I wade my way through the crowd, finding Jimmy, Steph, and Jase toward the back of the room.
Jase leans in, “I thought you were gonna get the car?”
“I was, but Blaine caught me in the foyer.”
“I’d also like my beautiful girlfriend, Salem, to join me.”
My head shoots up, and I see the crowd part so Salem can get through. Once she reaches Blaine and Frankie, I can see that she’s nervous and clearly has no idea what’s going on either.
“Why would both of them be up there?” Jimmy whispers to me.
“I dunno, Jim.”
“I’m not sure if all of you know or not,” Blaine begins speaking again, “but I fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening up my own boxing gym. I’m so proud to announce that I’m now expanding TKO.”
“Expanding?” Jimmy and I both look at one another, confused.
“The gentleman standing next to me, Frankie, has been running his own boxing gym for a little over twenty-five years. After many long hours of negotiations, he’s finally agreed to let me buy his gym.”
“You gotta be shittin’ me,” Jimmy blurts out. A couple of the people standing near us turn around and give Jimmy dirty looks.
“The TKO family is growing,” Blaine says proudly.
Jimmy and I throw each other a look.
“Unlike the TKO that’s already open, Frankie will remain the manager of this gym, and he’ll keep his before and after school program for ‘at risk’ kids.”
The guests begin to talk amongst themselves. I overhear, “Oh, what a wonderful thing Blaine is doing, keeping a program like that running. His parents have always been so charitable; looks like that lives on in their son.”
My eyes involuntarily roll at the comments being made. They don’t have a fuckin’ clue what goes into running a gym like Frankie’s. I wish one of them would come down and walk a day in any of those kids’ shoes; they should see what it’s like to go hungry, to not have heat or electricity, or a winter jacket to keep you warm on your walk to school. I’m sure the toughest decision in their lives has been to decide if they wanna drive their Porsches or Corvettes to work.
“Saint, you alright?” Jimmy inquires.
“I don’t get it! What the fuck is Frankie thinkin’?”
“He must know what he’s doin’. He wouldn’t give up his gym for no reason.”
I begin walking toward the door, “I gotta get the fuck outta here. Let’s go.”
“And now, for the second announcement,” Blaine settles the guests down and all eyes are now back on him. I stop in the doorway, turning in his and Salem’s direction. Jimmy whispers something to Stephannie; she nods her head and turns, rushing past me and out the door.
Blaine takes Salem’s hand in his. “It’s been many years leading up to my next announcement or maybe I should call it a question.” Directing his attention to Salem, he goes on, “The two of us have known each other for as long as I can remember. Hell, I don’t remember life without you.”
Salem suddenly begins to look flushed. I watch as she begins to fidget, and her gaze darts through the crowd, finally finding mine. Her eyes are wide as she forces a fake cordial smile onto her face.
Blaine goes down on bended knee. My heart begins to race and my palms are sweating. I know what’s coming next and I’m pretty sure she does, too. I swallow hard, trying to force away the shooting pains that are attacking my stomach. With my hands on my thighs, I bend over to catch my breath so I don’t pass out.
“Will you marry me?” is all I hear. Squeezing my eyes tight, I blink back the tears.
KTFO’D – Knocked the Fuck Out
Sheer panic races through Salem’s body as she watches Blaine kneel down before her. She’d let this go too far; she should’ve ended things when her feelings for Gabriel began to blossom. Now, she’s standing in front of family and friends facing an unwanted proposal.
Nervously, she searches for Gabriel. She’d seen him reenter the room, but lost track of him in the crowd. How is he going to handle this? They had just shared an intimate moment before being interrupted by Jason. She hadn’t had the opportunity to tell him how she felt for him, and there was so much she wanted to say to ease his mind. She wanted to reassure him that she’s leaving Blaine, and that she’s fallen in love with him. But now, as she finally spots him in the doorway, all she sees is the utter devastation on his face.
“Salem, will you marry me?” Blaine asks adoringly, slipping a huge, round solitaire diamond onto her left ring finger.
