The Beginning of Us (118 page)

Thrashing my head back and forth, I kicked out, only to have another hard swat land on my ass. My vision blurred, my heart threatening to escape the confines of my body.

“You have no idea what you did to me, do you?” he growled in my ear. His rough, calloused hand spread over my ass before gripping my panties. With a sharp tug, he ripped them clean from my body. “Let’s see…”

I whimpered when his fingers dug into my hair, ripping free some of the strands.

“Why the fuck…”

I gasped when his knuckle brushed over my core. Remnants from Parker’s previous orgasm coated his finger.

“You’re wet. He fucking came inside of you. He didn’t use a condom?” Devin screamed, tugging my head back.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited. It was all I could do. I couldn’t fight him. I couldn’t do anything except lay there and take whatever wrath he was about to take out on me.

“Tell me. Did he use a fucking condom?” he asked slowly.

Maybe it was the drugs or the situation, I started laughing.

“
Fuck
!” Devin roared, shoving my head down onto the seat hard. He pressed my face against the bench, stopping the air from flowing into my lungs.

I gasped, my chest burning and tightening from the lack of oxygen as my face pushed against the cushion.

In a rough move, Devin forced his finger inside of me, thrusting hard and fast. “Think of him.”

I cried out, struggling under him, trying to get away from the invasion of his hand.

He tugged my head back, allowing me some air before shoving my face back against the bench. All the while keeping his finger inside of me. “You’re going to come against my hand, Keely. I want you to think of Parker. Think of him touching you. Tasting your skin. His cock hard and throbbing inside of your hot cunt.”

An unexpected tingle raced down my back, spreading into the core of my being. I tried to think of anything but the images that Devin was putting in my head but my body deceived me. It heated. Blooming. Swelling to the point of painful.

“Come like the whore that you are. Wait until I tell Parker that I made his girlfriend have an orgasm. That I fingered her hot pussy just like I used to. And you liked it.”

A release crashed into me, igniting a sob to leave my lips. Shame settled deep inside of me making me want to curl into myself. At that point, I felt sixteen years old again. My fault. All my fault. Those words that Devin told me so many years ago pushed their way to the forefront of my mind. He blamed me. For everything. It was my fault he raped me. It was my fault that he couldn’t control himself. And it was my fault that I was so fucking tempting he had to have me before anyone else did.

He was a viper. Beautiful. Strong. But lethal and deadly. Slithering his way into my life like that of a snake.

Devin chuckled with satisfaction and ripped off my gag, forcing his finger that was just inside of my body into my mouth. I gagged as it pressed down on my tongue to the point it brought tears to my eyes. The metallic taste of blood washed into my mouth.

He gripped my jaw, forcing my head back. “Taste the orgasm that I just gave you, princess. Does it fucking taste good? You like knowing that my fingers were just in your pussy?”

My eyes widened when he reached for his belt. Shaking, I bit down on his finger.

He yelled out, slamming his fist into the side of my jaw but I wouldn’t let go. “Let go of my fingers, you bitch!” he shouted, slapping me hard across the cheek.

My ears rang, my lip splitting from the force, and I finally released him. I coughed, wheezing past the onslaught of sharp pain that pounded behind my eyes.

“You think you’re so tough, don’t you?” He dug his fingers into my cheeks, forcing me to look up at him. “But I know you. It may have been four years but I fucking know you and I know what I did to you. I ruined you. I broke you.” An evil grin spread across his face. “I trained you into being what I want, how I want it, who I want. You’re nothing but an object. A whore. A hole to fuck until I get bored.”

“Or I get your ass thrown in jail,” I bit out through clenched teeth.

Devin crashed his lips to mind, roughly shoving his tongue between my lips. “Remember who had you first.” He bit my bottom lip where it had previously split.

I cried out, my eyes welling with tears.

“We may not be married anymore,” he laughed at that, probably remembering how he had me thinking that we were, “and Parker may be fucking you, but I know and
you
know, that you will always come back to me. No matter what.” His voice dripped with venom, an underlining threat coating his words.

“I don’t…” I wheezed. “I don’t fucking think so,” I said defiantly.

