by Alana Jade
“So?”
“Ooh… you’re pushy, aren’t you?” she growls, narrowing her eyes. “Fine! I had another bad dream, all right?”
“What was it about?”
She sighs before speaking, “Do you really want to know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”
“Fine! But it’s not a nice story,” she sadly says, looking at the blanket now covering her legs.
“I’m all ears.”
Little did I know what I was about to hear.
This woman has been through too much.
Georgia
This isn’t going to be easy to tell Adam. Some days I wish I was able to escape my own thoughts, but it’s time to share my dreams with him. The dreams are graphic and some nights, like tonight, it’s like I’m living it all over again.
“I was broken,” I start. “My heart had been crushed. I’d been betrayed by not only my boyfriend but my best friend all in one afternoon. The fact Blaze was having sex with another guy didn’t even register in my brain right away. I couldn’t get past the fact Rose and Blaze had done this behind my back.”
“So, Rose was your best friend, and she helped your boyfriend cheat with another guy?” Adam asks, confused.
“No, not really...” I shake my head. “They were having a threesome without me knowing. But from what I saw, it was more Blaze and Rose’s boyfriend were having sex, Rose was watching.”
“Wow! That’s not right, especially doing it behind your back,” he blurts out.
Adam has no idea how fucked up this whole situation got.
I close my eyes, hoping it will make it easier to explain what had happened. But it’s as though I’ve been transported back there, and I’m looking for an escape.
I was stopped in the hallway on my way through to my room by my stepfather, Alfred. I wanted to be left alone after witnessing my boyfriend balls deep inside my best friend’s boyfriend. Nothing prepared me for seeing that.
“Georgia, what’s wrong?” Alfred slurred, grabbing my arm. His touch made my blood turn ice cold.
The asshole’s drunk again, it’s mid-afternoon, there was no surprise.
“I’m fine, Alf. I’ve had a rough day. Let me go to my room.” I managed to pull out of his grip and run to my room, slamming the door behind me.
God, I wished I was allowed to have it fitted with a damn lock.
Throwing myself onto my bed, the tears flowed from my eyes as I remembered my disastrous day. Not only what I witnessed earlier, but I also, somehow, lost my job that day. I sobbed loudly into my purple bedcover, not really caring if lip gloss left a mark on my new linen.
The weight of a large hand on my back had me almost jumping out of my skin. Bile rose in my throat. I sat up and flipped over to see Alfred was standing at the side of my bed. I pulled my legs to my chest, hoping he would go away. Instead, he rubbed his crotch several times. Eww.
“What happened? Boyfriend problems? What’s the non-vet done this time?” he asked with a creepy smirk on his face. “I’ve told you before, you need to go for older guys like your mom did.”
Goosebumps littered my skin, and my throat went completely dry.
I wanted him to leave me alone.
Why couldn’t he just leave me the hell alone?
I’d never liked him. He always gave off a weird perverted vibe. I tried to stay away from him as much as I could. I’d seen him looking at me, even caught him outside the bathroom door, touching himself in inappropriate ways, but Mom forced me to play happy families with him. She even tried to get me to call him Dad.
That prick would never be my dad.
You couldn’t replace perfection.
My mom loved him for some unknown reason. Whether it was his money, or whatever, who really knew? They had been married for two years, together six months before that. But Alfred claimed to know all about everything, even though he never had any kids of his own.
“I lost my job today, and um… had a bit of a fight with Rose,” I mumble, hoping it would be the end of the conversation. There was no way I’d tell him what was really going on. I lowered my legs, hoping it would make my escape from this jerk a little easier if needed.
He sat on the edge of my bed and put his hand on my thigh. My knee-length denim skirt had ridden up slightly. I tried to move away, but he held his hand there, firmer than before.
Terror was beginning to well up in a sickening way. I was short of breath and feeling nauseous.
“You know… you can tell me about it. Not only am I your dad, I’m your friend, too.” His voice was perturbing.
