So…I was on my own.
After about an hour of debating, from who to call to actually staying here, I finally got out of the bed. First things first, I went to the window overlooking the driveway. The last thing I wanted was for Jayson to have been wise to my plan and be lurking downstairs. To my relief, tire tracks now marred the snow. I smiled when I watched Mrs. Fitch walk out to her little Honda Civic parked to the side of where Jayson had driven. She carried reusable grocery bags, so I guessed she was going shopping. That was lucky and perfect, but I’d have to move fast.
Ignoring the strange, sad feeling inside me, I worked my plan. I couldn’t let flaky emotions rule me.
I needed clothes then a cab. No. I’d call for the cab first then find clothes. That way the ride would be on its way while I dressed. I’d have the man take me to my bank where they knew me then I’d withdraw enough to pay the fare and tide me over until I was safely on my way. Deep in my heart, I knew Jayson wouldn’t take my leaving well. He’d come after me. He had claimed me and that was that as far as he was concerned.
Lifting the phone next to the bed, I called information then got connected to a local taxi company. Within minutes, they’d dispatched someone and I was standing at one of the two closets looking for something to wear. To my surprise, the one I picked held a small assortment of obviously new women’s clothes. Right. Jayson had admitted to planning this. He’d purchased clothes for me. I didn’t doubt they’d fit. Knowing his mind, he’d probably asked Tom my size under the guise of outfitting me during the swap.
Quickly, I selected jeans, a silk cami and a sweater. Small drawers to the side held a meager selection of panties and bras. I chose what I needed without taking time to admire the quality of what he’d gotten. Not only did I have to dress, but I needed to remove the plug. I winced at the thought. It would pinch coming out, and I didn’t have time to mess with it.
My eyes teared and I cried out as I eased the thing from me. Damn it hurt. I almost left it in rather than deal with the pain, but I knew I’d have to remove it eventually, so I gritted my teeth and dealt with it. I couldn’t help wondering if it would have hurt less if I’d been aroused and not in a rush. It was something I’d never know. I wasn’t doing this again.
Unsure what to do with the plug, I tossed it into the empty trashcan—empty save for my wedding riXar flng. But I wasn’t retrieving that. Still, it reminded me of something else I had to do.
Determined to cut my tenuous tie with Jayson, I pulled off the “engagement” ring and set it in the middle of the side table. There was nothing else on the smooth wood surface; Jayson wouldn’t miss it. I ran my finger over the empty space on my left hand. He wouldn’t miss it, but I couldn’t say the same. In just a few hours, he’d captured me, and I would never be the same.
* * * *
“It’s about fucking time you slunk in here.”
I froze at the rabid voice coming from my darkened living room. Tom. I hadn’t expected him to be home. The drapes were pulled and he hadn’t turned on the lights. I hadn’t seen him when I’d stepped inside.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I live here. Have fun fucking my boss?”
“Have fun fucking Sizzy?” I returned. I wasn’t giving him quarter. I might have been gone longer than him, but he’d plunged me into this.
“Yeah. She’s a way better lay than you.”
“And yet you’re alone here. She didn’t come home with you?”
“No. You know, she’s not even Jayson’s wife.”
“Uh-uh,” I replied, smiling with my news. “She’s a prostitute, Tom. See what you’ve sunk to?”
“Yeah, well, I’m married to a whore, so what difference does it make?”
I glared at him, reminding myself that he’d dropped me into Jayson’s clutches then walked away without looking back. “Did you even look for me before you left?”
He sniffed. “Why? So I could see you fucking him? Sucking his black cock like the slut you are? I don’t think so.”
I shook my head. This abuse wasn’t really new. I should have left him a long time ago, but I’d always thought if I could fix things, if I could make things better, if
I
was better, the marriage could work. I saw now that it hadn’t worked in a long time.
“I’m just here to pack a bag and get some of the stuff I want to keep. I’m going to my mother’s,” I told him. We could argue and he could demean me all day—if I let him. I wasn’t going to. Turning my back, I headed for the hallway. I’d just get my things, and I’d get out of here. If I never had to see this man again, it would be fine.
I shouldn’t have turned my back on him.