“No? I just made you come didn’t I? Your body sure as hell remembers me.” He reached a hand into my shirt and under my bra, squeezing my nipple between his fingers. He dug his nail into the hardened peak.

I winced but held back the need to buck and thrash against him. I kept my stare locked with his. I refused to give him the satisfaction of hurting me. It hurt. It hurt like fucking hell but I wouldn’t let him know that. Ever again.

“Playing hard to get, are we?” He pulled me up to an upright position, roughly spreading my knees open. His hands roamed up my inner thighs, pinching and bruising my skin.

“I’m done,” I whispered.

Devin’s evil smirk widened as he lowered to his knees. Pulling me to the edge of the bench, he licked his lips. “This will hurt.”

I took a couple deep breaths and stared at the ceiling of the limo.

The slick sounds of his mouth on me soon mixed with the screams of agony that left my lips. He laughed at my pain. Got off on it. It only made him torture me harder and take me further from the woman I had become. Another piece of me shattered and I fell deep within myself. My mouth snapped shut and I sat there, waiting out the waves of abuse that had been cascaded on my body for so many years.

Devin rose to his feet when he was done and crashed his mouth to mine. The strong metallic scent of blood invaded my nose. My vision blurred, spots dancing in front of my eyes. I finally allowed the darkness to completely take over as I fell into the fiery pits of Hell itself.

TWENTY-ONE

I don’t know how long it was before I woke. I was curled into a ball on the bench of the limo, alone. Sitting up, I whimpered as my center throbbed and stung from the abuse. I didn’t know if Devin had raped me. He could have done so when I had passed out.

I spread my legs and looked down, biting my bottom lip to keep from crying. My thighs were bruised with fingerprints. Black and blue marks marred my pale skin. Although the lights were dim in the vehicle, I could see dark red blood beginning to dry against my mound.

Standing on shaky legs, I wiggled until my dress slid back down my waist before slumping onto the bench. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
Please. I need out.
I never prayed. I found no point to it since God didn’t keep my parents from dying or prevented the abuse that was inflicted on me by Devin, but I was desperate. And I would do anything to survive.

I swallowed a sob as thoughts of Parker and Troy forced their way into my mind. God, they had to be so worried.

The sounds of deep voices nearing the limo made me sit up straighter. The door opened and Devin peeked his head in, a grin spreading across his face when his gaze landed on me. “Ah. You’re awake. Just in time to greet our visitor.” He slid into the vehicle and made his way towards me and then I saw Parker sliding in behind him.

“Par—” My cry of shock was interrupted as Devin shoved the cloth gag into my mouth, tying it around the back of my head.

Parker’s gaze locked with mine as he sat casually across from me. His cool, calm demeanor gave off an air of superiority but he didn’t seem at all surprised to see me. My eyes narrowed, watching as Devin sat down beside him.

“So my man, do you like your surprise?” Devin asked, clapping a hand on Parker’s shoulder.

Parker rubbed his chin, a slow smirk spreading on his face. “What are we going to do with her?”

My eyes widened. I struggled against my bonds, muffled cries leaving my lips. No. He couldn’t be in on this. He just couldn’t be.

“We can share her.”

Both of the men turned to me, an evil energy leaving them at Devin’s suggestion.

I looked away. My heart felt like it shattered, breaking to a million pieces over once again being destroyed by a man. The sound of rain hitting the roof of the limo, vibrated in tiny motions over my skin. My stomach churned.

“So, did you make her bleed? I heard you like that shit,” Devin asked, a slight leer to his voice.

“No, but clearly you’ve had some fun with her,” Parker bit out.

I met his gaze, keeping a straight face, silently asking him what he was doing. His face was so passive that I couldn’t tell if he was lying, if this was all an act, or if he truly was on Devin’s side.

And that’s when I saw it. The warmth of love shining bright in his jade eyes. I could almost hear him coaxing me, telling me not to give up and forcing the strength back into my body.

“Yeah. As much as I’ve fucked her over the years, the hot little thing still remained nice and tight.” The way Devin talked about me like I was some tool for his sick personal pleasure made me wish that I wasn’t bound. I would ring my hands around his thick neck, pushing on his jugular until the life left his dark eyes. And then I would split open his dick like he had done so many times with my body. My jaw clenched and I looked away.

