Scars: Book One (19 page)

Movement
across from me caused me to raise my head. Antony sat there smiling at me. “Bad
day?”

“Bad
life,” I said cautiously. “What are you doing here?”

“I
was hungry.”

I
couldn’t hide a smile as I took in his designer suit, tidy nails and expensive
haircut. “And you came
here?”

He
looked around us. “Well, it’s not a place I usually frequent. I usually like to
be the only drunk person passed out in the room…” He cast his eyes in the
direction of a man who stank of alcohol and hadn’t moved for the last half
hour. Antony turned his gaze back to me and smiled brightly. “Actually, Alexa
told me this is where you work. When do you get off?”

“Fifteen
minutes.”

“Great.
I’ll take you to dinner, and then give you a ride home. Are you still at
Aaron’s? I know he’s gone away.”

I
sat up straight. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Hey.”
He raised his hands. “It’s all innocent I promise. I even texted Aaron that I
might swing by and check on you.”

I
raised an eyebrow. “And what did he say to that?”

Antony
shrugged and smiled. “He told me not to, so of course I did the opposite.”

A
giggle escaped me.

“Seriously,
do you have a car? At least let me take you home.”

My
plan had been to ask Thomas so I didn’t have to sit with any creeps on the bus,
but he’d received a text from Miranda so had gone home early.

“Sure,”
came out of my mouth.

Antony’s
car was sleek and expensive; however garbage littered the interior. “I haven’t
taken it in to be valeted for a while,” he excused himself.

“I
don’t care. It’s better than the bus.”

When
he stopped in front of a restaurant that reeked of money, I tugged at my
t-shirt self-consciously. “I can’t go in there. I’m not dressed for it.”

“You
look perfect.” He stepped out of the car and came around to my side to open the
door. As he helped me out he in leaned closer and whispered. “Besides, no one
fucks with me in this town.”

I
leaned back and looked at him wide-eyed.

“I’m
joking. Seriously. Come on.” He took my hand and led me through the doors. The
maitre’d knew Antony by name and greeted him warmly. He was polite and almost
friendly to me and didn’t look twice at what I was wearing. We were seated at a
table covered by a white tablecloth and lit by candlelight while soft classical
music played in the background. The menus were done in fancy script with no
prices printed beside dishes so ornate I couldn’t pronounce them.

Antony
ordered us wine without even looking at the wine list. I gazed around me at the
other diners. They were all dressed nicely and the women all seemed to be clad
in diamonds. Everyone seemed to speak in hushed tones like were in a library.

“This
is nice,” I whispered to Antony.

“I
know,” he whispered loudly back. “You don’t have to whisper.”

I
blushed and leaned back in my chair. He gave me a grin that I sheepishly
matched.

“Want
me to order for you?” he asked as I surveyed the menu, not understanding half
of what was written in front of me.

“I
think that’s a good idea.” I placed the menu back down neatly on the table.

“The
duck’s great. You should try it.”

The
sommelier returned with a bottle of Merlot to which Antony gave his approval.

“I
don’t really drink a lot,” I told Antony as my glass was filled.

“So
just have the one glass. Just sip it. Not like how most teenagers drink. That’s
what you are, right? A teenager.”

I
nodded. “I’m eighteen.”

“I
knew you were young. Nora likes the young ones…”

I
stiffened at the mention of her name. He gently reached across and touched my
hand. “Sorry, I always seem to be embarrassing you.”

I
moved my hand away, brushing hair away from my face. “No, it’s okay. It was my
choice so I shouldn’t be embarrassed by it. Can we please not talk about her
anymore?” I paused, then. “Do you go to those types of parties?”

“Sometimes.
They’re not really my thing, but my brother hosts them occasionally. I tend to
go to those ones because sometimes business takes place at them.”

My
mouth dropped open. “Luca? What does Alexa say about it?”

Antony
took a sip of his wine. “They have an…understanding. They’ve been together a long
time. They have one of the happiest marriages I’ve ever seen. Although, Luca
rarely indulges anymore, personally I think he’s happier being at home with
Alexa and the kids.”

“And
what about Aaron? Does he to go those parties very often?” It was something I’d
been dying to know.

Antony
looked amused. “You don’t want to ask him? I don’t blame you; he’s not very
approachable. He only goes to Luca’s parties. I’ve seen him fuck girls before,
excuse my language, but I don’t think he goes in for the whole humiliation
thing.”

