by Holly Carter
“Hunter.” It’s a warning of sorts, and when he looks at me, I know he feels it too.
“I can’t stop and I want to because I know I should but, Kat...” Hunter stops talking and seals my mouth with his.
I have no idea what he was going to say, but that feeling you get when you think someone is going to say something to ruin a moment comes into play. I push his chest off mine in an attempt to break it off. It works. Hunter kisses my cheek quickly before he gets up off the bed and fixes his now wrinkled clothes. It makes me laugh out loud knowing how particular he is.
“It’s your fault,” he snarls, straightening his tie.
“You kissed me first.” I climb back into bed and cover myself with the sheet trying to make myself comfortable when I am anything but.
“Because I...” Hunter stops and looks at me. My heart races and my stomach knots when his green eyes pierce through mine. “I’m late, I have to go. Stay in bed until I get back this afternoon.” Hunter exits the room and leaves me wondering what the hell he was about to say.
~*~*~*~*~*~
I get up and shower the minute David tells me Hunter has left the building. David did bring me breakfast and I pretty much devoured the whole thing. I had to get up and help Angel set the place up for tonight and organise the stock for Sunday’s ball. My shower lasted about five minutes because Hunter used all the hot water and unless I wanted to freeze, it had to be short. I pick up my now clean clothes. Angel is a good little house bitch and did my washing for me while I was on bed rest, but the downside is that everything is folded and ironed. When I look at my uniform I feel like I haven’t worn it in days, and very soon, I will never wear it again.
I dress quickly and head down to the bar. The shock of how much work has been done hits me, and it’s almost hard to believe that only three days ago this place was set alight. Angel squeals when she sees me and I smile as I walk towards her. When we meet in the middle of the empty dance floor, she wraps her arms around my waist and starts dancing with me. There is something seriously wrong with this woman.
“Are you smoking crack?” I blurt, trying to hold her still.
“No way, I’m just naturally high.” She starts to giggle and I seriously think she may have lost it.
I look at her face and know exactly why she’s acting like a loon.
“You’re in love.”
She stops swaying and smiles.
“Oh my god, what is this fucking world coming to?” I throw my hands up in the air when I speak. “First Arrow, now you. Fuck me dead. I’m surrounded by love and it’s depressing.”
“Oh shut the fuck up, Kat. You love Hunter and we all see it,” Angel says, slapping me playfully but pissing me off with her words.
“I do fucking not.”
“You’re defending yourself, so now I know you do.”
I walk away without another word while Angel laughs. She’s so totally wrong that I can’t even begin to think about it. “Love is for the weak,” I say to myself as I start unpacking the boxes for the decorator who stands on a ladder, stuffing balloons in the net. From what I can understand the balloons are for the ball, but they can’t come back and do them then.
I watch David and Arrow work together putting the glass shelves in place on the walls in the bar. The fridges have been delivered and boxes line the new bar top. Several men walk into the room with new bar stools, tables, and several new chairs. Rumbles directs the men to where things need to go before he starts setting out the layout as it was before. The place is starting to come together nicely. I help the decorator hang the second balloon net before deciding to start unpacking the new stock in the bar.
Angel starts to help but stops as soon as David, Arrow, Rumbles and several other people I have never met are passing glasses and stock to each other. By three in the afternoon the place is fully functional and Hunter arrives in time to see us high fiving like three year olds. He looks around and smiles as he walks towards us. I slide onto the bar to rest my tired legs and take the glass that’s out reached. David winks and I smile.
Hunter is given a glass but puts it down and retrieves a new one from the bench before he reaches up and gets his new bottle of aged Scotch. I watch him pour the liquid while everyone else waits to toast. When I look at him my mind races with thoughts. Some good, some bad...some are just out of this world crazy insane and make me want to throw up. I do have feelings for this man and while I have no intention to play on them, they sit unsettled at the thought of not telling him that I at least don’t hate him.
Hunter turns around and raises his glass. We all follow suit.
“To many hands making light work,” he says.
“Cheers.” We all shout before drinks our glasses empty.
~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time we are all ready to start the night three hours later, the place is starting to fill. We all went and had a huge feast prepared by David after our drinks before we split up and went to get ready for the night ahead. I am given a new shirt which I thought was great...until I realised it was fucking pink with, “I’m Kat, hear me Roar,” printed on the front of it in black. I had a little laugh, but I was mostly unimpressed.
Angel and I do a little jam as we serve patrons when “Sexy and I Know It” comes over the sound system. We sing loudly to each other and act out the moves as we go. Rumbles, who clearly has had too much to drink, stands on the bar and does a few pelvic thrusts causing the crowed to erupt in cheers and chants. Of course I can’t let him take the limelight and I get up there with him.
I see Hunter over the heads of people talking to David and another gentleman in a suit. David and Hunter have their bodies turned to the side while the guy in the suit is facing me. His eyes are on mine and for a moment I think its Major, but he would never wear a suit in public. David and Hunter look my way and I turn away instantly. Hunter has been in my fucking head too much today and I need to clear him the fuck out of there. I leave in a few days and I can’t let my feelings get in the way of the grand prize...freedom. I jump down off the bar and get back to serving.
