by A. L Long
“Okay, let’s get started,” Tyler said, taking his place on the mat. “First, let’s go over what we’ve learned, then I will show you some defense tools that can also be used for protection against your assailant.”
As we ran though the self-defense moves I had learned, I kept thinking about what happened with Cop. I knew sooner or later he would press me for what happened. Unable to concentrate on anything else, Tyler lifted my 128 pound body completely off the floor and planted it against the hard mat. I really needed to concentrate on what I was doing, otherwise Tyler would be getting the best of me. Straddling my hips and holding my hands above my head, Tyler had me pinned down with no way to escape. It wasn’t until he let go of my arm and clenched his hands around my neck in a chocking position that I remember my next move. Taking the heel of my right leg, I secured his left ankle inward. I placed my left hand on his left wrist and turned my body. Tyler lost his balance, allowing me to push upward from underneath him. Even though he was stronger and heavier than me, I was able to get him to his back where I pretended to hit him in the groin with my fist.
“Good escape, but you should have been able to defend yourself before it got to that point,” Tyler confessed.
When I held out my hand to assist him up, he quickly pulled me back to the mat and once again straddled my body. I had never seen that look on him. He wasn’t in the defense mode any longer. It was something different. When he began lowering his head towards mine, I could feel something inside me that I didn’t want to feel. Turning my head to avoid what I knew was happening, I looked at the mirrored wall and said, “What’s the gadgets for?”
Tyler looked over to where I was looking and said, “Protection tools.” Lifting off of me, he walked over to the three items and began explaining what each item was and how to use them for protection.
By the time my class was over with Tyler, I felt weird. He had never come on to me before. The first time, when he had me pinned, I thought it was just an awkward moment. But when he placed the cap on my head and brushed his hand across my cheek, it was a definite come on. I wasn’t sure if I could continue seeing him as a trainer. The last thing I needed was to feel uncomfortable around him. It wasn’t like he wasn’t good looking and had a great body, it was just that I had enough to deal with in the male gender department. Somehow I needed to let him know that it may be a good idea if I found a different trainer.
Just as I stepped out of the gym, my phone began to ring. Looking down on the screen, I could see that Lilly was calling. “Hey, Lilly, what’s up?” I asked as I kept walking.
“What are you doing right now?” She asked.
“I was on my way home. Why?”
“I thought we could do lunch.”
“Sure, can you give me about an hour? I just finished at the gym and need to shower.”
“No sweat,” she began to giggle, “How about I meet you at your place in about an hour?”
I hurried my pace so that I could catch the next train to my street. If I knew Lilly, she would be right on time. Entering the subway, I took a seat next to an older gentleman reading the New York Times. Passing the time, I looked down at the screen on my phone and noticed I had a new text. It was from a number I didn’t recognize. Hesitantly, I opened the text message. It was from Cop. Staring at the message, I kept wondering how he got my number.
Cop: Things didn’t end well last night. We really need to talk.
Me: How did you get my number?
Cop: Lilly. Can we please talk?
My finger hovered over the N and the Y keys. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew that if I answered ‘yes’ he would want a full explanation of my panic attack. If I answered ‘no’ he would want to know why, and I didn’t want him to think this had anything to do with him. I knew I needed to let him know something, so instead of a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ I typed in a hesitate ‘maybe’ and turned my phone off.
Getting to my condo, I hurried and got out of my workout clothes and headed to the shower. I only had thirty minutes before Lilly would be knocking on my door. Quickly washing my hair, shaving my legs and armpits, I looked down to see that my pubic area was going to need attention soon. As I turned off the water, I heard a knock at my door. “No way could Lilly be here already,” I said to myself, grabbing the towel I laid on the counter next to my phone. Sure enough, my thirty minutes and then some had passed. I didn’t realize I had been in the shower that long. Pulling my robe down from the back of the door, I slipped it on and hurried to the door.
As always, when I opened the door, Lilly stood before me looking like she just stepped out of a magazine. Today she was wearing a pair of coral cropped pants, a coral and black silk blouse which tied at the neck, and black pumps with a coral bow in the back. I wondered if she would be willing to help me pick out an outfit for our lunch date.
“I don’t think I’m early, so why aren’t you dressed yet?” she asked.
“I was waiting for you to help me pick something eye catching to wear,” I lied.
“Well, show me what you have.”
My closet was mostly filled with jeans and t-shirt style shirts. I never had any reason to really dress up other than to go to the gallery. Even then, I mostly wore black jeans and the only four choices I had for dressy tops. Thumbing through my wardrobe, I could tell that Lilly hadn’t seen anything so pathetic. When she found something she thought was suitable, she held it up to my body and rolled her eyes. Placing the clothing back, she started the process all over again. After about ten tries, she finally found something that she was happy with. She chose a pair of cream-colored tapered pants that laced up on the bottom along with a yellow and cream striped knit top. The only flats I had were black, so she offset the black with a black beaded necklace.
