by Anna Lewis
He dropped the shirt and scissors on the floor with a loud clatter and he got right back up in Lori’s face. Her heart hurt it was thumping so loudly, her throat stung because each breath was painful and cold, fear gripped her almost as tightly as his hand around her throat.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you don’t ever speak to me like that. Don’t you know who I am?”
Lori couldn’t resist, she needed to remind Mike that he had absolutely no legal claim over her. “I’m not your wife, I was your girlfriend once. Now I’m not.”
“You aren’t?” he laughed mirthlessly. “You could’ve fooled me. I certainly don’t recall any break-up chat.”
“Wasn’t me leaving you enough?” Maybe she needed to push him. Maybe that was what he needed to go.
Buzz, buzz, buzz. The constant calls from Andrew were exactly the reminder that Lori needed to keep her strong. She might not have been able to speak to him, but he wasn’t giving up on her.
Maybe, just maybe she could survive this after all.
“You bitch!” Mike shoved Lori backwards until her body hit the ground with a loud bang. It hurt. Hot pain radiated over her entire body, but as he raced into her kitchen Lori knew that this was possibly her one and only chance to take action. Her cell phone had dropped earlier, and Mike was in such a blinding rage that he hadn’t seemed to hear it ringing. One answered call would be all it took for her to potentially get herself saved.
***
Lori slid her body along the ground, trying her best to make absolutely no noise. Mike was ranting above her, mumbling to himself, which gave her some time to get nearer. The phone was still buzzing quietly, she needed to get there quick, but it was challenging with her body bouncing off the ground with every damn heartbeat.
As her fingers wrapped around the cell phone and she hit answer, Lori rapidly slid it out the way so Mike wouldn’t see it and she pushed herself into a standing position. She needed to say something so Andrew wouldn’t assume that it was just a pocket answer.
“Mike, I need you to leave,” she spoke loudly. “You’re scaring me now, and I don’t want you here. You weren’t invited. I don’t want to have to all the police.”
“I don’t need to be invited, you belong to me.” Lori gulped, hating the way that probably sounded to Andrew. “So don’t fucking say that bullshit, and I don’t believe that you have the bollocks to call the cops. If you did, that’s what you would’ve done years ago. You wouldn’t have run away like a fucking pussy.”
As Mike spun around, Lori screamed shrilly. He had one of her kitchen knives in his hand and a terrible glint in his eye. He’d never gone so far as to harm her before, but there was a first time for everything. All Mike seemed to care about was the control he had over Lori, and now that was gone there was no telling what he could do.
“Mike, put the knife down,” she yelled, her eyes automatically flicking down to where the cell phone sat. Mike couldn’t see it, but neither could she. Lori had no idea whether or not Andrew was still there, she could only hope and pray. “Don’t do something stupid.”
Mike ran his tongue teasingly down the knife, taunting her. “Do something stupid? What like put your sad little life out of its misery? Do you honestly think that it’d be a loss? No one would miss you. When was the last time your family even spoke to you?”
That was a low blow and Mike knew it. He was the reason her family didn’t have anything to do with her anymore, and that was just the way he liked it. He drove a wedge between her and everyone else and it was almost irreparable.
“See? No one would miss you. You’re better off dead.” He stepped closer to her, which made Lori back up. Unfortunately, it was a small room, a small apartment actually, and there wasn’t anywhere to go. She soon hit a wall which made it very easy for Mike to get too close to her. “You don’t even like your life, do you? You would probably prefer to be dead, right?”
“It’d be better than being with you.”
The knife grazed her cheek. Mike wasn’t fucking around. She probably shouldn’t have said that. Then again, if Lori was about to die then she wanted to ensure that she got her point across first. He tugged it until it cut her a little, and as the blood dripped down Lori’s cheek the panic intensified.
She’d imagined her death at the hands of Mike a million and one times, but ever since she’d escaped her home she didn’t think about him. Trust that to be the time that he fully came at her.
“You think you have any control over yourself?” Mike whispered into Lori’s ear. His breath on her skin made her feel violently sick to her stomach. If only Mike hadn’t locked the door and taken the key, she could’ve made a run for it. “I will always have control over you.”
Lori squeezed her eyes shut, remembering all the times that wasn’t true; at work with the job that she’d gotten herself, at the bar when she had a drink with Sid, with Andrew when he was inside of her, with Andrew and Christopher, when they sent her body to another level.
Mike could claim control over Lori all that he wanted, that didn’t make it the truth.
“Mike, please just leave, it doesn’t need to end like this.” Lori tried to keep a strength to her voice but it was hard when her life was on the line. She was afraid that any minute now she would end up agreeing to go back with him just to keep herself alive. “Let’s just leave it here. People break up all the time, it doesn’t have to be this way.”
“People like you don’t break up with people like me.” He pulled her hair and smirked when she cried out in pain. “You are an ugly bitch, a boring cow, a horrible twat. I am a fucking God. Did you see me in high school? Every slut wanted a taste of my cock.”
High school…back to the best years of his life. It was a shame high school was such a short time. Now he had the rest of his future living as a shadow of his former greatness.
