April knew of some of the issues between Zoe and Ramon, but wasn’t fully aware of how much things had escalated. She didn’t know how Ramon now made her perform for him on the regular basis. He’d taken the playful gesture of her being his private dancer to a demeaning and degrading level. He’d make her put on ridiculous stripper outfits and treat her like a trick in a club. April often asked her if things had gotten worse, if Ramon was more abusive, but Zoe simply said no. Embarrassment and fear kept her from confessing the severity of her situation to anyone. The constant threats against her family were enough for Ramon to keep her in check. But his threats of mutilating her or burning her with acid further cemented her place as his girlfriend, servant, punching bag, or whatever else he wanted her to be.
“Zoe, someone is on line three for you,” one of the other bank employees called out.
“Thank you,” she nodded as she picked up the receiver. “This is Zoe Shaw. How may I help you?”
“You can give me some money bank lady.”
“Desi you are so silly,” Zoe laughed. “How are you today, my love?”
“I’m fine, but the question is how: are you? We haven’t had a good sit down conversation in a while.”
“I know and I’m sorry for that. I’ve been so caught up in my own stuff lately that I’ve neglected you.”
“Oh no sweetie, I’m fine. I want to talk because I’m worried about you. I’m cooking a great dinner today. Why don’t you swing by after work for some good food and conversation?”
“You’re cooking?” Zoe asked knowing that he wasn’t.
“You know, I’m cooking, I’m getting take out…same thing,” he teased. “The point is I want you to stop by for a while. Please with sugar on top?” he begged.
“Okay, but just for a little bit. And you have to promise not to get mad when it’s time for me to leave. I’ve already said I can only stay for a little bit, got it?”
“Got it… I’ll see you a little later and you can bring April if you like.”
“No, I think I’d just like to spend time with you. It’s been a while since we had a moment to ourselves.” She had grown to love April, but she was still too embarrassed to let her know how bad things had gotten. But Desi, she’d tell him any and everything without hesitation or embarrassment.
“Cool babe, it’s your call. I’ll see you later and I love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
“Who do you love?” April asked as she walked up behind Zoe as she hung up the phone. Zoe jumped and turned around like she was afraid for her life. “And why so jumpy?”
“Girl I didn’t know you were behind me,” Zoe chuckled as she grabbed her chest. “You know I’m getting old and the ticker can’t take any surprises.”
“Umm hmm…” April grunted as she wondered why her friend was really so on edge. “Was that a new man you met or something? Someone that no one is supposed to know about?”
“Child please, that was Desi calling to say hello.”
“Oh, I was getting excited at the possibility of there being some sexy mystery man who was trying to steal you away from Ramon.”
“Humph, you read too many romance novels girl. This is the real world and sexy mystery men don’t exist in it,” Zoe remarked.
“When did you become so cynical?”
“I’m not cynical, just realistic.” Zoe thought about how she’d first viewed Ramon as a sexy mystery man and had fallen for him hook, line, and sinker. But once she’d fallen, he reverted back to the abusive cave man that she’d always known men to be. So as far as she was concerned, there were no good men, no knights in shining armor, no heroes, just monsters.
“One day someone is going to come along and prove you wrong,” April said as she lovingly squeezed her friends hand and walked away.
Desi opened the door and greeted Zoe with a big hug and kiss. “Come on in, beautiful.” He escorted her to the family room where she plopped down on the big oversized sofa. “Here you go doll. I made this just before you rang the doorbell,” he said as he handed over a wine goblet filled with Zoe’s favorite merlot.
“Thank you Desi. How did you know I’d need this?”
“I could hear the stress in your voice earlier and figured you could use a tasty drink. Now do you want to go ahead and eat or sit here and chat for a while?”
“Let’s sit here for a while. This sofa, hell the whole place is so beautiful yet so comfortable. Can I move in,” Zoe teased.
“You know we have an extra bedroom and it’s yours if you want it,” Desi offered seriously. He would gladly move her in, support her, and do anything else it would take to get and keep her away from that damn Ramon.
