by Dori Lavelle
Leah throws her well-manicured hands into the air. “It was worth a try.” Her nude lips pout for a moment before stretching into a smile. “Then let’s talk about your hot career, Emma. Congratulations on your first Opal.”
“Thank you.” I shift in my chair. Before winning an Opal, I had dreamed of interviews like this. But I’d also imagined myself happy and excited to talk about my future as a famous actress. I never thought the price of fame would be this high. I never thought I’d feel this low.
I part my lips to say more, to enrich the interview, but I decide not to. I want this to be the most boring interview she’s ever had. I want her to later wonder if something is wrong and announce her thoughts to the world.
She waits for me to say more. When I don’t, she clears her throat. “Dax, you must be so proud of her. After all, she said you believed in her first. You talked her into coming to Hollywood.”
“I had ulterior motives.” Dax laughs and my fingernails dig into my palm. “I wanted her to be here with me.”
“You are such a romantic man. Emma is one lucky woman.” Leah looks at her cards again. “Tell us about your next movie, Emma. We heard through the grapevine that you will be in the Dancing Lights movie. You must be excited to be playing the part of the girl with the magnolia tattoo. She was a big deal.”
As I scramble for what to say, I try not to look at Dax, who has now planted his hand firmly on my thigh. “Honored. I feel . . . it’s an honor.” Maybe this is it. This is my opportunity to get out of this house. At least he hasn’t mentioned the film again since the day he broke my laptop.
“And you’ll start shooting soon. Am I right?
“Yes,” I say softly. “In two days.”
“That’s exciting. We cannot wait to see you in theaters again. Viewers loved you in Midnight Scent.”
“Yeah,” Dax cuts in. “And as much as we would like to tell you more, I would like to take my fiancée out for lunch.”
Leah tries to ask a few more questions, but Dax puts on all his charm and smoothly brings the interview to an end.
What Leah doesn’t know is that after the interview, Dax throws me onto the bed and forces himself into me, while pressing a pillow to my face, punishing me for the things I said. He only lifts the pillow and withdraws when I give up fighting him.
“Don’t you ever make a fool of me again.” He lets out a harsh breath, his face close to mine, his hot breath on my face.
With sudden energy that takes me completely by surprise, I plant my hands on his chest, grit my teeth, and shove him away from me.
When he stumbles back, I jump from the bed. Before I can make it to the door, a blow at the back of my head sends me flying forward.
My head hits the floor and a tortured cry bursts from my lips seconds before I sink into darkness.
Chapter Fifteen
When I open my eyes, everything hurts, my fingers, my skin, my heart, my brain.
I’m lying in bed with Dax next to me. His hand strokes the hair away from my face. The moment our eyes meet, I flinch. I try to move away, but he grabs my wrist and pulls me back to him.
“It’s okay, baby,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my aching forehead.
“It’s not . . .” I swallow the lump inside my throat. “It’s not okay.” I’m done. When I look at him, I don’t see the man I fell in love with. I barely recognize him. His amber eyes seem darker, his features sharper, his lips thinner.
Regret plunges into my heart. I should have listened to Christa. She had warned me against falling in love with him. Then again, we had only thought he was a womanizer, and I thought I would be the woman who made him want to settle down. Who would have thought he’s also an abusive, sadistic son of a bitch? He could have murdered me with that pillow.
“When I say it’s okay,” he whispers into my ear. “It’s okay. Get it? Now repeat after me. It. Is. Okay.”
I glare at him. And I push away from him again. This time he doesn’t pull me back. Freeing myself from his grasp, I slide out of bed. But the moment my feet touch the soft carpet, something explodes inside my head, pain like I’ve never known before. I sink back onto the edge of the bed, cradling my head with my hands.
He comes to my side. His hand rubs my back in circles. The smell of his cologne mixed with his sweat makes me want to retch.
It’s amazing how things can change in an instant. Or maybe things had been changing for a while now and I just didn’t want to accept it. Now everything is out in the open and I can’t hide from the truth. It’s painful to feel the love I’d felt for him evaporating to nothing. There’s no way I will end up being a battered wife. I’m not my mother.
“I’m leaving,” I say softly. Dax removes his hand from my back and I hear him get to his feet. “I don’t want to be here with you. You have to let me go.”
My eyes still closed, I listen to the sound of his footsteps as he paces the room. I know he’s approaching the window as he always does whenever he’s thinking about something serious.
The silence in the room is pregnant with tension while I wait for him to lash out again. I don’t care what he says to me, there’s no way I’ll stay with him. I’m actually happy he showed me his true colors before we exchanged vows.
Minutes tick by without him talking to me. Braving the storm and the pain, I lift my head and get to my feet. I shuffle into my closet to get dressed. I realize my mistake when I hear the door slamming against the wall, the sound hurting my head even more.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I turn to face him, my eyes burning with anger. “I told you I’m leaving.” I lick my aching bottom lip, tasting blood.
He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “You know what the consequences of leaving me are, don’t you?”
“I’m well aware.”
“No, I don’t think so.” He rubs his forehead with the heel of his palm. “If you did, you wouldn’t even think about leaving me. No one walks away from me, Emma. No one.”
