Authors: Rachel Higginson
Taking it.
And so fighting back the tears of frustration and pain, I reached for my napkin and laid it across my lap just so I would have something to do. I ignored looking at the palm of my hand so I wouldn’t have to see the damage he did to it.
But when I pulled it from the napkin, I noticed the blood smears on the white linen. Not wanting to smear blood on anything else, I dropped my hand to my lap and pressed it into the unsoiled fabric. So what if I couldn’t use a napkin again tonight. I just wouldn’t order salad or anything all that messy, which also kind of sounded fantastic at this point.
Thankfully dinner was less eventful, at least to begin with. The men, for the most part, ignored us. We ordered drinks- a water for me since I didn’t want to risk being carded, how embarrassing. We picked at our meals and let the men discuss business, politics and sports around us.
Anaxandra gave me a sympathetic look when Taylor insisted on keeping his arm around the back of my chair. I didn’t mind his arm so much as his hand kept reaching out and pinching my shoulder whenever I would slouch over. My mother raised me with perfect posture, but occasionally I would lean forward to take a bit of my meal, eggplant parmesan, although I hadn’t touched the noodles. Whenever I would, his hand would subtly clamp down on my clavicle, press down and then pull me back until I was in a posture he approved of.
It was starting to weird me out.
And then when the plates had been cleared, Eva stood up to go to the bathroom. I set my napkin down, careful to hide the blood stains, as if to stand up with her. I mean, wasn’t it a universally known fact that women went to the bathroom together? At the very least in pairs? But before I could stand up, the full weight of his arm was pressed down on my shoulder, telling me to sit tight.
I sighed and went back to staring at the table, watching the small votive candle flicker in the dim lighting of the Liberty Tavern. Eventually, the bill was paid, by Taylor, who insisted that this was his treat and we were on our way to after dinner drinks.
I had to assume Nix explained that I was underage and wouldn’t be able to go anywhere they carded. Not that I didn’t have my fake ID with me, I did. And not that I wasn’t used to charming my way passed bartenders and bouncers, because I was. But warning bells were ringing in my head that I should not at all give another man attention while Taylor arranged for me.
He did
not
seem like the type that played well with others.
The whole underage thing turned out to be a null point anyway, when to my horror, instead of leaving the hotel to drive somewhere else, the men led us over to the bank of elevators. Anaxandra and Eva were cozy and friendly, draped on their dates’ arms, but I remained stiff and cautious next to Taylor.
Even though I hadn’t had anything to drink at dinner, everyone else had plenty and Drew and Blake were more than a little tipsy. Ana and Eva seemed relaxed enough; even though I could tell they were still very much in control.
Taylor on the other hand…. he was clearly on his way to inebriated, but instead of getting loud and goofy, he held on to me tighter, pressed me against him harder. His arm was snaked around my waist with his fingertips digging into my side uncomfortably. And he had me pulled against his body so that my side was pressed firmly against his. It was awkward to walk that way, and I was obnoxiously off balance.
Not to mention he reeked of beer.
Once we were all piled into the elevator, he gripped me tighter, wrapping his whole arm around my waist and then burying his face in the crook of my neck and collarbone.
He made a sexual grunting sound and then inhaled loudly. “Damn, girl, you smell so good.”
I mumbled my thank you and then tried to wiggle out of his hold. We were in the back corner of the elevator and even though I wasn’t exactly in danger, I was extremely uncomfortable and I desperately wished Ana or Eva would pay attention to me. They were busy flirting with their own dates, who had gotten very handsy themselves after dinner, so they were dealing with their own problems.
“I cannot wait to get you alone tonight,” Taylor murmured against my skin. Everything went motionless inside me, petrified with fear. Even my lungs stilled and my heart stopped completely.
“No, I don’t think we’re supposed to be alone,” I fumbled through an excuse. “I uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Sure it is,” he growled, digging his fingers into my stomach and wrapping his other hand around my shoulders so I was effectively caged against him. “It’s a great idea. A fantastic idea.”
I let out a shaky breath and placed my hands over his, the one that was bruising my abdomen. “Please let go. You’re hurting me.”
The pressure let up, just a little bit. “Say it, Ivy, say it’s a good idea.”
I shook my head in response, trying to fight back big tears that were threatening to spill. His fingers went back to jabbing my skin and I would have doubled over if his arm across my chest hadn’t kept me locked in a standing position.
“Say it,” his voice was deadly quiet, just a whisper in my ear. But the ugliest, most dangerous whisper I had ever heard.
“I would love to be alone with you,” I forced out. But no. No I did
not
want to be alone with him. I wanted anything
but
to be alone with him. His fingers lightened against my stomach and shoulder and I used the moment to take a deep, steadying breath.
I had to get out of this.
I wasn’t exactly sure what the protocol was here. Last night, Nix made me understand that it was my duty to make my date feel welcomed and at home. I was supposed to be the perfect date, have no expectations on the man and allow him to relax completely with a beautiful woman on his arm.
