Addiction (27 page)

“Rachel …” I growl.

“I know you haven’t slept with her,” she says remembering the last conversation I had with her about Taylor “But I know you want to,” she whispers. Her hands slide further down to my chest to my stomach and my muscles flex as my cock starts to harden. “You can pretend I’m her.” Her tongue licks up my neck, and I close my eyes. I want to tell her I’ve done it before, back before I slept with Taylor, but since I’ve had the real deal, she could never compare to her. “Come on, Case. Make me swallow your cock while you call me Taylor.” Her hands reach my cock, and she chuckles in my ear.

I shove the chair back, and it pushes her backward. “Stop, Rachael!” I shout as I turn to face her. “I told you no.”

She huffs. “Well, I never thought I’d see the day when Cason became a pussy.” She steps up to me. “You think you can be good for her? Huh? Are you trying to show her that you can be the man she will want?” she demands. “We are just alike, Case. Damaged. Fucked up. And let me guess, you think she can save you?” She shakes her head with disgust. “Nothing can save you! You are a lying piece of shit who will get nothing but what you deserve, and Taylor is sure as hell not it.”

My right hand shakes, and I have the urge to wrap my hand around her throat and squeeze until she passes out. But she would like it. And the only reason I want to is because she is telling the truth and the truth hurts. And she is right! I don’t deserve Taylor. I deserve someone like Rachel. A heartless bitch who uses people. Just like I do.

“Get your ass back downstairs and do what I’m paying you to do,” I order.

TAYLOR

The last half of the night went just as bad as the first half. I am so fucking pissed at Case that I could slap him across his face. She said they had slept together three weeks ago. That’s been since I met him. Not since I have been with him sexually, but for sure since I met him.
He lied to me
. He said he had rules, yet he has been sleeping with Rachel? It doesn’t make any sense.

The club lights come on and I thank the Lord it’s closing time. This day just needs to be over.

I hear his voice as he calls out to Brecken, and I can’t help but look over at him on the stairs. Brecken meets him halfway and they talk for a few minutes. I sit down at the table I was cleaning off and just stare at them. I don’t look away when Case looks my way. I just hold his hard stare with narrowed, hateful eyes.

Once they finish talking, he pats Brecken on the back and then finishes coming down the stairs. I realize he is coming straight for me, and I stand, needing to get away from him. I take off down the hallway, but as I go to enter the locker room, he grabs me from behind me and spins me around.

“I would ask if your night got any better, but the fuck-you look you have already answered that question,” he says flatly.

“You lied to me,” I blurt out not wanting to waste any time

His face tightens as he places his mask on. The one that closes off all of his emotions from me. He’s too good at this.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about …”

“Don’t lie to me again,” I interrupt him. “Why would you sleep with Rachel?” I demand.

He just stares down at me, and I feel my heart pound in my chest. He’s not gonna even try to deny it? “What makes you think …?”

“She told me!” I shout furiously. “She told me that you and her fuck! Well, you and Brecken fuck her!” I cross my arms over my chest.

“That bitch!” he growls as he looks down the long hallway. “She was playing me earlier.”

“Playing you?” What is he talking about?

He quits searching and looks back at me. “Yes!” he hisses. “She was in my office earlier.”

My eyes widen. “What was she doing in your office, Case?” He opens his mouth, but I raise my hand. “Never mind. I already know what you do with women in your office.” I hate how much it hurts to know he had done the same thing with Rachel just hours ago.

“It’s not what you think.” He lets out a cuss as he runs his hand through his dark hair.

“You told me that you don’t sleep with your employees. Yet you slept with

me, and obviously, Rachel. Or do you not really have that as a rule?” I demand.

“It is a rule. I don’t fuck my employees,” he growls.

“You fucked me!” I remind him in case he forgot. “And you fucked Rachel,” I snap.

“Rachel is different,” he snaps back.

