Behind it was a full-size bronze sculpture of a bed. The ‘sheets’ on the bed were rippled and pushed down as if kicked aside. The attention to detail was incredible. But what was lying on the sheets had his complete attention. It was a life-size version of him, resting back, eyes closed, a slight smile on his lips as his head rested back on a pillow, his right hand behind his head, and his left arm across the mattress to allow his partner to snuggle in on that side. More explicit was the fact that the art displayed his semi-erect cock lying back against his stomach. It looked… like he’d just had sex and was relaxing in the afterglow. He could almost see the sculpture breathing deeply after the exertion. Once more, every muscle, scar, bump, was preserved in the durable metal and out there for everyone to see. The attention to detail was extreme- and horrifying!
There was a sound. There was a lot of sounds; gasps, clapping, cheers, and even laughter rang out. It was almost a wall of sound behind him. Above this, from close by, was something more familiar. Something was trying to get his attention. A voice with an urgent tone… saying his name. Soft hands were touching his face, trying to turn it away from the monstrosity sleeping in that cold metal bed. But he couldn’t look away. His body was vibrating with the building of his rage. It filled his ears with a roar that drowned out all other sounds. He absently pushed the gentle hands away and moved closer to the sculpture.
How? How had Stephanie done this? He hadn’t posed for- It struck Ben’s mind like a shot of lightning, and he stumbled, bracing himself against the edge of the bed.
The sex. The night he’d had sex with her. She’d touched him before, during, and after their very energetic playtime. It was just how she saw but… she hadn’t been just enjoying the feel of a man’s body as she’d said. She’d been mapping him in her mind.
Someone grabbed Ben’s arm roughly, and he tugged it free. Being touched after facing this monstrous invasion of his privacy was too much. Hands landed on him again, and this time he pushed the people away, sending the guards tumbling.
Ben turned to look at Stephanie whose expression showed her worry and guilt. She’d heard his name and Gabriella’s tone. She knew she’d done wrong. He took a few steps towards her. Gabriella’s voice cut through the buzzing in his head for just a moment, but it was enough to give him a moment of clarity. For the first time in his life, he was contemplating violence against a woman. That shook him to his core. Still, the rage was growing beyond his control. It was eating at him, looking for an escape. He needed to get away. Now!
He saw a door open a short distance away as an additional security officer burst into the hall. He launched himself in a dead run for the door, knocking the guard aside, and got to it before it closed. He just managed to snag the handle and pull himself through before slamming it shut from the other side. As a staff access door, only those with access cards would be getting through. The others were safe from him, but his anger just kept growing. He needed to get out!
He ran for the stairwell.
-=-
When Gabriella saw Stephanie and Richard step into the open space next to the curtain and bow to the guests, she’d automatically called out to her cousin who responded happily. The blonde’s previous work with Richard hadn’t been a positive experience for Ben, so Gabriella’s immediate concern was determining if Stephanie had done something that might upset him. Stephanie hadn’t mentioned to her any new work she was doing.
Then it was too late as the curtain dropped and she gasped in wonder. The sculpture was larger than anything Stephanie had ever done before, and it was stunning! It captured such a mesmerizing moment that she forgot to breathe! She glanced at Ben, but he wasn’t moving. He seemed as frozen as the bronze statue before him. She touched his arm and felt the tension in his muscles. He was beginning to shake, and her worry deepened. She called his name, but he seemed to be deaf to her words. She couldn’t make him look away. That was frightening!
When he pulled away to get closer to the art, she watched him carefully. His body was twitching, and his changing emotions flashed across his face- he was losing control! After he tossed the guards aside like they were rag dolls, Ben turned to approach Stephanie and Gabriella yelled to him. That finally seemed to get through.
She caught his expression of sick dread then he was running. He dashed away so fast and slipped through the staff only exit which the Sergeant reached seconds after it locked. She began yelling for someone to get her an access key.
After the stunned silence, the room erupted in chaos as the staff ran to the three security team members who were down.
Additional security arrived and began directing the guests to leave.
Rajeem and Prasha were clinging to each other and yelling angrily at Stephanie and Richard about Ben’s reaction.
Hannah’s hand landed on Gabriella’s arm drawing her attention back. “We need to help Ben, now!”
This focused Gabriella’s mind, and she nodded. She approached the woman with the microphone and leaned in to speak with her. The woman leaned back slightly in surprise as Gabriella invaded her space.
Hannah moved closer and saw Gabriella’s left hand slip behind her back with an access card in her fingers. Hannah grinned as she plucked it from Gabriella’s fingers and immediately rushed it over to the Sergeant. That woman accepted it and was through the open door in seconds. The hospital administrator prayed the soldier would be able to catch up to Ben who had a significant head start.
-=-
Ben was leaping down the stairs three at a time in his haste to put distance between his rage and the reason for it. He reached the bottom and saw double doors to his left, so he charged them and crashed through. He was in a loading dock which currently hosted three large black SUV’s and roughly a dozen grim looking men.
Four of those men were close by and stared at him incredulously.
“Holy Shit! It’s him! He fuckin’ came to us! Get him- Alive!” one of the four yelled to the others.
The men rushed at him, and Ben finally had an outlet for his rage. They came in swinging and Ben hammered the first one in the jaw, putting him down for the count. The next two leapt on him so he gave them a shove and they fell off the loading dock to the floor below. Their landing wasn’t graceful, so they weren’t going to come back after him. The fourth man was pulling something from under his jacket, so Ben slapped it away with his right hand and followed through with a left fist to the man’s solar plexus. He collapsed to the floor gasping for breath. Four more were charging up the stairs, so Ben ran at them, roaring his frustration and anger. The first one on the stairs was unnerved and paused, causing the others to collide into his back. Then they were all crashing backward as Ben leapt on the first one, fists swinging. They all hit the floor in a pile as Ben continued to slam his fists into anyone who fought back.
Ben took a couple of solid hits when the remaining men by the cars rushed forward and joined in. He took some kicks to his ribs and one glancing kick to his head before he managed to get to his feet.
He still felt his rage going off the rails, so he slammed his fist into the chin of the man who kicked him in the head and teeth cracked. A big fist hit him on the temple, but he deflected the next punch and hammered the man in the gut.
“Back off!” a voice yelled, and Ben’s opponents stumbled back from him as he looked for his next target.
There was a loud snap and crackling behind Ben as current arced through his body, the stun gun taking him into oblivion.
He was out when they dragged his body into the back of one of the SUV’s and drove away quickly, leaving behind the two Ben knocked from the loading bay platform.
Unseen to his fleeing assailants, a leather-clad motorcyclist slipped in behind them to follow.
-=-
Evelyn rushed into the loading bay as the SUV’s peeled away. She’d never be able to catch them, but they left behind two of their people. One seemed to be moving slightly. She leapt down from the upper platform and drew a blade.