If someone had told me months ago that I would be spending time with Mister Austin Cane, the millionaire CEO of Cane Industries, outside office hours, eating food, and existing in his world, I would have told them they were insane. Batshit crazy. And yet, here I am, doing exactly that. This whole day was crazy. Hell, this whole weekend was nothing short of the twilight zone. I never would have believed it unless his own father would have sat me down and gotten to know me himself. Mister Luke Cane headed straight to my table and calmly asked me a series of questions that were so personal, I would have thought he was friends with my own mother. He asked me things that not even my family is privy to. At first, it was highly uncomfortable and I didn’t have a clue how to navigate his inquiries but as time went by, I understood that he was ensuring his son was safe with a newcomer. Does everybody get this level of the third degree when entering his son’s circle? It’s somewhat excessive b
I woke up with a smile on my face. Yesterday was just perfect. I can’t believe how nice it was to spend the day with my boss. The residual happiness gets me out of bed quickly. Wanting to see him first thing in the morning, maybe have some breakfast with him while he plays with Charlie? Just the thought makes me so excited. I hurry over to the kitchen, hoping to see him in his usual nook at the window, reading something while having his daily cup of sludge - his black coffee is nasty, nothing could change my mind about that. I skid to a stop. It’s quiet in the living room. The coffee maker isn’t on and there’s no movement in the kitchen. Charlie walks up to me sleepily. I checked the time, yes it was still quite early but I thought Mr. Austin would be up by now. I venture to his room. My giddiness from yesterday gave me the confidence I needed to knock on his door. I knock again but nothing. There’s no answer, I listen to any movements coming from inside but still, nothing. Strang
“Miss Althea Greene, glad you could join us today,” Mr. Austin greets her. She glides into the room. Everyone is captivated, including me, and soon everybody settles down. Tommy finally leaves me be. I watch Ms. Greene take a seat beside Mr. Austin. Where she belongs. They look like a king and a queen ruling over their subjects. How fitting. Her fiery red hair is in a bun but tendrils have escaped. It makes her look alluring. The glasses she’s wearing give off the impression that she’s here for business, the opposite of the party look she had last time. She goes on to outline new improvements that she wants the team to undertake, detailing specifications with accuracy. She knows her stuff, she’s decisive and articulate. She takes no shit from any of the guys on the team. They seem enamored with her. I don’t blame them. If I weren’t so obsessed with my boss, I would have been girl-crushing on her. Big time. She’s a badass. No wonder Mr. Austin was flirting with her. Anyone with half
Austin “Miss Althea, thanks for gracing us with your presence.” “Cut the bullshit, Austin,” she leans closer, “I’ve never seen you so distracted before, I can understand the launch party but in a business meeting?” “You have no right to lecture me, the team is in top shape and catering to all your needs.” “I’m not talking about that. I’m a friend telling you right now to get your shit together,” she glances at my assistant. I follow suit. “Why are you letting that happen?” Tommy is handing her a glass of water. “You’re not even being subtle about it anymore,” Althea said. We both watch as Tommy gives the girl some biscuits. I clench my fists and face Althea instead. “What is it to you?” I said in a menacing tone. A warning. I’m getting defensive, we both know it but I have no clue where this conversation is going and it irks me. “Your tone might work with your subordinates but it doesn’t on me,” she challenged me. “Feisty.” “Cut the crap, I’m serious. This is the only time I
It’s one of those days. “...didn’t mean to walk out on you last night, Althea. Speak soon, take care.” He rounds the corner to the kitchen. It would have been all good and fine except I heard what he said on the phone. So, he was with her last night. I knew that. With the way they were canoodling in the meeting room, of course, they were going to meet right after. Would he really miss the opportunity to be with her when she went all the way to his building? My jaw clenches. I sink my teeth into my peanut butter and jelly toast. Crumbs scatter all over the table. I’m chomping on the sandwich and I do not care. I wash it down with my cold coffee. I stand to refill my cup and dump more sugar in it. One spoon. Two spoons. A dash of milk. Mr. Austin glances at what I’m doing when he fills his cup. I don’t acknowledge him and stride over to my seat where Charlie is waiting beside me on her own chair. I give her a piece of white bread. She ignores it. She’s getting picky. “You can’t
I drag my feet across the living room. The house is deadly silent. Good. Having a fight near midnight had its advantages. Number one, fewer people saw me crying. Tears and snot in public transportation do not in any way paint a pretty picture. Number two, I’m sure my mom is used to it but I didn’t want her to see my puffy eyes and ask me further questions. Number three, if Augustus saw me, he would probably beat the crap out of me for leaving in the first place. No, he’s not worried. He just doesn’t like knowing that I have freedom. And I’m really not in the mood for another confrontation today. I don’t have much energy for anything else. I crash into my bed and like a lovesick teenager, stare into my ceiling. The molds and holes are somewhat comforting. I’ve seen them all throughout my life. The dampness of the room and the old house smell remind me of the times I’ve laid here on the same bed and promised myself so many things. Promised that I would get the hell out of here an