But surely this was not in the contract. There had to be some kind of code that I could use to warn Anaxandra and Evaleen that my date had gone bad.
Really
bad.
The elevators finally opened on the top floor and we all poured out of the closed metal box. Drew and Eva started down one way while Blake and Ana walked along with us.
“See you in the morning, dude,” Blake called out to Drew who just laughed hysterically in return.
I looked over at Ana until I caught her attention. We were side by side with the boys on the outside talking about stupid things above our heads.
“I can’t do this, Ana,” I whispered fiercely.
“He knows not to push further than you’ll let him, Ives. It’s in his contract. You have got to relax,” she bit out back at me.
“I can’t. Ana, please, help me get out of this,” I begged as silently as I could. A treacherous tear escaping down my cheek. “Please.”
Taylor’s pull on me was abrupt and painful as my body slammed back into his. I didn’t know if he had heard me or not, but I felt like a worthless ragdoll against the strength of his arms.
Ana must have seen the fear in my eyes or the forceful way he was treating me because suddenly the annoyed look on her face turned to concern.
“Hey, why don’t we party together for a while?” She suggested coyly. She turned in Blake’s arms and played with the top button of his open oxford. “It could be fun. Just a few more drinks? Maybe play a little poker?”
“Strip poker?” Blake asked with hooded eyes.
“Sure, strip poker,” Ana cooed back. “Ivy loves strip poker, don’t you Ivy?”
I opened my mouth to announce how much I loved strip poker, anything was better than being alone with Taylor at this point, but he beat me to it.
“That’s alright,” Taylor said in a cold voice. “Ivy and I are ready to be alone. But you two go on and have fun now.”
Taylor stopped at the door to his room and pulled out the keycard that would open it. Blake laughed at Taylor’s brazenness and pulled Ana along to his room. She gave me an anxious, apologetic look but let him drag her along.
Then the lock clicked open and Taylor was leading me into his room. He didn’t bother to turn on the lights so as soon as the door shut behind us we were lost in complete darkness. His hands had never left me and were now holding me in place, both of them firmly on my waist.
“You, you, y-you should know that I’m actually underage,” I stammered. “I’m only sixteen!”
My voice was a desperate cry, my breath stuck in my throat.
“You better be,” he sneered, and then pushed me forward. My foot caught on something, a suitcase or desk leg or something and I stumbled forward and fell on my knees. My hands caught my fall, but then his polished shoe came down hard on my backside, propelling me forward so that I flew face first into the carpet. The rough, hotel room carpet burned against my face and I cried out in pain and fear. “I wanted someone young, Ivy. You’re exactly what I was hoping for.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
I laid there on the carpet, hands clutching the short, tough fibers,
freaking
out. I mean, I had a meltdown like seven months ago, but no emotions I ever felt compared to the fierce terror that momentarily froze me to stone.
He
wanted
somebody underage?
Nix sent me into this situation
knowing
that?
Oh. No.
Oh, no no no no no no.
I ordered my brain to think of an escape plan, to find a way out of this,
and to do it now! But
before
I could even think about moving, his hand was tangled in my hair and yanking me to my feet. I cried out again at his tight hold and the way he ripped my head back in order to get me to bend to his will.
Once I was standing again he turned me around to face him. He placed his huge palm against the curve of my face very delicately and looked into my eyes like he was a gentle person. The effect wasn’t placating or relaxing but sickening and my chin started to tremble under the intensity of his gaze. His face was bathed in the dim light from the half open curtains behind us. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, but all I could see were the sinister, evil lines of the man holding me in place. The same hand that was caressing my face so gently suddenly pulled back and then slapped me.
Hard.
I bit my cheek as a result, the coppery taste of blood mixing with the extra saliva from the desire to vomit. Holy hell, what was going
on?
How did I get to this place in my life? How did I get
here
, where someone was beating the hell out of me for their
sick entertainment
?
“You can’t- I’m Nix’s. Nix wants me for himself,” I shouted out in a desperate plea. No desperate wasn’t even the right word. There
wasn’t
a word that could convey how badly I wanted to get out of here. How afraid I was of this man.
That threat was met with a harsh, gunshot of laughter. It pierced the dark, silent room like the very sound of it was
raping
the quiet. I had to get out of here. Now.
“I’m not going to have
sex
with you Ivy,” he taunted me, making it sound like I suggested something inhumanely vile. “Nix wants me to teach you a lesson, to
discipline
you. Trust me if I wanted to get off by sleeping with you, this would have gone completely different. I’m actually a fantastic date.”
His explanation caught me so off guard I was rendered completely speechless. This was actually part of my punishment? Nix had arranged this?
Cold, frantic dread settled in the pit of my stomach and a hopelessness so strong, so consuming I almost decided to just take this willingly and get it over with. What else was there? I had no reason to fight, to try to get out of this. If I didn’t take this punishment now, Nix would just find another way.