MilaVictor laughed again.“It doesn’t matter that you don’t know. All you need to know is that there will be a lot of pain involved.”He lifted his hand and brought it to my good cheek. I pulled my head away. But there wasn’t far I could go, and Victor’s fingers made contact with my skin. I jerked, making my head throb, nausea churning in the pit of my stomach.“Do you know what we do to pretty girls like you?” he asked.I didn’t want to answer him.“You’ll find out soon enough.”Victor dragged a thumb over my lower lip, and I trembled. I thought about the women I had seen coming in after they had been assaulted. I knew what men could do. Without thinking twice, I opened my mouth and bit Victor on the thumb.He jerked his hand back.“Fucking bitch!” he shouted and wound his hand up to hit me. I fell to the ground before he could. It took a very evil kind of man to kick a woman when she was down on the floor, and Victor wasn’t that evil. Thank God. He let out a shout that bounced arou
BenThe Rat & Parrot was a shitty hole-in-the-ground kind of pub in a bad neighborhood that I would never have gone to if my hand hadn’t been forced. The lighting was low, but it wasn’t for ambiance. When I stepped in through the doors, everyone looked at me. It was clear I was far from home. I was glad I hadn’t put on a suit, which I had considered for this meeting.Then again, Victor Brantley was nothing more than a piece of shit at the bottom of my shoe, as far as I was concerned. He hadn’t deserved a suit. And judging by his meeting spot of choice, I had been right. No one who kidnapped and killed people was worth respect, in my humble opinion.I had no idea where to find the guy. I had hoped he would stick out to me, but everyone in this joint looked like they had crawled out of the gutter. That had been the plan. At least half of the guys in the bar were people I’d paid to be there. Money could talk all kinds of languages.Someone at the bar lifted a hand in a wave to me. A pair
BenAs simple as that? The guy was one step down from being the Top Dog in the mafia. And judging by what he’d told me about my dad, he had been the Top Dog in the company for a long time. He had delusions of grandeur.“Make me pay, by all means,” I said. “Take it all out on me, take everything I have. But let Mila go. She has nothing to do with this, and she doesn’t deserve it.”“That’s the thing about life,” Victor said, turning with his back to the bar and leaning both elbows behind him. “It doesn’t matter who’s involved in this, there will always be collateral damage.”“Like my stepmom? And Uncle Dean?”Victor barked a laugh. “Uncle. Isn’t that cute? We all risk something by being involved with someone.”I thought about Mila. She had risked a lot to be with me. Jerrod, and now her life.“Sometimes, shit happens.”“That’s bullshit,” I said. I was getting angry again. I’d just about had enough of Victor and his games. “Shit does happen, but you’re making it happen.”“What can I say?
MilaI didn’t know how long I’d been in this basement, but I felt like it had been forever. I was getting weaker and weaker, and I was getting worried about the cut on my cheek. If it stayed untreated for much longer, it was going to create a scar, and I didn’t want to walk around with a reminder of what had happened to me on my face for the rest of my life.If I even made it out of here. It wouldn’t matter if there was a scar on my face if I was dead.No. I wouldn’t think like that. I had to stay positive that I would get out of here, that I would be able to look back on this, years from now and say, “I escaped.”I hadn’t eaten since I’d arrived. They’d brought me food once, but it hadn’t exactly been edible. After a while, when I hadn’t eaten it, they’d taken it away. And that had been it.My stomach rumbled as if to agree with what I was thinking.I was still on the floor, shivering from the cold and uncomfortable. Every now and then I got up and walked in small circles, stretching
Mila“We’re in New York.”My stomach turned. I felt dizzy. It was all too much to take in. I had been knocked out for long enough for them to bring me to New York all the way from Portland. Even if the whole city had been searching for me, they wouldn’t have been able to find me.“I have no idea what’s going on,” I said. I felt like I was going to cry again.“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” Ben said. He kept calling me that. “Let me take care of it.”A police officer came to talk to us. He asked me questions, and I told him everything I remembered. Afterward, Ben talked to him and gave him names. When he said things like “mafia” and owed debts, I felt dizzy. Who was this man? Why did I feel like I didn’t know him at all?“Come, Mila,” Ben said, using my name again for the first time since he’d found me in the basement. “Let’s get you to a hospital.”I shook my head. “I don’t want to go.”“Sweetheart, your cheek needs to be looked at.”“Okay, but I don’t want to stay overnight or an
BenWhen I woke up, Mila was in my bed. I didn’t think that was something that was going to happen again. She was still asleep, and I moved carefully not to wake her. She was lying so still that I checked to make sure she was still breathing. I knew I was being paranoid, but she had been through such a terrible ordeal, and it was my fault.The cut on her cheek had been patched up; her cheeks had a bit of color now that she had eaten. I pulled the covers up higher to be sure she was warm enough before I carefully slid out of bed.Waking up next to Mila was amazing. We hadn’t done anything last night – after her shower and a bit of food she had looked so tired I had offered the spare bedroom to her so that she could get some rest.“Can I sleep with you?” she’d asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”Of course, she hadn’t. So, I had led her to my room and gotten into bed with her, holding her until she fell asleep. Which had been almost instantly.Now that I was awake, and it was the light of