“You’re out of your mind.” Laughter pushes up my throat. “You really expect me to stay with you after what you did to me? You suffocated me, you beat me, you—”
“I did what had to be done to show you who’s in control around here.”
“You’re not the boss of me.” I push the words through gritted teeth.
He moves closer, a smile touching his lips. “Be careful what you say to me,” he growls. “You’re walking on dangerous ground, Emma. You have no fucking idea what I’m capable of.”
I stand my ground but I’m trembling inside. The closer he gets, the tighter my fear wraps itself around my heart. “I think I do. And I’m happy I found out who you really are before we got married.”
When he’s close enough for me to smell him, I take a step back, but he shoots out a hand and encircles my upper arm. In one swift move, he pulls me so hard toward him that I crash into his chest.
“Let go of me,” I say in a broken whisper. “Don’t make me call the cops on you.” But how? He has confiscated my phone.
“Don’t fuck with me.” He slams me hard against the wall and presses his body to mine, crushing me to the point I can’t breathe. His hand wraps around my neck. Between us, I feel his erection pressing against my belly. It makes me sick that he’s turned on by my fear. “You will do no such thing.”
“Let me go,” I croak.
“You’re not going anywhere, Emma.” He brings his lips to my ear. “You agreed to be my wife and that’s what you’re going to be.”
“No,” I shoot back. “I will not marry you. Keeping me here won’t change that.”
It’s as if I’ve hit him. He jumps away from me and charges across the room, slamming a fist into the wall, his face red, veins popping through the skin on his neck and forehead. Clutching my neck, I sink to the floor, hug my knees, and rock myself back and forth.
“Okay.” He approaches me again. I cover my face with my hands to protect myself from his blows. “Fine. Wh
at if I said I will respect your career? You can act if that’s what you want. And I will support you.”
I pin him with a look of disdain. “This is no longer about my career and you know it. This is about you hurting me.”
“Only because I love you so much. And you’re being an ungrateful little bitch.” He slams a hand against his forehead. Then he comes to me again, dropping to his knees. “Baby, I don’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about all the things I’ve said. I love you. You know that, don’t you?”
I shake my aching head. “The only person you love is yourself.”
Before I have a chance to prepare myself for another attack, he grabs me, a hand around the nape of my neck. He presses my swollen forehead hard against his. Then he loosens his grip and cups my face with his hands. “Let’s not fight, my love. Don’t make me hurt you again.”
“Forget it. I’m done with this sick thing you call love.” I push away from him and get to my feet as fast as I can. I grab a pair of jeans and start to put them on. I’ll take nothing else with me—just the clothes on my back.
He gets to his feet as well and stands on one side of the door, arms crossed as he watches me without saying a word. Even though I try to be brave, I’m terrified to death of what he will do next. How dark are his thoughts?
Dressed and ready to walk out of Dax Pierce’s life, I move to the door and pause for a second before pushing past him.
He still doesn’t say anything when I leave the bedroom and head for the stairs. I can hear his footfalls behind me.
My knees are weak with fear, but I continue the walk toward my freedom. I won’t make being stuck in an abusive relationship part of my future.
I came to Hollywood for my freedom and I will not have anyone steal it from me. Not even Dax Pierce.
I’m reaching for the handle of the front door, when Dax rushes to me and slams it shut again. He whips me around, his hands tight around my shoulders, his thumbs digging into my collarbone.
“You’re not going anywhere. You belong to me.”
I spit into his face. “I belong to no one.” My gaze is hard as it meets his.
The next blow and the slam of the back of my head against the door blurs my vision but not my determination.
It takes a moment for me to collect myself again but once I do, I swing my hand back and slap him hard across the face.
He lays a hand on his cheek and gives me a twisted grin. “I always knew you were a fighter.” His tongue flicks his lower lip. “But don’t you ever do that again.”
“You started this fight.” I’m about to hit him again when he yanks me by the hair so tight the pain weakens me. I’m unable to fight him as he drags me back upstairs. He tosses me onto the bed and starts pacing the room, his hands clenching and unclenching.
“This is what’s going to happen,” he says. “From now on, you will obey me. If you don’t, I will punish you. The punishment you received up to this point is nothing.”
I don’t say anything as I tremble on the bed. What have I gotten myself into? For the first time in my life, I regret my compulsive behavior. I shouldn’t have come to Hollywood on a whim. I should have listened to my sister. I shouldn’t have fallen for Dax. But how could I have known he was an ugly devil hiding behind a handsome face?
“Because I love you and want you to be happy, I will allow you to be in one more movie. After that, it’s over. You’ll quit acting.”
“Go to hell.” I sit up in bed, ignoring my aches and pains. “You’re full of shit.”
“No, baby. Hell is where you will go if you don’t do as I say.” He drags a hand down one side of his face. “Now listen and listen carefully. You’re allowed to be in one more movie. You will only leave this house to go on set. And I will be there with you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”
I nod, not because I agree with him, but because I realize that this could be my only way out, a chance for me to tell someone who Dax really is.
“Is that clear?”
I nod again although I’m raging inside.
