The urge to heave my lungs out makes me lurch from the bed. I hacked once, twice then thrice but nothing came out. The room is still spinning. I blinked back my blurry eyes but it won’t give me clarity. Another upsurge forces me to hang my head on the side of the bed. I would have crawled my way to the bathroom but acid quickly expels from my mouth and right onto Austin’s rug. Waking up wasted and nursing a medley of aches and pains will never be my favorite but it seems like it has become my routine.What’s new is the absence of Charlie from the corner of the bed which makes me wonder where she was. I pushed myself up against my protesting limbs. I open the bedroom door and catch a rarity. Austin bent over and feeding Charlie in the kitchen makes me want to run right back to the room.He looks up, scans me, and returns to attending to the dog. “You might not be aware but she gets hungry in the mornings,” he said to the general area of the kitchen. As if I wasn’t standing right the
They surrounded me on the bed. I never had many friends when I was younger and this, I imagined, would have been what sleepover with the girls looked like. Except there was a gay guy in the group, another girl was stuffing her face with cheesy pizza and another one was… “Are you finishing my bottle of scotch?!” I asked Rosie. “Yeah, I am. So that you won’t have some anymore.” Her glazed eyes and smirk made Andrea snatch the bottle away. “We don’t need you throwing up. We already have this one’s puke in there,” she scolded. Rosie took a slice of pizza instead. “Hey, I thought you were cooking us something?” she asked Charlie. “Of course, I just wanted to leave. Do I look like I know how to cook?” He raised his pretty long nails which was admittedly nice and I would have envied Charlie if my head wasn’t starting to ache again. I shook my head to stave off the dizziness but they noticed. “Here, eat some, O.” Rosie pushed the box of my favorite pepperoni pizza. At the sigh
AustinI walked away from her. I buttoned up my suit jacket as the door closed. Any semblance of the storm brewing inside was slowly shut the further I distanced myself from Olivia. Too many emotions were clouding me. I couldn’t function anymore. I had to go.Stepping inside my office was the signal for my body to shed my heart. I’m back to being Mr. Cane. The boss does not mix feelings with business. The boss is laser-focused and precise. He is effective and efficient. My heart has no business in this room. “Look here, do not make me repeat myself. If I have to say it one more time, my next instructions would be for you to hand in your resignation letter.” I disconnected the phone right as the employee was about to make more excuses. The morning would not be complete if I didn’t give out threats. The constant meetings and jam-packed morning kept me busy and preoccupied. I need to be on top of my game. There’s no room for mistakes at this crucial time for Cane Industries. My famil
“He hasn’t spoken to me in a week. I only hear that he’s home by the sounds of the doors opening and closing. He’s denied me going back to work. We don’t see each other anymore. If he’s not in his study or the guest room, he’s at work. Most probably. Well, at this point, I really don’t know.” My shrink reclines back in his armchair. It’s a little after lunch, and the toast I managed to cram down my throat before going here sits uncomfortably in my stomach. I’m attributing the queasiness to my bloated belly. My digestive system has gone haywire and I have not the slightest clue when I can eat properly without puking these days. “You said your friends came over. How did you feel after their visit?” Matthew turned his curious gaze to my trembling hands. I slid them under a throw pillow. Twisting my fingers, I answered him. “They had to force me to shower. It was beyond humiliating. I was so ashamed I got to that point. But… I was also so happy they were there. I don’t know, when they
Darkness greeted me. The sound of heavy breathing. Then the spine-chilling realization that someone was caressing my face. The hand moved down my neck. Down, down, down. He fondled me. Reverent and slow. It was horrid. His touches burned everywhere he placed his hands on my skin. I wanted to crawl out of my body right then and there. He began focusing his attention on my most intimate parts. I shouted profanities and threats, but the gag rendered my words useless. When he started touching me there, I begged him not to. My muffled cries of anguish went unanswered. It went on for what felt like hours. If I thought it was the worst thing, I wasn’t prepared for what came next. The man stopped his ministrations. Then he climbed on the bed with me. My body gave one last weak attempt to thrash and escape. But all was lost when I felt his whole body envelop mine. His weight was suffocatingly crushing me on the bed. My body shuddered in fear. Even if my arms and legs weren’t handc
Austin- Earlier that week - Every fiber of my being was vibrating with anger. In a measured voice I asked Hailey, “Where did you get your information?” “Does it matter?” she slowly sipped her coffee as she closed her laptop. The sun had barely risen but my lawyer was already in her office. I don’t think she left, in the first place. When I stormed at the crack of dawn, we weren’t surprised to see each other. That’s exactly why I’m keeping her. “Coffee?” she offered. “My assistant isn’t here yet but feel free to get yourself a cup.” She pointed to her side. A side table was set up with a steaming brew waiting.She looked at my face when she said that. “Oh, on second thought, never mind.”“Yeah, I’ve had two espressos already.” “You look like shit,” she remarked. I would have felt insulted if we didn’t just share a sweaty class of Muay Thai and boxing last time. “Seriously, what happened to you?” “You’re asking me? You just informed me that my mother was the mastermind behind rele
“What do you see, Olivia?” Matthew’s distorted voice asked. With my eyes closed, I gulped and said, “It’s the uhh… it’s the room where I was kept.” “What else?” he probed. “I… I don’t know, it’s blurry. Everything’s out of focus,” I said but I could feel myself slipping away. Immersing myself in the memory. More and more until I could only hear Matthew’s faint voice urging me to concentrate. To stay focused. Reality started fading away.Then the memory sharpens and in an instant, I’m back in that room.“Stay with me, Olivia. Listen to my voice, don’t be scared.” Matthew said. I could feel him near my side. Speaking directly to my ear. But all I could see in my mind’s eye was the room. I wiggled my toes in reality and there, I could see it. My toes are moving. “Like lucid dreaming…” I softly said. “What did you say?” Matthew murmured beside me. Footsteps stopped me before I could repeat myself. All the muscles of my body froze. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up as the f
Something’s different with Austin. He parked himself in the living room one Saturday morning. Aggressively, might I add. He placed his laptop on the couch and it almost bounced off.“Hi,” I said. I reached for a bottle of water from the kitchen and noticed his movements. I was more than surprised that he was home since he’d spent the entirety of his days and nights out of the penthouse the past weeks - much to my chagrin. In my defense, who spends all their time at their lawyer’s office at those ungodly hours? What the hell are they doing?He’s been avoiding me like the plague and now he’s… lounging on the couch? He stared at me intensely. I blinked back at him. “Water?” I asked, raising the bottle. He shook his head, breaking the heavy eye contact. Hm. Weird. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well. Maybe that’s why he had that constipated look on his face. I returned to the room but I couldn’t help but wonder. I grabbed my phone and searched for the name of his lawyer again. Her firm’s we
“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