Oh
but he does.

Antony
was looking at me curiously. “So tell me, what’s so special about you?”

“What
do you mean?”

“Don’t
get me wrong, you’re a gorgeous girl, but this town’s full of gorgeous girls. I
want to know why Aaron seems to have chosen you.”

I
sipped my wine before saying, “He didn’t choose me. I’m not his girlfriend.”

“He
let you into his house. He hardly lets anyone into his house, let alone a girl
he’s screwing. He’s my friend, I like him a lot. But he’s guarded. I don’t
think anyone will ever get to know the real him.”

I
played with my wine glass. “He sounds perfect for the business you’re in.”

“He
told you about that?”

I
looked up at him. “No. But I made my own assumptions. Why don’t you tell me
what makes it so no one ‘fucks’ with you in this town? Do you do what Aaron
does?”

He
let out a small laugh. “No. I take care of more of the business side of things.
I’m good with money.”

“And
Aaron does the dirty work?” I asked softly.

He
looked at me, suddenly serious. “It’s what he’s good at. It’s what he
likes
.
He’s smart, and he could probably go as high as he wanted in our organization
without being family if he wanted to. But he doesn’t. He makes good money and
enjoys his work.” Antony’s face relaxed into a smile. “I guess you could say
that he’s living the dream.”

I
had to laugh at that, and Antony laughed with me until he suddenly turned
serious again.

“You
know, I saw you at that party, I saw how upset you were, and I’m glad you’re
away from her.”

We
were interrupted by the arrival of our food, and our conversation turned to more
harmless topics. Afterward, he drove me back to Aaron’s house, even walking me
to the door before giving me a polite kiss on the cheek good night.

The
house was cold and silent as I turned on the lights and entered the kitchen. I
looked down at the spot where I had knelt this morning, and the unpleasant
memory came back to me. I gripped the strap of my purse firmly in my hand. I
didn’t belong here.

After
I showered and slipped into bed, the wine I’d had made me fall asleep easily.
The next morning I was filled with purpose as I packed my things.  I was going
back to my shitty apartment. I didn’t have to go to work, so I took my time
making sure nothing of me was left in this house.

I
let myself into my apartment quietly. I didn’t want Michael bitching about how
noisy I was. I quietly closed the door behind me and made my way to my bedroom.
My door was half ajar, and I stood there and pushed it wide open.

I
was greeted with the sight of a naked Michael kneeling on my bed. A pair of my
panties were wrapped around his dick as he worked his hand back and forth, his
head tilted up and eyes closed in ecstasy. I lifted my hand to my mouth as I
felt vomit rising in my throat. His cum spurted forth over his hand and onto my
bed, in spectacular fashion.

I
must have made a noise then because his eyes opened, and his head spun around
to look at me. He didn’t look embarrassed; he just stared at me and I stared at
him. Then I backed slowly out of the hallway before spinning on my heel and
getting the hell out of there.

I
sat in the park clutching my bag to my chest, trying not to think about the
disgusting sight I’d just witnessed. I sat there for hours as people fed ducks
and played with their kids. As dusk came, the families left, and the seedier
people came out. Homeless people found benches to sleep on while teenagers
drank on the playground equipment. I only got up when a man asked me how much I
charged for a blow job; he followed me to the bus stop and hung around me until
a bus arrived, and I hopped on it. Out the window, I saw him making crude
gestures to me until he finally disappeared from sight.

It
was near midnight when I made it back to Aaron’s place. As I let myself in, I
saw that the living room light was on, and that’s where I headed. Aaron sat on
the couch, a glass of whiskey in hand. He didn’t look at me as I came in. It
was only when I sat down beside him that he even looked my way. His eyes had a
drunk, glazed look to them and for a moment I wondered if he’d really seen me.
But then he spoke.

“Were
you leaving me?”

I
was amazed that his words weren’t slurred.

“No,”
I said quietly.

He
threw what remained in his glass down his throat before placing it on the
coffee table. Then he grabbed my wrist and hauled me over to sit on his lap,
trapping me there with his arms.

“Stop
lying. I know your whole world is built on lies, but you don’t lie to me,
understand?” He gripped my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. I nodded,
and he released my face.

“How
come you came back?”

I
looked down. “I can’t go back to my apartment anymore.”

