free memory of her beautiful room. It really was magical.

"Unless!" She gasped, sitting up. "What if I found another place to stay!" Talking her thoughts out loud was the only trick she'd learned to keep Frank away from her brain. He claimed to not be interested, yet he sure found a way to pry often.

Martie sat on the bed, her head in her hand. "Let's see, who do I know that lives in the city. No one from home, that wouldn't be safe. If someone I know from home finds me they'll tell my parents and then they'd get hurt." Bad idea, which stunk since she did have a handful of classmates that moved to the city after graduating. "Oh! Oh! Lori! Yes, she's perfect! She's been here for, like a week already and she has training today!"

There, plan was in place. Martie would rest a little before finding Lori. Although, she wasn't quite sure how to find Lori without calling Frank and asking. "I'll just have to figure it out," she decided.

Wait, she could ask Frank. "I need Lori's information," she messaged.

"Why?"

"How are we supposed to connect otherwise?"

A long time passed and she hoped he believed her. Martie didn't come up with crafty ideas often. When she did, they were usually super awesome.

Finally, he sent, "Okay." Followed by the address to Lori's apartment along with her cellphone number. "Only use it if it's an emergency. Expect me for dinner. Can't wait to see you again."

She groaned, inputting Lori's information into her phone. With some hesitation, she dialed.

Straight to voicemail, or rather, what should have been a voicemail box if Lori actually bothered to set one up.

"I'll try again later," Martie whispered in defeat. For a few hours, she could be brave. For the time being she was alone. Nobody would be hurting her for those few hours. She had an escape set, at least a temporary one.