This is the part where I’m supposed to go home. The last time I woke up in the suite he was gone. He left and it hurt, although I knew it shouldn’t. It still did though and reminded me that we’re a contract. After that day I started making sure I left before he woke so I wouldn’t have to feel that way.
The shuffle of cutlery however catches my attention.
It’s coming from outside in the kitchen. Is he still here? It could be one of the maids.
curious I decide to wrap myself in the sheet instead of putting back on the little negligee. If it’s a maid I don’t particularly want anyone seeing me in something like that in the light of day. What I wore last night could hardly be classed as clothes anyway.
I step outside the room and stop midstride when I see him standing over the stove shirtless making pancakes. A lock of his jet-black hair falls over his eye making him look more alluring than he already is. Then he smiles and my heart flutters.
“I thought I owed you breakfast. It’s the least I could do for wiping you out,” he says inclining his head to the side.
“You made me breakfast?” And he’s still here.
“I did.” he waves a hand over the pancakes he already did and looks proud of himself.
I walk over and take a look, unable to stop myself from smiling.
I gasp when he picks me up and sets me down on the little table. “Doll, I got strawberries, just like last night, except we can eat them off the pancakes instead of you,” he says reaching for a strawberry from the plummet in the basket next to us.
I take it and note how he watches me eat.
He cuts off a slice of the pancake and holds it out on a fork for me to take. I do and it tastes amazing.
“Thank you. This taste fantastic. I love pancakes.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Well maybe I’m doing it because I have an ulterior motive.”
My interest piques. “What would that be?”
“I want you to spend the day with me,” his gaze drops down to my breasts.
The look in his eyes is salacious and enough to make me agree to anything.
Anything except getting the little time I have to see Rosie. I still feel bad for those two nights I spent with Christian on my days off. At least though I still saw her during the day. I just met him at night. If I stay with him today, I won’t see her until tomorrow and that would be two days of her being without me.
“I want to,” I answer.
“Then say yes,” he replies.
“I …can’t.”
He leans in and nibbles on my neck. “Why?” he asks against my skin.
He still doesn’t know about Rosie and part of me still doesn’t want to tell him. I think I would die if anyone thought I was a bad mother for working in a place like this, doing what I’m doing. I know I won’t be the only woman here with a child. Most of the women here however who have children are not doing anything close to what I’m doing. Louise can compare all she wants, but she’s on the other side of the fence.
“I have something I have to take care of that can’t reschedule,” I say and he looks at me.
It’s half a lie, but I’m grateful when he doesn’t push.
“Okay, what time do you need to be there?” he asks, and I think of the latest time I can pick up Rosie.
“Midday,” I answer and we both simultaneously look at the clock on the wall. It’s nine o’clock.
When I look back to him the sinful glint in his eyes reveals the plan forming in his mind.
“Perfect,” he says and tugs on the sheet covering me.
I allow it to fall away from my body and allow him to pick me up.
“What about the pancakes?”
“I’ll make some more.”
That’s all he says and all I get to ask. The next two hours see us devouring each other moving from the bed to the hot tub on the terrace. By the time he finishes with me I can barely walk, and the drive home is spent thinking of him and how crazy this is all is.
I’m on autopilot the whole time, just going through the motions. I get Rosie, I talk to Jenny answering her questions with what I hope are the right answers and smile when she tells me how happy I look.
Rosie and I walk back home and my head is so full of Christian Giordano that I’m not paying attention.
If I had I know I would have most certainly waited by the elevator until Brent and his thugs walked by. But no, I walked right out into the group of them when Rosie and I turned the corner.
They hated I was able to find the money. They hated it was paid in full and I no longer owed. It was liberation that day when I walked into the bookie and slapped down that ten grand in front of Lev’s stupid face. Brent was right there with him and saw for himself. They haven’t bothered me since but I’ve mostly avoided contact, being clever with my time. Of course, too because of the stalker guy who I’m sure now is linked to Lev.
Now that they’ve seen me though, the look that brightens Brent’s face is pure delight. It spells trouble I’m about to have.
“Well look at this,” he begins.
Rosie squeezes my hand and I just carry on walking through the group.
“Wow, the whore is getting paid so much for sucking cock and fucking that she doesn’t need to tell people like us hello anymore,” he taunts.
God… this is not happening. Just the other week I convinced myself that we could be okay to stay here for a little longer. In a few months I’d be looking at buying a house. With the debt gone they should be gone too, I thought it would mean safety. Just for a little longer.
I keep walking and hope he’ll stop; hope he’ll just leave me alone. except he doesn’t. He follows and the rest of the men follow too. Four of them. All bulky looking meatheads you don’t want to run into on a dark corner.
Brent grabs my hand and when I wrench it free, Rosie starts crying.
“Get away from us!” I cry. I reach into my bag and take out my pepper spray. They laugh when they see it and I can just imagine how comical I must look.
Brent slaps it out of my hand, and it clatters to the floor, rolling away.
I pull Rosie closer, my heart pounding, my pulse racing. Fear has me gripped in its claws and I don’t know what to do.
“Leave us alone!” I say again but the smile recedes from Brent’s face and then I see the true nature of his intentions in his dark eyes.
What I see is darkness. And evil. I’m used to the look, so I know to grab Rosie and try to run. That’s exactly what I do, except I don’t make it past the first step.
Brent grabs me and one of the other guys snatches Rosie from my grasp. I scream reaching for her and even when Brent shoves me down on the ground and gets on top of me I still scream for my child. The sound of her cries makes my blood chill. I can hear her calling for me, but I can’t get this mad man off me.
“I’m gonna teach you a lesson Angel. One you won’t forget. We’ll see how good you think you are when I’m balls deep inside you fucking your brains out.” Brent snarls. He rips my top and my bra, tearing it off so I’m naked. I manage to lean forward and bite his hand. I bite as hard as I can and so hard that it hurts me.
He cries out from the pain, let’s go of my other hand and lands a fist in my face. Another punch snaps my head back and blood trickles from my nose.