Austin - 20 years ago - “Please, please!” I yell through the gag in my mouth. “Aaah!!” Seb cried out. They’re hitting him with some type of wood. He’s choking on something in between screams of agony. Blood in his mouth, I realize. It must be his own blood by the sound of it. They did something to him, he kept on spitting and gurgling. Should I be grateful that my eyes were covered and that I couldn’t see how they were torturing him? But the sounds, oh my god, the sounds. The blood-curdling sounds of my big brother screaming in pain, the crack of his bones, and the worst part is his whimpering. The way that he's forcing himself not to react. But his body is giving up. I know it is. He can’t endure that much, it’s impossible. Seb has always been the tough one. Sebastian Cane is the golden boy of the family. He can do nothing wrong, he can do everything and be the best in it without much effort. He's the best person I know. Maybe it would have been better if I could see so th
It catches him off guard. I know it does even if he hides it. A minor flinch. He quickly drew his hand away. The water from his hand dripped on the kitchen floor. I take a seat on the kitchen island, facing away from him. Giving him the space he needs. I find something to do with my hands. All the vegetables are peeled and sliced. I take a few more potatoes and begin peeling. Nothing wrong with a few more potatoes. He leans bank on the kitchen sink. I can feel his gaze burning my back. He took his time before he finally answered, “Okay.” I don’t move from my spot, I just wait. Like a feral animal, I wait for him to come to me. Is this what it’s like to tame something so wild? A few more seconds pass. Then a click. Charlie barks. She hates the sound of the coffee grinding machine. I’m done with the first potato by the time he has finished with the monstrosity that he calls his beloved espresso machine. The scraping of the wooden chair on my right alerts me to his movements. S
“Get up,” he said. “Now. Hands on the table.” I scrambled up and stood at attention. Slowly, ever so slowly, he put his knee in between my legs from behind. “Legs apart, Olivia.”I was vibrating with anticipation at this point. Everything felt charged. I held my breath as I felt him touch his front slightly on my back. I felt his breath on me, touching my skin as he inspected me. “Where did he touch you?” his soft voice was menacing. “I… Austin…” I stammered while he stood beside me. I felt his choppy breath skirting my shoulder. The goosebumps on my skin were ever prevalent. I couldn’t move, I was stuck as a statue. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. He left me paralyzed just by his presence. “I asked you a question, Olivia.” “I don’t…” “You don’t remember?” “I would rather not,” I exhaled. “How did it feel?” “What? I, I don’t know…” “You’re trying to forget, I understand. But you need to open up for me. “ He said this as he wedged his knee between mine. “Ugh…” “Did he tou
“You’re right. You did a very bad thing, Olivia. And for so long, you tested my patience.” I shivered at the tone of his voice. It sent chills through me. “You made me watch you at your lowest point. You made me endure everything. All because, what? I love you? I watched you, did you know that?” He stood menacingly. My eyes were focused on him undoing his belt, painstakingly slow. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. At this point, these little words have lost their meaning. He stopped beside me. I stared at the bulge in front of me. He gripped my hair. The caring touches at the hospital are long gone now. In its place, he started squeezing my hair. “You had me so worried. I was losing my mind, did you know that?” he gritted out. “I didn’t know what to do, I was so helpless. I couldn’t even get to you. It’s like you were so far away, in your own head.” “I was… I’m…”“Don’t you fucking say you’re sorry. We’re way past that now.” “But,” I struggled to stay in our conversation but I was dis
“I messed up,” I told Austin. We were in our dining table when I got home from the hospital. Somehow, the guilt and the shame pushed me to bare it all out. “Something needs to change. I NEED to change. I royally fucked up and this whole thing is my mess,” I added. He sat there and I knew he was starting to defend my actions again. “You were drugged. He manipulated you…”I stopped him. “That’s true. But what about all the other decisions I made? I decided to continue with the booze. I chose to take what he was giving me, Austin. Even if I was endangering my job, even if I was getting out of control. I chose those things. You can’t… I can’t pin this all on anybody else but me. I have a part in all this mess. A big part, actually.” He lowered his head. Maybe he’s realizing I have a point. “I trust too easily. Call it naivety or just plain stupidity, but I always choose to see the good in people. Even to my detriment.”He looked up at me. “But that’s what I like about you. You chose t
