Games of Ecstasy

His body was unbearably hot and sweaty. A high fever plagued his body as he found himself feebly lying on a large bed. Thick blankets covered his whole body up to his neck, and a cold and wet towel cooled down his forehead. 

It was like a dream. 

His closed eyes fluttered open as he looked at his right, where a silhouette of a woman could be seen through his foggy eyes. His lost eyes soon gained some focus as he looked at the woman. 

The woman looked familiar but distant at the same time. Deep worry and affection could be felt from her wet eyes as she dutifully changed the wet towel with a new one. 

"Mhhm."

His heart throbbed with unknown emotions as he looked at the woman who looked so weak yet so strong to him. He didn't know why? But he had the urge to say something to her. So, he tried to speak but was stopped by a finger on his lips. 

"Shh. Close your eyes and sleep a bit more. The next time you wake up, the fever will be gone."

"..."

He didn't say anything but obediently closed his eyes. His mind was so foggy that he couldn't think properly. What was that he wanted to say to her? It was difficult to recall. 

"..."

Her hand gently caressed his left cheek. The soft touch melted his heart. 

A dream. It was a dream. A voice constantly ringed in the background. 

He whimpered and struggled and opened his eyes. He looked at her, and unknowingly, tears started flowing down his ears. 

"... Mo..."

"Mhm? What is it? You should go to sleep. Don't strain yourself too much."

That voice... 

"Mom..."

Those caring eyes with deep worries for him in them... 

He wanted to say something to her. The words he never had the chance to say to her. So he did so. 

"Mom... I miss you."

*****

Anthony was having a dream until he opened his eyes. His eyes were wet with tears, but there was not an inkling of sadness or pain in them, so it was impossible to tell the reason behind those tears. 

"Mhhm..."

'Where am I?'

Quickly wiping the tears with the blankets, he looked at the unfamiliar room he found himself in. The room was mostly painted white, and it was quite large. Though, except a bed, a TV, a dressing table, and a few other common furnitures, there was nothing else in the room. It was mostly empty and felt uncomfortably spacious. 

'This is not my room. And I don't remember sleeping in a hotel room. Where is this? Ah!'

"What is this place?" He muttered in a strange tone as he suddenly felt something on his left. "!!!"

'What? Who is she?'

There was a woman lying beside him, staring at him with a lost expression. Looking at her face, she seemed to be in her early thirties. Her eyes were red and swollen, and there was a flush on her soft face. She seemed to have been crying for a long time. 

"Um, who are you?" He asked the unknown woman cautiously. It was an unbelievable development, and he could be framed for sexual harassment or, in the worst case, rape. Even though he didn't do anything. 

"Sniff, what have you done to me?" The woman sobbed uncontrollably. It was honestly a pitiful sight to watch a grown woman cry. "H-How will I live after this?"

'I am fucked.'

Anthony hurriedly distanced himself from her to say he meant no harm. Though it was doubtful his intentions were conveyed to her since her sobbing didn't even lessen a bit. He first calmed himself down and tried to reassure her. 

"There seems to be a misunderstanding here, miss. Nothing happened between us, and I am also just as confused as you."

The woman's sobbing subsided a little, but the distrust was still there. It seemed that she was at least willing to listen to him. 

'I have to be very careful.'

"Hick, w-what do you mean?"

"I also do not know where I am right now. Moreover, are you not speaking in French? This means you are from France, but I live in the USA. How can I possibly know you, and most importantly, kidnap you and do anything to you? More importantly, I... am still a virgin." He didn't know, but he just felt to add that last sentence. It had a visible effect on the woman. 

"I-I see..." Relief could be seen from her face. 

'She is a bit naive to believe so easily, but it is good for me.'

Normally, people were more distrustful of each other in a situation like this, but the woman believed so easily that he couldn't help but evaluate her in a different light. She looked truly pitiful to him, just like a drenched puppy in the rain. 

"You should rest and relax your mind. In the meantime, I will see where we are right now."

"Okay." Now that she calmed down and was a little trustful of him, he realized that the woman was really beautiful. Although he had seen many women more beautiful than her, she was special, as she invoked a calm and a sticky feeling inside him as he looked at her. 

'She is dangerously attractive.'

He shook off the useless thoughts and stood up from the bed. Well, he tried to, but... 

'What?! I am naked.'

He belatedly realized that he was not wearing any clothes. Suddenly, he looked at the woman beside him and gulped. 

'She is also naked right now.'

"Ahem, miss, is there anything wrong with you right now?"

"Uhmm, no? There is nothing...!"

For the first time in his life, Anthony saw the sight of a woman's face literally turning red from shame. 

"Y-You..."

"Please don't be angry." He hurriedly looked away and carefully said, "I am also ashamed to be in this situation."

It was a lot to soothe an agitated woman. He chose his words carefully and maintained an appropriate distance from her. This seemed to gain him her trust, even a little bit. 

She did not say anything after that and just hid inside the blankets. 

'She is not looking.'

In fact, he was also a little ashamed to show his bare body to the opposite sex. He was only in his twenties but never had the chance to even hold hands with a girl. In fact, he was never interested in girls of his age and was attracted towards slightly older and more mature women. 

'This is a sick joke.'

He peeled off the blankets from his body and slipped out of the bed. He looked at his naked body and then his little brother. 

'Thankfully, I can maintain my cool; otherwise, I would be labeled as a pervert.'

He looked at the white room and observed it more clearly. 

'There are four doors. Bathroom, Storage, Kitchen, and Exit. Hmm, it is a little suspicious.'

He walked towards the exit door and tried to open it. 

"Hah..."

'It is locked. Then the other doors...'

Just like he expected, they were also locked. He also searched the room for a key just in case, but there was none. 

'How should I explain this to her? She will freak out again.'