“No, you’re not,” I sternly said. “It’s fine. I’ll get over it. I, um… might go for a drive to clear my head.” I lowered my voice and tried to move again, but he splayed out his hand and put more pressure on my thigh.
“Tell me,” he demanded. “Your mom won’t be home for another hour or so. Once you tell me, you can help me start dinner.” He backed off on the pressure when he felt I wasn’t attempting to move anymore, and his fingers started to stroke my thigh.
“Please don’t,” I begged, pushing his hand away.
Damn! I needed a way out of there, and I needed it now.
“I bet you like it, though. I know you like me watching you when you sleep or are showering. I know you leave the doors unlocked so I can,” he purred, putting his hand straight back on but a little higher this time.
My eyes bulged at what he said. “No, I don’t. Not at all. Mom doesn’t allow locks on the doors. Leave me alone,” I cried, trying to push his hand away again, but I was fighting a losing battle. He had pushed up my skirt with his other hand, exposing my underwear. “Stop, Alfred! Please stop!”
“Hmmm… worn a little lace number for me today, have you? Lace turns me on most of all,” he murmured as his fingers skimmed my panties. “Lay down, let me have a look. I love looking at your pretty pussy.”
“No,” I growled, thrashing about in an attempt to get off the bed.
He grabbed my arm and using his weight, pushed me onto the bed. Alfred shifted his body, so he was holding my body down with his, before lifting my skirt right up, putting his fingers straight inside my underwear.
“Calm down. I don’t want to hurt you. Spread your legs for me. I know you want this.”
Alfred was a security guard, so he was big and strong. Definitely strong enough to hold me down without any effort on his behalf.
“Hmmm… you like this. Nice and wet for me. I can’t wait to claim that pussy.”
I cried out for help knowing it would do nothing.
No one was home.
No one was home at our neighbors’ houses either.
Alfred put his free arm over my mouth to try and stop me from screaming, then he pushed his fingers inside me.
I bit him, but all it did was make him retract his arm, and he smirked. I could feel him growing harder by the second against my leg.
“I want this pussy. I want it now.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine and holding me in place as his free hand moved to his zipper.
When he lifted his torso a little to unzip himself, I saw that as my opportunity, curled my leg up and kicked at him wherever I could. I didn’t think I kicked him very hard, but it was hard enough to get him off me and enough to bring both legs up to kick him as hard as I could in the stomach.
My kick was so forceful, he fell backward off the bed making a loud thud when he landed on the floor.
“Ohhh,” he cried out, curled up, and holding his stomach.
I should run, but I was frozen to the spot.
“What the hell is going on here?” Mom yells from the hallway before appearing in my doorway. She looked at me and then at Alf on the floor. “Alfie, baby, what happened?” she soothed, kneeling next to him.
“Mom, Alfred… forced him… forced himself on me. He touched me,” I said between sobs, wanting her to be a mom for a change and hug me.
“What?” Mom shrieked, staring at me.
<
br /> “Hardly. I wouldn’t dare do that, my love. You’re my goddess. She’s my daughter,” Alfred panted, still holding onto his stomach.
“I’m not your fucking daughter, you bastard. Fathers don’t do what you did,” I screamed. “Mom, he shoved his hand in my pants, and he hurt me.”
Mom’s eyes widened with fury. But what surprised me was that it was directed at me.
“She tried to seduce me, baby. She called me in here, I found her lying on her bed, underwear exposed, playing with herself.”
“Georgia! How could you?” Mom screamed.
“What? How can you believe him, Mom? I’m telling you he touched me, and you believe him?”
I was so angry I wanted to be sick.
My heart was racing.
How could she believe this sick fuck over me?
“You’re a slut, Georgia,” she growled.