“Let me show you how much fun I’ve had.” Devin sat beside me, inching his hand up under my dress, pushing it to my hips. “Spread your legs.”

I glared but kept my knees locked tight. With rough hands, he spread me open. Muffled sobs escaped me when a growl sounded form the other side of the limo.

“What the hell did you do? Channel your inner cannibal?” Parker shouted. His gaze moved from the evidence of my abuse that lay between my legs to my eyes. His eyes were dark, a stormy rage billowing behind the green depths.

Devin laughed, pinching the sensitive skin at my thigh.

“Cover her up, fucker!” Parker bellowed. “Do you have the shit I need?”

Devin pulled my dress down and patted a manila envelope on his lap. “Right here.”

“Good.” Parker slapped a wad of cash into Devin’s hand and took the package from him. “Everything’s here?”

“Yup. Passports. Cell phone.” Devin moved to his spot beside Parker and leaned back, brushing a hand over his short brown hair. “I don’t know why you’re leaving.”

“I won’t be gone for long. There’s a leak in the system and I need to force it out before I can go on with everyday business.”

“You have people running your company?”

“Don’t worry about my company,” Parker snapped.

“You have everything you need right here.”

“Our partners in Canada can’t run shit. They have a mole that they don’t even know about. I’ll find out who he is and be back.” Parker slid the envelope into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

“Well the shit spewing through the tabloids doesn’t help you either.”

Parker grinned. “It’s all an act, my friend.”

I bit back a scoff. If only Devin knew how true that statement was. I just prayed that I was right and that I wasn’t reading into things because I was being hopeful. Blind to what was actually going on around me.

“What are you doing with her?” Parker asked, nodding towards me.

“Why? Do you want her?” Devin asked, his cold gaze challenging him.

He shrugged. “I already had her.”

“Yeah. My sloppy seconds.” Devin sneered at me. “How does it feel knowing the man that you thought you knew, you hardly knew at all? Every single word he said to you was a fucking lie.” He turned back to Parker. “Did you tell her that you invited me to New York? And that you gave me the address to your cottage?”

Parker chuckled. “No, but the look on her face right now is fucking priceless.”

I blinked back the tears, wishing I could shut off the sound to my ears.

“Maybe we should have a last hurrah before we split. Fuck her at the same time? Like the old days.” Devin waggled his eyebrows.

My heart raced, a cold sweat sliding down my back like icy fingers of fear.

Parker met my gaze, his eyes darkening with an impending fury. “Nah,” he said, casually. “As appealing as that sounds, I’m not interested. Drop her off at the hospital,” Parker instructed the driver.

“What? Are you fucking crazy?” Devin shouted.

“Yes.” Parker laughed. “We have shit to do.”

“But—”

When we came to a complete stop, I saw the bright red lights of the emergency department staring back at me. Parker closed the distance between us and slid something in my hand.

I met his gaze, trying to mentally force him to do something. Talk to me. Kiss me. Show me some sign that he still loved me.

“I’ll explain everything in time,” he whispered in my ear before roughly pulling me to my feet.

A flutter ran through me at the scent of leather and man but an underlying smell nudged at me. It was sour, metallic. Blood and death.

“Tuck and roll, bitch.” Devin laughed. “Oh, and Keely? I
will
be back for you.” He laughed even harder. “Next time, I’ll fucking break you for good.”

I gasped as I was pushed out of the vehicle, landing hard on my back. The sound of a snap, followed by a surge of agony up my arm, ignited a scream to leave my lips.

And that was when darkness swallowed me whole for the third time that day.

***

My eyes fluttered opened and closed before finally gazing into the warm eyes of my best friend.

“You’re awake,” Troy said softly, his voice wavering.

I sat up, noting that I was in a white hospital room. Patrick sat in a brown leather chair in the far corner of the room, smiling when he looked up at me.

“What happened?” I croaked. My body felt heavy, like gravity was pushing me towards the earth.       

“I got a call from Parker that you were here. I was surprised to find out that he wasn’t with you.” Troy frowned and sat on the chair beside my bed, holding my hands.