Shiloh screams her greeting from the other side of the bar as I pour shots for her and her friends. The first thing I notice is the red shirt she has on. The second is her height. I walk around the side of the bar and look at her shoes...no fucking good she has my leopard print knee-highs on and I growl. She giggles and yells her sorry’s over the bar as she bops up and down in time to the music.
Suddenly, the music goes quiet and the backup light system kicks in showering the room in light. The microphone squeals and I look up, my heart drops. Simon stands on the stage tapping the top of the microphone making the sound radiate through the room.
“Hi,” he says, waving to the girls swooning over him in the front. “I’m Simon Ford; a lot of you have no fucking clue who I am.”
He holds up his drink and downs the last of it in a second before he hands the glass to a shocked James standing behind him controlling the music.
“I’m the brother of this man,” Simon points to Hunter. “And this man.” He then points to Arrow.
Arrow and Hunter look shocked. It’s like they don’t know whether to pull him off the stage or let him go. When Rumbles taps Hunter on the shoulder and whispers in his ear, Hunter nods before Rumbles starts to make his way towards the stage.
“You probably know the men, but have you met the whore behind the bar?” Simon says, and my heart drops.
He wouldn’t...
“Her name is Kat, and she is a fucking whore, just like her mother. It’s funny really, because she’s actually my whore. My dirty, filthy whore.” Simon looks at me and points. “Never enough right, Kat?”
I hold my stomach that knots, as my chest is tight from not being able to breath. I feel like someone has kicked me in the guts and I don’t know whether I want to scream or vomit.
“She may be your Submissive now, brother, but she will always come back to her Master just like yesterday when she met me in the woods and le
t me touch her. She begged for me to take your touch away from her and hurt her like I used to.”
I look to where Hunter and Arrow stand, both their eyes burn into mine, which are hazy from the tears that burn my cheeks as they fall.
“It’s a funny story and I know you are all dying to know what happened. So let me educate you.” Simon talks out to the crowd that are talking softly between themselves. “I met Kat when she was fifteen. The prettiest little thing I have ever met. She was a wild fire waiting to be set free, and I set her free alright.”
Simon starts laughing hysterically; my hands ball into fists, as I will the ground to give way beneath me.
“Of course I had to wait until she was old enough to deflower the whore that you all know as the Mistress. She’s anything but. She begged me to beat her every time we were together, and make her feel good. She loves the emotional fuck, you know. Kat craves the emotional because the physical isn’t enough for her. She was destined to be nothing, because she fucking came from nothing. Hell, I used to fuck her mother when she was asleep next to me at night and she was too fucking stupid to know.”
People in the crowed gasp and I look up. Hunter rips Simon off the stage and starts punching him. Arrow tries to pull Hunter back, but he’s too strong. David grabs Simon as he starts returning the punches to Hunter. I see Rumbles run through the crowd to help his friend. The crowd gives way and what I see confuses me. I don’t know whether to help or to run.
While I stand here unable to move, people point at me and snicker between them. I’m the laughing stock of the party and I hate it. I feel angry, I feel hurt, and I feel numb. Angel barges past me bringing me out of my daze; I follow her to the fight. As she yells for someone else to help, I walk over and grip Hunter and Simon.
“Stop it, both of you,” I scream, trying to push my way between them.
“Get the fuck out of here, Kat,” Hunter shouts, as he punches Simon again and again.
Simon just laughs as he sways back and forth in David’s arms. Hunter hits him again and Arrow pulls him back.
“You’re weak Hunter, just like the whore. She’s fucking good when she’s on her knees, right? I taught her that, I taught her how to fuck too. Bet you love it just as much as I did. Aww, up until yesterday, I missed that sweet mouth, but after being with her for five minutes, I got enough to last me until she runs back to me again. She always does.” Simon laughs hysterically before he swings a punch at Hunter.
When Simon swings at Hunter he ducks; a splitting pain extends through my jaw as I fall to the floor and cup my cheek. Angel screaming is the last thing that I hear before its lights out.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Kat, wake up sweetheart.” It’s David.
“Should we call the police?” Angel asks.
I moan and cup my cheek that throbs.
I hear a voice over the microphone saying, “Parties over in ten.” People’s constant chatter gets to me and brings my eyes open.
“Good girl, open your eyes.” David slides his arm behind my shoulder and helps me to a sitting position.
“I’m fine,” I say, swaying as sit.
“You’re not fine, I think you should get that eye looked at.”
“David, I said I was fine,” I snap. “Where is Hunter?”
I use Angel and David’s outreached hands to stand. Neither of them says anything and when I’m on my feet I know why. America sits in between Hunter legs on the stairs holding ice up to his cheek. She’s on her knees for fucks sake. Anger boils within me for everything that has happened in the past three weeks. Meeting Hunter, being made his submissive, the punishments, the trash I see in front of me, the feelings that I wish would hide and not come back, and of course Simon.
I ignore the pleas from David and walk towards Hunter on the stairs. America looks up at me with a smirk before she conceals it with words to Hunter who bows his head. He looks up at me and I see nothing. Everything that I saw this morning is gone.