Alfred continued, “She grabbed, pushed me onto her bed, and tried to get me out of my pants. She wanted to have her way with me. She’s been hinting at this for weeks. She leaves the bathroom door open, inviting me in to watch her, but I didn’t tell you as I knew it would’ve upset you. When she got up to remove her underwear completely, that’s when I tried to get away and fell off the bed. I may have hurt my back.”
“Georgia, you fucking little slut. How could you do this to me… to Alfred? We’ve given you a beautiful home, fed you, washed your clothes, and this is the repayment? I want you gone! I will go help Alfred into bed, and I want you gone in half an hour.”
“What? Mom! Aren’t you even going to listen to my side of this story,” I cried, my heartbeat refusing to slow down.
“Half an hour, Georgia,” she growled.
Mom helped Alfred stand. He looked at me from under Mom’s arm and gave me a full-on smirk. I should have run at him, punched him, done something. But I stayed there and took it.
The bastard.
He’d gotten what he wanted, and I was thrown to the side like some unwanted piece of gum.
I open my eyes and wipe the tears cascading down my face. My whole body is shaking from having to relive it. I can’t control my emotions.
Adam’s stunned, sitting next to me with his mouth slightly open. “Holy shit,” he mutters, before wrapping his arms around me, trying to stop the shakes. “Georgia, did you report him?”
Oh, wow! I thought I was reliving the nightmare, not telling Adam what happened out loud. It comes as a shock when I realize he now knows everything that happened on that fateful day, so I simply shake my head to answer him while willing my heart rate to drop. I feel as though it will pound right out of my chest if I don’t get it under control soon.
“Wh… what would be the point? Mom believed him without a blink of her eye. Why would anyone else?”
My mom’s the worst mom in history. She never wanted to be a mom. I’m her burden. I was only used as leverage when she divorced my dad. Any chance she got, she belittled me, told me I’d never amount to anything, or dump me at friends’ places for the weekend. Not once did she help me with my homework, allow me to watch the television, or perhaps purchase me a Barbie doll like all the other girls at school.
“The police would take you seriously,” he starts, handing me a tissue from the box on the coffee table. “Maybe I can—”
“No. I want to forget it happened,” I defensively say. I don’t want anyone involved. I want to ignore everything about it. “The dreams aren’t as often as they used to be,” I explain.
“Maybe you should talk to someone?” Adam suggests, letting me out of the hug.
“But I am. I’m telling you,” I protest.
“I mean a professional,” Adam says in an almost whisper, knowing I won’t like what he’s saying.
I furiously shake my head. “No! Absolutely not! This is where it ends. We both forget it now.” I’m not going to keep reliving this shit. I’m going to move on, it will make me a stronger person. “I used to wish daily I could go and live with my dad. I know he loved me, but the courts always said no. They forced me to live with the woman who hated me. I’d been saving for so long to move out, and I was almost there. It would have happened earlier if I didn’t have to pay for my schooling, but I decided the money was being well spent on my future. Rose and I had saved enough for the deposit on a rental. We were supposed to sign the lease the day after I saw her in the… well, you know…” I’m completely rambling, but Adam is sitting there listening and occasionally nodding.
If anything, losing my dad at such a young age helped me realize that life is too short, you need to live every day as if it’s your last. You can’t dwell on the past. Both Alfred and Mom can go to hell, and I’m going to rebuild my life as best I can.
“Would you prefer to sleep in the main house tonight? I can set up one of the guest bedrooms?” Adam suggests, but I refuse.
He’s witnessed me in a weak moment. I mustn’t allow it to happen again. I’m strong, and I can get past this. I will get past this on my own.
I hop into bed, and Adam tucks me in. My body is calmer, and I feel I’m almost relaxed enough to sleep. Adam lightly kisses my nose before turning the lights off and walks to my bedroom door. He turns and waves from the doorway. The dim light from the living room is enough to see him.
Adam sat and listened to me tonight. He has no idea how much I appreciate that he did. He didn’t get angry, he didn’t ask for more details, he simply listened.
