Chapter 66 I was completely his
LIA
"Okay, we're down to our last four eggs, and I am scrambling them with our last two pieces of bread," my roommate, Owen, said.
"I know, Owen. I am so sorry," I sighed, sitting on the couch. "I know I said I would bring home groceries yesterday, but what happened at the store... it sent me into a tailspin." I hated letting him down.
"I know, cupcake. I wish I had been home to help you through it. But look on the bright side, I won the drag queen contest last night, so we have some extra cash now. We can get a proper haul."
"Thank goodness! We were about to be living on air until one of us could make more money," I said, walking into the kitchen.
"Still no luck finding a real job?" he asked.
"You know I cannot," I said quietly. "If I put my real information out there, Liam will find me. I do have a few portrait commissions coming in, though. Old Mrs. Simpson next door is paying me $350 to paint her two Yorkies. And Mr. Morelli down the street asked me to paint a portrait of his grandchildren blowing bubbles together. It is so sweet. He is giving it to his daughters for their birthdays. That will bring in $1000. At least I can help with rent next month."
"I told you not to worry about rent. My sugar daddy has that covered," Owen said with a wink.
I had to giggle. Owen met his first sugar daddy a year ago. He had come into the club where Owen worked as a headliner under the name Misfit. Owen said it was love at first sight. The man he calls Willis fell head over heels when Owen worked the floor. He was a wealthy businessman in town for a few weeks. They came to an agreement: when Willis is in town, Owen is his for entertainment, and in return, Willis pays Owen's rent. When I called Owen five months ago, desperate for help, he offered me his spare bedroom without a second thought.
Owen and I grew up together in a tiny town in Nebraska. He left for New York the day after we graduated. His parents never accepted who he was. I went to the University of Nebraska on a softball scholarship, four hours away from my father. I was his only child. My mom died of cancer when I was little, so it was just the two of us. I was lonely, and I was vulnerable. I was easy prey for the man who would break me.
Liam Carpenter was one of my professors. Our secret affair started my freshman year. We had to keep it hidden, which let him believe he could control me. I mistook that control for love. The control slowly became abuse, physical, mental, emotional.
It started small. Comments about my clothes, my friends, my attitude. If you loved me, you would dress like this. If you loved me, you would only want to be with me. If you loved me, why do you need time away to study?
He wore me down to nothing. I lost all my confidence. It showed in my game. He criticized my weight, said I was too muscular. So I slacked on my workouts and meals. I started passing out during practice. I was warned: improve, or lose my scholarship.
Then the hitting started. Little pinches, then slaps that were not so gentle, then punches to my body. I tried to leave so many times, but he always had someone watching me, a couple of football players he promised better grades, a fellow professor who used Liam as an alibi to cheat on his wife. He got daily reports on where I went when he was not around. Every time I got caught trying to leave, he would remind me that only he could ever love me. The off-season was the worst. The body shots became punches to my face. School did not matter anymore. He found a girl who looked enough like me and paid her to go to my classes and do my work. I guess the professors did not look close enough to notice the difference.
After three years of this, I got desperate. I finally found the courage to call my father. I cried and told him everything. He said he was coming to get me. I did not know Liam had bugged my phone. He heard everything. While I was waiting for my dad, I got a call from the state police. My father had been in a car accident. He died on impact.
Liam just smiled at me as I fell apart.
I dropped out in my junior year. I could not function. Liam took care of me, if you could call it that. He made sure I knew he was all I had left. I was completely his.
Then one night, he took me to his colleague's house, the one who was cheating on his wife. In a moment of pure desperation, I pulled the wife aside and told her everything about her husband and about myself. I showed her the bruises on my ribs. To my shock, she acted immediately. She gave me her phone, and I called Owen. Then she told her husband we were going to the store for more wine. Liam pulled me aside and told me to make it quick. He gave me thirty minutes before he would come looking.
She drove us to her bank, withdrew a thousand dollars from an ATM, and told me she had suspected her husband was cheating, so she had her sister open a secret account for her. Then she took me to the bus station and bought me a ticket to New York. I thanked her over and over. She said she would make up a story and told me to keep the phone. I used it one more time to tell Owen when I would arrive, and then I threw it away somewhere in Michigan.
So here I am. Safe. For the last five months.
"Well, with the money I will be making, I can cover utilities and groceries for a while, at least," I said.
"Sounds like a plan. Now come eat your eggs before they get cold."
"Yes, sir!"
BEAST
"That's it, honey. Take all of it," I growled at Kiki, one of the newer club girls. I had passed out in the common room last night and woke up to a warm, wet mouth around me. I was impressed. She could almost take me all the way. Not many could do that, well, except for Catalina. But Viper and I stopped sharing her after Cameron was born. I was fine with it, but I did miss her skills. I used to think I might be in love with Catalina, but then I realized I was just in love with what she could do. Once it stopped, all I felt was a friendly kind of lust, which was a relief. I did not want to be pining for my best friend's woman.
I groaned, pushed her head down, and finished. She popped off with a smile.
"Thanks, darlin'. Hell of a way to wake up."
"Anytime, Beast. You're my favorite," she chirped, then got up and headed to the kitchen.
"Jesus, put that away. Catalina and Jenna are bringing the kids over. Viper and Torque have kid duty today. The girls are running a self-defense class, teaching the other Old Ladies some shooting and knife work," Butcher said, walking out of his office.
I grinned at him as I zipped up. Catalina and Jenna had asked Butcher if they could teach the other women their special brand of keeping safe. A lot of the women were interested in learning how to handle themselves and help the club when needed.
"Yeah, yeah. I have an errand to run anyway. I want to find that woman who helped us yesterday. Invite her over so we can thank her properly."
"Right, the one with the good aim. Bring her by the club. I want to give her a proper thank you for helping keep Catalina safe."
"Sure thing, Prez," I said.
I went to my room, cleaned up, brushed my teeth, threw on fresh clothes, and grabbed the paper with Owen Brown's information.
Twenty minutes later, I parked my bike in front of a typical New York brownstone. I jogged up the steps and rang the bell.
The door opened.
"Well, hello there, hot stuff."
I looked at Owen Brown and smiled. "Hey. I am looking for a blonde woman who was driving a green Ford truck yesterday. The truck is registered to you," I said, holding up the paper with his photo on it.
To my surprise, the flirty look on Owen's face vanished. He crossed his arms over his black kimono, his stance suddenly protective and serious.
"I have no idea what you are talking about. I do not own a green Ford."
"Really? It is not that one parked right there with the license plate S3XKTTN?" I asked, pointing.
"Nope."
"Owen, who is at the door?"
The door opened wider, and there she was. Braless in a faded, tight red t-shirt and a pair of very short black shorts. Her legs seemed to go on forever.
"Hello, angel," I said, giving her my best smile.
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