Arron's Other Side

“My head hurts so badly.” Alexi groaned as she opened her eyes. The pounding in her head grew stronger. Nausea rose, but she did not have the strength to fully wake herself. In the end, she closed her eyes again. “Damn it. My head feels so heavy.” It came out as a faint murmur.

“You’re awake?”

That baritone voice froze Alexi in place. Why was there a man’s voice? Where was she?

Her eyes flew open. She saw a man sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless. “Who are you?” She yanked the blanket up to cover her body, the cold air from the room’s air conditioner biting into her skin.

She scanned the room, breathing in the scent of air freshener. This was not her room. “Where am I?”

Austin raised an eyebrow. “So you don’t remember what happened last night?”

“Last night?” Alexi growled. She lifted the edge of the blanket, her eyes widening again as her body went still when she realized she was completely naked. “Damn it, I’ve lost my mind.” The weight of her fatal mistake crashed down on her.

“We lost our minds together last night.” Austin reached for a glass of warm water mixed with lemon. “Drink this. It should help with your headache.”

Alexi narrowed her eyes. “Did we sleep together last night?”

“What do you think? That we played hide-and-seek under the covers?” Austin shot back. “We were both drunk and we ended up having sex, Alexi.” He spelled out what had happened between them.

“Why didn’t you stop it? Why didn’t you refuse? You took advantage of a drunk girl,” Alexi snapped. She could not believe she had given her virginity to a man she did not know.

“Refuse? Hey, I’m a normal man. We both wanted it. We were both aroused. What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s obviously wrong. Ugh, you.” Alexi felt like punching his face.

“Do you want to clean up? I’ve prepared warm water for you.” Austin stood up, wearing only short black pants. “Consider it service after your performance last night. Even though you were stiff, I was impressed, especially since I was your first.”

“You.” Alexi’s breath quickened as Austin walked toward the bathroom. “He’s definitely a maniac.” She was not lying. Austin’s body was muscular and solid, with broad shoulders and a tattoo on his left back.

“I can hear you, Alexi.” Austin glanced back without stopping. A few minutes passed as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Alexi snorted in irritation as pain spread through her entire body. “How wild was he last night? Damn it. This is insane.” She cursed herself. Even trying to sit up sent a sharp ache through her core.

Fragments of last night flooded her mind. She cursed silently again and again. When she saw the bathroom door closed, Alexi pushed the blanket aside. Slowly, she climbed off the bed. Holding back the pain and burning sensation, she gathered the clothes scattered on the floor.

“I have to leave before he comes out.” After managing to get dressed, she rushed out of the room with her hair a mess. “This is completely insane. Oh God, I’m not sane.” She ran down the stairs to the ground floor, ignoring the pain, and managed to flag down a taxi to take her away from the club.

Back in the room, Austin clenched his fists tightly when he realized Alexi was gone. His muscles tensed, his jaw tightening. “Damn it, where did that woman go?” he muttered to himself. “Who does she think she is, leaving just like that? Does she think I’m some gigolo she can use and then walk away from?”

He grabbed his phone roughly, pressed a number, and made a call.

“Yes, Mr. Stanley.” It was the voice of Austin’s assistant.

“Come pick me up.” With that, Austin ended the call.

***

The taxi stopped in front of a building on the outskirts of Stockholm. Alexi hesitated before getting out, but she could not just stay inside. “I’ll grab my things and leave. Yes, that’s what I’ll do.”

“Sir, please wait here. I need to pick something up,” Alexi told the driver, handing him some money as a guarantee she would not be long. Straightening her appearance, she quickly got out of the taxi and went inside the building.

She bit her lip as she stood in front of the door to one of the units. Taking a deep breath, she entered the access code.

Her steps were slow as she scanned the room, hoping not to find the person she was trying to avoid. But then…

“You’re just getting home?”

Alexi flinched and froze. She knew exactly who was speaking. She did not turn around and continued with the reason she had come.

“Happy anniversary, Lexi.” Arron sat at the dining table chair that his girlfriend had prepared the night before. All the decorations were still there, the cake, the candles burned down to short stubs.

“Stale,” Alexi said as she opened the bedroom door. She pulled out a suitcase from the wardrobe and started stuffing her belongings into it.

“Forgive me, sweetheart.” Arron hugged her from behind. His brow furrowed as he caught the scent of another man on Alexi’s body. He turned her around and stared sharply at her. “Who did you spend the night with? Why do you smell like a man’s perfume?” His large hand clamped down on her arm.

“Let go of me. And it’s none of your business who I was with.” Alexi returned Arron’s glare without fear. The love she once felt had vanished, replaced by hatred since last night.

Arron brushed aside her brownish hair, his eyes widening when he saw the red marks on her neck. “You slut.” His hand struck her cheek hard, sending Alexi crashing onto the bed, her body bouncing several times.

“What is wrong with you, Arron?” Heat, sting, pain. Alexi’s heart shattered again under her lover’s brutality. She tasted something metallic and wet at the corner of her mouth. When she wiped it, there was blood on her hand. All this time, she had known Arron as someone gentle.

“Since when did you become a whore, huh?” Arron pinned her down, gripping her wrists and forcing them above her head. “Who touched you, huh? Say it, Alexi!” he hissed.

“Get away, Arron!” Alexi thrashed her head wildly when Arron leaned in, trying to kiss her. “Let me go!”

“You’re cheap, Lexi.”

“You’re a bastard.” Alexi spat in Arron’s face. “You’re the cheap one, sleeping with women just for status.”

Arron slapped her again, harder this time, his palm striking her jaw. “Low-class whore. Do you even know this apartment was given to me by Nathalie, huh? I did all of that for you, Alexi. So we wouldn’t end up sleeping on the streets. And now you throw yourself at another man after finding out about my mistake? You’re the whore, Lexi.”

Rage consumed Arron’s heart. He believed he had fought for their love, yet Alexi had betrayed him.

“I’d rather sleep on the streets than be with a man like you, you gigolo.” Alexi struggled to free her hands, but it was useless. Arron was far stronger.

Jealousy and fury surged through Arron. The image of Alexi with another man shattered his self-control. He ripped the clothes from her body in one violent motion and used the fabric to bind her wrists.

“What are you going to do, Arron?” Alexi’s eyes widened as her body was turned over and forced onto all fours.

“Shut up.” Arron’s breathing grew ragged as he stared at the red marks scattered over Alexi’s body. “You really are a damn woman, Lexi.”

Arron flipped her again and positioned himself behind her. Alexi scrambled upward toward the edge of the bed, but Arron yanked her legs back into place. She kept twisting and thrashing in every direction.

They struggled, pulling and pushing, until Alexi nearly reached the side of the bed, but Arron quickly pinned her down again. He unbuttoned his pants, though Alexi’s constant blows made it difficult.

Alexi did not give up. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the bedside lamp on the nightstand. She grabbed it and struck Arron’s head repeatedly.

Blood poured from his head. Caught off guard, Arron could not dodge in time. He seized the lamp and struck Alexi’s head in return.

Alexi’s vision blurred. Something wet trickled down from her scalp. Before her body went limp, she faintly saw a shadow leaving the room. Then everything went dark.