“Where have you been?” Mr. Cane trains his death glare on me. “Lunch?” I hold up the paper bag of leftovers as proof. He narrows his eyes. Glances back at Tommy. “You’re early,” He remarks to Mr. Cane. “Is that not allowed, Mr. Ford?” “Oh, the formalities are back.” I take a seat before the bickering begins. I’m still full from my meal and I want to digest in peace. “Where are the rest of the team? Why aren’t they here yet?” “Again, you’re early, Austin.” Tommy checks his watch. “They’ve got fifteen more minutes.” “Then why are you both here already?” “I was planning to show Olivia around. Get her familiarized with my people and my area.” If a grown man can pout, I think he would have done it by this time. Mr. Cane is not amused. “So there’s a tour? Come on then, show us around.” “I said, it’s only with Olivia.” “No worries, I wanted to conduct an inspection anyway. Lead the way, Mr. Ford.” “But the meeting?” “They can wait.” Tommy sends me a look that can only be inter
“Oh my god! oh my god…” my mom’s voice jogs me into consciousness. I blink my eyes open but my vision is still blurry. I can hear Augustus taking his anger out on the furniture in the living room. I can’t see much from my position - lying motionless on the kitchen floor. Mom crawls toward me. “Can you hear me?” she asks in a hoarse voice. Delicately, she touches my swollen face. “Are you, are you okay?” I move to shake my head but it hurts so much. My heavy eyelids refuse to open wide. With the slits of my eyes barely seeing anything, my mom’s bloody face comes into view. Her hair is a mess, there’s a huge bruise on her arm and her right eye is closed and swollen. “What…?” I try to ask what happened, but I’m still out of it. Augustus had really done a number on my head with that particularly hard blow. She tries to get us to safety and drags me to the nearest room - my bedroom. With her own injuries, it takes her so long to get me to stand up or even to nudge me to a sitting po
Austin I survey the street below me. Buying a few more seconds to let my anger subside. “I’m driving you home from now on. End of discussion.” “But Mr. Cane..” “I said, that’s the end of that conversation.” I refrain from looking at my assistant. The sight of her injuries incites something primal in me. I want to kill whoever did that to her. “I appreciate it, sir. I’m not sure about driving me home every day, but I would really like not to be jostled more today.” She grimaced. Her condition must be so terrible that she swallowed her pride. If there’s anything I’ve observed about the girl, it’s that her pride rivals mine. The phone on my desk starts ringing. I sit down, she starts to stand and prepare to leave to give me privacy for the call. But finds it difficult to get up from her chair. The wince on her face and the way she clutches her sides make my blood boil. I raise up my hand, silently telling her not to move further, but I don’t answer the phone. She sits back dow
A ball of black fur greets me. “Charlie! How are you? What have you been up to, girl?” I aggressively fluff up her silky fur. The soft and luxurious rug in the living room is becoming my new favorite thing. I crouch down and play with the puppy while Mr. Cane disappears toward the corridor. “Were you good today, huh?” She barks and jumps, twirling around for good measure. “I know, I know, I had to visit you again!” She licks my face but I try to dodge her snout. I hug her tightly. She tries to squirm and playfully gnaws on my knuckles instead. “Goodness, are you hungry? You’re eating me,” I bumped her nose with my finger and she yelped at me. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I won’t boop your little nose anymore,” I tell her while doing so once more. The awful incident disappeared in my mind just like that. Puppy therapy at its finest. “Ow, ow! Alright, let’s move.” Her overexcited movements bumps into my sore side and we transfer to the couch. “I missed you so much. It’s been a few
“It’s a good thing that it’s Friday, but you might need your own clothes for next week,” he said while scooping some rice onto his plate. He drizzles the creamy curry sauce on top of it. “I definitely can’t wear this.” I try hard not to grin at the thought of wearing something of Mr. Cane’s at the office. “No, uh…” he glances down at the shirt I’m currently donning - his. The neckline swoops with my small frame, exposing a bit of my collarbone and shoulder. He clears his throat, going back to the food. “We can go back to your house or I can ask Ronnie to pick it up.” Oh. Yeah, I completely forgot that he has his own driver. So why does he always offer to drive me? “Okay, sir, thanks again.” Of course, he refuses to acknowledge my gratitude. His stoicism is sometimes unnerving. “We’ll report your father to the police first thing in the morning,” he just casually drops on me. I swallow the half-chewed curry in my mouth. Lay down my spoon. Drink some water to buy me some time to
Austin “Excuse me but dogs aren’t allowed in our shop,” the clerk tells my assistant at the entrance. She points at Charlie and haughtily turns up her nose at the two. Before I could say a word, the girl said, “Who said so? Where’s the sign?” The clerk’s mouth opens and closes, much like a goldfish, trying to find the right words to tell off my assistant. I chuckle at this and enter the shop. “They’re with me,” I tell the clerk. “Oh, Mr. Cane, of course. Of course,” she bows her head. Twice. “We’ll be right with you, sir. I’ll just be a moment,” she scurries to the back of the shop. Presumably to alert Giovanni, the owner. This is the shop my family visits for our suits and gowns. The owner has been measuring me since I was a kid. Giovanni emerges from the back, bowing his head. He shoos away the clerk and brings out his measuring tape after I inform him that I want a new suit tomorrow. The tailor works efficiently around me. This Italian clothing shop already has my measureme
Dashing is not even enough to describe Mr. Austin. He comes out of his room in an all-black ensemble. Now I understand it, the custom-made suit fits him like a glove. It’s classy. It screams money and power. “You clean up good,” he smirks at my dress. “The dresses…” He raises a hand to stop me from saying anything further. “Stop, just accept it,” he said. “But they’re too much, I wouldn’t even have any use for those formal ones.” He shrugs. Staring at the intricate design on his vest. “Giovanni is a genius,” I said. “Three pieces are for events, I suppose?” “And whenever I feel good, or when I need to go to battle,” he thumbs his cufflinks. “It’s my armor,” he adds. “It’s worth every penny, sir,” the same tension from yesterday is present. I didn’t sleep well because of what he pulled off in the dressing room. My mind kept on repeating the memory on a loop. Sometimes, his fingers would venture somewhere else to do some other things to my body. Sometimes, he would cup my fa
Austin Luke Cane is a serious man. He rarely shows emotion. His stoicism is one thing that I have always looked up to and tried to emulate all my life. He talks business - profits, and investments are his go-to topics on the rare chances that we do share a meal at home. He would rather stay silent than joke around or discuss ‘trivial’ things. The man is so rigid that he refuses to show any affection to his family. He works, he provides and that’s it. Being a father does not entail any emotional affectation at all. Growing up, he has seldom even acknowledged his familial ties with me let alone call me ‘son’ in public. Giving me a roof over my head, all material things he deems I deserve and the privilege of being a Cane is enough. Most times I agree with him, but there are moments I think differently. Moments I wonder if my family isn’t the way it is and if my parents aren’t the way they are, would I have led an entirely different life? “Can I borrow my son for a few minutes? I ne
“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