Second chance

"Mallory. My office. Now." Larry hisses as a good morning greeting, angrily trampling the parking. Was he waiting for my arrival?!

"What's this about?" Tom gets outside the car and leans on the right door blocking my way out.

"None of your concerns, go get ready for work," Larry crosses his arms threateningly.

"I won't let her get outside the car until you tell me what's this about."

"Listen, you little brat! Go inside and get ready for work before I make you regret your whole existence!" Larry leans closer to Tom and growls. There's no trace of the harmless-looking pervert of an old man I know so far. His whole presence got harsher, ordering, a little scaring.

"Should have that scared me?" Tom indifferently asks.

"Tom, it's okay. I'll go," I interrupt them and open the door, pushing Tom to step aside.

"Are you sure?" Tom looks me in the eyes.

"Mhm," I nod and walk after Larry and to his office.

"Mallory, Mallory, Mallory," Larry tuts, slamming the door behind him and startling me, "you're a walking trouble."

"Sir, I don't think I understand why am I here," I mutter without losing Larry from my sight, who paces around his office.

"You can't stay at Tom's, Mallory."

"And why is that?" I arch an eyebrow and cross my arms defensively. I feel another speech including Viktor is coming.

"You will cause him great problems. I'm surprised nothing has happened yet," he says as he finally sits behind his desk and crosses his legs.

"Sir, due all respect, I won't listen to any of this. Tom was nothing but a friend who offered me a place to stay. It's none of your things to worry about, so if you excuse me, I'm going to get ready for work," I finish and am about to leave the room when a loud thump startles me once again.

"I won't let you talk to me like that!" he shouts and steps next to me. "Girls like you... I know the perfect solution."

The rough tone in Larry's voice makes the hairs of my back stand on ends. He's inappropriately close and I can smell his breath. It's awful. A nagging feeling builds inside me, tying my stomach in a knot.

"Sir, you--"

"You should be glad, Mallory. You should be glad you're under his protection," Larry interrupts me while leaning closer to me. "Naughty girls like you get punished."

"Get off me!" Scared of what might comes next, I kick him in the balls and run outside.

"Little fucking cunt!" I hear him cursing behind me.

I run outside and to the parking and sit on the shiny red bonnet of Tom's car, fighting the welling up tears in my eyes.

I let my head fall in my arms and in the end, I break and start hysterically sobbing. How did I end up like this?!

"You fucking little slut! You think you can run away?!" I immediately lift my head as I see Larry running towards me, his face crimson red and furious.

"Wait, I--" I try to stop him, but he's already in front of me, holding tight my arm.

"Who do you think you are?!" he shouts in my face.

"Larry, wait, I--"

"If you touch her you're dead."

A cold shiver runs down my spine hearing the deadly serious voice of Tom. Thanks, God.

"Stay away from this, Tomas! This is not your mess!"

"I will repeat only once. Let off her or you're dead," Tom glares at Larry, his fists are clenched to the point the veins of his arms pop up. He's grinding with teeth and I expect him to punch Larry's face any moment now. 

The whole scene is terrifying. I gasp for air, as my tears suffocate me. My face falls in my hands again and tears drop down my legs from between my fingers.

"Stupid boy! Didn't I tell you to stay out of this?!" Larry says and a moment later he grabs me by my arm again. "I will deal with you later! Get up, slut!" 

"Get off me!" I try to release myself from his hand, but instead, he only tightens the grip. 

"I told you something, don't make me force you," Tom threatens Larry once more and the creepiest laugh follows, coming from the depths of Larry's body. It's that chilling devious laugh you hear only in movies.

"And what are you going to do?! Huh?! Beat me?! Don't forget where you come from, Tomas!" 

No answer. Awful silence settles in, it's like the time has stopped for a moment. And next thing I know, Larry is lying on the ground with a bleeding nose. And Tomas is on top of him. Delivering punch after punch in Larry's face.

"Tom, stop!" I shout at him, scared that he'll kill Larry. "Please, stop!" I throw myself at Tom's back, peeling him off of Larry.

"You stupid piece of shit!" Larry spits blood out. "Little ungrateful shit! Defending this cheap whore!" he keeps cussing while trying to get up.

"One more word and you'll accompany the fishes."

A bone-chilling threat makes Larry fall back on his butt. He freezes. I freeze. A painfully familiar voice echoes behind us. I grab Tom's hand and squeeze it hard as I face back to see the reason for Larry's shock. And there's no mistake. It's Viktor.

He's furiously pacing towards us. In another pair of dark-silver slacks and a white shirt. In his full intimidating glory. Damn it, he's sexy. Yet I can see how angry he is.

