Beautifully Revealed

by Bethany Bazile

  “I don’t owe you shit.” I push her off and straighten my shirt.

  “You’re going to give me that money Isabella.” She runs a finger under her nose and sniffs. That one move tells me she is still the same Elaina, with the same horrible habits.

  “That’s an expensive habit to maintain without Daddy’s money. Even if I die, you’ll never find that money.” I’m done with this conversation. I walk towards my car to get away from her as quickly as possible.

  “I’m sure the press will pay well for Liam Maddox’s girlfriend in a sex tape.” That stops me in my tracks.

  How did I get back here? Elaina has all the power again, and I know I’ll do anything to keep Liam protected from this kind of embarrassment. Happiness was never mine. It was an illusion of my optimistic mind. I couldn’t possibly think I could come back here and fight off these demons from my past. I wasn’t strong enough ten years ago, and it seems like I’m about to fall into the same trap all over again.

  “How much?” I don’t even bother turning around because I’ll be sick if I have to look at her face again.

  “Five million.”

  “No, I don’t even have that much,” I lie.

  “Have your rich boyfriend give you the rest.”

  “If Liam finds out what you’re doing he’ll make sure you get nothing.” I can’t risk Liam ever seeing that tape. He would never look at me the same. I can’t even stand to look at myself when I think about it.

  “Bring me two million by Friday,” she places a card on the roof of my car. “Bring it to that motel and if you don’t show up, I sell the video to the highest bidder.”

  I snatch the card before getting into my car. I peel out of that garage like a bat out of hell because it feels like that’s where I’ve been. By the time I get to Cayden’s office I’m panting angrily and tears are brimming in my eyes. After a few shallow breaths and an extra coat of makeup, I’m ready to face my therapist wearing an iron-clad mask. The last thing I need is to talk about Elaina and her blackmail scheme with anyone.

  ********

  “I think we have a conflict of interest, Isabella.” Today Cayden’s sitting behind his desk, obviously trying to keep his distance from me. I’m a disaster waiting to happen and if he was smart, if Liam was smart, they would both stay away from me.

  “No we don’t Cayden. I need you to be my doctor, so don’t try to back out now.”

  “What happened Friday night was unprofessional. I have to be honest with you, Isabella. I have feelings for you.”

  I knew Cayden felt something for me, but I preferred to be oblivious to it. It allowed me to remain friends with him without the guilt. But Liam was right about Cayden, he has feelings for me and after Friday night we have to deal with that now and get past it.

  “Cayden, you’re a wonderful man and I feel safe with you, but I don’t have romantic feelings for you. All those feelings are wrapped up in Liam. I think you were brought into my life for a reason, and I think I knew from the beginning that you would be the first person who I could talk to about my issues. Please don’t say you can’t help me anymore.” My hope slowly dwindles as he remains quiet for so long I just know he’s going to say no.

  He runs his hand over his face and through his blonde hair. “I’ll help you, but once we cross the line into patient and doctor there’s no going back.” He looks at me hopefully.

  “I know.” I lost my heart four months ago in a night club, to a man almost as fucked up as I am, and I’ll never get it back. I never want him to give it back to me. Cayden is the key to my healing, but Liam is the reason I want to be better. He’s the driving force that inspires me to hope for more, and I feel it just within my reach, if I can only beat back my past.

  “What would you like to discuss today?” he asks.

  I shrug my shoulders because I’d rather cancel this session.

  “Why don’t we talk about Damon?”

  A shiver runs up my spine at the name, “What about him?”

  “Do you think he’ll come back?”

  “I think he’s still here.” I answer honestly.

  He sits up in his seat and looks at me with concern, “You think he’s watching you?”

  I nod my head. “Biding his time.”

  “You should get a bodyguard.”

  “No, I refuse to hide behind some guard.”

  “You can’t be a walking target either, Isabella.”

  “The moment I stepped off that plane I knew I would have to battle with Damon. You saw me Cayden, I was scared to the point of a physical breakdown. I don’t want to be scared anymore. I don’t want to hide.”