My eyes are extremely heavy as I watch him walk down the hall, switching off the lights, and then I hear the front door click closed.
Sleep is calling me.
Surely, I’ll be able to sleep well for the rest of the night.
Adam
It’s been a few days since Georgia divulged her past to me. From what I can see, at face value, she’s surprisingly coping quite well, but something deep down tells me she’s in a lot more trouble than she is letting on. I still believe she should see someone, talk to a professional, but she’s told me several times she wants to forget what happened and move on. I can only respect her wishes as much as they don’t sit well with me.
I’ve been going over the same page of figures for what seems like all day, and I can’t make heads or tails out of any of it, which is completely out of character for me. It’s likely because Georgia has taken today off to head over to her mother’s house to collect some of her things, and I can’t stop wondering how she’s going. I should have gone with her, given what happened the last time she was in the house. But she assured me she’d be fine, and I can’t interfere with what she wants.
She contacted a neighbor at the rear of her mother’s house, a neighbor Georgia spoke to on occasion, who let it slip her mother and stepfather have left the country for a getaway. The neighbor’s feeding their cat. So, Georgia thought now would be the best time to collect her valuables. She said there was something of her father’s she had, but she didn’t tell me what it was.
I decide to get up and walk a few laps of my office before realizing it’s not going to be enough. I need to make a coffee and try to shock my brain back into concentration.
From memory, as cloudy as it is today, I don’t believe there’s anyone on my floor right now. Zac has an offsite meeting with a potential new client, of which I’m sure Isabel went with him. Darius, who’s the Chief Financial Officer, and has been out for two days with the stomach flu.
Having the place to myself is a nice change, but not having Georgia here is really affecting my ability to work. I feel we’re a good team. I’ve never had to ask her twice for anything, and she’s putting in such an effort into her job. It’s the breath of fresh air we all needed around here.
Zac, on the other hand, if he doesn’t close this deal today, we will need to have a review of his position. After speaking with Darius on the phone yesterday, though—both of us voicing concerns over his recent behaviors—I’m wondering if Zac’s review will happen anyway. Whatever he does in his own time is his business but not when it extends to the
office. We’ve received several complaints about Zac’s professionalism, especially with the ladies.
After walking out to the foyer and hitting the button on the coffee machine, I stare as the machine spits out the brown liquid followed by froth.
A familiar voice from behind startles me.
“Need an afternoon fix, Mr. Cunningham?” Isabel coos from behind.
Thank God, I haven’t picked up my cup as I’m sure I would have thrown it over both her and myself. This woman makes the hairs on my neck stand on end and not in a good way. I always get the impression she’s a gold digger, always thinking dollars and how to sleep her way to the top. It’s probably why she and Zac are a perfect combination. Something tells me they’re an item. I don’t want to know what those two get up to, but I have a pretty good idea. They also know my rule on that type of behavior.
“It’s been a long day,” I reply, giving her a curt nod. “I thought you’d gone to the meeting with Zac.”
“He, ah… didn’t want me tagging along today. So, I’m looking for things to do.”
“Surely, you’ve got a ton of work in your office.”
“Nothing of interest,” she replies.
“Well, sorry, I can’t help you there. Mediocre work still needs to be completed. You can’t pick and choose what you want to do. Perhaps you should call Zac and ask what he needs you to do,” I bluntly reply, taking my coffee back to my office.
God, I hope my answer nips this conversation in the bud, but unfortunately, she follows me.
“He said he’s… um… unavailable for the next few hours,” she says, looking at her hands. Her shoulders tense as though she’s trying to suppress jealousy.
I sit at my desk, placing my coffee on the coaster in front of me. I know she doesn’t think I know what she’s talking about, but I do. Zac’s off with one of his girls again, he’s probably pulled the pin on another meeting. This is the reason why I must have a meeting with Darius and the board of directors within the next few days. Zac needs to either go or be put on a shorter leash.