He
pushed up the sleeve of my t-shirt and started to kiss my shoulder. It amazed
me that someone so hard could have such soft lips and a touch so gentle. His
lips touched my collar bone, and I stiffened. He glanced at me.

“What’s
wrong?”

It
was on the tip of my tongue to say, ‘nothing’ but instead I said, “I’m not your
plaything.”

He
looked at me for what seemed an eternity, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from
him. Then he kissed me on my mouth with the skill and seduction of someone who
liked
doing it. In spite of myself, I kissed back like I couldn’t get enough. When he
pulled away, I watched him expectantly and breathlessly.

He
gave me a beautiful smile and leaned in close to my ear. “That is
exactly
what you are.”

He
pulled me down onto the floor so I lay flat on my back. He pulled my jeans off,
and my panties followed. He pushed up my knees and spread my legs before
rubbing his thumb over my clit. It wasn’t long before I was on the verge of cumming,
but then he slowed down, and I opened my eyes to see him staring down at me.

“I
want you to say it before I let you cum.”

“Say
what?” He leaned down so he was closer to my lips which he kissed softly.

 “That
you’re my plaything.”

I
shook my head. “I won’t.”

He
rubbed me achingly slow. “Just say it,” he told me, his voice soft.

I
shook my head again, even as my body arched up to him.

“
Say
it.”

A
moan escaped me as I desperately twisted my body and tried for the release he
was denying me.

“Please,”
I gasped. I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m your plaything,” I breathed. The
humiliation swept over me first, and then the orgasm.

We
both lay on the carpet, side by side. Not talking or touching, or even looking
at each other. He was the first to move, sitting up and putting his top back
on.

“I
got you something.” He moved to grab a bag that sat in a chair. He pulled a box
out of it and handed it to me as I sat up. The name of a well-known jewelry
store was embossed in the front. I looked up at him warily. “Open it,” he
urged.

I
did so, slowly. Inside lay a flat silver necklace, maybe half an inch wide.
There was no adornment to it, but it was beautiful and delicate. I picked it up
and walked over to the mirror as I held it to my neck. Aaron came up behind me
and fastened it. It lay tight at the base of my throat. Aaron swept my hair
aside and kissed my neck. Then he looked up, and I met his eyes in the mirror.

“Now
everyone knows you belong to me,” he said with a smile.

We
settled into an uneasy domesticity.

I
had wanted to take the necklace off as I got ready for work the morning after
he gave it to me, but Aaron stopped me.

“No.
I want you to wear it all the time.” His hands covered mine gently as I reached
for the clasp.

“I
can’t wear this to work. It’s too fancy. I’ll probably get mugged.”

He
turned me to face him and kept his hands on my shoulders. “Look, just wear it.
Okay? For me?”

I
sighed. “All right.”

He
smiled and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

“The
weirdest things make you happy,” I commented.

He
was still smiling as he grabbed his keys to give me a ride. After work, instead
of taking me home, he drove to my apartment. When I look at him questioningly,
he said, “We’re getting your things.” There was no discussion or querying over
what I wanted. He just knew how pathetic my situation was. Michael either
wasn’t home or was hiding in his room, so we headed straight to my bedroom. I
had few belongings so I just grabbed the remainder of my clothes, except for
the panties. I’d buy more of those.

I
turned and stopped as I saw Aaron staring at the bedding that still bore
Michael’s cum. The cocksucker hadn’t even bothered to clean it up. Aaron’s eyes
flicked to me.

“Oh.
That’s my roommates. Apparently he likes to use my underwear to toss off. I
caught him yesterday which is–“

“Which
is why you came back,” he finished.

“Yes.”

He
looked at me, his thoughts unreadable, and I met his gaze unflinchingly.
Finally, he looked back at the bed. “Sick fuck,” he said.

Like
you can talk.

“Let’s
just get out of here. It creeps me out.”

Aaron
took the bag from me and walked out the door; I followed after casting one more
glance at my soiled bed. Had I expected Aaron to act angrier over the cum on my
bed? Had I wanted him to? Maybe a small part of me wanted his protection or
wanted him to care, but I had to remind myself of what he was.

I
left the apartment door unlocked on my way out. Hopefully, Michael would get
robbed.

Once
at home, Aaron wasted no time in stripping me naked except for the necklace. We
screwed in every room of that house until fatigue took us. That’s when we
curled up together in the middle of the soft carpet in one of the bedrooms and
fell asleep.

