by Skyla Madi
“Are you alone?” he breathed after breaking the kiss. I raised an eyebrow.
“Shouldn’t you have asked that before kissing me?”
“Probably,” he said. His lips pulled up into a smirk when I nodded at him.
Stephen leaned down to press his lips against mine again. The kiss was laced with an urgency that made my knees buckle. He wrapped an arm around my waist while his other hand hooked behind my leg to hoist me up against him. The door was slammed shut a second later, and then we were moving. His lips trailed down my neck before moving up to my lips again. I gasped when my back came into contact with something soft. Stephen pulled back to stare down at me. He had carried me to my bedroom.
“What are you doing here?” I asked softly after sucking in enough air.
“I was in the neighborhood.” He smirked.
My eyes dropped when he started to undo his utility belt. He looked fucking sexy dressed in his dark blue uniform. I sat up and then moved to collect my books and place them on my desk. When I turned around, Stephen was sitting on the edge of the bed with his eyes focused on the place where my ass was seconds ago.
“It’s rude to stare,” I whispered.
“I can’t help it,” he muttered, licking his lips.
My stomach clenched. Our eyes locked, and I broke eye contact to look down at his crotch. Before I could change my mind and allow the fear to take over, I knelt between his legs. His body instantly tensed when I placed my hands on his thighs.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to touch you,” I said softly as I reached out to cup him. His hand shot out and caught my wrist before I could touch him. My eyes snapped up to his.
“If you touch me now, I’m going to fuck you, and that will end badly,” he whispered. “You know what I’ve been thinking about all day?” I shook my head. “Being inside you. I want to fucking strip you bare and throw you onto the bed and then bury myself deep inside you.”
My face heated as the images played through my mind. It was hard to imagine his dick when I’d never seen it before. My eyes dropped again—I swore the dent had gotten bigger.
“If you didn’t come here to—” I trailed off. “Why did you come?”
“To bring you something,” he muttered.
I frowned at the bag he held out. It didn’t ever register that he was carrying a plastic bag. I took it from him but hesitated to open it. When I didn’t open it right away, Stephen took it from me again. He pulled out a grey box the size of his palm. Dropping the bag, he started to open the box. He tipped it over into his other palm.
My eyes were glued to the contents that spilled out. There was a packet of three small AA batteries and a silver sheath with something else—a small metallic bullet.
“It’s called a bullet vibrator,” Stephen muttered. He opened the pack of batteries and took one out before dropping the others aside. I watched as he unscrewed the bottom of the bullet before inserting the battery.
“I have to go out of town for a few days, so I thought I’d give you something to practice with.” My face was burning. “You have to make sure you clean it after playing. There are instructions in the box.”
He pressed the pink button at the bottom. It instantly started vibrating—every time he pressed the button, the vibrations changed. I took it from him when he held it out. My eyes trailed over it as I studied the bullet. It was small, and it would be easy to hide from my parents and my sister.
“Thank you.” I smiled up at him.
Stephen cupped my cheek and then leaned down to capture my lips again. I gripped his thighs as his tongue swept inside my mouth to stroke mine. A moan fell from my lips, and without thinking it through, I moved my hand to cup his arousal. His whole body tensed. Without warning, he pulled away from me. My face fell when he stood and walked toward the door. Stephen paused and then glanced at me over his shoulder.
“I’ll call you when I’m back in town.” And then he was gone.
***
My frown deepened when the conversation died down the moment I approached. I shrunk back when Kate looked up at me; her eyes were filled with hatred. Delilah was frowning with her lips pursed, and Dane was looking at me with shocked eyes. I dropped my bag before taking a seat.
“What?” I asked when no one made a move to say anything.
“I can’t fucking believe it,” Kate whispered. My eyes snapped to hers—the hatred was replaced by pity. Pity for what?
“When were you planning on telling us?” Delilah questioned before glancing down at her phone again. “The prude is fucking the bad boy cop!”
“W-what?” I grabbed her phone when she said nothing else.
The color drained from my face as I stared down at the screen. Staring up at me was a photo of me and Stephen. It was taken the first time I spent Saturday at Stephen’s house. We were outside by the pool—it was after we climbed out. I was wearing the bikini he had gotten me, and he was wearing a pair of swim trunks. Stephen was smirking down at me with one hand on my hip. I scrolled down. The second picture was one of us in the pool. My body was wrapped around his as he kept us above the water by holding onto the side of the pool. The third photo was taken when he showed up at my house. It had a clear view of us kissing in the doorway and then disappearing into the house. Tears burned my eyes as I moved to the last photo.
This one was taken from my bedroom window—Stephen was sitting on the edge of the bed, and I was kneeling between his legs.
“So? Why the hell didn’t you tell us? At least I know from experience that his dick is pretty big,” Kate said, making my eyes snap to hers.
Stephen was the guy she had sex with that night? The same guy she bragged about? I sucked in a breath and then handed Delilah her phone back. Panic flashed through me when I glanced around to find the other groups watching me.
“Alia.”
