by S. E. Law
I take another deep breath before continuing.
“But it didn’t work because I got used to it. When I gave birth to Jamie, Herb was enraged, and that’s when the lights stayed off 24/7. The only illumination we had for a while was daylight, but your son and I adapted. We woke at the crack of dawn, and slept when it grew dark. It’s not a bad life, and both Jamie and I are used to living like that.”
Jace frowns, a deep flush going up his neck.
“What the hell? So he’s kept you a prisoner for the last seven years?”
I shrug helplessly.
“A little bit, yes. We depended on Herb. There were no locked doors, and I suppose we could have escaped at any time. But where would I have gone? I had no money, and only a high school education. Who would have helped me?”
“You could have gone to the family shelter,” Jace adds darkly. “Or the police station.”
I shrug.
“Herb’s best friends with Commissioner Stevens. They never would have believed me. And you know how the shelter is – people are raped and beaten, and possessions are stolen. I couldn’t subject Jamie, who was only a baby, to that kind of environment.”
Jace looks like he’s ready to blow his top off, but he has to hear this story. Plus, speaking like this makes me feel good, like the steam from a pressure cooker is finally being relieved. It was so obvious to me that Herb was a monster under his put-together exterior, and the fact that no one else could see it was completely baffling. Not to mention the shame. We were the perfect family on the outside, but inside? It was a pile of maggots.
But once Jamie was born, I stopped caring about all those reasons because I just wanted to get out for my son. I could endure multiple hardships, but Jamie? He was a different story.
I nod, continuing.
“The house wasn’t exactly on lockdown, but Herb trafficked in fear and intimidation, and that meant keeping the lights off and preventing us from going out. You know how hardly anyone ever comes by, and how the servants are loyal to him. Plus,” I add, taking a deep breath. “Everything changed because of Jamie. Herb didn’t just have the ability to hurt me, but also my son. If I failed in some way, I wouldn’t be the only one getting in trouble, so I tried to keep him happy. There was no complaining, no whining, and I’d do whatever he said so long as he left Jamie alone.”
Jace looks ready to explode.
“Did he ever hit you?”
Tears prick my eyes. It’s the million dollar question, and I’ve never told anyone because of the shame. The only people who knew for sure are the ones who lived with him, and we were all too scared to say anything. My mother, me, and everyone who worked in the household – Herb found our weak points and exploited them.
I take a deep breath.
“Yes, he did,” is my quiet reply.
“How long?” he demands. I shrug.
“I don’t know, it was a long time. And it wasn’t just me. He hit my mom too, and I think that’s why Irene is the way she is. She didn’t know what else to do, so shutting down became her method of dealing with things.”
“Did he hit Jamie?” Jace demands, his face going a dark red. I shake my head.
“No, never. I can promise you that. I managed to keep Herb away from Jamie by giving him everything he wanted. If he was angry, or just wanted to show his dominance over us, he took it out on me. Your son was never hurt.”
“Fuck!” Jace rages. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker. He is fucking toast!”
I hold up my hands.
“Not now, Jace. We just need to find peace first. Your son and I lived years in his household, and you’ve rescued us. That’s enough for now.”
Jace drops his head into his hands, his voice anguished.
“I should have known. The signs were there, and now that I think about it, it’s hard not to miss. I thought he was just super strict or… I don’t know. I should have known,” he says in an agonized voice. I want to go to him and to hold his hands in mine, to press into his body, but it seems too early.
“It’s not your fault,” is my gentle reply. “No one knew. Sure, some people suspected, but Dad made sure no one knew for sure, and threatened anyone who wanted to tell. He was so powerful, and no one in Lenville was willing to cross him.”
Jace shakes his head, his shoulders slumped.
“But I wasn’t anyone, Haley. I was your boyfriend. I should have protected you. I should have known that something wasn’t right.”
This time, my heart breaks.