That’s
how it went on for two months. We fucked, I worked, Antony visited on occasion,
and Aaron would often leave for several days at a time. I never asked what he
was doing because I imagined him being capable of every horror I could think
of. It was better not to know. After these trips, he would get drunk, and I
mostly left him alone until he wanted me for sex. That’s when his cruelty could
come out, but it was sporadic and never as bad as it had been. For the most
part, he was nice to me, as nice as his cold, aloof personality could be,
anyway, which actually just meant that he wasn’t being horrible.

The
only other person who came to the house was a housekeeper. She came twice a
week and kept the house spotless, never uttering a word to me as she got on
with her job. I didn’t blame her. Aaron had probably scared the shit out of her
early on. Thomas was dying to come inside the house, every time he dropped me
off outside, he’d tell me that the house gave him a hard on. But I knew better
than to break Aaron’s rules.

At
least Thomas didn’t hold a grudge, and he was my only friend. He came up to me
as I put fresh toilet rolls in the bathrooms at work. “Are you still doing the
lesbian thing?”

“Are
you kidding? No way. Why?”

“Because
there’s a hot cougar asking after you.”

I
frowned. “Maybe she made a mistake.”

“No,
she asked for Paige. You’re the only Paige here, even though your boyfriend
calls you Rachel. Which is weird…”

“He’s
not my boyfriend,” I muttered as I moved past him.

She
sat at a table looking out of place. Her hair was curled, her lipstick bright
and freshly applied, and her dress was tasteful yet revealing. I froze for a
moment as I saw her. Then I swallowed and walked toward her, seating myself
opposite where she sat. Her lips curved into a smile.

“Hey,
baby.”

“Hi,
Mom.”

I
knew that smile. She was playing me.

“What
do you want?” Her smile dropped at my tone and the real her revealed itself.

She
brushed a stray hair away from her face. “Don’t take that attitude with me. You
wronged
me
, remember? You went out of your way to piss me off. If either
of us have a right to be angry, it should be me. Just you remember that.”

I
slumped down in my seat. “Why are you here?” My voice sounded tired.

She
leaned forward. “I heard you hooked up with a new, wealthy boyfriend.” She gave
an amused smile. “I obviously taught you well.”

I
raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m not playing him. It’s just somewhere to live.”

“Oh?
Are you in love then?” she mocked.

“Of
course not.”

“Then
what’s the problem?”

I
let out a laugh of disbelief. “Even If I was playing your games, what would you
hope to get out of it? I wouldn’t share it with you.”

Her
face was suddenly serious. She reached a hand across the table and covered mine
with it before letting out a sigh. “I’m your mother, Paige. I care about you.
It took me forever to track you down. I just need to know that you’re being
taken care of.” Her eyes scooted around my shitty workplace. “I think it’s
obvious that he’s not taking care of you properly if you have to work here.”
She gave my hand a comforting squeeze. “It’s all very well being a trophy
girlfriend for a while, but eventually he will get tired of you and then where
will you be? Working in places like this for the rest of your life? You need to
get as much as you can from him–“

“Like
that’s worked out so well for you?” I interrupted. “Where’s all the money now?”

She
released my hand and leaned back in her seat. “I made some bad decisions. I
admit it. But I still managed to provide for you your whole life. You always
got whatever you wanted.” She gave me a small smile. “You know, Todd and I have
talked and worked out our issues. We’ve decided that once you’ve done whatever
you need to with this man, then you should come home and stay with us.”

I
laughed again, this time it sounded far more hollow. “So, what you mean is, if
I come home with money I’m welcome? What’s wrong? Todd’s painting business not
going so well?”

She
looked at me sadly. “I’ve upset you. That wasn’t my intention.” She grasped her
purse and stood, as did I. “I’m going to go. You know where I am if you need
me.” She wrapped her arms around me, and her perfume enveloped me. “I love you,
sweetheart. We need to make amends and be a family again. I know you’ll do the
right thing.”

She
turned and walked out with a confident sway of her hips looking picture
perfect. I wiped sweat away from my forehead then wiped my hands on my clothes
stained by ice-cream a kid had dropped on me earlier. I smelled like grease,
and she had smelled like vanilla. I kept staring at the door through which
she’d gone until someone yelling for service broke through my reverie.