Ben“Of course,” I said. If there was anyone that understood what she meant, it was me. When Uncle Dean had died, so many people had come to offer their condolences, and I hadn’t wanted to talk to any one of them. I had wanted to lock myself away and be quiet for a few days.“I don’t want to impose,” Mila said. “I’ll only stay a few days.”I moved my hand to hers, slowly so I didn’t scare her. When she didn’t pull away, I gently put my hand over hers.“You can stay as long as you need.”She offered me a small smile before carrying on eating without saying anything.After breakfast, Mila showered again. When she emerged, again wearing my t-shirt and boxers, I offered her the clothes she had worn when I’d found her.“I washed them for you,” I said.Mila paled. “I really don’t want to wear them again.”Of course, they would remind her of everything.“Let’s go get you some new clothes, then,” I said.“What?”“We’ll go shopping.”She blinked at me with a confused face. “Now? Don’t you have
MilaAfter we were at the store, I was exhausted. It wasn’t that I couldn’t deal with walking around from one shop to the next. I had no idea why I felt so drained. But the last few days had been a lot to handle.“How about we get some takeaway and head back home?” Ben suggested.“And wine?” I asked.He looked unsure. “Is that a good idea with your concussion?”He was right, of course. But the idea of an escape was a great one. The dinner did sound fantastic, though, and I agreed to that. Even if I couldn’t have the wine just yet.We picked up Chinese on the way home. I hadn’t had Chinese in a long time, and I was excited about it. We put a movie on the monster television in Ben’s state-of-the-art living room. The surround sound made me feel like I was being submerged, which was exactly what I needed. We sat at the coffee table with our food instead of the dining table, and everything was perfect.Ben sat next to me on his plush carpet, and I was aware of how close he was. His cologne
BenI had sold the company as Jerrod had suggested. I had thought about it long and hard and decided it was what I wanted. I hadn’t wanted to be the CEO of the company in the first place. Not when my father had left it to me and not when Uncle Dean had, either. I had put in the work and found someone worthy of the company. I heard it was thriving, now.The money received for the company sale had been enough to pay Brantley, and I still had enough left to give Penny an amount. I felt Uncle Dean’s widow had deserved a bit of an allowance after everything she had been through because of my father.After Brantley and Penny, I had bought a large house in Portland for me, Mila and Landon, and I had put the rest away as an investment for the future. We had so much money we would never struggle, even if we both stopped working.Mila and I were both working because we loved what we did. Mila didn’t want to stop nursing after she had Landon, and I understood. She asked for fewer shifts so that
BenSeven Months LaterWhen I unlocked the door to the house I had bought six months ago, I was stepping over the threshold as a father. It was the first time, and I was very aware of it. A lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down.“Ready?” I asked Mila. She nodded and climbed out of the car. She moved comfortably. It was amazing how women bounced back from giving birth in no more than a day or two. It would have been different if she had had a C-section or something, but Mila had given birth naturally.She opened the car door and lifted the carrier out of its brace.“I’m coming,” I said, running to her. I took the carrier from her so she didn’t have to strain herself and put my arm around her as I carried little Landon in the other hand.Mila had given birth to a beautiful baby boy twenty-four hours ago. It had been a beautiful surprise. I would have been just as proud if it was a girl, but I was so happy it was a boy. Landon Atwood had a great ring to it.We walked together t
MilaAgain, he didn’t touch my pussy even though he came so close. Instead, he moved up my hip bones and kissed my stomach, my ribs, moving past my breasts to my shoulders and working his way down one arm. When he reached my fingers, he sucked them into his mouth and played with his tongue around them. It was a strange feeling, ticklish and such a turn on.Ben let go of my hand and moved across my chest, avoiding my breasts, moving over my shoulder and down my other arm. When he reached my fingers, I was just about losing my mind with lust. I wanted him inside me so badly, and he’d been teasing me by not touching any of the areas I so desperately wanted him to touch.When Ben pressed his fingers against my pussy, I jumped. I had wanted it so badly, now that I had it, it was like a jolt of electricity shooting into my body. Ben pressed his thumb against my clit and pushed two fingers into me. He moved his thumb while curling his fingers over my G-spot, and it didn’t take long at all be