“I don’t know why I picked you. I’m still not sure what drew me to you. Obviously, I was fucking blind. I could’ve had Courtney Spahl and I picked you. Fucking idiot.”
“She might still want you,” Lori whimpered desperately. “Why don’t you find out?”
And that was the moment that a blow came to the side of her head. Lori grabbed her ear, a hot pain radiating through her entire skull. Now that Mike had taken that step, she knew that he intended to kill her. This was no threat, this was real.
This could be the day that she actually died.
With that revelation, her heart fell out from her shoes and she collapsed to a heap on the ground. She couldn’t fight anymore, not when it was a battle that she had no chance of winning.
This was it, it was over.
***
With one giant bang the wooden door to her apartment shattered into a million pieces. Lori ducked her head lower, expecting it to be someone else helping Mike. She’d accepted defeat now, it was difficult to get her head out of that mindset.
“Stop right there.”
Lori only glanced up when she heard a gun cocking. Maybe this was the cops, maybe they’d somehow found out what was going on. But it wasn’t. It was two faces that she knew well.
Andrew? Christopher?
It seemed that Andrew had heard her yelling through the phone and he’d instantly leapt into action. This touched Lori deeply, she couldn’t believe how lucky she was. He didn’t have any obligation to help her, and it was wonderful that he had. That they both had.
“Who…who the fuck are you?” Mike’s entire demeanor changed as he was faced with a man. Two men. He reverted to a small child, it was almost laughable if Lori hadn’t been so scared.
“You don’t get to ask the questions,” Andrew snarled angrily back. “We’re the ones with guns. The way I see it you don’t have a fucking leg to stand on. So, we’ll ask questions and you’ll answer like a good little boy.”
Mike’s lips clamped together, he didn’t know what to say. It was oddly cathartic for Lori to see him so shut down.
/> “Who are you?” Christopher demanded.
“I’m…Lori’s boyfriend.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
“What are you doing here?” The questions fired off like bullets.
“I’ve come to bring Lori home.”
“And you need a knife for that?”
Mike dropped the knife to the ground. “I wasn’t…I wouldn’t…”
“Don’t fucking whimper. It’s pathetic.”
Andrew moved closer to Mike and he pressed the gun up against his temple. Lori sucked in a deep, panicked breath. She didn’t want to see Andrew kill Mike, even if it would get him out of her life for good. He’d end up in so much trouble, it’d just be too messy.
“So now what you’re going to do is this. You’re going to turn around, you’re going to go back home. You will delete any contact details that you have about Lori and you will forget her. If I ever hear that you’re anywhere near her again you will die.”
Mike glanced at Lori and the sight of her enraged him tenfold. He puffed up his chest and switched things up again. “And who the fuck are you? One of the men that my girlfriend has been whoring herself around with? Or maybe she’s had both of you.”
Lori couldn’t help it, her face flamed as Mike got too close to the truth for comfort. She didn’t like what she’d shared with these men to be turned into something seedy and disgusting.
“Maybe she has had both of us,” Christopher snapped back. “Maybe one man just wasn’t enough for her. After you she obviously needed something to excite her.”
Mike didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t sure if this stranger was telling the truth. The shock caused him to open and close his mouth a few times, making him look like a goldfish.
“You’re going to fuck off now,” Andrew continued on his one-man intimidation trail. “I fucking mean it, do you understand?”
Mike showed his true colors. Yellow cowardice flew from him as he nodded pathetically. Lori wasn’t sure if he was just saying it to shut these guys up or if he actually meant it, but she breathed a sigh of relief to know that at least he was going now.
She stood up and moved into her bedroom, needing some space from the situation. The guys could deal with Mike now, she didn’t want to see what was going to happen next, she just needed it done. All she wanted to do was collapse on the bed, but she couldn’t sleep here. Her front door had been destroyed. She would have to use the little bit of cash that she had saved to stay in a hotel until it was sorted somehow.
With a deep sigh, Lori grabbed a bag and started tossing random items into it. She couldn’t believe all that had happened today, it’d been the longest damn day of her life.
“Are you okay?” Christopher joined her in her bedroom and he wrapped his arms comfortingly around her waist. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that?”
“How did you get here so fast?” Lori replied as she wiped a stray tear away.
“Andrew called me, he wanted to surprise you in his club. We were there waiting as he called you over and over. He couldn’t believe it when he heard that you were in danger.”
“Thank you for coming.” She turned and leaned into his chest and started sobbing. “I never thought that would happen, I assumed that I’d escaped. I didn’t think I’d see him again.”
“Shh, it’s okay,” Christopher comforted her. “And don’t you worry about staying here. You can stay with me or Andrew, we will take care of you. No one will ever hurt you again.”
He rubbed the blood from her cheek and stared into her eyes. In that moment Lori knew that this had transformed into something else, it was no longer just a fun thing–Mike had basically forced that–which was scary but in a nice way.
“Thank you,” she nodded as she replied. “I really appreciate everything.”
“I think Andrew has sent that asshole on his way now, so let’s get going.”
As Christopher wrapped his arm around her shoulder, Lori felt safe. It was a sensation that she hadn’t ever had before and it was nice. She wanted to fall into it, to embrace it, to accept everything that these men were offering. She would for a while, just while she got back on her feet.