I slammed into the wall with an “oof”. Tom had flown across the room at me, enraged that I wouldn’t be cowed by his bad behavior. Cold fingers wrapped my neck and my head slammed into the wall while he squeezed my throat and shook me. I clawed at his hands, but he was too strong. I…couldn’t…break his…grip.
He was just…too strong. My vision grayed as I frantically tried to get free. I pulled weakly on his wrists one last time then my arms dropped to my side. A strange roar deafened me as I slumped, and I wondered if that was the sound of death coming for me. For some reason, Tom released me, but I seemed to float. Then I was on the floor, but I hadn’t slammed into it. I was just there on the wood laminate._Heading {
font-weight: bold;
font-size: 1.33em,” he wol
My eyes closed. It was too much to comprehend. I was too…something.
* * * *
“Baby, come on.”
The voice sounded like Jayson, but he was at work. I’d left him.
I moaned and tried to shake my head to clear my scrambled thoughts, but I couldn’t move.
“No, baby, stay still.”
Jayson again.
“Oh just leave her alone. She’s not worth the air she breathes. Just a worthless slut. Although you liked her cunt well enough, didn’t you?”
“Shut up,” Jayson growled.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him. I was resting with my head on his lap while he glared murderously at Tom. “If you want the severance pay I’m going to give you, you will shut the fuck up.”
“You mean the money for buying my slut wife,” Tom retorted. Obviously, he was a stupid asshole. Even I knew Jayson was on the verge of killing him.
“No, it’s the money to get your slimy ass out of my life and out of Malory’s life. Unless you want the law breathing down your neck for assault charges, you will pack your bags and leave town. I’ll keep tabs on you. If you so much as get fifty miles of this city, I’ll press so many charges you’ll be someone’s bitch until you’re a hundred and ten.”
From the corner of my eye—thank God my peripheral vision was returning—I saw Tom wave a hand at me. “
That
won’t get me time. The court might even say it’s justified.”
“How about if I add extortion, fraud and intent to commit a felony?”
“What?”
“I have the video and forensic computer records. I was watching you, hoping I’d find out you were cheating on Malory, or something else I could use to get her away from you. Instead, I found out you’re a criminal. Now…do you want the money or not?”
“How much?”
Tom was an idiot. I rolled my eyes then groaned because it hurt. “Your other choice is getting nothing and going to prison. It doesn’t matter how much he’s giving you,” I rasped. I struggled to sit up. Jayson protested then relented at my determination. He pulled me into his snug embrace.
He looked at his watch then at Tom. “Are you going or do I call the cops right now?”
“You can’t kick me out of my house!”
I glanced up at Jayson in time to see him lift an eyebrow at Tom, silently daring him to push things. Tom snarled and shoved away from the wall where he’d been leaning. When he stepped from the shadows, I saw his eye was swollen and his lip had been busted. A trickle of blood rolled from his nose, and he swiped it away with the back of his wrist, leaving a streak across his cheek. Jayson had beat the shit out of him.
“All because of a whore,” Tom muttered.
Jayson tensed beneath me. His arms tightened, as he growled under his breath. I placed my hand over his, trying to calm him, but I had no idea what good it would do. I’d left _Heading {
font-weight: bold;
font-size: 1.33em,” he wolhim and put myself in the middle of this.
Tom came near us, but wisely stood out of reach. He glared down at me. “I hope you enjoy riding his fucking cock,” he spat. “He’s just going to use you up and throw you away as soon as he discovers how worthless you are.”
Maybe it was true—the part about Jayson getting rid of me—but Tom’s words didn’t hurt me the way they once would have. I wasn’t the worthless one in this relationship.
“Don’t,” I whispered when Jayson moved to get up.
“One more word,” he threatened Tom. “One more word and I’ll make sure the whole extent of the law comes down on you. And don’t you think you can use my relationship with Malory to cast doubt on things. I have all the reports and video copies of you in action, but I didn’t do any of the investigation and my hands never touched it. It was all done by a reputable outside firm. You should know the one. We use it all the time for our clients.”
Tom’s jaw turned to rock, and he stalked from the room.
“So tell me…why aren’t you calling the cops?” I asked Jayson the moment we were alone. He gathered me closer, and his body shook as he hugged me.
“He’d drag your life through the mud and haul out any evidence he could to muddy the water and cast the focus off himself. Though I know in the end he’d be convicted, I can’t do that to you. He’s a lawyer who until today worked for me—I’ve seen him in action and he fights dirty. Yeah, I’d get him in jail, but you’d get hurt in the process.”