My mouth falls open as I suck in a breath. “So what? She’s the exception to the rule. What was I? Just an opportunity?” My eyes start to sting, and I beg myself not to cry. Not like this. It’s just been sex. You know that! Don’t let it hurt so much.

“You know that’s not the truth,” he says softer.

He reaches out to touch me, but I take a step back. “I know you’ve lied. And I can’t believe anything you say.”

Before he can say another word, I spin around and shove the back door open before slamming it shut. I just need some fresh air. Just need to get away from him. The alley is dark and somewhat cold for being the middle of summer. The wind whips my hair around and I push it behind my ear, but that doesn’t really work. I start to walk down the narrow alleyway, kicking a few rocks as I walk. Wishing they were Case’s head at the moment. Why did I let it get this far? Why did I think I could have sex without letting my emotions get in the way? I’m mad at him, but it’s my fault. I put myself in this situation. My eyes start to sting and a lump forms in my throat.

And now that Rachel knows what Case and I have done, she is going to try her hardest to make it worse on me. She knows I like Case. Hell, I don’t know anyone who would sleep with someone they don’t like. I was just stupid enough to feel more for him and think he would open up to me.

A cold chill rolls over my body, and I wrap my arms around myself. He can be such an ass at times. I continue to walk down the alleyway muttering to myself when I hear something behind me. I stop and turn around to look. It’s just me. I shiver as I feel a coldness creep up my spine. Turning back around, I start to walk again.

How could he …?

I hear something again. I turn back around. Nothing. “Case?” I call out. Still nothing. Uncrossing my arms, I place my hands on my hips, as my patience is getting thinner. “Cut it out, Case,” I snap. “This isn’t funny.” I reach up and wipe the single tear that runs down my cheek.

A man steps out from behind a dumpster, and my heart starts to pound in my chest. “Case?” I ask hoping he’s playing some stupid game with me. I can’t tell if it’s him or not. It’s too dark where the man in standing and all I can see is a silhouette. “Case, stop,” I shout, my pulse racing.

He just stands there, hands down to his side, hiding in the shadows. I let out a growl and decide to go to him. As soon as I take a step, another guy steps out from the other side of the alleyway.

I come to a halt. Not Case. This isn’t Case at all.

My hands start to shake and my breathing becomes ragged. I frantically start to try to think of an escape plan, but I have nothing. They are standing closer to the back door of the club than I am. And I’m never back here so I don’t really know where I could go. What else could I do? I could lie. “Stay back,” I yell, and my voice cracks. “I have mace.” I can barely see them, so they can’t see if I’m telling the truth or not. I hope.

They both chuckle. A low and malicious chuckle that tells me either they don’t believe me or even if I did have it, it wouldn’t stop them. “You’re gonna need more than that, bitch.” He confirms my worse thoughts.

The one on the right, who I think was the one who spoke, the silhouette of his hand disappears into the darkness. When it returns, there’s a knife in his hand. I can make out the outline from the old buzzing light behind him.

For a second, I stop breathing and I’m frozen in place. I can’t beat them. Even from fifty yards away, I can see their huge size. Plus two against one is never fair if you ask me.

So I do the only thing I can think to do. I spin around and run.

Do you ever have those dreams where someone is chasing you and you’re running but you’re not getting anywhere? Your legs feel sluggish and heavy and you just wanna scream in frustration? Real life is nothing like that.

I ran faster than I knew I was capable. The sound of my heart beating fills my own ears so loudly that I can’t hear anything else. I suck in breath after breath causing my throat to burn and an ache in my side. But I push through it, not wanting to face the consequences of giving up.

I come up to the end of the club and there’s another alleyway; I can either continue on forward or turn right. A quick decision makes me turn right. I can see what is ahead and there is nothing there but more alley. Maybe if I go right, I can hide behind something or escape behind a door.

But that hope is shattered the second I turn the corner and see nothing but alley. Damn Case for having his club in the middle of an industrial run-down part of town. I see a few dumpsters up ahead that sit outside of the abandoned warehouses, but they would find me if I stopped to hide in one of them. And then I would be easy prey.