“You’re the sweetest… So tell me, how are things between you and Kirk? Have y’all decided when you’re flying out to get married?”
“The whole marriage thing has been put on hold for a bit but we’re still doing great. Kirk seems to have let go of all that jealousy crap and is trusting in our relationship more. I’ve been better about keeping more business appropriate hours and letting him know in advance about any late meetings. Seems that a little consideration goes a long way. But enough about us, how are you doing?”
Zoe took a big gulp of wine, looked up at Desi, and burst into tears. She sobbed as she told him of everything she’d been enduring. She confessed about the broken glasses, about the ice cold showers when she didn’t perform to his sexual satisfaction, how he’d choke her whenever she spoke to him with disrespect, and the nights he’d literally kick her out of bed and make her sleep on the floor if she refused him sex. She held nothing back, not even the fact that Ramon had made her eat off the floor when he said that the meal she cooked wasn’t fit for a dog. She was embarrassed yet relieved to be able to tell someone of her own personal hell.
Desi held her and cried with her. His heart broke for Zoe, but he was also so angry that it was all he could do to keep from jumping up, grabbing his gun, and going after that son-of-a-bitch Ramon. “You can’t go back there Zoe. You can’t sit around and wait for that sick fucker to kill you.”
“He has made it clear that if I try to leave not only will he hurt me, but Pam and Mama will suffer as well. And he doesn’t just say that he’ll kill them or have them killed, it’s how he says they will suffer before death comes for them. I can’t take that chance, I can’t risk their lives,” Zoe cried.
“Do they know what you’re going through over there? Because I know that they would gladly take their chances if they knew all of this.”
“Mama knows some of what’s going on, but not everything. Pam knows nothing, she would be too freaked out and wouldn’t be able to handle it and the supposed Otis sighting. Hell, she’s already in therapy, if she knew about the threats against her life they’d have to commit her ass.”
“Well if it’s going to get you away from Ramon, let them commit her and then you and Martha can go into hiding until we can come up with a more permanent plan.”
“You know I can’t do that to Pam.”
“But we’ve got to do something, Zoe.”
“Yes we do and let’s start by refilling my glass,” she said with a half-smile as she wiped away her tears. “My visit here today wasn’t to try to come up with a solution, but to just have a good cry, share a good meal, and relax for a bit. So now that I’ve purged, can I please have some more wine and some food?”
Desi reluctantly agreed to drop their current conversation and move on with dinner and drinks. He’d had Zoe’s favorite Chinese restaurant deliver their meal and he popped the cork on another bottle of wine. As they ate and drank the mood changed, it became lighter. They laughed as they reminisced about old times and some of the kids they grew up with. Desi had learned to embrace his past and forgive his high school tormentors. Now the ones that tortured him were either strung out on drugs, in prison, or just plain ole miserable. Although both of them had serious challenges growing up, they still had plenty to laugh about and reminisce on because they’d alway
s had each other.
Three hours later, the friends lay on the sofa full of food and wine and were sleeping like babies. They were oblivious to the fact that Ramon had just left Martha’s place looking for Zoe, but when no one answered the door, he decided that Desi’s house would be his next stop. The intense banging on the door jolted Desi and Zoe from their slumber. Annoyed, Desi went and yanked the front door open to see who had the nerve to approach his home like that. When he saw Ramon, he slammed the door in his face, but Ramon flung it right back open.
“Where is she?” he demanded. But as soon as he turned his head, he saw Zoe scrambling to get her shoes on. “What the hell are you doing over here so late? You were supposed to be home hours ago.”
“I’m sorry, I just stopped by to chat for a while and”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to him,” Desi spat as he cut her off mid-sentence. “You’re a grown ass woman who can come and go as you please.”
“Mind your own damn business bro. This ain’t got nothing to do with you.”
“Zoe is my business and when you banged on my door like you were damn SWAT you made it even more my business. And now that you know she’s safe and sound you can step. She’ll be home when she gets home.”
