Internship Gets a New Spin

Burly men grip her arms, the sound of crashing waves echoing nearby. Elena’s mind wanders back to summers spent along Coney Island. The smell of hot dogs, candied apples…her mouth waters thinking about those days. She shuffles her feet uneasily, imagining herself strolling along the shore.

“I see you’ve brought your captive.” Alex’s voice pierces the calm. “What a show of good faith.”

“I like to think of myself as a reputable businesswoman.” Elena’s boss turned captor is polite yet firm. “Do you have the goods?”

The sound of something crinkling invades Elena’s ears. Sounds like money, most likely, concealed in a grocery bag or something, followed by an awkward silence. She wonders what could possibly be going on between them.

Too bad she’s blindfolded.

“Fifty thousand dollars.” Katye sneers. “How stingy of you.”

“It came from my own funds!” Alex bristles. “Did you know what trouble I had to go through to get these?”

“Not trouble enough?” Ms. Lewis slights him. “But seeing as this is your first transaction with me, I’ll cut you some slack.”

“Fine.” The writer bares his teeth. “Are you still sticking to the terms of our agreement?”

“You mean the 4.5 book deal?”

“All of it. And I get to keep 70 percent of the royalties on all reprints and related media, including DVD and internet.”

The executive licks her lips.

“And what does my **** have to do with this?”

“It’s a personal condition of my employment.” His voice is overweening. “Think of it as an incentive for creativity.”

“I doubt you’ll find any inspiration in her arms.”

“And how do you know that?”

“The last time you took on a mistress your book flopped and made half its value.”

“What about the other two books that didn’t flop?”

“I don’t care about the past.” Ms. Lewis cuts him off. “I care only about the present. And right now you’re not doing too good a job of selling yourself. Besides, what’s to stop me from pulling a name out of the transom? Millions of struggling erotica writers, just as talented as you send me their work to me every day. Less fussy, might I add. What sets you apart from them, hmm?”

Alex swallows the insult.

“I am Alex West.” He reminds her. “I am one of a kind. I have millions of fans
around the world. My work has been translated into thirty languages. Half of Porn Valley is financed by the adaptations of my work. My name exudes sex. I am irreplaceable.”

“A salient argument, I am sure.” Ms Lewis sighs. “But I’ve never been swayed by entitlement.”

“You gave your word.”

“Yes I did.” She shakes his hand. “And I intend to keep it. Hand her over!”

Elena bristles as the bodyguards exchange her, practically pushing her into Alex. She grimaces as he grabs her by the wrist, forcing her into the back of his car.

The ride lasts for several tense minutes, Elena trying to picture her new captor’s home in her mind. She imagines a palatial estate in the Hamptons, or some type of quirky apartment in the East Village. The heavy stench of tobacco drifts into her nostrils as the classic rock blares over the radio.

The vehicle pulls into a driveway and comes to a screeching halt as the grating sound of gates closing behind them fills her ears. Alex yanks her out of the car. The long walk towards the front door lasts forever.

He leads the confused woman to the living room, tossing her on the couch. Her muscles tense as her heart rate speeds up. He could just as easily kill her and dispose of her in a Brooklyn dump.

It’s not unheard of.

Alex removes her blindfold. Her eyes are aghast at the sight of built in bookcases lined with oak, plush silk ottomans, a thirty inch TV flanked by giant subwoofers. Her impression was not inaccurate.

“Like what you see?” Alex’s smirk makes her nauseous. “I personally designed this room. See the bookcase there? Adam Carolla personally built it for me. Adam fucking Carolla!”

“Mmmmph!”

“I know what you’re thinking. I’m an asshole. You’re probably right. But there’s nothing you can do about it, so long as you’re here.”

Elena’s face turns a shade of green.

“Mmmph! MMMMPH!”

Alex removes her gag, receiving a mouthful of vomit for his trouble. He bends her over and spanks her hard against the ass several times, eliciting whimpers. A temporary thrill runs through her spine. Is she scared or aroused?

Truth is, she doesn’t know what to feel.

“You bitch!” He yells. “I paid $200 dollars for that shirt!”

Elena gasps for air.

Alex grasps her by the arm and pulls her up, leading her out of the room. They walk through a corridor and through a door, climbing down a series of steps. Her eyes go wide at the sight of a wrought iron bed, chains leading from its side. A spreader bar looms in the background.

She dares not say a word as he chains her to the bed, wincing all the while.

“While you’re busy lying here.” He wags his finger. “You’ll be thinking about what your disobedience. Now if you excuse me, I have to change.”

Elena falls asleep as he climbs up the stairs, anticipating his next move.