“You were a kid yourself. It wasn’t your fault. My dad knew how to get into my head, and I did whatever he wanted for years. One of my few acts of defiance was dating you and I’ve never regretted it.”
He looks up, agony in his face.
“Is that why you didn’t want to see me after that first time?” he asks hoarsely. “I wanted to talk to you Haley, but you ghosted me. You were never available, and you never even left the house. I know because I watched the manor every available minute,” he laughs bitterly. “I was a full-time stalker.”
But wait. What is he talking about?
“You tried to find me?” I ask in a small voice, hoping against hope.
He nods again, dropping his head once more into his hands.
“I couldn’t get in touch with you for weeks, Haley. I thought you were ignoring me because our first time together was too much. I thought you finally realized you were too good for me, and oh god, I thought you didn’t want there to be an us anymore.”
I shake my head.
“Oh, Jace. That’s not true. I wasn’t ignoring you. The night after we …” Trailing off, I look down at my hands, too nervous to turn my eyes back up towards Jace. “The night we were in your truck, my dad caught me sneaking back in. He questioned me, and for some reason, I talked back to him. He was insulting you like he usually does, but that night, I couldn’t take it anymore. I said things I had never dreamed of. Herb got so mad, and he hit me harder than ever before. It was so bad that I blacked out, and the next couple of weeks, I couldn’t even get out of bed. My dad locked me up in a random room in the house and kept me there, and by the time I got to a phone, you didn’t answer. I tried and tried, but there was no way for me to contact you. I never ignored you Jace. If anything, I was calling your name desperately while I was locked in the room, hoping you’d save me.”
The expression on his face is thunderstruck, and his entire body is still, yet vibrating with rage.
“Jace?”
“That fucker,” he rages. “I’m going to murder him.”
I finally get the courage to get out of my seat and sit next to his massive bulk on the couch. I don’t touch him, but I want him to know I’m here.
“Don’t apologize, Jace. You didn’t do anything wrong. Herb is a master manipulator, and he manipulated two kids seven years ago. He’s the bad guy, not you.”
Jace shakes his head in a mix of anguish and fury.
“It’s not that. I left Lenville because I thought you didn’t want me anymore. I thought I’d scared you away, and you’d finally up and left me.”
“Scared me away?” I was never afraid of Jace. There’s nothing he could have done to make me not want him. He shakes his head with misery.
“I thought I was too rough with you. After I dropped you off at home, there was …” He takes a deep breath. “Your first blood was on my cock, sweetheart, and I realized that taking your virginity in the back of my truck the way I did must have been brutal. I knew I was big, and I knew I liked it rough, and still I… still I was brutal.”
But Jace didn’t do anything to me I didn’t want him to do, and I tell him so.
“Oh, Jace. You didn’t scare me, and you never could. I loved every second of being with you. I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life, and our night together was wonderful. I saw stars, and felt the earth shake in your arms. If I could have gotten out of bed, I would have looked for you all over the world. But I was locked up in that room withou
t my phone, and I thought you didn’t want me anymore. By the time I got out of the room, you’d disappeared entirely.”
The feeling between us is of stunned astonishment, but also grateful relief and intense attraction. Is it possible? Were Jace and I separated through evil influences that we couldn’t control? Did he want me all along, the way that I want him? Suddenly, I have to know what I mean to this man, and am determined to find out.
13
Jace
Haley is next to me, telling me everything that happened to her these past couple years. I can’t believe how blind I was. I can’t believe I ever let her father get into my head.
Stupid. I’m so stupid!
I should have known. I should have protected my girl.
“Jace?”
Her voice interrupts my thoughts.
“God, Haley. I’m so sorry about all of this,” I apologize. “These seven years. Damn it, I could just kill Herb knowing what he’s done to us.”
“It’s okay,” she comforts me, putting a small hand on my shoulder. “Again, we were just kids in the hands of a master manipulator. We’ve lost time, but we can make up for it. Life is long, but it’s not over.”
