The music in the nightclub pounded loudly, the bass taking control of my heartbeat and forcing it in rhythm with the music. The place was packed with scantily dressed woman and roving men ready to take them home. A DJ sat at the front of the dancefloor, pounding the music out of the speakers. The dancefloor was an ocean of people all moving to the beat of the music. I sat with Ace in a reserved VIP section of the club as I watched the action below. He had his arm around my shoulders as he relaxed beside me. Jaxon sat across from us with his blonde date whose large breasts were spilling out of her dress. They unfortunately seemed to have caught Ace attention and I caught his eyes wandering to them several times already. “Do you want a drink?” Ace asked as he sat forward and spoke into my ear over the music. I shook my head as I turned toward him. “No, thank you.” He nodded as he waved for the waitress for our area. It didn’t seem to matter that neither Ace nor I were twenty-one. Wha
"It's rape, Stella" Catherine stated as she stared wide-eyed at me. I had fled Blue Hades as soon as Ace had left and went straight to her place. She had quickly swept me inside as I showed up sobbing at her doorstep. My hands shook slightly as they held the hot chocolate she had offered me. I sat on her couch, my tears now dry. Why had I run away? What would Jaxon and Ace say? "Stella" Catherine called in her Southern accent. "You need to report this to the police. You can't let him get away with it." I shook my head as I quickly stood up and set the cup down. "I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have told you. I'm sorry. I just ... " "Stella." She quickly leapt to her feet and wrapped me in a surprising hug. "Sweetie, you can't let him do this anymore. I have turned my head to several of his outbursts and one too many bruises, but this is a new low. Even for him. You don't have to allow him to get away with this." "He's my boyfriend," I challenged her. "We have sex." She dr
I skipped working at Blue Hades the next weekend. Truthfully, I never planned to return there again. Ace didn’t have much to say about it. I’m pretty sure the guilt of what had occurred between us last time I was there still weighed heavily on his heart. I was able to pick up a couple shifts at Kiki’s to make up for the loss income, though it came nowhere close to what I made at Blue Hades. I leaned against the wall behind of Kiki’s near the backdoor on my break. Catherine stood beside me. Her and Fred had come in to eat lunch and he had left to wait for her in the car while I took my break at the smoking spot out back to talk to my friend. “So what did Ace say this time?” Catherine asked as she kicked at a cigarette butt on the ground. I hesitated as I mentally debated how much I wanted to tell her. With a sigh, I finally confessed the truth. She was my closest and most trusted friend. She was the only one who knew anything about the abuse I had suffered. “He says he never meant fo
I sat atop my suitcase outside my apartment waiting for Alaric to pick me up. Ace was still inside asleep. He had been snoring soundly when I left, but nerves still made my legs bounce and my hands tremble. I had to get out of here before he woke up. I told him Catherine was driving me to the bus stop for my private getaway. He couldn't find out the truth. I stood up as my eyes caught sight of Alaric's black sports car heading toward me. I grabbed my suitcase and started toward the car before he was even fully parked. He quickly jumped out and ran over to me. He swept the suitcase out of my hand as I took in the sight of him in his skinny blue jeans and an old tour shirt from a rock band. Sunglasses sat atop his head as he smiled at me with his shining green eyes which traveled up and down my body with a simple, yellow sundress on. "Are you in a rush?" he chuckled in his British accent. "Sure" I breathed out in reply as he walked with me over to the passenger door. He opened it for
I emerged over an hour later. I slid my fingers over my red dress. It had a deep v-neck which extended all the way down to the red belted waist. The red fabric beneath the belt flowed freely and openly. A large slit ran up one side to add to the sexy feature of the dress. I matched it with black, strappy heels and left my hair down in beach waves. Alaric stood in front of me openly gawking. His eyes ran over every inch of my body, burning my cheeks and tingling my insides with his inspection. “What?” I asked nervously as I looked down at my feet. “You’re gorgeous.” My eyes slowly lifted at his words, a slight smile tugging at the corner of my lips. I took in the sight of him standing in front of me as he stood star struck before me. He had on black slacks with a white, button up shirt and black suit jacket. He had on a black tie and black dress boots. His hair was slicked up and back and fell in perfect waves on either side of his face. His piercing green eyes drank in the sight of
The quite conversations were soon interrupted by the announcement and arrival of the bridal party. They filed in, waving and dancing along the way to their table. Food was served, toasts were made, and cake was cut. The bride and groom had their first dance before the dancefloor was opened up to everyone. The band’s music was turned up as people began dancing and mingling throughout the tables. Alaric’s arm returned to the back of my chair as he leaned back in his own. I turned toward him and took in his handsome profile as he causally looked around the room. His jawline was strong and pronounced yet his face had a softness. He wet his full, red lips as he turned toward me. “Are you having a good time?” I nodded, refusing to divulge even the slightest hint of my jealousy. “It’s a beautiful wedding.” The band began the first musical bars of an infamous rock song as Alaric opened his mouth to say something but was quickly interrupted. “Alaric! Alaric!” a flock of women suddenly scre
We drove in a nervous excitement in the car back to our cabin. Instead of going inside, Alaric suggested we sit outside near the fire ring. I nodded in agreement as he collected wood and soon had a roaring, orange fire going. I sat in one of the chairs near it as I reached my hands out toward the warmth it let off. Without the sun in the sky, the air had turned chilly and I shivered in the cold beneath the star-filled sky. "Are you cold?" Alaric asked as he walked away from the fire and toward me. I looked up at his muscular build framed by the orange glow behind him. "A little." He quickly took his black suit jacket off and took my hand, pulling me gently to my feet. He laid the jacket around my shoulders and I slid my hands through the sleeves. "Thank you," I said graciously as I wrapped it tightly closed around me. His eyes wandered over me. "You look damn good in my clothes." I laughed lightly as he sat down in the chair I had just been sitting in and he pulled me down into
At the sound of footsteps, I lowered my eyes from the sky and saw Alaric walking back toward me. My eyes narrowed as he approached me and held out one of his hands with a pair of sweatpants. I gingerly took them from him and stepped into them. As I finished pulling them up, he wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. He ran his hands up and down my arms as though trying to warm me up. I raised my eyes to his as I looked remorsefully at him, my emotions on display. “I’m so sorry.” He looked at me, his green eyes boring into mine as his hands continued moving up and down. “What happened, Stella?” I stood silent a moment, a little confused at what he meant. Had he not seen? “I stepped backwards and caught my ankle … “ “Not that,” he interrupted me, his voice a bit hard. He studied me a moment before wetting his lips and speaking again. “What happened to make you react like that when I touched you?” I slowly shook my head as that stupid lump formed in my throat again. “I can’t, Alaric,”