“She’s coming home now. Zoe get your stuff and let’s go. Now!” he yelled when she didn’t immediately move.
Zoe jumped up, grabbed her purse and keys, and walked towards Ramon. He grabbed her arm forcefully and when he did Desi stepped in and pushed him back. “Man, don’t be yanking her like that. This is a female and she’s not to be man-handled.”
“Bro, I told you that this wasn’t your business, now sit your punk ass down,” Ramon barked as he slammed Desi into a table causing him to fall.
“I got your punk!” Desi jumped to his feet and before Ramon could react, Desi sucker punched him in the face, busting his lip and knocking him to the ground. As Ramon tried to scramble to his feet, Desi ran and retrieved his hand gun. When Ramon looked up, he was looking down the barrel of a Smith and Wesson. “Who’s the punk now, huh? Don’t you know I’ll blow your fucking head off?”
“Desi no, please put the gun down,” Zoe begged. “He’s not worth it Desi, he’s not worth your freedom. I need you and you can’t be of any help to me if you’re in prison. Please don’t shoot.” Zoe stepped in front of Ramon as she continued to talk. “We’re just gonna leave Desi. I love you and I’ll call you later, okay? Just put the gun down.” She grabbed the doorknob as she and Ramon backed out and gently closed the door on the way. Once they were outside, she took off down the stairs and ran to her car. Ramon was hot on her heels but didn’t catch her before she slammed the car door.
Ramon stared at Zoe through the car window and motioned for her to roll it down. She cracked the window, but Ramon didn’t make any sudden moves because he was aware that Desi stood only feet away still holding his weapon. “Go straight home. I’ll follow you and if at any time you go in a different direction, I’ll head to Ms. Martha’s house and spend a little quality time with her. You understand?” Zoe nodded her head, rolled up the window, and waited for Ramon to start his car and pull up behind hers.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Zoe trembled with fear so badly that she couldn’t even put the key in the lock. Ramon placed his hand over hers and she jumped, but surprisingly he gently used her hand to guide the key into the lock and open the door. They walked in the house and when the door closed behind them Zoe braced herself for the hit that she knew was coming. But there was no hit, no slap, no kick, just the holding of her hand as he guided her back to the bedroom. “Why don’t you take a hot shower and then put on that red outfit I like with some heels. I’ll be waiting for you in the den, but no rush, I’m just going to relax for a few.” Ramon paused at the mirror and cleaned the dried blood from the corner of his mouth before leaving the room and closing the door.
The hot water pouring over Zoe’s body was incredibly soothing. She slowly lathered her body and let the lavender scent of her body wash relax her nerves. And while some of her tension was eased, she was still concerned with what Ramon had in store for her. She couldn’t make herself believe that all he wanted was for her to dance in some sexy lingerie and all would be forgotten. He had to have something else up his sleeve. Zoe finished her shower, dried and lotioned her body. She took a look in the full length mirror once she was dressed in red bra, thong, garter belt, thigh high stockings and six inch heels. She remembered how proud she used to be of her incredible body, but now she just viewed it as a source for her own punishment.
Zoe took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom, but as she turned the corner to the small den she let out a loud squeal and ran back towards the room. She was mortified to see Rich and Harvey sitting in there with Ramon. “Zoe, get your ass back out here,” Ramon barked.
“Okay, give me a second to cover up.”
“No, I want you out here like you are. I want you out here dancing now!”
Zoe went back to the bedroom, slammed the door, and locked it. She started grabbing clothes and trying to hurry and dress. But before she could get one pant leg on, Ramon knocked the door off the hinges. “I swear if you don’t get your ass out there now I will kill you. You will dance and act like you like it, do you understand?”
“No,” Zoe sobbed. “I can’t go out there and dance for them. I’m not taking my clothes off for them, Ramon. Please, please don’t make me do this,” she pleaded in between sobs.
