It had to be turned three times to the right and then a half-turn back to the left to unlock the cuff. The leather broke apart, and her foot was free. She licked her lips, and as much as I was sure she wouldn’t run, there was always the possibility that she’d try and kill me for her freedom. But it was time to take the risk.

I unlocked her second ankle. Before I freed her wrists, I grabbed the care cream I’d given her, squirted some into my hands, and methodically massaged it into the red mark on each ankle.

“Thanks, that feels a lot better,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Looking up, I realized her eyes were closed, and her head was leaning against the wall. Pleasuring someone before had never felt like this. The person I fucked or worked on may or may not have gotten off, which never mattered. However, with her, it did. My Sunshine had lit a spark in me, and I felt freer than I ever have in my life. New sensations invaded my senses almost daily from having her around. Did that mean I suddenly gave a fuck if I killed the next fifty people who unwittingly walked up my driveway? No.

Unlocking her wrists, I put the key in my pocket and kept an eye on her as I squirted more lotion into my hands to take care of the marks. There were some light cuts at the edges of her skin from her pulling or moving, so as the last of the cream was rubbed in, I lifted her wrist to my lips and laid them across the marks.

Standing, I held out my hand to help her to her feet. “There are clothes upstairs for you to put on. Are you ready?”

She looked down at the foam mat and then at her sketchbook. I knew what that meant. She’d created a new piece of artwork for me. There was something unbelievably satisfying to know that she wanted to paint my likeness as much as I wanted to paint her. She bent and grabbed the pad, her teddy bear, and the picture she’d set up like a small bedroom and clutched the items to her chest.

“Now I’m ready.”

I tapped in the code for the door lock. With a loud click, I let go and pulled the door inward. For the first time, Kirby got to step out into the lower basement. The area was outfitted with everything I might need. She paused and stared at the television screens and the large chair in front of them.

“You were watching me?”

“Yes, I never left you alone, even when you felt alone.” I looked down at the top of her head as she stared at the now-empty workspace.

“How long have I been here?”

“Three weeks tomorrow.”