“Thank you.” I snuggled closer. I didn’t agree with Jayson’s reasoning, but we could discuss it later when Tom wasn’t having a tantrum a few feet away. I cringed when I heard something shatter in the bedroom. Probably something he knew was important to me, but I was alive and free of him. That was most important.
“Jesus, thank God, I wasn’t a second later getting here,” Jayson breathed into my hair while the violence continued in the other room. “He was going to kill you. I want to press charges, but I’d never get rid of him the way we need to.” He glanced in the direction Tom had gone. “He doesn’t have a gun, right?”
“No, you’re safe for now,” I told him. “But…what about later?”
“I wasn’t kidding about having him watched. I have more resources than you know. I can afford to keep someone on staff whose sole job is to watch Tom.” His hand stroked over the side of my face. “I need to get you out of here. Do you think you can stand—hell, you should probably be in an ambulance and on your way to the hospital. If you go there, you’ll have to report him. Fuck!” he swore.
“So…what? Your extensive resources don’t include a doctor?”
* * * *
Actually, his
extensive resources
did include a doctor. After I’d gathered the few things I insisted I needed, Jayson took me home and she met us there. Jayson and I never discussed that I’d run away or why. I knew it was coming, as was a punishment, though I suspected I might get out of that after the Tom incident.
Jayson refused to leave the room while the pretty brunette doctor examined me. Truly, I wished I was as good looking as her. Beautiful and smart. No.00mm;
margin-right: 0.00mm;
text-indent: 0.00mm;
}
}
.P_TOC_Entry_id’lt fair. I hated her a little.
Then she smiled. “You’ll be fine. Jayson should keep an eye on you tonight since you two wouldn’t go to my nice little hospital and let me use the CT machine, but you look okay. Nothing to raise red flags.”
“I’ll keep a very close eye on her,” he promised.
“I bet you will,” she laughed. She gathered her things. “I’ll just show myself out. Is my grandma still here?”
“Yeah, she’s pacing the kitchen. Let her know Mal’s okay and that she can take a few days off—with pay of course. Malory and I are gonna have some quiet time alone.”
I bit my lip. What did that mean?
“Well, go easy on her. If I know you, you probably bowled her over which is why she ran out of here in the first place.”
“How did you…?” He trailed off and shook his head. “Never mind. You know entirely too much thanks to your grandmother. Lock the front door on the way out, would you?”
“Consider it done.” She disappeared down the steps.
Jayson turned his turbulent eyes to me, and I trembled. “Be thankful I have doctor’s orders to go easy on you, or I’d have you over my lap while I paddle your ass. What were you thinking!”
“I—”
“You’re mine, Malory. I won’t allow you to leave me.”
“And I don’t have a choice,” I demanded. I felt rather at a disadvantage, staring up at him from bed. “And don’t you say some crap about me making a choice when I said I was yours. It was what you wanted, and it was meant for the moment in which it was said.”
“Really?”
Oh, I didn’t like how he said that, as if he meant to challenge me. He crawled onto the bed and loomed over me on all fours, caging my body. “Tell me again,” he said. “Tell me how you don’t belong to me.” His lips brushed mine. “Tell me how you haven’t started tingling just from me being over you like this. Tell me how you don’t want me to touch you; how you don’t want to be in my bed.”
“You never gave me a choice,” I said again weakly.
“Okay.” He sat back on his heels, keeping my legs trapped beneath him. The shrewd eyes of a lawyer stared down at me. “Was it hard for you to leave here today?”
I took a shuddering breath and nodded.
“So you didn’t want to leave?”
I stared at him.
“Malory,” he prompted. “Remember I don’t allow lies—another thing you’ll be spanked for later.”
“No,” I growled between my teeth.
“And you didn’t like the sex with me?”
“Of course, I liked the sex,” I snapped. “I think there’s plenty of evidence I did.”
“You don’t like me? You think I’m ugly and dumb as a stump?”
This was getting ridiculous. I huffed out a breath. He raised an eyebrow.
“You’re gorgeous, okayXar fl? And pretty damn smart, I guess.”
“You guess? You’re pretty damn gorgeous too.”