I
finished my shift in a bit of a daze, making multiple mistakes and not even caring.
Thomas gave me a ride home because Aaron was busy. I tuned him out as he
babbled, barely saying goodbye as I exited the car. I took a long shower,
making it so hot that I felt like passing out. Afterward, I wrapped a robe
around me and went down to the living room. I selected a Merlot from the wine
rack; I didn’t know why Aaron even had wine, he only ever seemed to drink
whiskey. I filled my glass with it, wondering what it would look like splashed
across the snow white carpet. Then I settled in an armchair and waited for
Aaron to get home.

It
wasn’t long before he appeared.

“You’re
drinking?”

“I
had a bad day. Here, I poured you a drink.” I offered the glass of whiskey to
him which he took before settling on the couch. As I sipped my wine, I felt his
eyes on me.

“What
happened?”

I
shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it. What did you do today?”

“I
don’t want to talk about it either.”

I
frowned at him. “Why don’t you ever tell me about what you do?”

He
raised an eyebrow at me before saying, “It doesn’t make for pleasant
conversation.”

I
stared directly at him. “You don’t trust me.”

He
sighed, and I could tell he was getting pissed off, so I changed direction.

“Do
you want to watch a movie with me?”

“Why
not?” He forced a smile. I put a DVD on before sitting beside him. I kept
filling up his glass while I sipped my one glass of wine. I could tell he was
drunk when he started putting his arm around me and pulling me to him as if we
were normal boyfriend-girlfriend. When it finished, he was practically stumbling
up the stairs. I helped him strip off his clothes before tucking the sheets
around him. I slipped in beside him, and it wasn’t long before he was passed
out.

The
cable ties still lay in the bedside table, and I quietly extracted two of them
before contemplating how I was going to do this. The headboard had cut outs for
decorative effect, and the wood was narrow enough to get the tie through.
Hopefully it would hold. I worked quietly and as quickly as I could. His limbs
were floppy, and it took some doing, but finally, I had him secured with both
hands above his head.

He
didn’t wake up until I started to lick his cock. I kept to the side, well away
from any legs that may kick out. His eyes opened suddenly, darting upwards to
where his arms were restrained. He pulled violently, but the ties held.

“What
the fuck,
Rachel?”

“Shh,”
I whispered between licks. I swirled my tongue around the head, and he started
to harden. “This little thing likes this, even if you don’t.” I took him in my
mouth and started to suck, rubbing my mouth up and down his shaft.

“Rachel,
I swear to god, you better fucking cut me loose right now!”

I
removed my mouth and looked up at him. “You better start being nicer to me.
Otherwise, I’m going to leave you with this hard on until you behave.”

I
flicked my tongue down his most sensitive part and he flinched. “
Rachel.
Let
me go, or you are going to be so sorry.
”

“You
need to trust me,” I told him simply, before firmly clamping my lips over his
cock and working it back and forth down my throat.  After a while, I drew back
and looked at him. He was still fuming.

“Do
you want to finish this?” I asked. He stared at me, his jaw hard, but then he
jerked his head up and down in a stiff nod. I thought about making him beg, but
I knew he would never do that.

I
milked him into my mouth, making sure to swallow every last drop and lick him
clean. When I raised my head to look at him, he was staring down at me. I took
a breath and grabbed the small knife from the drawer. He stayed still while I
cut the first tie, but the second he was free of the other one, his hand
wrapped around my throat, pushing me flat on the bed as he hovered above me.

“Don’t
you ever
fucking
do something like that again.”

I
stared straight back at him, in spite of the fear I was feeling. “You need to
trust me.”

“Really?
Do you trust me?” He flipped me over so I was on my stomach, his hand on the
back of my neck. His fingers roamed down over my bottom, before stroking at my
anus. I flinched and struggled fruitlessly at that. “I can do this without
hurting you? Do you trust me to do that?” He rubbed his finger over it.

“NO!”
I yelled. “No. Don’t do that. I hate that!”

The
finger withdrew, and his hand released my neck. I scrambled up to a sitting
position only to be met with him looking amused. This angered me.

“Why
do you always have to have the upper hand?” I sneered.

He
shook his head at me. “I always have to be in control, Rachel. Always.”

I
bit out a laugh. “So where does that leave me?”

“You
don’t like it? You know where the door is.”