Austin - 1 month later - She’s surrounded by her friends. A smile followed by laughter. A quirk of my lips in response to the joy blatantly on her face. I divert my attention back to the company’s clients who joined us. “Splendid, charity events are my favorite,” Mark commented beside his wife Alice. “No one forced you to be here,” I told him. “She did,” Mark motioned to his wife. “Would’ve loved to see my god-daughter instead of you,” I said. “Ouch, why are you so snippy?” he said. “Is this because of your ‘assistant’?” Alice asked, looking around, “You’re not flirting with her and you’re not glued to her side, what happened?” “We’re not together anymore,” I mumbled. “Oh, that explains why you’re sulking back here and staring at her all the way over there,” Alice nodded to Olivia’s table where she was having fun with her friends. “He cheated on the girl,” Tommy inserts himself into the conversation. “I gave him a black eye for it,” he said proudly. “Thanks,” I said sar
The moment I saw him again after the betrayal, I split my day in two. The first half includes work and the second features moping around at home. The former entails pretending he doesn’t exist. The latter involves melancholic thoughts and late-night nostalgia. Both are misery-inducing. But I’ve gotten used to the numbness whenever I’m at the office. I’ve barricaded myself at my desk and nothing and no one can ever hurt me again. This personal bubble is admittedly delicate but it’s something that keeps me going. I simply refuse to handle pain at work. Period, no excuses whatsoever. Even if the man of my dreams is just beyond that door in front of me. Even if I see him every day. Not lovers nor friends. A little bit more than strangers, definitely colleagues. I shake my head, this concludes my slip-up for the day. There’s no peeking at the past or thinking about him on a personal level. Strictly, he’s Mr. Cane. Nothing more. I bury myself in work yet again. One thing the breakup ha
“Yes, you heard me right,” he said. “But, but…” I began, mind blown and reeling from the turn of events. “And before you get the idea of slapping me, can you just hear me out first?” he asked. “Hmm…” “Just, shut up for a bit, okay? Better yet,” he glanced around his office, “ I think we need to talk elsewhere.” I tried to see what he was looking for, hidden cameras perhaps? He nudged me toward the door. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Trust me,” he pleaded. I grumbled as I followed him. The trauma and skepticism over the whole matter left a sizable gap between us as we entered the elevator. When he didn’t press the button for the basement, I raised my eyebrow at him. He cocked his head as we made our way across the building’s lobby. “Come on. Let’s take a walk,” he held the door for me. I let him lead and we rounded a familiar corner. He looked back at me and smiled, a little shy one that made my stomach react. I cursed myself as he held the door to his favorite cafe once aga
“Do not freak out,” I said as I opened the front door. “What?” my mom poked her head from the kitchen. “What?! What’s going on, Olivia?” she asked while I gulped down water from the glass she handed me. “Slow down, what is happening?” she said anxiously. “He’s coming to visit his puppy.” “He? Who?“ “Austin,” I said breathlessly. Rushing home before he arrived was my brilliant idea to prepare my mom but I didn’t take into account that he has his own driver and I could have just called her up. The effect of that man on me. I spent a few hours in his presence and it seemed all the resentment I built up the past few weeks just disappeared like a bubble bursting. “Stop fidgeting, what do we need to do?” “Dinner. Please, mom?” I pleaded. She put her hands on her hips and scowled, “Didn’t he cheat on you?” “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later, I just need to…” I said as I began picking up some stuff off the counter. Thank god, my mom began preparing food. It’s a good thing the wh
He centered the knot of his tie. His crisp white collar contrasts his gray vest in the most attractive way. We stand at the front door of the Cane estate. “All good,” I said to him. His deep gaze didn’t leave my face. He nodded. The door opened and an old man with impeccable taste bowed at Austin. “Sir, good evening. I’ll let Mrs. Cane know right away.” He looked at me and said, “Ma’am,” before stepping back and opening the massive entrance door. “Mr. Peters, could I have a quick word?” Austin glanced at me and I quickly headed inside. I exhaled with every step I took leading to the sitting room. I ventured to open the door, taking a quick look back at Austin and the man murmuring by the corner. He glanced up and minutely shook his head. I retracted my hand and continued walking along the corridor. Across the room and to the left was a glass-paned door that opened to a large garden. At the center of it is a glasshouse.I took careful steps down the corridor, following the paved
"Oh my god," I whispered. Eyes wide and mortified. On the screen, a groggy Austin was being dragged away from the sitting room, to his credit he was trying to fight back. But after his mother injected him with something, he lay on the floor of the corridor limp and lifeless. It took Meredith and Mrs. Cane to carry the body of a clearly passed-out Austin upstairs. "Austin…" I said, speechless at the implication of their actions. He wasn't lying. They did something to him. "Shit, oh my god," I repeated. His reddening face, rigid posture, and the snarl on his lips were signs that he was about to explode. "Wait, wait…" I said, trying to distract him from throwing a rage fit in the quiet and cozy cafe. "Look," I paused the video and rewind it to the scene. I focused on his face and magnified it. He was frothing at the mouth and his eyes were almost white. The next scene was utterly despicable. His own mother took a syringe and jabbed it on his bicep. "I might have a clue what that is
After everything that happened, he goes and says something like that. His mega-watt smiles after his confession didn’t go away for the rest of the night. If anything, I was the only one who was stiff and awkward. Why didn’t I say it back? Why did I freeze? “Now that that’s out of the way, are we ready to get back to work?” he asked in an attempt to unfreeze me. He patted my arm as I remained at a loss for words. He slowly scooted away but fixed his gaze on me, careful that he might scare me away. It surprised me, but he seemed to understand the situation perfectly. “I’m going to handle some legal matters tomorrow with the lawyers,” he stated. Back to business, as if he didn’t drop a bomb on me just now. I didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. I tossed and turned, replaying the events of the day. A lamp clicked at the other side of the massive hotel room and the yellow dim light bathed the corner. I peeked at his side profile from my own bed. It seemed that he wasn’t getting any
With sore limbs albeit a satisfied body, I grabbed a robe and slipped it on. I saw him sitting in front of a screen, his eyes watching every move his mother made last night. His scrunched eyebrows and determined look doesn’t give any indication that he barely had any sleep. “Hi,” I shyly said. He glanced at my approaching figure and immediately perked up. “Hi,” he smiled back. He placed his hand on my hips and patted his lap. I slid right on top of him and nuzzled him. Hip to hip and chest to chest. “Like a cat,” he murmured to my hair. “Feisty and need their space,” he said. “But demands snuggles.” I clawed at his bare chest. He ran his hands all over my back. Lulling me back to a short nap. “Weekends are the best,” I said to his neck when he shifted and woke me up a bit. “Shh…sleep,” he ran his hand on my scalp and my hair. “I would if someone isn’t awake and poking me,” I giggled. He smiled sheepishly. “Go back to sleep,” he patted my butt. “I’ll work out.” “Hmm-mm…” I la
“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