Salem blinks, trying to bring herself back. “Blaine,” she says softly as her hands shake. He’s still kneeling before her. “The two of us have already shared a lifetime of memories together. We’ve been through so much.”
Pausing, she looks down to see both hers and Blaine’s parents, standing there with huge smiles on their faces. Everything they’d planned for is now happening as they look on at their children. Salem’s mother gives her a nod of encouragement.
Shaking her head slightly, Salem slides the ring off of her finger. “But, I’m sorry, Blaine. I can’t marry you.” His face turns from bliss to rage in a matter of seconds. Her mother lets out a loud gasp, and someone in the crowd says loudly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did she say?”
Salem looks to the doorway to find that Gabriel is gone. Her heart plummets to her stomach as the ring slips from her hand. Everything immediately turns into slow motion as the room begins to spin, and the walls feel as if they’re closing in on her. Her eyes glance over to her parents; her mother looks completely humiliated as she shakes her head. All Salem can manage to get out is, “I’m so sorry,” before she races out of the room. Hot, acidic tears burn her cheeks as she runs down the corridor to the garden. She needs to get away from Blaine, her parents, and the crowd of onlookers.
“Salem!” Blaine is close behind her and his voice is frightening. She keeps running, deep down into the gardens, away from it all. When she finally stops, she’s surrounded by total darkness, with only the sounds of her stifled cries and the crickets chirping all around. Panic takes over and she starts gasping for air; she’s on the verge of hyperventilating.
So many emotions are traveling through her. With one small reply, she’d just single-handedly disobeyed everyone in her life. Closing her eyes, visions flash her back to just moments ago: The look of anger and resentment on Blaine’s face when he heard the word “no,” her mother’s horrified reaction, and of course, Gabriel. Her poor, sweet Gabriel, who’s done nothing but love and cherish her; she’s managed to drive him away yet again. Taking a seat on a stone bench, she puts her head in her hands and sobs, “Oh God, what have I done?”
“Salem!” Blaine yells out angrily, his voice echoing through the dark night.
She cries quietly, hoping he won’t find her. She’d just humiliated him in front of everyone and she knows his temper, though he’s never raised a hand to her. On the other hand, she’s also never seen that look of complete rage on his face before.
“You just couldn’t wait to make me look like a fool!” His words rip through her like daggers as he grips her shoulder, his strong fingertips digging into her skin.
Her body stiffens and she winces in pain as his hot breath coats her neck. “Blaine, I didn’t want it to happen this way,” Salem apologizes tearfully. “I wish I would’ve known what you were planning.”
“After everything I’ve done for you?!”
Her courage building within, Salem abruptly turns around and stares him down. “Done for me? Do you mean, by cheating on me with numerous women?”
“You’re never gonna let that go, are you? For the rest of my life, you’re going to throw that in my face.”
“Blaine,” Salem reaches out for his hand, “I…”
Jerking his hand back, he looks at her with pure disgust. “You what?”
“I’m not in love with you anymore.”
“What do you mean, you don’t love me?” he responds, completely dumbfou
nded. “It’s supposed to be you and me. That’s how our parents planned it.”
“Exactly, that’s how our parents planned it. Not us! They’ve mapped out our entire lives for us, never asking us what we wanted.”
“Yeah, so?”
Salem’s voice begins to rise, “So? So?!” She’s now standing. “I don’t want to settle, Blaine. I want to marry someone I’m madly in love with, someone that’s just as in love with me. Look me in the eyes and tell me you still love me.” She’s hoping she can tug on his heart strings, that maybe he can find that part of him that used to love her, and finally let her go.
Blaine straightens his posture, making every attempt to appear taller and in more control than Salem. He’s never been challenged, and especially not by her. She’s always been the good and loyal girlfriend, going along with everything he’s said or done. When he realizes he’s losing control, he reaches out and grabs Salem’s wrist, yanking her toward him. “You’re mine!”
Salem winces. “Let go of me, Blaine. You’re hurting me!” she yells, trying to fight him off, but she ends up twisting her wrist and dropping to her knees.
