Chapter 1

Sara stood in front of the mirror, nervously checking her hair and makeup. Mark, her boyfriend of just a few weeks, was on his way to pick her up for their date. Sara smiled at herself in the mirror in anticipation of the romantic night Mark always had planned for them. She reminded herself again how lucky she was to have found a man who understood her commitment to remaining a virgin until her wedding night. Sara firmly believed that part of the magic of that special night would be giving herself fully to the man she had pledged herself to forever. Mark had been supportive of her decision, and although understandably disappointed, he hadn't forced the issue.

At the sound of her doorbell, Sara straightened quickly, pressing a hand to the butterflies in her stomach, and crossed her apartment to open the door to the man of her dreams...

"Darling, you look wonderful - as always!" Mark reached across the table to lift Sara's fingers to his lips, watching her blush prettily. He studied her in the candlelight of the restaurant, letting his eyes drift over her short, curly blond hair, blue eyes, and petit frame. It struck him again just how tiny she seemed, her 5'1" frame all but dwarfed beside his much larger 6'3" muscular build. With very little effort he pictured that supple body twisting under his, her eyes dark and pleading for the release only he could give her. Smiling, he kissed her fingers gently.

"Mark, you make me so happy! Tonight has been just wonderful!" Sara shivered under the intensity of his gaze. Unable to maintain eye contact for long, she quickly looked down and picked up her dessert coffee, taking a dainty sip. She knew it amused Mark that she refused to consume any alcohol, but he was too much a gentleman to do more than tease her about it occasionally.

Mark watched her sip the warm coffee, knowing that with each ladylike sip more of the mild sedative he'd crushed into it was making it's way into her system. With her aversion to alcohol or drugs of any kind, including simple pain relievers, the sedative should be more than enough to allow him to make the appropriate arrangements for the rest of the evening.

As the attractive couple left the restaurant, Mark put his hand low on Sara's back, just above the enticing swell of her hips. He noticed as he helped her into his car that her balance was just beginning to be affected, and realized that the sedative was working somewhat faster than he'd expected. Smiling, he sat in the driver's seat and started the car.

Feeling relaxed and happy, Sara settled into the comfortable seat. She watched Mark drive, his large hands handling the luxury car competently as always. Mesmerized, Sara slipped quietly into a deep, dreamless sleep less than 5 minutes after leaving the restaurant.

Sara awoke to an acrid smell under her nose, and the sensation of being separated from her body somehow. As full consciousness returned, she looked up to see Mark's smiling face above hers and she smiled uncertainly. Had she fallen asleep in the car? Sara tried to lift her hand to rub the sleep from her eyes, only to realize that she was unable to move it from where it seemed pinned above her head. Her drugged mind struggled to clear and make sense of what was happening.

"Shhhh... just relax sweetheart... you're fine." Mark lifted her head to help her sip water from a glass he held for her. As the cool liquid slid down her throat, the last of the fog cleared from Sara's mind, leaving confusion and fear behind. Swallowing, she attempted to move first her arms, then her legs, only to find that her wrists and ankles were bound in what felt like velvet cuffs. Mark sat back with a smile, watching her test the bonds that tied her firmly to his bed.