"Mallory, are you alright?" he asks with coldness in his tone that can cut through a stone. 

I only nod then notice how he stares at my hand, holding tight Tom's. And I see how tense he becomes seeing this.

"Viktor, what are you--" Larry starts a question but is fastly interrupted by Viktor grabbing his awful floral-printed shirt and lifting him off the ground.

"What do you think you're doing, Larry?" Viktor asks, indifferently, harshly.

"I-I... she needed a lesson," Larry stutters, his enraged face fastly replaced by fear.

"You don't touch this girl, Larry. You know that. What am I supposed to do with you now?"

"Mal, get inside," Tom whispers in my ear.

"What are you going to do?" I whisper back a question. I'm seriously afraid I might become the reason for murder.

"Tomas, drive her home," Viktor orders and Tom only nods, then pulls me to the car and hurriedly pushes me inside. 

We leave with the speed of light, under the noise of screeching tyres and dust behind us.

"Tom, slow down!" I beg, seeing the speed we're driving with.

"Sorry," he sighs, then slows down.

"What's going to happen with Larry?" I ask, fearing the worst.

"I don't know," Tom sighs again, "but whatever it is, he deserves it. Are you alright?" 

"I- I think so," I stare at my hands, lying loose in my lap. "I'm scared, Tom. I don't want Larry to die. I don't want to be the reason for it."

"As far as I know, Larry is some business partner with Viktor. I don't know how important he is as a business partner, but I doubt Viktor will kill him. But if he didn't step in, I would've beaten Larry to death."

I only sigh. What the heck happened just now?!

                        ***

"Mal, do you want something to eat?" I hear Tom's muted voice on the other side of the door.

"No, thanks," I only shout, staring at the ceiling. I'm still unable to comprehend what happened this morning. All I know is that I was scared. I was scared to a breaking point. First, I was scared of what might happen to me. Then I was scared seeing this side of Tom. And lastly, I was scared of everyone's reaction to Viktor's appearance. It's weird and messed up.

I close my eyes, I feel tired, drained off. But something forces me to open them. Maybe it's the fact it's a broad day. Or the fact I see Larry's bleeding face every time I close my eyes. I don't know.

My buzzing phone startles me out of my thoughts. A little skeptical, a little afraid, I grab it from the night-drawer and unlock it. And my gut was right, it's not anyone else but Viktor.

"Hey, Mallory. Are you alright?"

I hesitate to answer. I reread the message a few times. What should I answer? Yes? It'll be a lie. No? It'll probably bring more questions.

"Is everything alright? I see you online," he sends another message.

"Yes, I'm here," I sigh and answer.

"Thank goodness! How are you?" another message comes.

"I'm good. Why you were there this morning?" 

"I was supposed to see Larry. Weren't you happy to see me?"

Happy? I don't want to see him. Or I think so. Seeing him today, standing so close to him... It's weird. Something trembles inside me whenever he stands close, whenever he says my name.

"You still there?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"So? Weren't you happy to see me?" Viktor reminds me his question and the result is the same. I don't want to answer. What am I supposed to say?

"Mallory, do you want to go on a date with me again?" 

My eyes widen. He keeps typing something, but I feel my heart fastening, so I throw the phone on the bed. Do I want to see him again? If I want to put an end to this, I must. But do I want to?

My phone buzzes again, another message. And once again I hesitate to read what he has messaged me. But I should.

"I don't know what wrong I did the first time, but I promise to fix things if you decide to give me another chance. We can talk it through, you can tell me what I did wrong, just answer me." 

"What I did wrong," I quote him in my head. He did nothing wrong. Except telling me his age. And asking me to be his whore. A girl he can engage with money.

"Mallory, come on," he texts me again. I don't know what to answer him, so I don't. I leave him on seen and place my phone back on the nightstand. 

My phone keeps buzzing and in the end, I switch it off. I need peace.

My stomach announces its existence and the fact I need some food by letting a loud growl, so I decide to go downstairs and rummage Tom's fridge. Hopefully, he won't be in the kitchen.

"Hey." Unlucky me. Tomas is in the kitchen, scrolling through his phone. He notices me immediately as I step a foot in the kitchen.

"Hey," I awkwardly whisper and walk to the fridge.

"If you're hungry, I can make you something," he says while leaving his phone.

"I can take care of myself, Tom," I snap back at him. The weirdest way to thank him for helping me out with Larry, but my day was nothing but weird at all.

"Mal, I--" 

Ding-dong

Oh, hell no.

I look at Tom, asking with eyes do we expect someone, but he's as clueless as I am.

"Stay here," he orders and steps closer to the front door.