When I looked at myself, I had to admit that I looked pretty good. Pushing me to the bathroom, Lilly began working on my makeup and hair. The things she did to my hair and face confirmed why she chose art as a career. By the time she finished with me, my eyes popped and my lips appeared more plump than normal. My hair was pulled away from my face in a half bun, letting more of my face show. This was a whole different look for me. I wish that I had her at my beck and call to make me look this way every day.
~****~
When we got to the restaurant, our table was already waiting for us. Lilly must have called ahead of time to make the reservation. I couldn’t believe that we got lucky with how packed the restaurant was. As we sat down the waiter placed our cloth napkins in our laps and opened our menus for us as he handed them over. It was very classy. Expensive too, I guessed. When the waiter returned with two glasses of Sangria, we placed our order. We both ordered light, choosing the orange and almond salad with Asian dressing and a side of grilled shrimp.
We were both enjoying our lunch when the last person on earth that I wanted to see stepped up to our table. I could tell there was something wrong about him. Sean was usually very particular about his appearance, but today he looked like he tied one on. As he began to speak, my hunch was right.
“Hey precious, mind if I join you,” he said, slurring his words.
“Sean, you need to leave. You aren’t supposed to be near me,” I said with gritted teeth trying to keep my voice down so I didn’t cause a scene.
“That’s all you ever say to me, Brie, honey. Don’t you know how much it hurts me that you don’t want to be near me?”
“That’s because I have a restraining order on you. If you don’t leave, I am going to have to have you removed, and that wouldn’t be a good thing,” I said, looking down at my plate so he couldn’t see how nervous I really was at him being here.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Lilly chimed in, “Look buddy, Brie asked you to leave. I think you better do as she asked or…”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, bitch, so keep your big mouth shut,” Sean seethed.
The waiter must have seen what was going on because no sooner than Sean said those wor
ds, the manager and two big guys were standing right behind him. Without saying a word, the two men grabbed Sean by the arm and escorted him out of the restaurant. Every person within eye shot was looking at us. I had never been so embarrassed in my life. Reaching across the table, Lilly placed her hand over mine and said soothingly. “If you want, I can get Peter to make sure he never bothers you again.”
“Thanks, Lilly,” I began, placing my other hand over hers, “I need to take care of this myself. Tomorrow I will go down to the station and file a formal complaint. Maybe a few days in jail will do him some good.”
After we left the restaurant and Lilly dropped me off, I knew there was no way that I could go to the police and tell them that Sean had violated the restraining order. I knew the minute he got out, he would be after me for making my complaint against him known. I wished there was a way I could get him to leave me alone without ending up hurt in the process.
CHAPTER SIX
Sabrina
I wished I had one more day to relax and figure out what I was going to do about my predicament. There was no way, taking the day off would be possible considering there was so much stuff to be done at the gallery, and being it was Lilly’s first day back from her trip, I knew she would have a full day of work for me to do. Drudging out of my bed, I headed to the bathroom to begin my daily routine. Looking over to Oliver, I wondered what it would be like to live the life of a cat.
When I got to the gallery, Lilly was already busy at work. I thought for sure I would be here before she did. Peeking my head in her office, I said, “I was just going to go across the street and grab some coffee and bagels. Do you have any preference?”
“I don’t, but before you go, do you have a few minutes to chat?” Lilly asked, taking her hands off of the computer keyboard.
“Sure,” I said as I took a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of her desk.
“I wanted to talk to you about yesterday at the restaurant. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Lilly began pushing slightly from her desk. “Your ex has some major anger issues. I really think you should report him.”
“I can't do it, Lilly. If I do, he will just come after me, and it won’t be just words he will use to hurt me.”
“You need to do something, Brie. You can’t let that jerk control your life like that,” Lilly said, concerned.
“I know, Lilly. I’m just stuck. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”
“Let me talk to Peter and see if there is anything he can do. Have you let Cop know what’s been going on?” Lilly asked.
I didn't even know what to tell her. All she knew was that Cop and I left Thrive together. She didn’t know about the what happened after we left. “I haven’t said anything to Cop about Sean. I don’t want to bring him in the middle of my problems. Please let me handle this, Lilly,” I pleaded.
“Okay, only if you promise one thing. If Sean continues to harass you, promise me you will let Cop know.”
Nodding my head, I pushed up from my seat and said, “Okay, I will. Promise.”
Heading out the double doors, I thought about what Lilly asked of me. The only thing that I could hope for was that Sean would leave me alone. It would be stupid of him to keep coming to me with a restraining order against him. That was when I decided to make a promise to myself. Three strikes, he's out. The next time he came close to me, I would let the police know.