But all of her begging was in vain. Ramon grabbed her by the throat and began to squeeze. “Unless you’re ready to die up in here you’ll get your ass out there and dance.” He released her neck only to yank her by the arm, drag her out of the room and up the hall and fling her to the floor. “Rich, hit that button for the music,” Ramon instructed. He then walked over to Zoe and kicked her in the leg. “Get your ass up and dance.”
“Man, stop treating your girl like that. Don’t embarrass her like this,” Harvey spoke up, but Rich immediately shut him down.
“Harvey, sit back, shut up, and let this man handle his business and his bitch,” Rich instructed.
Harvey shook his head in disgust and watched as Ramon kicked Zoe once more as she cried. He wasn’t sure if she cried more because of the pain or the humiliation. His heart hurt for her, but he knew there were serious limits on how much he could come to her defense without having to go blow-for-blow with Rich. As Zoe slowly stood to her feet, Harvey imagined how angry he would be if some fool tried to treat his sister this way. He couldn’t understand how Ramon felt it was okay to treat a good woman like Zoe with such disrespect. It’s not like she was some whore off the street, she was a beautiful, smart, successful, sexy woman that deserved to be treated like a queen. And as gorgeous as she was, as perfect as her body was, Harvey diverted his eyes from her. He didn’t want her to feel yet another pair of lustful eyes on her.
“I don’t have all night Zoe, dance or I’ll find a way to make you and I promise you won’t like it,” Ramon warned.
Zoe listened to the hard-core rap music, the vulgarity and sexually explicit lyrics seemed to fuel Ramon’s vicious fire. But she desperately wanted to avoid the painful consequences of not following his instructions, so slowly she began to sway to the music.
“You’ve gotta do better than that,” Ramon barked. “Dance like you dance when it’s just us.” Reluctantly she moved her body with a little more enthusiasm. She rolled her hips, dropped low, and tossed her hair, but she never stopped sobbing, her tears never ceased to fall. “Yeah baby, that’s it,” Ramon encouraged.
“Ramon, you are one lucky man,” Rich acknowledged. “She is fine as hell. If I were you I’d be tearing that up every night.” Rich was damn near salivating over Zoe.
Rich’s words made Zoe nauseous. Her stomach turned and it was all she could do to keep from throwing up. Then she heard Ramon say, “And she gives the best head,” and sickness was replaced by disgust. Her hatred for him grew every single time he
opened his mouth.
“I’ve danced for you, may I please go put my clothes on,” Zoe pleaded.
“Let’s ask the fellas,” Ramon suggested. “Y’all satisfied or you wanna see more?”
“I don’t need to see anymore,” Harvey replied. He looked up at Zoe, she returned his glance and mouthed thank you. He nodded and again diverted his eyes.
“Shit man, you’ve got me fantasizing about that good head. Since I can’t have that let me at least have one more dance,” Rich’s requested with a dirty look in his eyes.
“I don’t know man; my girl here likes to lay up with other men so she may like helping you out with that fantasy. Ain’t that right, Zoe?”
Fear gripped Zoe and panic set in. “I don’t know what you mean. I’ve never laid up with another man and I’m not making anyone’s fantasy come true,” she said as her voice trembled and fresh tears burned her eyes.
“You were laid up with that punk, Desi. Shoes off and stretched out on the sofa, wrapped in his arms, am I right? Every time I turn around you’re laid up with that bastard!”
“You know he’s gay and more importantly, he’s like my brother, we’re best friends,” Zoe explained.
“Well tonight we’re going to pretend that my boy Rich is like your new best friend. Now help your new friend out with that fantasy of his,” Ramon ordered.
“Oh hell, this is my lucky night!” Rich exclaimed as he started to unbuckle his pants.
Zoe turned and tried to run from the room, but Ramon caught her by the hair and pulled her back. “I know you’ve done this shit for that damn Desi, so just pretend like this is his punk ass.” He then forced her to her knees and told Rich to come and get it as he continued to hold a fist full of her hair. Rich jumped to his feet and Harvey looked on in shock. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But as Rich approached Zoe with his shaft in hand, Harvey snapped out of his trance and jumped up.
Hate the Way He Loves Me Page 14
