Scars: Book One (17 page)

He
took me into a bathroom, and sat me down on a chair. I sobbed loudly and freely
then, burying my face in my hands, humiliated. He gently pushed aside my hands
and used a damp cloth to wipe my face but I couldn’t stop crying. He wrapped
his arms around me and stroked my hair gently.

“Oh,
Paige. I’m sorry. Please stop crying.”

But
I couldn’t stop. “Can we please go home?”

He
nodded. “Let me just go ask Nora, okay?”

I
shook my head. “No, I don’t want to go with her. Can’t you take me home?”

“I
don’t have my car, and besides Miranda…” Miranda wouldn’t let him anyway.

“I’ll
take a taxi then.”

He
frowned. “Dressed like that? Let me speak to Nora, okay. She might have got it
out of her system by now.” He stood and passed me a tissue. “Stay here.”

I
was only slightly aware of him leaving the room, and I kept crying. A while
later I heard the door open again, and I stiffened hoping it wasn’t Nora. But
when I lifted my head I saw someone worse, or at least on par with her.

Aaron
looked down at me, emotionless.

I
wiped at my face. “What?” I snapped.

 “You
always end up being the whore, don’t you?”

The
door swung open then, and Nora stood there. Her eyes fixed on Aaron.

“What
are you doing in here?” Her jaw was hard, and the muscles in her neck stood
out.

“I’m
here to make sure that you understand we want your answer by tonight.”

She
raised her chin. “Don’t worry. You made that loud and clear.” Then her eyes
switched to me. “Get up, you slut. We’re going.”

I
slowly rose to my feet, reluctant, yet wanting to be away from Aaron at the
same time. She grasped my hand in hers and pulled me along with her.

She
didn’t say anything to me in the car; instead she talked on her phone. “I’ll
need the money by tonight or he’s taking over. Just get me as much as possible,
hopefully that will placate him for a while.”

My
plan was to head into the house, get dressed and then leave. Even if I had to
walk all the way home. I walked ahead of her into the bedroom, looking around
for my clothes, only noticing that she was in the room when I heard the soft
click of the door.

“You
need to calm down.” She pressed a glass of cold wine into my hand.

“I
have to go.”

She
shook her head, looking tired. “You’re not going anywhere without calming down
first. Sit down, I’ll run you a bath.” She surprised me when she gave me a
small kiss on my mouth. She pulled back and looked at me with concern in her
eyes. “You’re trembling. I’m not letting you go anywhere like that.”

She
helped me into the bath, alternating between offering the wine glass to me for
sips, and soaping up every inch of my body. I hated that she could soothe me so
well after doing something so horrible. As her hand started to stroke between
my legs, I was drunk and relaxed. That panic and shame of before had gone
somewhere else, and I leaned my head back and enjoyed what she was doing to me.
But before she would let me come, I had to tell her that I forgave her. It’s
amazing what pours out of your mouth when drunk and teetering on the edge of
pleasure and shame.

Afterward,
she dried me and rubbed oil into my skin. I wasn’t allowed anything to wear
though, and she placed leather cuffs around my wrists with which she used to
bind my arms behind my back. “Don’t forget, you’re still being punished,” she
whispered, before seductively sucking at my neck. She led me down the hallway
like that so I could sit at her feet while she spoke on the phone, trying to raise
money. It was in the back of my mind that I needed to leave, but I was so fuzzy
and so drowsy that I soon fell asleep.

I
awoke to the sound of men’s voices. I was leaning against the side of the desk
where I had fallen asleep. I thought I heard Aaron’s voice, and I raised my
head and saw that he was really here, along with another man. Nora stood in
front of them, hands on hips. “I’ve got eighty percent and I just need a week
to raise the remainder, including all the interest.”

The
other man spoke. “He’s not going to be happy about that.”

“He
should be happy. I’ve made him a lot of money. Just give me the week, and we’ll
be square.”

The
man made a phone call and whoever was on the other end agreed to her terms.

“You
got lucky,” he said after the call ended, but he didn’t look happy. Nora looked
smug.

“I’m
sure you can see yourselves out. As you can see, I’ve got plans.” Her hand
briefly brushed my hair.

