My phone rang as I pulled into my driveway from work. It was Henry, my boyfriend, video calling me. I haven't heard much from him in the past two days because he left for a business trip in London and I assume that he has been busy and jetlagged. So, a video call was unexpected, but I was happy about hearing from him and getting to see his face.
"Maybe he's at a tourist attraction with coworkers and wants to show me," I thought to myself with excitement. I turned off my engine and swiped my finger up the screen of my phone to answer.
"Hey, handsome!" I said as I waited for the video on my screen to start, then my smile quickly dropped as confusion and dread overcame me.
When the video finally turned on, I saw Henry, but something was wrong. His lips nervously curled around a knotted white cloth that was tied over his mouth. His soft cheekbones were flexed under pink, tired-looking eyes. Henry's thick, dirty blonde eyebrows furrowed in concern as he looked away from the camera.
"Henry? What's going on?!" I asked frantically. Tension ran all over my body as I tried processing what could be happening, hoping that my boyfriend is pulling a fucked up prank. Henry's eyes glistened as tears formed in them. Then, the phone's view moved away from Henry.
"I bet you weren't expecting to hear from me!" said an older man huskily as the lighting for the video readjusted. My heart dropped once I recognized the man.
Last year, when I was laid off and struggled to find work during quarantine, I got desperate for money. I asked a friend for a small loan, then he directed me to a guy he knows who can lend you money quickly, under the table.
This guy was Bill. He's a really affable guy that's in his 50s. Bill is bald and heavyset with a thick grey beard. He has a loud, raspy voice and he loves to chat. While money is an awkward and tense subject to talk about for most people, Bill offers it like it's a stick of gum, as if it's nothing. There's something very fatherly about him: he's approachable and accommodating with a dry sense of humor, but a little threatening because of how confident and powerful he seems.
He offered me the loan, asked if I needed any more than what I asked for, then insisted that I hang out and talk to him. I felt strange about hanging out with this complete stranger, but didn't want to seem rude before I even got the money from him, so I hung out. He asked questions about my love life, my job, my family, etc and shared some stories about his life. I had just started dating Henry and was excited to talk about him, pretty much bragging. Bill was congratulatory and told a story about when he was first dating his wife. He seemed to live an interesting life, which kind of explains how eccentric he is. Bill then asked for my Cash App information so he could transfer the loan to my account.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to break your legs if you don't pay me back by the due date" Bill said with a chuckle. I laughed at his joke and thanked him profusely, feeling relieved that I'm not going to have to choose between paying bills or paying for groceries in the coming months.
I had every intention to pay Bill back by the date that he set for me. However, I didn't make as much back fast enough because I needed more money than I thought to catch up on finances. I planned to let Bill know that I'm going to be a little short, but I'll get him the rest soon. However, things just kind of got in the way and I forgot. Bill was such a nice, charming guy, so I was sure that he'd be understanding. I felt like garbage for kind of taking advantage of this generous man, but I had to do what I had to do.
On the due date, the day that Henry was leaving for London, I called Bill first thing in the morning to let him know. He sounded happy to hear from me and asked how I've been. We chatted for a bit, then I brought up how I wasn't able to pay him. Bill stayed quiet for a full minute.
"Oh? What's going on?" He asked with quiet tension in his voice. I found his change in tone unnerving.
"I'm sorry, but I just couldn't get everything together right now" I said, regretting that I didn't think of a better excuse. "I swear, you are my top priority. You'll have your money back in about a month with interest even if you aren't asking for it. You were so generous to help me during this difficult time and I feel like shit for letting you down, so I promise to make it right."
"Relax, son! Shit!" Bill said, putting an end to my anxiety-filled rambling. His voice sounded calm and cheerful. "Today is your due date and you aren't paying me, that's all I need to know" he added firmly, but still maintained his friendly cadence.
"Wait, I'm going to pay you soon. You heard that, right?" I asked, trying to sound more compassionate and less desperate.
"Uh-huh" he said, sounding annoyed.
"Okay! Well, you know I'm good for it," I said, trying to appear confident.
"We'll be in touch" Bill said flatly before hanging up.
I felt relieved, but uneasy. Bill really nailed the disappointed dad vibe with me. Part of me feared that he might take legal action or possibly break my legs like he joked that he wouldn't. However, I spent most of my emotional labor on not thinking about how I'm going to miss Henry while he's away and not get crazy and needy with him because I knew that he was going to be busy and I didn't want to ruin his fun with my jealousy and loneliness. It was his first time traveling abroad, so he was nervous about the long flight and being so far from home by himself, but he tried cloaking his nervousness with indifference about seeing London. He also kind of wanted some space from me around the day of his trip, I think because he didn't want us to get teary about saying bye to each other at the airport. This is why I forced myself to not expect a lot of attention from him while he's away. Aside from a few one-word answer texts ("Yes," "Goodnight," and "I love you"), I assumed that he was just busy and overwhelmed. I'll hear everything about his trip when he gets back.
"Hi, Edmund! How've you been, buddy?! You remember me, don't ya?" Bill said. His usual, cheerful demeanor now feels menacing. I struggled to get any words out as my panicked mind scrambled.
"Wh-what… Henry?!" I managed to ask with a tremble.