Blaine stares at her; his eyes are dark and full of rage, and his chest is flared up as he puffs out angrily through is nose.
“I’m in love with someone else,” Salem spits out coldly, and then immediately wishes she hadn’t said those words.
Instantly, the veins on Blaine’s neck and forehead begin to bulge, and his eyes widen. “Who’ve you been fucking?!” he growls in a guttural roar, before shoving her hard enough that she falls over herself, landing on her butt.
Scrambling away, she throws back at him, “I think you’ve gotten me confused with you, Blaine. Have you forgotten everything I did to please you? I changed everything about me for you!” her voice is shrill. “But I was never enough! You still ran around on me and fucked other women. Why? Why did you push me away and tell me all those lies?” Salem does her best not to let him see her cry. She doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s breaking her down. “I gave you my heart and soul. God, there was a time that I would’ve done anything for you!” Salem had done her best to stand her ground against him, but she can feel what little control she had slipping slowly through her fingers.
Blaine’s demeanor changes instantly. “It’s not that you weren’t enough for me, baby,” he leans down and tries to touch her face. She flinches at his closeness. Just the thought of him touching her makes her skin crawl, and she’s actually terrified about what else he may do to her. Again, the tone of his voice changes, but this time to concern, “Are you scared of me, Salem?”
“No,” she answers softly, trying to control her fear.
“Then, why can’t I touch you?”
“Because it’s over, Blaine. We’re over. I have nothing left to give. I should’ve ended this months ago, but I didn’t have the strength. Now, I’m seeing things much more clearly, and I can’t keep going on living a lie. My heart belongs to someone else.”
“I can change. I promise,” Blaine begins to plead, the desperation in his voice shining through. “I love you, Salem. I know I fucked up and I’m sorry. I’ll do anything…” he lets out a heavy sigh. The anger in his eyes has disappeared and all that’s left is a look of regret.
Salem tries to reason with him. “Blaine, don’t you see? You shouldn’t have to change. Not for me. Not for anyone. We should be able to live the lives we want to live. You’re not in love with me, Blaine. Maybe you were once, many years ago, but not now.” Reaching up, she strokes his cheek, trying to bring back the man she once knew. “You’re in love with the idea of me as the perfect wife and mother, but I don’t want to be an idea; I want to be someone’s world. I want to be the one that someone can’t stop thinking about, the one that takes someone’s breath away when I walk into a room. I haven’t been that person to you in a very long time. I know it and you know it.”
“Please, I’ll do anything.” He closes his eyes, relishing her touch, and brings his hand up to hers on his cheek. “I love you,” his voice quivers.
Slowly, Salem lets her guard down as she see his body language soften. “I’m sorry, Blaine, I never meant to hurt you. It’s not like I planned to fall in love with someone else.”
Blaine’s eyes spring back open at her words. “Who is he?” he growls.
Salem swallows hard, regretting the second slip. Blaine’s eyes grow wide and his nostrils flare in anger. “Is he the reason why you never touch me anymore? Why you give me every excuse in the book not to see me? Tell me who he is, Salem.”
Salem shakes her head frantically, refusing to answer. She tries to hold back her tears once again, but they begin to leak out of the corners of her eyes. In an instant, he’s on her. “Blaine, no! Please!” Salem cries out, trying to stop him, but she’s no match for him. Her arms give out and she’s now pinned on the ground, defenseless.
All of his weight is pressed against her lower body as he straddles her. One of his hands is pawing between her legs, and the other is covering her mouth to muffle the sound of her screams. “I bet you fucked him, teased him good with that sweet, tight pussy of yours, didn’t you?” he taunts. Leering at her, he licks his lips and continues, “Mmmm… I think I’m gonna have a piece of that right now.” His fingers surge inside of her, showing no mercy as he repeatedly jams his fingers in and out. Pressing his body tightly against hers, he growls in her ear, “Was he good?”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tries to block out his voice, instead focusing on kicking her legs and flailing her arms every which way, doing her best to fight him off. She lets out a bloodcurdling scream, “Help!!!”