“Actually,”
Aaron said. “Until you’ve got all the money for us, maybe we should take some
collateral.” He was looking directly at me, and I stared straight back.

Nora
understood what he meant straight away. “Don’t be ridiculous. She’s a person,
you can’t just take her.” But she didn’t sound that sure.

“Really?
You don’t treat her like a person. Besides, I make my own rules. The girl comes
with us until we get all the money as agreed.”

Nora
stared hard at him before flicking her eyes to me. “It’ll be okay, Paige. I
promise.”

Aaron
laughed then. “You can’t promise shit, lady. Anyway,
Paige
and I are old
friends. Why is she so dopey, did you drug her?”

I
didn’t know what Nora’s answer was because I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Aaron
stood looking out the bedroom window. The familiar white scars on his back were
vivid against his tan skin and for a moment I thought I was back in the
farmhouse, but beyond that window was the ocean, and this room was fresh in
pale greens and whites, instead of decaying and dying. I blinked against the
light that flowed in through floor to ceiling panels of glass that were
unhindered my any blinds or curtains.

I
clutched my head and moaned without meaning to. Aaron turned to face me,
unreadable as ever. As he took steps toward me, I felt like I should be
running. Of course, I didn’t. I knew enough by now to know that my fate didn’t
belong to me, if it ever had. I watched as he threw on a pair of black
sweatpants over his nudity.

“Come
downstairs. I’ll make coffee.” With that he disappeared through the door and
out of sight. It took a moment before I gingerly made my way out of the bed and
onto the soft white carpet. My hands were free, and the cuffs gone but I was
still nude. I searched through a chest of drawers until I found a t-shirt. It
was a plain maroon and hung down to above my knees.

I
took a deep breath before heading downstairs. I still felt shaky and sleepy as
cold tiles hit my feet at the bottom of the stairs. I followed them into the
kitchen that was so blindingly white that I lifted my hand up to shield my
eyes. Aaron stood before a sleek coffee machine that spat streams of dark
liquid into cups, the seductive scent of coffee hit me, and I nearly groaned
with want. He didn’t acknowledge me, so I sat on one of the barstools at the
stone island and waited until my drink was placed in front of me. He sat at the
island as well as we both drank our coffee in silence. He didn’t look at me,
and I didn’t look at him. Finally, I had to say something.

“This
is weird,” I muttered as I kept my gaze firmly on my hands that held the cup. It
was white of course, everything in this kitchen was white.

“You
should have thanked me by now.”

I
turned to look at him to see if he was laughing or mocking, but he looked
deadly serious.

“Are
you fucking kidding me?” I said quietly, every word tight and controlled. “For
what? Paying me for sex? Kidnapping me? Degrading me? Raping–“

“I
didn’t rape you.”

I
sneered at him. “Keep telling yourself that.”

He
placed his cup on the stone counter. It annoyed me how relaxed he was. “Should
I have left you with her, then?”

“You
and her are…equals. You both like to torment but at least she could be kind–”

He
yanked me with a firm grip off the barstool, so I was lying across his lap. He
pushed up the t-shirt, and my ass was exposed to the air. I flinched as his
fingers deliberately took their time sweeping over the marks that Nora had made
with her crop.

“Kind?”
he mocked. “Did you like eating out another woman while everyone around you
watched and laughed? You were crying like there was no tomorrow, which, for the
record, is what they like.” His finger traced between my cheeks over my anus
and down into my cunt. “I don’t think you did like it. You’re not even wet at
the thought of it. Or did she do other things to get you off?” His hand moved
to my clit and started to rub as I struggled against it but he held me there
fast.

“
Stop
it!”

His
rubbing didn’t cease, and I bit my lip hard as the familiar sensations started.

“Is
this what she did to you? Is this how she kept you compliant? A little pleasure
to make up for all the bad?” he asked quietly. “Poor, fucking, deluded Rachel.”

I
tried to shake my head at his words, but as he played with my clit I felt
myself dangerously close to cumming and didn’t dare move. The sound of a
doorbell played through the house, and he stopped his motions. I was part
relieved, part frustrated. He lowered me off his lap and casually wiped his
fingers on the bottom of the t-shirt before he moved to a small screen on the
countertop. He pressed the screen, and the image of a man came into view. Then
he pressed another key and a buzzing sound was heard. “It’s open,” he said
through the intercom.

