The Confident Woman

by Nikkea Sharee

  “Nigel, wait. Please be rational about this. I know it looks bad, really bad, but you have to let me fix this. You have to take a moment to listen to your heart. You know I would never do anything like this to you, intentionally. Is there nothing in your heart that is making you consider that I may be possibly telling you the truth?”

  “Listen to yourself, Vera. If this were me, you would have my ass on a stick. I’ve given you everything that you could have ever wanted but you do this to me. And now you are telling me how I am supposed to feel? I can’t believe you!”

  The tears were pouring down her face at this point. She only wished that she would have screamed bloody murder the minute she realized what was happening; that it wasn’t a dream that she had woken up to. That she was being raped, regardless if she didn’t verbally say no. She didn’t say yes either. She did not consent. No matter how her body had responded, it didn’t change the fact that a strange man made his way into her bed and entered her. Was that not the ultimate humiliation for the night?

  Now her world was being turned upside down and she wasn’t even able to take a moment to feel like the victim that she was. Going against her better judgement she had allowed the man to stay despite her attempts to ask him to leave. That’s all her husband was focusing on. She should have made that man leave when the others had. But now it was too late.

  “Nigel…” her voice travelled off. It almost sounded as if it was evaporating in thin air. Barely there.

  “Stop it, just stop it, Vera. Just leave.”

  And like that, he walked back out of the bedroom. It was as if he had never been there in the first place and even with that, he still did not want her there. He was clear in his demand. She needed to leave. He had never tolerated her questioning him before, he was not about to start that night.

  Her instructions were clear. She needed to get up, get dressed and leave. It was at that moment that she realized her most fatal mistake. It wasn’t allowing the pianist to stay in her home after the other staff had gone. It wasn’t declining the advances of a man who had penetrated her without her consent. She would never take that on as something she did wrong.

  Her fatal mistake was forgetting who she was. And that had happened long before that night. It happened the moment she allowed Nigel to make her a trophy rather than stand in her own power. That was going to change that night.

  As she packed a bag to leave her home for who knew how long, she vowed to show them all the real Vera Washington. In fact, they were about to meet Vera Coleman. The woman she was before she and her husband had ever met. A woman who was much more treacherous at heart.

  5

  Present Day

  “Is your memory coming back to you yet? I know it’s hard to speak given your present…” Vera paused for dramatic effect, “…condition, but I don’t look familiar to you at all? Have you screwed over that many women in your life? I couldn’t have been your first and I’m almost positive that I wasn’t your last.”

  If only she knew that he was thinking feverishly about who she was. His mind was slightly scrambled but he really wanted to figure this thing out. He had always heard that a woman scorned could be a violent thing. He never imagined that he would live it to see exactly what that saying meant. And at the hands of a woman he couldn’t even remember.

  Vera was being very calculated. Every move she made since she had been there had been well thought out. She had already molested him, take advantage of his emotions without his consent. Something she thought he would be all too familiar with. For some reason he still had no idea who she was and why she was there. That was pissing her off even more. It made her believe that there were more victims out there. More women like her.

  In the corner of the room she noticed a piano. She walked over to it and pressed down on a few of the keys. To this day she looked at every piano with contempt. It was the source of massive pain for her. She could no longer listen to classical music and it was all his fault. And the bastard couldn’t remember.

  “I bet that your good looks and talent has gotten you a pass through life in many ways. You’ve coasted on the emotions of others and your ability to play on them. Have you ever regretted anything you have ever done? Or have you simply enjoyed living in this plush penthouse suite?”

  The only downside of drugging the man was him not being able to respond, even if mumbled through the gag. He would be able to speak for himself soon enough. For the moment she was enjoying taking her time to narrate the entire conversation. She didn’t mind that. Vera had spent years trying to determine what the outcome would be of their reunion. Longing for the day when she would finally be able to get her payback on the man who had taken everything from her. Whether he remembered anything or not, she was going to make him remember everything by the end of the night. If it was the last thing she did, she would make him remember every second of that night he changed the trajectory of her life.

  “Don’t you think it’s time that you have paid for your sins? The wrongs that you have done? After all, you are a rapist and you should be brought to justice.”

  Rapist! How could she say such a thing to him, he wondered. He was convinced that this woman was definitely out of her mind. In his mind, every single sexual encounter he had in his life had been consensual. He would never call him self such a thing. Even if it had been under questionable circumstances, the response from his sexual partners bodies always told him he was welcomed. He was convinced that she definitely had him mistaken for someone else.

  The look in his eyes told her that he had no idea what she was talking about. How easy it was for men to just forget things and move on with their lives, she thought. Women on the other hand, like herself, were left to deal with the wreckage that an unwanted advance left behind.