When she saw Andrew again he gave her a loving grin. He had her heart beating faster again but this time for a totally different reason.
***
The days passed in a haze, Lori was barely allowed to do anything herself without being watched by either Christopher or Andrew. They wouldn’t allow her out of their sights. The only time she got any peace was when she went to work–which she really had to fight to be allowed to do. Both men offered to give her more than the wages she would’ve earned but Lori didn’t want that. Work represented her freedom, it was where she got to gossip with her friend, Rose, she wasn’t prepared to give that up.
“I have to ask you,” Rose started one day, about a week and a half after her awful unexpected visit from Mike, just as they were getting dressed to go home after yet another long shift. “What’s going on with you? Ever since that night we went out things have been different. And who the hell are those gorgeous men who drop you off and pick you up? At first, when I only saw the one I assumed he had to be some secret sexy boyfriend of yours, but then there was another…please stop me if I’m being rude, I’m just nosy that’s all.”
Lori had kept everything to herself, she hadn’t felt confident enough in herself to say anything, but as she eyed Rose curiously she realized that if she wanted a genuine friend then she needed to be more open and honest with herself. Plus, if she did that it would be shaking off Mike’s last grip of control of her.
“The night when we went out, I got home to a nightmare.” She could already feel a tight knot of stress uncoiling in her chest. “My horrible ex-boyfriend had found me, and he wanted to take me home.” Her eyes fell to the floor as she recalled the horrifying look in his eyes. He really did intend to harm her if she didn’t go with him…she’d only just escaped with her life. “He pulled a knife out on me and threatened me.”
“My goodness.” Rose clapped her hand to her chest. “That sounds awful. No wonder you ran away.”
“Andrew and Christopher saved me, and now they’re really anal about leaving me alone. That’s why they drop me off and pick me up.”
“And…who are they to you?” Rose looked imploringly at Lori. “Because the way that they look at you suggests more than friends.”
“They are,” Lori whispered that part, feeling utterly terrified that she was about to be judged.
“Ooh,” Rose exclaimed gleefully, loving the idea of her friend’s exciting life. “That’s awesome, they’re both so gorgeous, and after everything you’ve been through you deserve the attention. So, how does it work?”
“It’s not a serious thing, it’s only fun,” Lori snapped back far too quickly.
Rose narrowed her eyes. “I can tell that’s not true. Not for you anyway. Maybe it started off that way but it isn’t anymore.” Lori fell silent, her friend was right. “Do they know about each other? Do you sleep with them separately? Or together? Please tell me together?”
“It’s not been like that recently.” She might as well say it all now, maybe her friend could actually give her some advice. “I started off having a fling with Andrew, then Christopher joined in. I felt like there was more to be learned from that experience but then this nightmare with Mike turned up and it’s been all about taking care of me ever since.”
“Is Andrew the one you like best?”
“I honestly like both of them equally. They’re both very handsome and have qualities I like. And they’ve been so good to me during this time. I don’t think I could pick either of them for good.” Lori only felt sadder after admitting the truth. “Do you think that means I’ll have to give them both up eventually?”
“I don’t know.” Rose pursed her lips thoughtfully. “They both seem very alpha types, so I don’t know if it could work long term. Plus, it’s more of a fantasy thi
ng, isn’t it? It’s not generally the sort of thing that lasts forever.”
Rose only confirmed Lori’s worst fears, but it hurt to have her say that. She just couldn’t see another relationship working after this one, she didn’t imagine any other man giving her the same level of joy and satisfaction as the two guys she currently had in her life.
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.” She looked up at Rose who was smiling sympathetically at her. “Anyway, tell me more about yourself. I completely forgot to ask you how things went with Brandon.”
“Oh, he was okay. In truth, I’m a little bored of him now. He was fun for a fling, but he’s never going to be the one. It’s a waste of time hanging out with him knowing it isn’t going to go anywhere, isn’t it?”
Lori couldn’t agree with that. Things with Andrew and Christopher couldn’t last forever, but she didn’t see any moment spent with them as a waste of time. In fact, she couldn’t wait to see them even now when she was spending most of her time with them.
Damn, she was in trouble. Her heart was falling despite the fact that she knew it shouldn’t. She was falling for both guys equally, and if she let her body keep tumbling into this abyss she’d end up with a shattered heart.
“Ooh look, there’s one of your men now. Which one is that?”
Lori glanced towards the door where she saw just one of the men who made her heart skip a beat. “Andrew,” she replied quietly. “That’s Andrew.”
How could she not fall in love?
“Keep that one. If you have to pick one, he’s lovely.”
“So is Christopher,” Lori insisted loyally. “They both are.”
“You do like a complicated life,” Rose laughed as she tossed her backpack over her shoulder. “Mind you, there are worse problems to have.”
***
“How was work?” Andrew asked Lori kindly. He knew that he was babying her a little too much, both men did, but they couldn’t help themselves. Until that haunted look vanished from her gaze, they wouldn’t be able to stop. They needed all traces of Mike out of her life so she could fully move on.