I swallowed and then stumbled to my feet. Grabbing my bag, I made a run for the bathroom. The tears started falling the moment the door slammed closed behind me. My knees gave way beneath my weight, making me slide down the wall. I buried my face against my arms as I began to sob. Stephen was going to be so mad. He didn’t want anybody to know, and now the whole school knew—not even to mention the town.
“Oh, Alia,” Kate whispered as she entered the bathroom. I looked up at her when she took a seat next to me. “It’s going to be okay.”
I shook my head. “It’s not going to be okay, Kate. It’ll never be okay again.”
Kate hugged me silently as I continued to cry. Once my tears had dried, I stood to wash my face. I closed my eyes and took deep, calming breaths. Panicking about this wasn’t going to make anything right. I needed to do something before the pictures spread.
“Will you cover for me?” I asked her as I wiped my face. “I need to go home.”
“Running away isn’t going to make it all go away,” she muttered with an edge to her voice.
I glanced up at her but said nothing. Instead, I grabbed my bag and walked to the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Everyone was staring at me. I could feel their eyes burning holes into my back as I walked toward my car. It took a few tries before I managed to unlock the door and get inside. Tears threatened to spill again as the images flashed through my mind. I was half naked in all of them!
I ignored the security guard as I drove through the gate and out of the schoolyard. Getting into trouble for leaving school so soon was the furthest thing from my mind. I couldn’t believe he slept with Kate. My heart started beating erratically when I parked my car in the driveway. My father’s squad car was parked in front of the house. Why was he home so early?
It took a lot of effort to get out of the car and make my way inside the house. Father was sitting in the living room with his eyes focused on the front door. He stood when I entered. The look in his eyes made me shrink back from him.
“Da—”
The sound of the slap echoed around the silent house. A cry fell fro
m my lips as pain flashed through my cheek. He took another step closer, but he didn’t hit me again. Instead, he gripped my upper arm painfully. I stumbled after him as he dragged me down the hall and into my bedroom. He slammed the door shut behind us before spinning me around. I was scared of him.
“I knew you’d be home early today,” he muttered. “I caught one of my officers staring at half naked pictures of you. Is this how we raised you? To post half-naked pictures of you all over social media?”
“N-no, Dad, I didn’t—”
“Shut up!” he yelled. “I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior anymore. I’m sick of you embarrassing me.”
I found it difficult to breathe when he started unfastening his belt. My mouth had dried up and my legs were frozen in place. He pulled his belt from his pants before grabbing my arm again. I was forced onto my stomach on the bed while he used his hand to keep me still.
“Dad, please don’t! I didn’t—” I cried out when the belt came down.
“You’re an embarrassment to me!” The belt came down on my upper thighs. “An embarrassment to this damn family! Your mother should’ve just allowed that bastard to take you.”
My tears had dried down by the time he finally stepped back. The back of my legs—my upper thighs—and my butt felt numb. In fact, my whole body felt numb, from fear and from pain. I didn’t move when he sucked in a breath and called my name or when he walked out of the room. A few seconds later, the front door slammed shut. When the shock of what happened died down, I pushed myself up.
Pain shot through my body when I stood. My legs felt like jelly, but I ignored it and walked out of my room. I used the walls for support until I reached the front door. I couldn’t take the risk to climb into my car—I was shaking too badly to even take that risk, so I walked. I kept on walking until I reached the familiar house, but I knew he wasn’t home. Stephen was still out of town.
I wanted him—I needed him to hold me right now. I stumbled up the steps and then slid down the wall. With my knees pulled up against my chest, I finally allowed more tears to fall.
Chapter Ten
I pressed myself tighter against the door as the rain started falling. Coming here was a mistake. I knew he wouldn’t be home, but I wanted to see him. I needed to see him. What would he do if he knew about those photos? Would he blame me?
The sound of a car pulling up made my body tense. For a moment, my hope flared, but it instantly fell as I remembered he didn’t live alone. It could be Nathan coming home. What excuse could I possibly give him? I heard the car door slamming shut over the rain. Seconds later, curses and footsteps approached.
“Alia?”
My head snapped up. Fresh tears welled up in my eyes as I stared up at him. Stephen stood a few feet away with a bag in one hand and something else clutched in his other. He said my name again before dropping the bag and reaching out to me. He gripped my arms and pulled me to my feet.
“Alia, what happened, baby?”
I shook my head. My hands clutched his shirt tightly as fresh tears started to fall down my cheeks. Stephen wiped them away gently. He muttered something under his breath. Seconds later, he led me inside the house and towards the couch. I winced as I sat down. My eyes followed him as he walked back outside, only to return with his bag. He dropped it next to the front door then slammed it shut. The moment he sat down next to me, I pressed myself against his side. His familiar smell filled my nose, and that just made me cry harder. Stephen hesitated then pulled me onto his lap. His lips brushed my forehead.
“Shh,” he whispered. “Let it out, baby. I’ve got you.”
When my tears dried, he pulled back slightly. Stephen placed a finger beneath my chin to force my eyes to his.
“What happened, Alia?” I shook my head. More tears threatened to fall. I managed to stop them but not the shivers that racked my body.
“Tell me what happened,” he said again. One of his hands started rubbing my back.
“Y-you didn’t c-call m-me,” I stuttered.