  “I don’t like this, Isabella.”

  “It’s fate, Cayden. I know this because the strangest thing happened to me. While hiding from my past I met a man and he inadvertently bought me back home. His love gave me the strength to come back and face my past so whatever happens, fate led me down this road and I accept it.”

  “It sounds like you think something bad is going to happen to you.”

  “When Damon and my mother are involved nothing good happens.”

  “What do you think Damon wants from you?”

  That’s an easy question. “He wants me…dead or alive.”

  He begins to shake his head while rubbing his finger over his lower lip. He’s worried about me, and I don’t mean to scare him but after Elaina’s visit I need to be honest with him and myself. This will not end well and I have a sick feeling in my gut that I’ll be on the losing end of this battle.

  “How do you feel about him wanting you dead?”

  What the fuck kind of question is that?

  “What kind of psycho-babble is that, Cayden? How is anyone supposed to feel when someone wants them dead?”

  “I don’t know, Isabella, that’s why I’m asking you.” He’s waiting for me to answer, but I don’t know what to say to that.

  “I’ve never thought about what happens if he catches me. I’ve been too busy trying not to get caught.”

  “So what happens if he catches you? That’s what you seem to be preparing for.”

  Damon’s face flashes in front of me and my stomach twists. “I don’t know. I just know I’d rather die than go through that shit with Damon again.”

  “When I ask you how you feel about Damon wanting you dead, I expect to hear that you’re afraid or angry. The kinds of emotions that trigger your fight instinct. Your answer to me is you’d rather die than let him touch you. It sounds to me like you’re ready to give up the moment he touches you.”

  Maybe I have given up. Maybe I’ve been living on borrowed time the last ten years, living a borrowed life that I didn’t deserve.

  “Giving up is not an option, Isabella. No matter what happens, you fight till there’s no fight left in you. This is your life and it’s time you claim it, not give it away.”

  Chapter 13

  Isabella

  After I leave Cayden’s office my mind swirls with his insights and a mixture of emotions. I wander around for a while, but end up where my heart beats ready to claim my life.

  Liam opens the door in a pair of gray washed jeans and a chain with a cross hanging over his bare chest. Drops of water glisten off the tattoo on his arm and his wet hair nearly covers his eyes.

  “Hey,” he says, looking at me suspiciously.

  Before he can shut me out, I bound into his arms and attack his mouth. I devour him like a woman deprived of her basic needs. He responds immediately, picking me up, and kicking the door shut before he sits me on the entryway table. I fumble with his belt buckle as he pulls on my shirt, releasing my breasts. My skirt is up around my waist and his jeans wrapped around his ankles in less than a minute.

  His warm tongue wraps around my nipple and my back arches from the jolts of pleasure shooting from my nipples to my pussy. He grabs the edge of my panties and I lift my ass up to help him get them off. As soon as the panties hit the floor his finger delves into my wet pussy.

  “
Ohh…god that’s good,” I moan. It’s almost too much pleasure, his finger fucking me, his thumb rubbing against my clit, and his tongue flicking my hard nipple. I’m in a sensual haze but I’m still hungry for more. I want all of him deep inside me, pumping his powerful essence into me.

  Gently brushing my hair aside he kisses my neck and spreads my thighs. The wide head of his cock nudges at my entrance and I scoot my ass closer to the edge, encouraging him to take me. His first thrust is slow and deep, and I can feel every inch of him stretching me to capacity. He turns my head towards the entryway mirror and we make eye contact in it. His breathing is heavy and strained against my ear. He lifts one of my legs over his shoulder and says, “Watch me take you.”

  Umm…watching his rigid cock slide in and out, slick with my moisture increases the euphoria building in my body. His powerful, muscular frame is strained and knotted up with pleasure. His steely length feels as good as it looks but I can’t concentrate on the sex scene in the mirror, I’m too lost in the real pleasure that’s roaring through me, crying out for release. My eyes shut as he buries himself to the hilt causing me to gasp and latch on to his powerful arms.