Two
men entered. One of them was the man from the party who I had been disappointed
that he hadn’t looked like a Soprano’s mobster. The other was a man in his late
thirties, dressed smartly in a suit. Despite his age, he was a very attractive
man and the slight greying at his temples gave him a distinguished look.

The
first man smirked at me like I amused him; the other’s eyes raked over me
before looking at Aaron questioningly.

“You
surprise me, Aaron. I didn’t think you were into that scene that much,” the
distinguished looking man said as he took a seat on a barstool.

Aaron
shrugged as he moved back to the coffee machine and busied himself with making
more coffee. “She was mine before she was Nora’s.”

The
distinguished man looked at me again and grinned. I shifted self-consciously
under his gaze, “Nora must be spitting tacks. He being good to you, honey? I
can always take you off his hands if he ain’t.”

Aaron
placed coffee cups in front of the two men, a small smile on his face. “Do you
really think you could?” he challenged.

I
watched for the man’s reaction. He stared at Aaron for a moment before relaxing
into a smile. “I’m into more…willing women anyway. Not broken dolls that get
off on being ordered around.” His eyes flicked back to me. “No offence, honey.”

Aaron’s
smile disappeared. “Rachel, go upstairs and take a shower. We’ve got some stuff
to discuss.”

I
went to move, tugging at the bottom of my t-shirt.

“Wait
a minute. I haven’t introduced myself.” The man gently took my hand, and I
watched in surprise as he lifted it to his lips. “I’m Antony.”

“Paige,”
I said shyly, my eyes wide at his politeness.

The
man raised an eyebrow. “Paige?”

“Her
name’s Rachel,” Aaron cut in tersely. The man looked at me for a moment before
flicking his eyes back to where Aaron stood. Then he swung his eyes back to me
and gave me a soft smile.

“Anyway,
they’re both beautiful names for a beautiful girl. Hey!” His face brightened
like he had a good idea. “You should bring her tonight to Alexa’s dinner
party.”

My
mouth twisted.
Another party?

Antony
saw my reaction. “Don’t worry. My sister-in-law always means well, and she
loves entertaining. She always invites her single girlfriends over to set up with
the single men.”

“Except
with you,” the other, non-Soprano man said with a laugh.

Antony
let out a short laugh. “Yeah. She gave up on me a long time ago. But she’s got
her eye on Aaron here. No matter how much of an asshole he is. If he brings
you, she’ll probably give up.”

“We’re
not going,” Aaron said.

“Alexa’s
expecting you, and more importantly so is Luca.”

“I
doubt Luca’s cares that much about a dinner party.” Aaron rolled his eyes.

“No,”
Antony said. “But my brother cares about his wife being pissed off. A lot.
Think about it.”

“Rachel.
Go upstairs. Now.” Aaron ordered.

Antony
released my hand as if reluctant. “It was nice meeting you, honey. Hopefully,
we’ll see you tonight. Talk this asshole into it, would you?”

I
nodded slightly before heading back up the stairs, feeling his eyes on me as I
went.

I
showered in the small bathroom off Aaron’s bedroom. This too was clean and
white with a glass window at eye level that gave a view of the sea. I took a
long shower to try and sort through everything in my head, but my mind still
felt fuzzy. I ended up resting my head against the cool tile while the hot
spray rained down on my back. When I started to feel faint from the heat, I
turned off the water and wrapped a thick white towel around me.

Aaron
sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for me with a bag in his hands. As I stood
in front of him, he offered it to me.

“Nora
was worried you wouldn’t have your things.”

My
phone sat on top, and I grinned at the sight of it. But my grin dropped as I
saw the clothes beneath it.

“What?”

“These
are slutty clothes. I only wear them for her,” I muttered. Still, they were
better than nothing. I pulled a cropped top over my head; it clung to me like
glue and the outline of my nipples were evident. I pulled on the skirt, and it
covered my ass cheeks. Just.

I
looked up at Aaron, humiliated and waiting for a nasty comment. But none came.
He just looked at me, expressionless.