I refuse to look back to where they are. The only thing I can do is pray their size will slow them down, but they looked tall, meaning that one step probably equals two of mine. They’ve gotta be gaining on me. I suck in another breath and my hair whips in my face. I can see a street up ahead, and I pray to God that he lets me make it. I just need to be around people. Then the realization that it’s past two in the morning has my chest tightening.

Just as I make it to the end of the alleyway, I’m hit from behind; my head snaps back as two arms wrap around my upper chest, preventing me from using my hands to catch my fall.

I land on my side, scraping my skin on the concrete. I scream as I feel my bones ache and skin on my arm tear.

I roll a couple of times from the momentum before I come to a stop on my stomach.

I try to breathe, but the weight of the guy who landed on top of me from the fall is making it hard. I scream out a cry of help when I’m yanked to stand by my hair. Once on my shaky feet, I’m spun around. One of the guys grabs my arms and yanks them behind my back. He places his arm in the crease of my elbows to hold them in place behind my back. The other comes to stand in front of me.

I try to shove the guy off me who has my arms, but his vise-like grip just pulls them farther back. And I cry out from the soreness in my body.

The guy in front of me slaps his hand over my mouth, pushing my head into the chest of the guy who is holding me in place. The thought alone of his hand on my mouth makes me want to puke, forget the fact that they both smell like cigarettes and bourbon. I try to get a good look at him, but my eyes sting with unshed tears and he’s wearing a black mask.

My chest rises and falls quickly as my heart continues to pound so hard I fear it may explode. The man in front of me raises the knife and I tense. Holding my breath, I close my eyes as the tears spill over my cheeks and I say a little prayer.

“Let’s see what she has to offer,” the man in front of me says in excitement as if he’s about to open a present on Christmas morning. The man holding me chuckles, and I let out a muffled sob due to the man’s hand over my mouth.

I feel cold steel on my exposed shoulder and another sob wracks my body. I can’t stop shaking as the knife runs down my shoulder and across my chest. I try to shake my head, to free my mouth from his hand, but he just digs his fingers into my cheeks causing more pain.

God, please help me.

He places the knife between my breasts above where my corset starts. I stop breathing as I prepare for him to stab me. But instead of piercing my skin, he pushes it downward. More tears run down my face at the sound of my corset tearing. I feel the night breeze on my exposed chest seconds before he removes his hand away from my mouth. I suck in air and then the man behind me releases my arms and shoves me forward and I lose my balance, falling down.

I lie on the uneven, rocky concrete, topless and shaking to death as tears fall from my eyes as they laugh behind me. And I realize they’re not gonna kill me. Yet. They’re gonna play with me as if I’m a toy. And I have no way of fighting them off. My body is already shutting down on me. I’m desperate to survive. So I scream. I fill my lungs with everything I have and my chest hurts as if they just stabbed me. Then I let it all out.

It’s cut off when what feels like a steel toe boot lands in my ribs, and I’m knocked to my back. Air. Gasping for air, I try to suck in but nothing. I need air. I try to breathe in again. Nothing. I roll back over and make my way up to my hands and knees. Frantically, I push up onto my knees as I hunch over, both hands now wrapped around my bare stomach. I’m shaking so hard my teeth are chattering.

Please, Lord. Help me.

I’m finally able to suck in a breath, but my lungs burn so bad I tremble as I try to take another one.

As I sit hunched over on the concrete, I watch through tear filled eyes as their black boots move for them to stand in front of me.

The one still holding the knife possessively grabs my chin so hard I’ll be surprised if I don’t have a bruise. If I live through this. He forces me to look up at

them, and they are nothing but blurry blobs through my tears. Before I can even take another breath, he slaps me across my face with his free hand. The sting I feel is as if a hundred bees just stung me. I place my hands flat on the ground and spit several times, as the blood fills my mouth. The cold air that hits my face makes it burn.