“No one can hear you,” he sneers in a sick, sadistic tone. “Did you think I was just going to let you walk away? Give you to some other man? You’re mine, Salem, always have been and always will be.” He withdraws his fingers and aggressively yanks up her dress. “Did he fuck you hard and make you beg for more? I bet I can make you come just like he did.”
Reaching down, he fumbles to unfasten his belt with one hand. Cursing under his breath, he finally releases the hand he has over Salem’s mouth. Holding his index finger up in front of her face, he gives her a warning, “Don’t you dare scream again; it’ll only make it worse for you.”
Biting down on her bottom lip, she nods in acknowledgement. As much as every instinct inside of her is telling her to scream again, she knows it’s in her best interest to do what he says.
“Good girl,” he smiles while removing his belt and unzipping his zipper. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve been inside you, Salem. I can’t wait to feel you,” he’s almost giddy.
Fear races through her as she realizes this could be her last chance to get away. Her body is physically exhausted and her brain can’t process what’s happening. She doesn’t even recognize this vile creature on top of her. The man she once loved has violated her with his fingers, but if she doesn’t fight back now, he’s going to try to ruin her forever by doing much worse. She needs to dig down, deep within herself, and find the strength she knows she possesses to, once and for all, show him who she really is.
Switching tactics, Salem reaches up and touches his arms gently. “You’re so right, Blaine. I should’ve never gone astray. I should’ve realized what I had with you, instead.”
She watches as Blaine’s face begins to soften. “Tell me you love me, Salem,” his voice cracks as he closes his eyes.
“I love you, Blaine,” she whispers softly, convincingly.
A look of elation blooms on his face. “I love you, too, baby,” he smiles with his eyes still closed.
Her heart begins to thunder within her chest, and her mind is running a million miles a minute. This is it, Say, your one and only chance to escape him. You need to do it hard and fast. “Kiss me, Blaine,” she requests in a sultry tone, luring him toward her with her hands on the nape of his neck.
She can feel his body actually trembling with excitement as he leans down over he
r. “Salem,” he breathes, “say you’ll marry me.”
She runs her hands over the tops of his shoulders and then grips on tightly. “Blaine,” she murmurs, “kiss me; make me yours.”
Just as his lips touch hers, she lifts her knee with every ounce of her being, right into his balls. Taking him by surprise, she then shoves him off of her. He rolls onto his back, hands between his legs, cupping his nuts. “You fucking cunt,” he groans, wincing in pain and rocking back and forth.
Quickly, she slips off her shoes and begins to run in a full-out sprint back to the house. She knows the gardens like the back of her hand and easily navigates in the dark through the maze of flowers and shrubbery. Within minutes, the lights of the house come into view and she glances over her shoulder; Blaine is nowhere to be found. As she gets closer, she hears voices out on the patio. “Help!!!” she cries out hoarsely.
“Salem? Honey, is that you?” With a glimmer of hope, she realizes it’s her father.
“Daddy!!!” she calls out, brushing the tears away from her face.
More lights turn on, illuminating the half of the garden closest to the house. Salem raises her forearm to block out the bright light. “Salem, where are you?” her father’s voice is getting closer.
Blinded and in shock, she stumbles up onto the patio. “Daddy!” she cries again as she collapses at his feet.
“Oh, dear God! Salem?!”
“I knew we shouldn’t have gone there,” I ramble. “I fuckin’ knew it. She promised me,” I mutter, vacantly staring out the car window.
“How the fuck were we supposed to know? And what the fuck is Frankie thinkin’?” Jimmy is still trying to wrap his head around all of it.
“Take me to Patsy’s. I need to drink myself into oblivion.”
“You gotta train tomorrow, Saint,” Jimmy says, trying to talk me out of the self-destruction heading my way.
“Train for what? Nothing fuckin’ matters anymore, Jim.” I rest my head against the window. “She’s gone. I fuckin’ lost her. I lost her to a prick who deserves her way less than I do.”
Going the Distance Page 20