Checking through the peephole, a loud sigh follows. I have a direct view of him, as I stand in the middle of the kitchen. Judging by his face, it's none of his friends. What's the possibility to be Larry again? 

Tom faces me with a concerned look and shakes his head. Then I hear the clicking of the door being unlocked.

"What do you want?" Tom asks the person I'm unable to see, but I have the tiny feeling it's not Larry but instead someone I didn't respond to.

"Where's Mallory?" I hear his rough cold voice and shiver.

"Viktor, leave her alone. She's still stressed from what happened today. How is he, by the way?"

"He won't cause any problems," Viktor indifferently announces and my hairs stand on ends. Is he... 'accompanying the fishes'? "Where's she? I need to talk to her," Viktor asks again.

"She... leave her, Viktor. She said you agreed not to bother her." I see Tom holding tight the door. He's tense.

"Boy, either step back or you'll follow Larry's fate."

This was the last straw. Hearing Viktor threatening Tom the way he did with Larry makes me bolt to the door. The last thing I want is Tom to carry the consequences of my actions.

"Tom, let me talk to him," I place my hand over Tom's and straighten my shoulders in front of Viktor.

"Mallory," Viktor sighs my name. "You heard her, let her talk."

"Mal, are you sure?" Tom faces me.

"Yes," I nod and he steps back, throwing one last glare at Viktor.

"Call me if you need anything," Tom sighs and walks to the kitchen.

"You didn't answer my question," Viktor crosses his arms.

"W-what question?" I stutter. "Wait, how do you know I was here?!"

"I know a lot of things. You didn't answer my question," Viktor repeats, insisting an answer.

I step outside and close the door behind me. I don't want Tom to listen to this conversation. "I thought--"

"What did I do wrong the last time?" Viktor interrupts me and furrows his thick brows.

"N-nothing."

"Then why did you run away from me?"

"Because this is wrong and impossible and--"

"Why is it wrong?" he interrupts me again. He doesn't like to let others speak, does he?

"Because you're fucking ten years older than me!" 

"And? It's not twenty years or more. Where's the problem? I don't see it."

"You know what you did wrong?! You thought you can buy me! Offering me a piece of your lux in exchange for my body! I'm not a fucking prostitute!" I clench my fists remembering his boldness.

"Okay, I never thought you'll see it this way. All I meant by that is to offer you comfort and safety. I never meant to make it sound like buying your body. You're a person, not a property. I'm sorry."

"What kind of comfort and safety are you talking about?! It's a small bite of your rich life, only for me to get used to it so you can like another girl in a few months and kick me out of this life!" I shout at him. My father taught me that nothing comes this easily. You need to fight for the comfort you want to create.

"The kind of comfort and safety that will let you have your summer free from obligations. You're last year in high school, you're not supposed to work."

"Well, I'm not born with the silver spoon, unlike you," I scoff. I wish I could've spent my last summer vacation like I wanted, not working for some douchebag. Well, maybe I'm not working for him anymore, but you get me.

"I wasn't born with the silver spoon in mouth, what I have I built with my own hands," Viktor steps back surprised by my assumptions.

"And what exactly did you build?! You see, this is the problem! You want me to go out with you, but I barely know a thing about you! You avoid any of my questions, how am I supposed to trust you?! Everyone is so afraid of you, talking about you as if you're some monster and honestly, I start to believe that. I don't know a thing about you, how do you expect me to go somewhere with you?!" At this point I'm screaming at him and what I say leaves him with his mouth opened. 

For a moment he hesitates what to say, how to answer to my psychotic screaming. He narrows his eyes at me and remains quiet for a while.

"You have nothing to say, huh? Leave me alone," I say and turn my back at him, just about to get inside when he grabs my hand as I'm just placing it on the door handle.

"Wait," he sighs, "I'll answer all of your questions, just give me another chance. And if after that you decide you don't want to see me again, I'll leave you in peace."

"You promise?" I face him only to find myself way too closer to him. I feel the warmness his body radiates, I feel his breath brushing my skin, I inhale the strong aftershave he wears, it intoxicates me. I feel my knees getting weak and all of my anger is fastly replaced by shyness.

"I promise," he agrees in a low voice, "just give me another chance."

"Okay," I sigh. This is the opportunity I was looking for. One last dinner with him and I'll be out of this mess. Once and forever. "When?"

"Tonight, I'll come to pick you up," he lightens up, even a smile forms on his lips.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he chuckles.

"You promised to answer all of my questions," I cock an eyebrow and scoff.

"I'll answer them tonight. For now, let it be a surprise."

"Okay," I agree. "See you later, I guess."

"See you later," he excitedly nods and I leave him outside as I step inside the house.

One last time and I'll be free.