Matthew is not a happy man. On the eve of his 40th birthday, he stands naked before a full-length mirror and assesses what he sees reflected within. Sure, his body is toned and well-maintained. His job is physical and defined muscles are a result of the manual labour. He is handsome. But what good are these things when they house an empty heart? The most upsetting thought is that the older he gets, the less chance he has of ever finding someone to fill that void.<br><br>He runs into the night, fuelled by negative thoughts and looking to end his loneliness -- permanently. But he trips and falls. There is an explosion of pain and then ... nothing.<br><br>He wakes in a place he doesn’t recognize. He lays chained to a bed, in a prison of gray stone patrolled by heavily muscled guards. He is Nowhere, a mysterious place of erotic fantasy.

Nowhere

“Doesn’t matter. I reckon you’d be buying us a whole lot of trouble we can’t afford.”


Matthew returned to his room and lay down on his back. He stared up at the ceiling trying to ignore Anton as he came sauntering in.


“Got something on your mind?” he asked for the second time that day.


“Notice you hardly touched your dinner.”


“I’m flattered you should find the things I do so engrossing.”


Chapter 20