“I’m so sorry, Austin. Please!” The words fell from my mouth even as I was beginning to wake up. The crushing guilt enveloped me right when I saw his face hovering beside me. “It’s alright, you’re okay…” He kept on saying. “No, no, I-” “Whatever it is, that’s fine. We’re going to be okay.”“No, you don’t understand. He did things… I was…” I tried to explain. I tried to rationalize and did my best to come out with it but he just wouldn’t let me. “I said it’s alright, Olivia. My god, the doctors just gave me a rundown of the drugs circulating in your system. They had to pump it out of you just a few hours ago, Liv. It was that toxic.” “I know, I wasn’t myself. I was so messed up. But it was still me, somehow. I had a decision, I made them, a lot of them. Things I regret.” “What are you... What are you saying? What happened?” His brows bunched and I immediately thought how adorable it was until I was reminded of what actually went down in that room. “He took advantage of me. And
“I fucking hate you. I hate what you’re doing to me. You’re doing this to me when you know what I’ve been through. You’re no better than all the worst men I know.”He laughed when I said this. He grinned like I was a silly little child complaining. Like I was a mere plaything. Like I don’t have any right to disturb him. It made my blood boil and my insides squirm. “You tricked me. You made me believe in all your bullshit. Just so you could, what? Do this to me?” “Isn’t it worth it? I do say so myself.” He smiled like he already won this game we were playing. Checkmate, his face said it all. “I beg to disagree,” my voice was barely a whisper. But my rage was slowly cooking. It’s seeping through my drug-infused senses. It’s waking me up.I scrunched my eyes. “You’re going to pay for this.” “Yeah, sure. You’re saying that as if you’re not dying to fuck me right now. Need I remind you how wet you are? You’re about to put me inside you, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I can prolong this. J
I couldn't focus on anything. My body is on fire. It’s itching to move on its own, seeking pleasure, wanting the release.He was driving me crazy and I felt like nothing was in my control. Somehow, this was everything that I wanted at this moment, and yet… and yet… “What do you want, Olivia?” he whispered. The voice is enticing, making me lose all sense of control.I want to be ravaged. I want to be owned. It’s driving me insane. This animalistic need that’s welling up in me. And yet… “No…” I tried to tell him. “This is…” I tried again. “What?” He pressed his lips on the side of my throat. So light that I barely felt it. Somehow that’s worse. He lifted his other hand, the one that’s not tormeting me and glided it from my face, to my neck to my arms. Right down to my lower back. He pressed on it. Making me slide onto him forward and to his waiting hand. His fingers pressed on my intimate parts. He barely moved it. I was burning from the inside. An internal battle raging in me.
"You want me to fucking relax? Are you… goddamn crazy?" I said, bewildered and very much annoyed. "Just enjoy it. I'm sure you'll love it." He looked at his watch. "20 minutes, and you'll feel it."And just like that, everything started to feel good. Just like he said. The antsy feeling in my gut was starting to dissipated. "Am I… am I floating?" I giggled. I stared at my hand and smiled. "There you are," he smiled back. It gave me this strange sense of peace, like nothing I've ever felt before. The weight on my chest is getting lifted. "I feel floaty, Matthew." "I know. Isn't it great? I mixed those for you. Especially for you, sweetheart." He began touching my hand. My initial thought was to remove it but then… "Do you like it? Do you feel better?" And I did. I was light, I was happy. Finally. My god. I smiled, I really smiled. "You're so fucking beautiful, have I told you that?" He sat down beside me. "Nope. You haven't but I'm starting to feel it. I kinda feel pretty.
‘Sweetheart’, the term made my skin crawl. I never knew such a word could make me want to vomit that much. Or was it just the pills he shoved down my throat? I have no idea at this point. Does it matter? I’m in deep shit. There’s no other description of the situation. I watched him as he tried to hide his triumphant smug grin. “Please…” I pleaded. “Please, what? Let you go?” he shrugged. “Can’t do that.” “Matthew…” “Hmm… I really… really like that,” he confessed. “I just love hearing it from you. Makes me so excited, you know?” I closed my eyes. Everything was spinning. I scrunched them, maybe if I will this whole thing to go away… “Look at me,” he said menacingly. “Just… don’t go away. You like to not be here, I’m fed up with that. Stay here with me, okay?” “Where do I go?” I prodded. Anything to keep him talking. He might not do anything bad if we just talk. Fat chance of that happening but I can try, can’t I? I have no other choice. “Your past. You always go back,” he sa
I went numb. All movements halted as I processed the information he gave me. “I... I should be scared? But… what have I done?” I couldn’t believe the things he was saying. Why is he mad? I should go. I tried to get up once again. He put more weight on my twisted arm, he’s crushing me down the cushion. I felt the panic rising more and more. I wanted to scream and run hysterically but I tried to stamp it down. That won’t help me now. He’s far stronger and angrier, I don’t stand a chance if it will come to blows. One-on-one combat has never gone well for women against men. “Can you release me? You’re hurting me, Matthew.” “No. You’re just going to leave,” he said but somehow his hold eased up. “I’m not, can we just talk about this first? There’s no need to get physical.” I tried to reason with the man, the primal need to escape from danger not letting up one bit. “If you let me go, I’ll stay. I promise.” “You’re too smart for your own good but I guess we could talk.” He releas