  His hand tangles in my hair and he kisses me passionately, rocking into me slow and deep. His hot pants against my mouth turn into grunts and my moans turn into a cry of ecstasy as I come unexpectedly. It grips me so hard that I can feel it from the rock hard tips of my nipples to my wet, swollen clit. I bump my head against the wall as my body convulses, but I don’t feel pain, I only feel the pleasure that’s raining over me. Lost in my own euphoric bliss, the only indication I have of Liam coming is the spasm of his cock in my tightened pussy.

  My hands caress his sweat soaked hair as he breathes heavily against my neck. His hold on me is unbreakable, my chest is crushed against his, and he’s still where I love him to be. Deeply seated inside me.

  I pull his face in front of mine and look into his green eyes. “You were right to leave me. You deserve someone better.”

  A grimace quickly forms on his face and he shakes his head. “No Ella, I didn’t leave you because I deserve better. You’re perfect and I couldn’t have dreamed up anyone better. Leaving you was about my fear, but maybe I was wrong. I’d rather have a hundred todays with you rather than worry about the fear of what’s to come tomorrow.”

  Hope blossoms in my heart like a dying rose petal given new life by a few drops of water. I cling to his shoulders and search his eyes for the one thing that will make me happy. “Can I come home?” I ask.

  His smile widens and his eyes dance with joy. “Your home is in my heart and to me you never left.”

  Liam carries me to the bedroom and strips the rest of my clothes off while his eyes roam hungrily over my body. He scoops me up, carries me to the bed, and lies me in the middle before joining me moments later. We lie there just staring into each other’s eyes, letting the reality of being like this again sink in. His fingers are softly combing through my hair and my hand is against his pounding heart.

  I know this is the moment. My heart rate speeds up to match his, but I push the fear of not being accepted aside. “Damon was my best friend until he raped me.”

  The abrupt confession causes his hand to freeze in my hair, his relaxed body stiffening with tension underneath my fingertips. His eyes don’t waver from mine and I know he’s waiting for me to continue.

  “I was fourteen when I met him. He was nice to me and really paid attention to what I said. I never had that so I cherished it. He was older than me and I’ll admit that I liked the attention from a good looking older guy. Maybe if I hadn’t flirted with him the way I did…”

  “Don’t do that,” Liam finally says, breaking his silence. “Don’t blame yourself for what he did. He was older than you and he knew what he was doing.”

  “It never even mattered to me that he was older because we were both lonely with our own set of issues. My mother hated me and his mother died during childbirth. His father loved him through his bank account, and he didn’t seem to have any real friends. It didn’t take long for me to realize why. He had these crazy mood swings. One moment he was sweetest guy and then something would trigger him and he would fly off the handle. The first time it happened…” Emotions get clogged in my throat as I try to get the words out but I continue anyway.

  “The first time I just wanted to die, not from the physical pain, which went away quickly. From the pain in my heart and the dirty feeling that overwhelmed me. The kind of dirty that makes you want to scrub off your skin, but then you realize that the filthy feeling is skin deep and it stays with you forever.”

  Liam’s hands continue to caress my hair and I can see the anger building in his eyes. I’ll take anger over pity or disgust, those two emotions I can’t handle to see in his eyes.

  “How many times did this happen?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. At first I stopped sleeping in my room or I would wake up early before he would show, but I never knew what day he was coming, and it didn’t matter because he would always find me. It was worst when he had to look for me or I fought him so after a while I stopped trying to get away.”

  “How is this even possible? Where were your parents?”

  “My dad took a lot of business trips and my mom hated me. Damon always coincidently showed up when my dad was gone so I figured out she was letting him in.”

  “Why would she do that? My god, Ella, this is a lot to take in.”

  “Why wouldn’t she? Damon supplied her with her next hit, and all she had to do is let him fuck the daughter she hated.”