I turn to look at her. This woman takes my breath away because of her resilience and positive attitude.
“Sweetheart, I don’t know what to say,” I utter, my voice trembling with emotion. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I can’t believe you’re finally here again. And you bore me a son, too. How can I ever repay you?”
She takes my face between her hands, looking me in the eye.
“Be a good father to Jamie, Jace. That’s all I want. My life revolves around our child, and I just want what’s best for him.”
Again, my breath’s taken away by the magnificence of this woman. She had nothing seven years ago, but she persevered and fought back, until here we are now. I owe her my life, my heart, and every hope, and I gather her hands in my own.
“I hope you can forgive me, sweetheart,” is my voice, coursing with emotion. “Do you think you can?”
Again, the look in her eyes is gentle and warm.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Jace. You meant the world to me then, and you mean the world to me now.”
I stare at her.
“Do you mean it?” I ask, my voice hoarse. The air between us trembles with electricity, and suddenly, I know that I want to be with this woman. It’s been seven years, and I need to taste her again.
But instead of answering, Haley merely hoists herself up so that she’s kneeling right next to me on the couch. She lifts her hands, hesitantly resting them on my t-shirt. They skim up my body until they land on my shoulders as she looks at me from under her lashes.
“I never stopped loving you, Jace,” she whispers. “Never.”
That’s all I need to hear. My lips swoop down on hers, taking them in a possessive kiss. She’s soft, willing, and oh so sweet as her mouth parts beneath mine.
“Is that what you really want, baby?” I rasp. “Because once I start, I don’t think I can stop.”
She smiles up at me, stroking the hard planes of my face with a soft hand.
“Yes Jace, this is what I want. Kiss me,” she breathes. I don’t answer with words. I press my lips to hers, savoring her for the first time in seven years. She smells good, tastes sweet, and there’s nothing I would change about her.
She moans into my mouth as I pry her lips open with my tongue. I get myself up on the couch, so I can press my body into hers. My pants are loose fitting, but my erection still feels too confined. I want to rip off all our clothes and fuck the shit out of this girl, but I’m not going to make the same mistake I did the first time. Tonight, I’m going to worship every inch of Haley’s body.
Leaning forward, I position the curvy girl so she’s lying down.
“Are you going to come inside me again?” her voice is sultry and suggestive, egging me on even more.
“Yes, baby girl. I’m definitely putting my cock in that tight little pussy of yours, and then pumping you full of my seed. But first things first,” I tell her.
I wrap my fingers under the collar of her shirt and then pull. She mewls at the sound of fabric ripping, but I don’t stop until I’ve finished and her lush breasts are revealed to me. They’re huge and soft, and I squeeze one gently before lowering my head to lap at the nipple.
“Jace,” she mewls breathlessly. “Oh god, keep going.” Loving her encouragement, I raise my head and look back down at her, savoring the sight. She’s so gorgeous but then a glint of metal catches my eye at her collarbone. It’s the first time I notice that she’s still wearing that necklace I bought her years ago.
I pick it up, fingering the sun shape. I was working in the Goodwill close to Lenville, and it came in one day. The second I saw it I thought of Haley. The symbolism fit because she brightened my world as my sun. I pooled together all the money I could manage and with the help of an employee discount, managed to purchase it for her.
She smiles up at me, reading my mind.
“I never took it off, Jace. This was a memory of you,” she tells me. It’s crazy because Herb bought her all sorts of trinkets from Tiffany and Cartier, and yet with all that jewelry, she kept the necklace I gave to her. I feel as tall as a giant and as big as a mountain. This woman lifts me up and fills me with confidence, not to mention passion. She’s proven time and time again that I’m not worthy, and that I’m lucky to be with the likes of her.
Gently, I caress her breasts again, weighing the heavy cream in my hands. She moans, her eyes falling closed.
“You’re so gorgeous,” I growl. Her pert pink nipples call to me, and I bring my mouth down on the left one, swirling my tongue around it.