  “I despise men like you, you know? Everything about you irks my soul. The fact that you can actually sit there and not show any type of emotion for the type of life you lived is irritating me. I would have assumed that by now, something would spark in your mind to remind you. I’ve dropped clues, given hints. But I see you are just dumb as hell. You don’t even know what it is that you’ve put me through, do you?”

  The more she spoke the more that his erect member was starting to throb in pain. He was trying his hardest not to show it, but there was nothing he could do to alleviate the pain, especially being restrained the way that he was. He hadn’t had blue balls since he was in high school. And here he was a grown man, feeling like he was a child and so out of control.

  “Since you refuse to remember, I guess its time to finish up our story time. Are you ready?”

  Anxious energy coursed through her veins. She finally was able to see that the look in his eyes was that of disdain. He was finally starting to feel. More than confusion. She could tell that he also felt pain from being so aroused and not being able to relieve himself. Not her problem. She simply wanted to take away his power. Nothing less. It felt good to succeed.

  “Do you remember taking on a freelance job about five years ago? You were paid to play the piano. And you did. Only you wouldn’t leave. Stayed well past your welcome. Then next thing I know you are in the bed with me taking sexual privileges that were not yours to take. I had not agreed to that shit at all so guess what that makes you, sir? A rapist.”

  Walking over to her small artillery bag where her weapons were housed, she pulled out something that made the man’s eyes start to scream. It was time for final retribution. Time to take what she had come for, his manhood. She was going to do to him, what he had done to her. It was finally ‘go’ time.

  6

  Five Years Prior

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. This card has been declined.” The words stung Vera’s ears. That was not possible. She was standing in the middle of the hotel lobby with bloodshot eyes only to be told that her credit card wouldn’t work. She had to be living in the longest nightmare ever.

  “That’s impossible. Run it again.”

  “Ma’am I’m sorry�
�”

  “Run it again!”

  Her tone was strong enough to shake the building. There was no way that she was going to allow herself to be humiliated in the middle of the night at this hotel. That was beneath her. She had been humiliated enough that night.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. Do you have any other payment method?”

  No, she didn’t. Vera had left out of the house in such a haste she was lucky to have her purse. The cards that were inside were connected to their joint credit card accounts. She had never thought that Nigel would be so hurt that he would cut her cards off. But then again, he had always loved being in control.

  Dropping her head, she simply took her card back from the woman and went to turn on her heels. More tears started to make their way down her cheeks. This was one of the worst nights of her life. And she could not understand what she may have done to cause this turn of events.

  Vera had always been the good wife. Whatever her husband wanted she made happen without question. How could he believe such a lie without hearing her out? She was hurt but more than anything she felt defeated. This was not how her story would end. She would be sure of that.

  Vera said no words to the woman that stood behind the counter, but she refused to hold her head down low. With one swift motion she wiped the tear from her eye and headed towards the revolving door of the hotel.

  Behind her she could hear footsteps. She declined to turn to see who may have been following her. It didn’t matter. Things could not have gotten much worse. Her mind was trying to strategize how she would make it to the morning with no access to her bank accounts. In the morning she could get to the bank, show her identification and get new cards and cash. She wasn’t really sleepy anyhow for the most part. She just wanted to lie in a bed where she could get her thoughts together.

  “Excuse me, Miss. Is there something I can help you with?” The voice was that of a man. The last thing she wanted was to be bothered with another man that night.

  “I’m fine,” she said continuing to walk forward towards her car. If she had to sleep in her vehicle for a few hours it would not be the worst thing that happened to her that night.

  “Forgive me for saying this but you don’t look fine. I’m sorry. My name is Jasper Reynolds. I am the hotel manager. I heard what happened to you at the front desk but by the time I came out to offer assistance, you were gone. I was glad to catch up with you out here. If you don’t mind coming back in, perhaps I can still help.”

  Exhausted, Vera stopped in her tracks. Was this a silver lining in the grey cloud that had been her night? Could she trust another stranger when she was most vulnerable?

  “Look, I know you mean well. It’s just been a really long night. I’m tired.”

  “And you need somewhere to rest, don’t you? Why not come into my office so we can discuss this discreetly.”

  Finally she turned around to look this man in his eyes. She wasn’t in a trusting mood, but her options really were slim. At least for the night.

  The look in her eyes was enough to beak anyone’s heart. It definitely pulled on Jasper’s heart strings. What she did not know was that he had always had a soft spot in his heart for women who were in distress. In fact, he had made it rule that if someone appeared to be going through some truly hard times and needed somewhere to stay, that they not be turned away. This was one of the reasons he had come out of his office when he overheard the desk clerk going back and forth with the woman. He would do some additional sensitivity training for the clerk later. Right now, he needed to handle the situation in front of him.

  Vera begrudgingly followed behind the man back into the hotel. She made sure not to make eye contact with the woman she had exchanged words with earlier. Refusing to give her power to anyone else, she would not accept defeat. Nor would she allow herself to feel like a charity case. If the man had that in mind, she would politely turn him down.