“I
have clothes at my apartment. Could I get them? I’d come straight back, I
promise,” I ventured.

He
grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, so I stood between his spread legs. “I
know you would,” he murmured. His hand stroked over my ass lightly. Then he
stopped abruptly and stood. “Let’s go then.”

The
car he had this time was black and sleek. Like his bedroom, there was no
personality to it. No music, no fast food rubbish, not even a crumpled receipt.
It was clean and sterile, with only the scent of the leather permeating my
senses. He drove in silence. I didn’t have to tell him where I lived because he
already knew. That didn’t surprise me.

He
followed me up the stairs, his footsteps quieter than my own. Michael sat in
front of the TV.

“Your
fag friend came looking for you,” he called out, not bothering raising his eyes
to look at me. “I told him you left yesterday looking like a hooker.”

I
ignored him and went straight to my room. Aaron sat on my bed while I got my
stuff together, looking around in distaste. I felt oddly offended by his
expressions.

“How
long am I staying with you for?” I sat down gingerly beside him. “What’s going
on with us? Is this like before? I do whatever you say or else, or–”

He
stood up abruptly. “Pack a dress for that stupid dinner. I’ll wait outside.”

I
rolled my eyes at his back, before throwing my stuff in a bag.

He
was sitting in the lounge with Michael, who was on the edge of his seat looking
alert and uncomfortable. Aaron lounged back, his eyes on the TV. Michael’s eyes
darted to me with relief as Aaron stood and walked out the door. I thought
about saying something to him, but then didn’t bother as I followed Aaron out
the door.

The
dress I wore to the dinner party was simple and black. It brushed the top of my
knees, and the V-neck didn’t dip low enough for cleavage. I felt more covered
than I had for a long time. When I took too long getting ready, Aaron grunted
to me that he’d be waiting in the car. And he was, with the motor running, but
at least he wasn’t revving the engine.

This
wasn’t a sex party house, although it was just as opulent and magnificent.
Framed photos lined the walls with a picture perfect family with a blonde,
petite wife, a darker, older husband, and three idyllic looking children.

Alexa
was welcoming and warm. She was beautiful with her hair in an elegant chignon
and her figure clad in a white dress. She embraced me in welcome as Aaron
introduced me as Rachel. After I complimented her dress, she giggled.

“Can
you believe it? I’m wearing white! I had to make sure the little bastards were
in bed before I got changed. If I ever wear pale colors, they zero in on me
with their chocolate covered fingers.” She turned to Aaron, embracing him in a
hug, which he returned stiffly. “I was scared you wouldn’t come. I was so glad
when Antony told me you were bringing someone. Although, I must say, there is going
to be one disappointed lady at my dinner table tonight.” Alexa released him and
winked at me. “Girls are always attracted to the asshole effect. But now I’ll
have to sit the poor thing next to Antony, and he’s a little
too
much
asshole for anyone to take.” She rolled her eyes.

The
table was beautifully set, everything shiny and expensive looking with numerous
spoons, knives and forks. “Outside in,” Antony whispered to me from where he
sat to my left. Aaron sat to my right.

“Thank
you,” I whispered back. Antony spent most of his time speaking to me, even
though an elegant looking redhead sat on his other side. Aaron, who was seated
to my right, barely said two words to me. Most of his attention was taken up by
Luca, Alexa’s husband. He was a reserved man, in sharp contrast to the playboy
Antony. He had greeted me politely and hadn’t scanned me up and down like men
usually did. Still, I could tell he was a dangerous man. He had the same air
about him that Aaron had.

After
dinner, the men went to Luca’s study to discuss ‘business’, whatever that was.
While I stayed with Alexa and the other women in what she called the ‘drawing
room.’ Alexa was the perfect hostess, flitting between her guests. She tried to
encourage conversation between myself and the red head but I felt the woman’s
cold eyes on me and made excuses to get some air. Alexa smiled like she
understood and directed me outside to a stone balcony that overlooked a
manicured garden. It was lit by numerous lights dotted around which resembled
glow worms or fireflies. The effect was magical and I placed my glass of wine
on the stone railing as I gazed out at it.