"Oh, Henry!" Bill said as if he had forgotten about him. The camera was moved back to facing Henry. "He's a good boy. We've been having a lot of fun!" Bill explained as he patted Henry's face tauntingly, making Henry flinch and moan out of irritation. His moans were low and sounded annoyed, yet defeated. Henry hated what was happening to him, but couldn't do anything about it. "You sure like pretty boys, don't you?" Bill asked as he grabbed Henry's chin to make him face the camera head-on. Henry looked bashful, but his eyebrows furrowed and cheeks flexed as he bit his gag, looking angry.
"Wh-what do you want with him?!" I asked, trying not to cry from seeing the fear in Henry's eyes.
"I want you to take a good look at this man" Bill replied. "He was nervous about his big trip to Paris or something, he was so scared of missing you that he had to take a break from you before leaving, and had no idea what I had in store for him… Isn't that right, Henny Penny?" Bill asked teasingly as he lowered the camera to show me that he's pinching Henry's nipple, making him yelp and flinch fruitlessly in the chair he's tied to.
"Awww! Something tells me that someone hasn't been giving these nips attention!" Bill said in an infantilizing voice. "Poor Henny did nothing wrong, but had to miss his flight and has to put up with my bullshit because his boyfriend can't pay his debt," he added, now pulling Henry by his short hair to jerk his head around, before saying "did you hear Eddy call you handsome? Does that still mean anything to you now that he's got you into this mess? I promise not to damage this pretty face! You have my word." Henry just closed his eyes and took whatever Bill flung at him.
"You mother fucker! You better not hurt him!" was all I could think to say, not sounding nearly as threatening as I would have liked. Utter guilt washed over me as I tried not to imagine what this lunatic has done to Henry or what he will do to him. "Please, just take me! I'm the one who took out the loan. Why are you bringing him into this?!" I tried bargaining.
Bill let go of Henry, but kept the camera pointed at him, revealing that his hands were bound behind him and red rope was securing his body to a wooden chair. It appeared as if the rope was all that was keeping Henry upright because he looked exhausted. The neckline of his grey henley hung limply, framing the skin and hair on his upper chest. Sweat made his skin shine and dampened the underarms of his shirt. Henry's eyes were open, but looked off to the side, avoiding the camera. His cheeks made creases in his face because a knot was forcing his jaw open. Henry's lips curled around the edges of the knot, almost forming an 'O' shape that led to his dropped chin. On top of being understandably scared, he seemed embarrassed and shy. It was as if he were ashamed for being so vulnerable.
"You see, Edmund, if I caught you and killed you, I still wouldn't get my money," Bill paused to ensure that a pin can drop at any moment, then continued. "If I just hurt you, you'll be injured and would eventually heal, and you might think that your debt is paid or that it can't get any worse until I kill you." He hesitated again, then his raspy voice lowered. "But when I take something that you have and care about, and remind you of what you have to lose, I usually see the results that I want… even if all I get in return is your grief." These dreadful words stung my skin like dry ice. "You have a great guy here who really wants to go home, so you might not want to let him down like you let me and yourself down..." Bill said glumly and let those words hang as I sat in a painful silence.
Henry failed to hide his terror. It's obvious that he still couldn't believe what was happening, but it looks like he believes what Bill is promising. This is exactly what Bill wants me to see because it hurts. It hurts more than anything that Bill could physically do to me.
"Mr. Henry had no stakes in this transaction, but I'm pretty sure that he wants you to pay your debt" Bill said, breaking the silence. "Isn't that right, Henny Penny? I've had loads of fun with you over the past two days, but I'll have to dispose of you if Edmund doesn't pay me and I get bored," he said with a teasingly tender voice, "unfortunately, the fun always has to come to an end. But I know that there's a market for thick and hairy blonde boy sex slaves."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It felt like I just started to comprehend what I was seeing. I was completely speechless. My mind was flooded with anger and guilt. I was also ashamed of what I had gotten myself and Henry into. How could anyone do this, especially to someone as sweet and gentle as Henry? And just over money? How is that worth a grown man's life? Bill interrupted my little meltdown.
"Well, I'll have to be letting you go. I've got errands to run" Bill said, sounding upbeat. "Henry's a big boy, I'm sure he'll be fine by himself for a couple of hours, tucked away where nobody could hear him. If he's good, I might give him a little sexual relief… that was a big ole load last night, wasn't it?! And you were so worked up when the guys dropped you off!" Bill rambled cheerfully. He appeared to be absorbing all of Henry's humiliation and my dread as ammunition to be more crass.
"They got a little rowdy with him, but nothing too bad. Henny's a good guy," Bill continued casually, relishing whatever image was going through my head because it involves Henry being unjustly treated to punish me. "They just like having a little fun and showing who's boss," he added.
"As usual with these situations, you're going to regret it if you go to the police," Bill threatened as he held up Henry's head by gripping his neck, forcing him to sit up straight. Henry's face twisted with anguish, appearing to lose the energy to hide his horror from me. "You can come to the house that we met at if you want, but you won't find Henny here to try pulling something… wouldn't THAT be convenient?" Bill said, still holding Henry. They both shook, either from Henry's fear or Bill's utter intensity.
"Anyways, I'm hanging up... If you want, I can text you GOODNIGHT from Henny's phone again," Bill offered with a cruel smirk. "Thanks for the kissy face emoji. It really made me feel loved!... We'll be in touch," he said before hanging up.
THE END
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