~****~
The remainder of the week went by without a hitch. Lilly and I mostly worked on the upcoming showing of a new artist that Lilly met while she and Peter were on vacation in the Bahamas. She worked on the art display while I contacted the media to let them know the dates of the showing. By quitting time Friday, I was ready to just go home and soak in a nice hot bath. Lilly had invited me to go with her and Peter for drinks, but I told her that I needed to pass because I just wanted to relax and watch a sappy movie. Thank God, she didn’t push me to go with them. She must have seen how exhausted I was.
God, how I hated riding the subway. There was always so many people shoving and pushing to get where they needed to go. Sometimes it made me feel claustrophobic the way everyone pushed their way inside the subway car. It was especially worse when I got off work. I really needed to get a car. After an excruciating ride, I finally made it to my condo. As soon as I unlocked the door, I knew something was off. Normally Oliver would be lying on the cushion below the window between the kitchen and the living area. Getting a little concerned, I began calling for him. “Oliver, here kitty, kitty.”
When he didn’t come to me, I started to search for him. It was only after I could hear him crying that I began to tune my ears to where his cry was coming from. His pleading cry led me to my bedroom, where his wailing became louder. As I stood still and listened again, I could tell that it was coming from my closet. As I opened the door, he flew out so quickly that I missed seeing where he went. The way he ran from the closet, he seemed terrified of something. Scanning the closet for anything that could have triggered his behavior, I came up with nothing.
Before I had a chance to seek him out, there was a knock at my door. Glancing over to his favorite spot under the window, I felt relieved that he had settled down. Focusing back to the door, I opened it, only to be pushed back, causing me to stumble backwards. The look in Sean’s eyes was the look of someone who was ready to kill. I knew that look all too well. Scrambling to my feet, I tried to get to my cell, which was in my bag that I placed on the counter. Sean was too fast. He grabbed my legs and began pulling my body towards him. It didn’t matter how much I tried to fight him. The strength he had was triple what mine was.
When he had me where he wanted, he picked me up from the floor by my hair and threw me on the couch. God, how I wished that Oliver was a large pit bull and would bite the shit out of him. Sean walked up to me and once again grabbed my hair in the back of my head. His voice was deep and evil. “You should have treated me differently at the restaurant, Brie. I think it’s time you learn some manners on how to treat your man.”
“Why are you doing this, Sean? Why would you think that I want any part of you?” I yelled.
“Oh, baby, don’t you know. I will never let you go. The only way you’re going to know that is if I remind you.”
Just as he spat his sick confession, his fist landed on my cheek, causing my head to go spinning. I covered my face with my arms, but that only exposed my body, which he was now hitting instead. It didn’t matter what part of my body I tried to protect, he was getting to me from all angles. It was only after he planted his last punch across my face that I thanked God for letting me go under.
I wasn't sure how long I had been out. My body hurt in so many ways that I couldn’t move in order to see the display on the microwave. Oliver settled his body on the end of the couch looking at me like I was an alien from a different planet. “Thanks for the help,” I choked. As much as it pained me, I knew I needed to make myself get up from the couch and get to my cell phone. Unable to stand, the only option I had was to crawl there. Halfway to where my bag was, there was another knock on the door. There was no way I could make it there. Giving it everything I had, I yelled, “Help.”
I had never been more thankful to see Cop standing there as he opened the door. The breath I was holding finally left my body and my head hit the floor. I could hear his footsteps come towards me. “Oh God, Brie, what the fuck? Who the f…?”
He must have seen the look on my face. Before he could finish cursing, his arms were under my body lifting me back to the couch where he gently placed me. While going in and out, I could hear bits and pieces of the conversation he was having on the phone. If I had to guess, he was either talking to the police or one of the guys from Jagged Edge Security.
When the paramedics arrived along with the police, I knew it must have been the police he was talking with. As the paramedics took my vitals, I could hear Cop in the background explaining what he knew about what happened. I knew he couldn’t tell them muc
h, considering he arrived after Sean’s assault on me had happened. If he would have been just here just a little sooner, maybe he would have been able to stop Sean from beating the crap out of me. Maybe it was time that I let him know what was going on. I couldn’t tell him the whole story about my past, but maybe I could let him know about the relationship with Sean Bishop.
~****~
After an uncomfortable two hours in the ER being poked and prodded, I was finally taken to a private room. The last time I spent any time in a hospital was the day that Sean beat the shit out of me two years ago. Before that, the only other time I was in a hospital was ten years ago when I almost lost my life.
The nurse hooked me up to some monitors and made sure my IV fluids were at the right drip level. Just as she was leaving, Cop was coming into the room. There were a few words exchanged between them that I couldn’t hear. Cop pulled out a chair that was in the corner of the room and placed it close to my bed before he took a seat. Taking my hand into his and pulling it to his lips, his eyes never left mine. I had a pretty good idea what he was going to say so instead of letting him talk, I began to spill. “I know what you’re going to say. I haven’t said anything to you, because I didn’t want to involve you in my problems.”