  “Please, have a seat.”

  Following his instructions, Vera took a seat opposite the man’s desk. Jasper walked over to a minifridge in the corner and retrieved a cold bottle of water. He then went into a cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled out a pack of tissues. The red lines in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He had no intentions of making the woman feel any worse than she had. It was evident that she had been through enough that night.

  “I get a lot of push back from my superiors, but I also have the most clout amongst my peers. Most of them don’t like to work overnight. I don’t mind. However, I made one of the conditions in my management contract a clause that determined if at any time I felt that there was someone in need that could use a room and for whatever reason could not get one for the night, we provide it. You never know what someone is going through. I’m a firm believer in that.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments while she digested his words. Not sure that she deserved his act of kindness, Vera just listened to him instead. There was nothing more that she wanted to do in that moment than give one big ole cry. One that poured out from her soul and spilled all over the room. She would save those tears for when she was by herself.

  Taking the water from of the desk where it had been placed, she simply nodded her head that she understood. She was not used to asking for help. More than anything her mind was a mess of confusion. There was so much to understand, next steps to consider.

  “Thank you, but I really will be okay.”

  “Nonsense. If you can give me a few moments, I will get you all taken care of. I’ll be right back.” As quickly as they had entered the office, Jasper had exited. For the first time since they met a few moments ago, she had a chance to think about her next steps.

  Natural selection for anyone in her position was to rely on their flight or fight instincts. She had been beating herself up since she left the house. Essentially, she had forgotten how to fight. This was not the person she wanted to be. It was almost disgusting how easy it was for her to get lazy. Instead of relying on herself to make her next dollar, she had enjoyed spending Nigel’s. And what he had thought was him molding and shaping her, was really a long vacation for Vera. He allowed her to go into an early retirement when they married. He really had no idea who he had wed, but he was about to find out. She was getting harder and harder as every second passed. Her cold mind was studying what had transpired. Something simply did not feel right.

  “Alright, we have one of our best rooms for you, on the house. Breakfast is from six to ten am every day. I’ve got you blocked out for a week, so no rush. No need to explain anything to anyone. We just hope you enjoy your stay.”

  Vera was at a loss for words. She expected him to come back with something as simple as a one night accommodation. She definitely didn’t expect him to come back with a week. A feeling of overwhelming appreciation settled on her. After all she had been through in the last few hours, she truly could appreciate a kind gesture, provided there were no strings attached.

  “Thank you so much. I may not need that long to get myself together, but I definitely appreciate it.” Palming the keycards that were placed in her hand, she struggled with the right words to say.

  “It really is no problem. I don’t have to know your story to know that you could use some good news. Now if you need anything additional, here is my business card. My work and cell phone numbers are there. It’s a pleasure to meet you and I hope you enjoy your stay.”

  Vera simply bowed her head in thanks before exiting the office. She went straight to the room and laid on the king sized bed. It was nothing like the expensive mattress that rested in her master suite but it would do. She was exhausted but not tired. She let out the biggest cry she had in her life. It was explosive. She hoped that the man had not put her too close to any other tenants as they surely would have complaints or sympathy. Whichever one, she really didn’t care. She was just glad to be away from the craziness that was her life. She needed this cry so she could get over the hump of her pain so she could pick up the pieces of her life
. Things would never be the same.

  The same way her husband could not forgive her for the forced infidelity, she could not forgive him for giving up on her so easily. More than that, she wondered what else had he done besides make it so that her credit card was declined? There was a long road ahead. It was best that she get her mind ready now.

  7

  Present Day

  Muffled screams started to emulate out of the man’s gagged mouth. He couldn’t speak but now he was willing himself to become vocal as he stared in horror at what she had pulled out of the bag. It was big, bigger than he had ever bragged on about his own male member. Never in his life had he been more scared than he had been in this moment.

  He frantically thought about all of the things she had said since being there trying to put everything together. Five years ago stood out. What had he done five years ago? Who had he pissed off so bad that they might want this type of revenge?

  Tears were now forming. He no longer felt any type of arousal. He still couldn’t move and that was frustrating. The way she had tied him up, even with the drugs starting to wear off, he still would not be able to go anywhere. He was at her mercy; therefore, he had no choice but to start to get smart.

  Think, he told himself.

  She wanted answers about something and thought that he had them. By God he would try to give her what she wanted if it saved him from being violated by the massive dildo she had just pulled out.

  In his mind he knew there was only one way for that to go. Violation. He knew what she planned to do from the fact that she had already fondled him. He was a grown man being molested and violated by a woman, but it was about to get so much worse than that if she was able to carry out the next part of her plans. He would die before he allowed himself to be sodomized, he thought. However, was he able to control what happened next? His mind went into overdrive.