  I’m pretty sure she wasn’t always an addict. Before I turned six, she was just indifferent to me, ignored me most of the time. Then overnight everything changed, she was mean, cold, and never let a chance to insult me pass her by.

  I don’t know when Damon became her supplier because he never spoke to her when we were friends. My guess is that he got desperate when I wouldn’t talk to him and turned to Elaina for help.

  Liam jumps out of the bed and stomps out of the room. I follow him cautiously, and find him screaming into his phone.

  “You need to find him now! You’re supposed to be the best, do your fucking job and find the bastard. While you’re at it find Elaina Moss too.” He throws his phone across the room and I’m surprised when it doesn’t break from the force.

  His head is down and his hand is rubbing his forehead. I walk up behind him and wrap my arm around his body, caressing his abs and kissing his back. I’m thankful that he has the urge to protect me, but I didn’t want to make him this angry.

  “I’m okay now baby, I have you and I can finally see a future where everything used to be a blur.” He turns around and pulls me against his body, and rests his chin on top of my head. He holds my naked body closely and I’m ready to let him in, ready to lay my soul bare.

  I tell him about the day Damon took everything from me.

  Isabella

  10 years earlier

  I’m done.

  Done with Damon, done with my mother, done with this fucked up excuse of a life I’ve been given. I’m weeks away from leaving for college, and I need to rid my life of them. I could never understand Damon’s obsession with me. If you ignore the cold evil glare in his eyes, he’s a handsome twenty-four year old man. I often saw women swooning over him, and prayed he would lose interest in me, but he always came back to torment me.

  I knew he was coming today so when the door opens I brace myself for Damon’s reaction to my rejection. My heart pounds in my chest and my hands tremble in fear. It’s been years since I fought him and I’m not sure what he’ll do when I say no. He reaches out for me and I take a step back. Confusion clouds his eyes before he attempts to touch me again.

  “I’m done Damon, I won’t do this with you anymore,” I say, shaking my head at him.

  His eyebrows lift and he chuckles at the absurdity of my words. “I’ll never be done with you, Isabella. I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you. You w
ere twelve the first time your father brought you to my house. I knew your beauty would only increase with age. I kept my distance until you were old enough. Even at fourteen, that body of yours had more curves than women twice your age. You were ready for me, and once you stopped fighting it, you enjoyed it. Your body loves the things I do to you. You love me.”

  His fingers run down my face and I flinch from the contact. “I hate you,” I say through gritted teeth. “I’m leaving for college and you’ll never see me again.”

  “Is that what you think? You think you’re going to run off to college and hide from me. You think you can find another man to make you feel the way I do?”

  I don’t know why I decide to get bold, but I know I have to make a daring move. “Plenty of men can do what you do but better. Plenty men already have.”

  He takes a step back, totally taken aback by my statement. He had no idea I’d ever been with anyone but him. His next move is so swift I’m shocked by the sudden pressure in my throat as his hands wrap around my neck.

  “You fucking whore,” he seethes. His eyes bulge out of their sockets and his face is red with rage. “You gave someone else my shit?!”

  My hands clutch his arm in an attempt to loosen his grip on my neck. I’m losing consciousness quickly and I need to do something before he kills me. My leg shoots up and my knee hits him in the groin. The second his hand loosens and he falls to the floor, I take off for the door, but not fast enough. He catches my ankle and I fall with a thud. He pulls me towards him and flips me over, hovering on top of me with a wicked sneer on his face. This time when he strikes my face the pain is so severe it makes the first time feel like a tap. I cover my face in an attempt to protect myself from his blows, but that only causes pain to shoot through my hand when his blows land there.

  He stands and towers over me. “You dirty bitch!” he howls.

  This is it.

  The day I die.

  I’ve prayed for it, thought it would save me from Damon’s torture, but now that it’s here I feel scared. His foot moves and pain explodes in my ribs as his boot slams into my side. I wonder why I haven’t passed out yet, the pain is so excruciating. I want the darkness to envelop me in its warmth and bring me somewhere safe.