“And today, you’ll send Curtis Richerson a message to let him know you no longer need his services. Don’t think I don’t know that he wants to get into your pussy.”
Fooled into thinking I’ve agreed to his requests, he approaches the bed with a sickening smile. “Now I want you to apologize for disobeying me yet again, baby. Make it your best apology.”
Chapter Sixteen
The night before I’m supposed to be on set, I’m a bundle of nerves.
I’m sitting at the dining table across from Dax, my Chinese food untouched while my mind is all over the place. I wish I could stand up and walk out of this hellhole, but Dax has his eyes on me like a hawk every damn second. It’s disgusting, but he even accompanies me to the bathroom.
My cell phone beeps from his pocket signaling a message coming in. My stomach clenches as I watch him remove it and press a button for the smartphone to read the text out loud. His mouth is twisted as we both listen to the automated voice.
“Emma, this is crazy. If you really want to fire me then have the decency to tell me in person.”
Dax cuts it off by switching off the phone. “What a fool. He still doesn’t believe it’s over.”
Under the table, my nails dig into my palms as I clench my fists. Curtis had been calling and texting non-stop since Dax had written him pretending to be me, relieving him of his duties as my agent. I wish I could telepathically get my thoughts to him, alert him that I’m in danger. I pray he doesn’t give up in spite of Dax sending him endless texts from my phone, urging him to leave me alone.
A thought pops into my mind to comfort me. Knowing that Curtis is not a quitter, he might show up on set. As soon as I’m surrounded by people, I won’t hesitate to tell everyone who will listen what kind of man Dax Pierce becomes when the curtain falls. I’ll remove the makeup and allow everyone to get a look at the bruises on my face.
I won’t care if he attacks me in public. Actually, I hope he does, so his fans don’t doubt my story. I cannot wait to see his reputation come crashing down. But it’s not my intention to stop there. I’ll go to the cops and have him arrested. What he’s doing to me is a crime. Soon Dax Pierce will only be a memory on the movie screen.
“We should go to bed. You have an important day ahead of you. I want you to look well-rested tomorrow.”
Without a word, I get up and wash the plastic plates and cups. He no longer allows us to eat on normal plates after I had thrown a ceramic plate at his head. He’d ducked at the last second but he was furious. Yesterday morning, everything in the kitchen that could be used as a weapon disappeared and he had someone deliver a box filled with plastic plates, cups, and spoons for kids.
As soon as I’m done with the dishes, he grabs my arm and takes me upstairs, where he pushes me to my knees to do what he considers to be my duty. I almost gag as he plunges himself into me over and over again. My body sags with relief when it’s over and we’re lying in bed, his arms too tight around me.
“Are you excited about the movie?” he asks in the dark, his lips on the nape of my neck.
“Yes,” I mumble.
“Good. I want you to enjoy your last time on a movie set. Just promise not to betray me.”
“I promise.” I close my sore eyes. As I fall into a troubled sleep, I visualize how tomorrow will go. I imagine Curtis there and me running to him for comfort. He was right to mistrust Dax. He saw the darkness in his eyes when I was too blind or unwilling to.
DAX IS THE ONE WHO wakes me up in the morning and I stare at him, still shocked that he’s allowing me to be around other people. I wonder what punishment he has lined up for me if I double-cross him.
“Get ready,” he says. “You don’t want to be late on your first day. And put on a bit more makeup today.”
I can’t believe how stupid he is. As an actor he should know that whatever makeup I wear will be removed to create a clean canvas for the makeup that�
��s perfect for the movie. Maybe he just doesn’t care. Perhaps he’s convinced he has broken me enough to keep from exposing him.
“If people ask about the bruises, tell them it’s none of their business. If you dare say the wrong thing, I’ll kill you. And then I’ll murder your sister and cut her up into a thousand chunks.” He shrugs and bitter bile forms at the back of my throat. “She’s going to die anyway. I know her cancer is back. I heard your entire conversation when you called her.” He pauses. “You look like a mess. Go and clean up so we can leave.”
I’m silent as I drag myself out of bed, my heart inside my throat as I think of Christa. I’m desperate to get away from this monster, to be by her side at the time she needs me most, to spend her last few months with her. If she gets hurt because of me, I’ll never forgive myself. How can I protect her when I can’t even protect myself? I have learned the hard way not to underestimate Dax.
My body aches with each movement as I walk into the bathroom.
I consider taking a shower but change my mind. It turns him on when he sees me showering. Instead, I brush my teeth in silence and wash my face with tepid water.
When I turn to leave the bathroom to get dressed, he closes the door so we’re both locked inside. “We should shower together.” He starts to undress.
I recoil inside. I know what he wants from me.
“What are you waiting for? Get into the shower. We don’t want to be late.”
I start to unbutton my pajamas. With each button that slips through its hole, my teeth dig deeper into my bottom lip.
My instinct is to fight him but the consequences could be too hard to face. This is the last time, I tell myself. Soon I’ll be out of this house and he’ll pay for what he did to me. I’ll give him my body but not my soul.
He steps into the shower before me and starts lathering his body with soap. His erection makes me feel sore at the thought of him entering me.