“Are you okay?” I ask, feeling fucking stupid for asking.
“Fine.” Hunter doesn’t look at me when he speaks.
“I’m sorry,” I say, stepping closer to Hunter on the stairs.
Hunter stands abruptly.
“You should have fucking told me, Kat. I’m not a total prick you know. I would have protected you and helped you. But you just...” Hunter lets out a breath and throws his hands in the air before he retreats up the stairs.
I watch him punch the wall at the top before he disappears around the corner. I start making my way up the stairs to follow him but America steps in front of me, stopping me from following.
“Get out of my fucking way, slurry mole, before I punch you too,” I say, stepping to the side.
“I think you’ve done enough for one day, whore,” America steps forward challenging me.
“Get the fuck out of here, before I do something I will regret.” I meet her challenge.
“Does he punish you in sins too?” America tucks a stray hand behind my ear when she talks. Her words wound me.
“What are you talking about?” I snap back.
“Oh, he tells me everything. He was with me the other night when you lied to him about Simon, he had asked me to wear a white a dress for him. He has this fetish for white you know; when we were together he always told me he wanted me to wear it at our wedding.” I watch her twirl her blonde locks around her finger when she speaks. Hunter has told her everything, and they were getting married! “You looked surprised that I told you about Hunter and I getting married. He promised me he would take me to Paris when you leave after your thirty days. Sailor and he are opening up another palace there.”
I hold my stomach as the words hit me like a bullet piercing the skin. It burns and cuts me all at once. It sinks into the tissue and through my organs. America laughs when my other hand holds my chest, trying to stop that bullet from hitting me there.
“Oh honey, you had no idea that Sailor was leaving after the ball, did you?” she laughs and it makes me snap.
Before I can even think about my next move, I close my eyes and swing a left and right. The first connects with the wall beside her face, the second, shuts her the fuck up. She slides down the wall and I step back opening my eyes.
“When I say shut the fuck up, I actually fucking mean it.” I walk down the steps as Arrow and Rumbles run to her side.
The bar is empty when I take a seat at the bar next to David. My wrist throbs and I shake it to even out the pain. David pushes his glass towards me as he reaches over and grabs the tequila from the other side. I down the shot and hold the glass out for more. He fills it up and fills the new glass Angel handed him.
“I never liked that girl anyway,” David says, and I can’t help but smile.
“You and me both.” I tap my glass again his than drink.
I hear Hunter cursing and turn on my chair to see him helping America up the stairs. The sinking feeling is still there but by the time I finished drinking this bottle of tequila, I will feel nothing but the ground and that is where I want to be until it decides to swallow me.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“And then...” I start laughing. “He told the judge that he pissed his pants.”
I laugh so loud it hurts my own ears, while David holds his stomach. Angel just shakes her head at my drunken banter and I think I actually call her an asshat. Well, it come out as, “ashhat,” because I’m so fucking drunk. For hours, David and I traded stories about everything and anything. Getting arrested was the last thing we were discussing and David found it hard to believe I had never actually been arrested.
I had, but who cares...
I stumbled off my chair as I call it a night, or morning. David continues to laugh and I punch him in the shoulder. Angel comes around to help me but I wave her off telling her I’m fine. I slip on the first step and end up on my ass, before I decide my safest option is to crawl up the stairs instead of walk. My night couldn't get any worse at this point.
Simon showing up and confessing to Hunter that I met him when I was fifteen and then meet him for other reasons yesterday was bad enough. But then America walked her sweet ass into the bar and ran her mouth off and I couldn't control my anger any longer. I'm fucking glad I smacked that bitch. Hard.
James sees me crawling the stairs and laughs.
“Fuck the shut up.” I say, aware of the slur and spit that fly’s from my mouth.
“Want a hand, Kat?” James asks, trying to pick me up.
“My hand hurts it did, but not nom ore.” I slur again as I pick up the hand that I used to hit America with. My hand stopped hurting after the first bottle of tequila and by the second, I was acutely unaware I even had hands.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” James asks letting me go and leaving me to my own devices.
I nod because I can’t respond.
I climb the stairs heavily, not caring who I wake. I was shattered. I made my way down the hall towards my room and was excited that I was becoming closer to my bed. I could hear it screaming my name along with my vibrator. I needed an orgasm pronto.
As I reached the door, the sound of laughter rung loudly in my ears.
"What the..." I say, swaying as I get to my feet.
It was coming from Hunter’s room, and the voice was familiar. I thought about what I would find if I opened that door, and it cut me open when I remembered Hunter bringing slurry mole face upstairs. That’s half the reason I’m so trashed right now. I got hammered so I wouldn’t think about what they were doing and now I can fuck hear it.
"Oh, harder," a female voice called. “Fuck me harder, please Master.”
I started laughing because I didn’t know what else to do. My laughter filled the hall and before I knew it, that laughter had turned to sobs that racked my whole body. The kind that hurt you inside and out and you can’t stop them even if you tried. I didn’t want to sleep next to her moans of pleasure tonight. I didn’t even want to sleep; I wanted to break something. Damage someone. I felt my way along the wall at a very slow pace. The hallway filled with carnal screams and I willed myself to be deaf.