MilaLate on Friday night, my phone rang. I was already sleeping, and it took me a while to find my phone on my nightstand.“Are you awake?” Ben asked.I smiled. “I am, now.”“Can I come over? I have great news.”I looked at the alarm clock next to my lamp. The red numbers said it was well after midnight.“Of course,” I said.Half an hour later, a cab pulled up and dropped Ben off in front of my apartment building. I had been looking out for him. I buzzed him up before he rang my apartment, and I smiled when he stumbled up the step to the front door. He had been drinking.When I opened the front door to him, he stepped forward and folded me against his body.“I missed you,” he said.I laughed. “It’s been two days.”“Two days too many,” Ben said. He smelled like beer and cigarette smoke.“Where were you?” I asked.“I was at the bar, having drinks with Jerrod.”I raised my eyebrows. It was good news. Unexpected, and good. I led Ben into my apartment and closed the door.“Get back in bed
BenI shook my head. “I won’t. I know I haven’t treated her right, but I thought I was doing the right thing. I’m sticking around, now. I’m not going anywhere. I’m madly in love with her. Mila is one of a kind.”Jerrod nodded. “She is. And I can see how you feel about her. I have no doubt that you care for her. It just pissed me off so much that I was the last to know.”“I get that,” I said. I really did feel bad for what we’d done. But there was only so many times I could say I was sorry. I knew that this time, Jerrod had accepted my apology.Jerrod nodded again. We both drank our beers, listening to the music and watching the crowds shuffle in. As the night dragged on, the bar filled up with patrons who were done with their work week and looking for a way to unwind.“It’s just all so unexpected,” Jerrod said after a while. “Your relationship with her when I still see her as a kid is one thing. But now she’s pregnant. Man.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “I don’t know what to m
BenOn Friday I walked into the bar where Mila and I had gone with Jerrod and Skylar. We hadn’t been careful enough that night, and Jerrod had seen us together. That was when the trouble had all started between me and Jerrod, and I was hoping this was where it would all end.I had texted him, telling him I was going to be at the bar tonight. I wanted to talk to him, but I was tired of running after him when he wasn’t interested. I had asked him to come to meet me. He hadn’t replied. I had told him what time I was going to be there, and now that I was here, time would tell if Jerrod was going to show up to talk to me.My wristwatch told me it was eight o’clock. I would give him half an hour before I left again.Until now, everything had been about Jerrod. He had been the one who had been wronged. Mila and I had kept our relationship secret from him when it was already a no-no that his best friend and younger sister were dating. It had been wrong not to tell him and even worse that he h
Mila“I love you, too.”There was nothing else to say. Words couldn’t describe how we both felt at that moment.After I changed back into my clothes, we met Dr. Holt in her office again. She gave me a prescription for prenatal supplements and an eating plan with do’s and don’ts for the next seven months.“I’ll see you back here in about eight weeks,” Dr. Holt said. “Then we’ll find out what you’re having.”When Ben and I walked back to the car, I felt like I was walking on air. Everything felt different, now. I felt more ready to be a mother, to have this baby and to raise it, than I had before. Now that I had seen the baby, I knew that I wanted all of this.Did Ben feel the same?“You know, you still have time to back out of this,” I said to Ben. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me.“What makes you think I would want that?” he asked.I pulled up my shoulder. I couldn’t guarantee that this feeling of amazement was mutual. Ben took a step closer to me and kissed me long and
MilaOn Wednesday I had the day off again and had scheduled an ultrasound. Now that everyone knew about me being pregnant, it was time to meet the baby.Ben was with me. It made me less nervous, but only a little. It was crazy how tense I was about the appointment, even though everything was out in the open now. The idea that I was pregnant, that we were having a baby, was terrifying.It had all happened so fast. It had been mere weeks since Ben had come back to Portland for the first time and now we were starting a family together. There were nights when I was sleepless and in a fit of panic, wondering how the hell we were going to get through this. We had been a part of each other’s lives for years, but when it came down to knowing each other, we were practically strangers.When I was with Ben, like now, all my worries melted away. We were great together. He was so attentive now that I was pregnant, and since he had told me he was going to stay, our relationship was stronger than ev
BenI let go of Jerrod’s shirt. He stumbled back, his expression surprised. Maybe he had expected me to throw the first punch. He had been ready to fight me. But I wasn’t here for that. I hadn’t come to beat up my best friend. I had only come to set the record straight.“She’s a great person, Jerrod. You know that. She doesn’t deserve this shit.”I turned around and left the office. Jerrod stayed behind, gaping. I had never been one to back down from a fight. There had been enough fights in high school that had shown Jerrod that. But this wasn’t high school, and Jerrod was like a brother to me. If I ended up with Mila, he would be a brother-in-law, in fact.So, I wasn’t going to go there.Instead, I headed back home like a good boy to seethe in private.After I had taken the time to calm down, I phoned Mila.“How are you doing?” I asked.“Better,” she said, and I was relieved. “I came off my shift just now. I’m going to crawl into bed for a few hours.“Have you told your parents yet?”