“Oh my god.” I keep going, taking nips at her bud. She makes quiet, high-pitched squeals as her hips gyrate beneath me.
I move to her other breast, giving it the same treatment. The nips get as hard as rock as I suck on them, gently laving the tips.
I finish up and move up her body, kissing along the tops of her breasts, collarbone, and neck until I reach her mouth. I kiss her deeply and with every ounce of passion in me. I don’t deserve her, and yet here we are.
As our lips are pressed, I snake my hand down her body until I’ve reached the hem of her pants. I break our kiss, so I can look her in the eyes.
“Haley?”
“Yes, Jace?”
“Has anyone ever touched you down here?” I slip my hand into her panties and stroke through that soft wet slit. She gasps as my finger swirls around her clit, her nub hard and aroused.
She bites her lip as she shakes her head.
“Only you,” she pants.
“Only me?” I ask, slowly easing a finger into her hole. Her head falls back as those pink lips part, breathing hard with ecstasy.
“Yes, only you, Jace.” Her eyes flutter closed with pleasure, and I ease a second finger into her tight little hole. I pump in and out of her with more speed, wanting to see that beautiful face of hers come again. Simultaneously, my thumb finds her clit, drawing circles around it while making her mewl louder and louder.
“Come on, baby girl. Are you going to come for me?”
“Ummm.” Her walls pulsate around my fingers as her body slowly begins to quiver.
“Jace, I – I…” Haley doesn’t finish her sentence, but then her fluids thicken and a gush comes rushing out onto my palm. It’s wet and warm, and I growl with satisfaction as her pussy snaps and clamps on my digits.
“Oh Jace!” she cries, lifting her knees to get more of my hand inside that wet twat. “Yes.”
Her pussy gushes and gushes, filling my palm with sweet female nectar. Holy cow, my baby is a squirter. Who knew? As she calms, I slowly pull my fingers out of her pussy, watching as the glistening lengths reappear, before bringing them up to my mouth. Her eyes fly open as I taste her female ambrosia.
“Oh my god, Jace,” she gasps. But I cut her off.
&
nbsp; “Do you know what you taste like, Haley?” She shakes her head. I slip my fingers into my mouth and lick every last drop of her arousal off, reveling in the sweetness. “You taste like heaven, baby.
“Oh Jace, you’re so filthy,” she whispers.
“I know,” I smirk. “And don’t forget it because I’m going to be all over this beautiful body.”
She smiles while wriggling against me, her pussy still wet.
“I want to make you feel that good too,” is her coy mewl.
“You will, sweetheart, you will. But I need more of you right now, okay? Having my fingers in you wasn’t nearly enough.”
Before she can protest, I have her pants off so that she’s clad only in a tiny pair of panties. Of course, they’re sopping wet and practically transparent. I pull them to the side, so her steamy pussy is revealed before lowering myself to her wetness.
“Do you want this Haley?” I whisper against her swollen flesh.
Her fingers tunnel through my hair as she arches her back.
“Yes, Jace. Give it to me.”
With that, I take a deep lick of her pussy all the way from her asshole to her clit. She arches her back, mewling, as I slowly explore her folds.
“Oh god!”
Her fingers tangle into my hair, pulling at it with great strength. I love the effect I have on my baby. She’s so fucking responsive, making my erection so hard and strong. I can’t wait to slip my dick into this tiny cunt, and letting her squeeze me until I come.
But for now, I want to enjoy her essence. I put my hands on her hips, pushing them down to keep her place. Her leg wraps around my back when I wrap my lips around her clit, she almost explodes again. I tease it with my tongue, swiping back and forth.
“Oh, Jace! Jesus Christ!”
I growl into her pussy, sending vibrations into her body. I use my thumbs to part her folds manually, and push my tongue in and out of her hole. Haley continues to mewl and moan, getting louder and louder. Her hands go to her mouth to muffle the sounds, but the sweet song rises in the air.