“I just got back. I was planning on calling you after taking a shower.” He pulled away slightly to look at my face. “What happened, baby?”
“S-someone took p-photos of us,” I whispered. “I didn’t—” I turned to stare up at him. “It wasn’t me, S-Stephen. I didn’t—”
“Shh,” he whispered, moving the hair from my face. “I know it wasn’t you, baby. I saw them. It couldn’t have been you.”
A tear dropped down my cheek. He used his thumb to wipe it away. Without saying a word, he gently placed me back on the couch. I watched as he made his way into the kitchen. Stephen grabbed a glass and poured something into it. He walked back over to me. Crouching in front of me, he held the glass out.
“Drink this, baby,” he said softly.
I took the glass from him but hesitated as I smelled the strong smell of alcohol. He gave me an encouraging smile. What did I have to lose? I pressed the glass to my lips then downed the golden liquid. It burned all the way down my throat into my empty stomach.
“I need you to tell me what happened.”
“He hit me,” I whispered.
“Who? Who hit you, Alia?”
“M-my father.” My eyes caught his. “He thinks I uploaded them. I didn’t, but he didn’t listen to me. He was so m-mad, and he hit me w-with his b-belt.”
“Jesus,” he whispered. “Let me see.”
I shook my head as fresh tears brimmed in my eyes. After realizing he wouldn’t let it go, I slowly rose from the couch. Stephen straightened and stepped back, so I turned my back to him. My hands shook as I clutched my skirt and slowly raised it. Silence hung heavily in the air. I could feel him staring, and the longer he did, the more self-conscious I became. Finally he stepped forward and pulled my skirt back into place. He gently turned me around to face him. I couldn’t look him in the eyes again.
“Come on,” he said, taking hold of my hand.
Stephen led me up the stairs to his room. “I’ll be right back.”
I stood there awkwardly as he made his way into the bathroom. The sound of running water filled the silent room. Licking my lips, I walked toward the bathroom. Stephen was pouring something into the water. He closed the taps after making sure the water was the right temperature. Stephen straightened and then turned. He froze when his eyes fell on me. Without a word, he took hold of my hand and pulled me further into the bathroom.
“I’m going to make you something to eat while you take a bath.”
“I’m not really hungry,” I told him.
“You need to eat something. You’re shaking like this because you’re hungry,” he said, and to prove his point, he raised my hand.
“I’m really not hungry, Stephen.”
He pursed his lips but said nothing. Dropping my hand, he stepped around me and walked into his bedroom. I thought he was angry at me for refusing to eat. Stephen entered the bathroom again with a t-shirt in his hand. Dropping the shirt by the basin, he turned to me. Our eyes locked when he lifted the pullover over my head. He dropped it aside then took my phone out of my shirt pocket. I stayed silent as he unbuttoned the shirt and pushed it off my shoulders. Once I was naked, he led me over to the bath. I winced when I lowered myself into the warm water. The water burned my bruised skin.
“I’ll be right back, baby,” he muttered. “Take a bath, and when you’re done, we’ll talk.” With a small smile, he walked out of the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. I listened but heard no sound coming from the room. Grabbing the soap, I started washing myself. When I was done, I decided to stay in the hot water for a few more minutes. The pain had faded, but the moment I stood, it was back again. My movements were slow and slightly awkward as I dried myself. Stephen didn’t get me any shorts to wear, so I just pulled the shirt over my head. It fell down to mid-thigh. The bedroom was still empty when I stepped out of the bathroom. I wrapped my arms around my middle as I made my way downstairs again.
“No. I think it’ll be best if s
he stays here tonight. You can talk to her tomorrow.” He sounded angry.
I frowned as I walked closer to him. He had his back toward me and didn’t notice me standing there. His voice lowered. Stephen turned and froze when his eyes fell on me. They trailed over me and lingered a few seconds longer on my legs. Stephen ended the call then walked toward me. He hesitated slightly before hugging me.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For coming here. I know you said—”
“You shouldn’t be sorry, baby. I’m glad you’re here.” He smiled down at me. “Come on.” Stephen took my hand again and led me upstairs and back into his bedroom.
“Lie down on your stomach,” he ordered softly.
He left me standing beside the bed as he walked into the bathroom. I could hear him searching through the cabinets for something. Stephen appeared holding a bottle of something. “Lie down, baby,” he ordered.
I cautiously climbed onto the bed. He took a seat on the edge by my legs. I clutched the pillow tightly when he moved the shirt up to expose my ass.
“Is it bad?” I questioned softly. I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“It’s going to hurt for a few weeks. Once the welts fade, it’ll turn blue.”
“He’s never done this before,” I whispered. My hands tightened when I felt the cool cream against my skin. “He even slapped me, but this was worse.”
Stephen kept silent, making me wish I hadn’t said that to him. I could tell from his body that he was tense and angry. I flinched away when the cold cream touched a very painful part of my skin.
“Stay still, Alia,” Stephen ordered. “This will help for the burn.” My body relaxed against the mattress the longer he massaged my skin. A moan slipped past my lips before I could stop it. His hand froze and then he was pulling the shirt back into place.
“Stephen?” I called when he stood.
