The Duke's Diamond

by Andromeda -

  He opened the door for her and held her hand as they walked into the skating rink. Loud music, flashing lights and the scent of pizza, chicken wings and other foods greeted them.

  "This is amazing," she whispered in awe.

  "You've never been here before?" he asked.

  She shook her head. "Never."

  "Well, then, I hope you enjoy your first time here, love," he said with a wide grin.

  They got their skates, and when she sat down to pull on her skates, he shook his head.

  "Let me do it," he offered. "A true gentleman helps his princess when she is in need."

  Diamond laughed at his words, but let him do what he wanted. Carefully, he took off her shoe and slid the skate onto her foot. His warm fingers traced patterns on her ankles, which made a shudder shoot through her spine. He tied the string and then did the same thing with the other.

  When she was secure, he quickly did his own before holding his hand out to her with a smile. "Ready?"

  Diamond looked at his hand, and it was almost as if life was giving her a choice. Don't take his hand and keep on living the life she had…or, take it and try to make life better for her daughter, who deserved so much more than what she had right now.

  She took a deep breath and slowly reached out, grabbing it tightly.

  Chapter Seven: ...And A Date Night

  Jonathan opened the door to her room and turned on the lights. Diamond stepped inside and her eyes widened at the luxury, which made him smile nervously.

  "Do you like it?" he asked.

  "It's beautiful here," she said, as she rushed to a window and looked out of it. "I didn't know Las Vegas looked like this at night." She sighed.

  He walked over and shyly wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'm glad you liked it. What would you like for dinner? You can have whatever you want."

  They had stayed at the roller rink for hours, laughing and giggling like little children. She fell on her ass at first, but quickly got the hang of it and began to skate circles around him. After skating all day, he invited her back to his room for the night and she accepted, though what they would do here, was yet to be seen.

  I want her, he thought to himself as he looked at her. So badly, do I want her. But I don't know if she is ready for me. Or if she even wants me that way…

  Diamond’s face brightened and she asked for loaded potato skins and hot wings. Jonathan laughed and ordered the same thing as well as chocolate cake and ice cream. When it came, they attacked the food like children, using their fingers to eat, which strangely turned into a food fight she won, but only because he let her.

  Once they were cleaned up, they plopped down on the bed to watch TV. Gently, he pulled her into his lap, and though she was stiff at first, when he began to softly rub her shoulders, she quickly relaxed. As he stroked her shoulders as they watched TV, he figured he’d ask her questions about herself.

  "How old is your daughter?" he asked.

  She looked up in surprise. "She is six.”

  "And…her father is your boyfriend?" he asked carefully.

  She nodded solemnly and turned away from him. He could see the shame blooming on her cheeks, but he tilted her chin back up to look him in the eyes.

  "You do not need to be ashamed," he said softly. "I will not judge you."

  "It's so easy for others to judge," she whispered. "I've been the victim of it for so long…"

  She tried to turn her head away again, and again he cupped her chin, turning her back to look at him.

  "Well, I'm not like those kinds of people," he confessed. "Look, Dia, there…there is something I have to confess to you."

  She looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "What's that?"

  "I…I like you, OK?" he stammered. "And I want to help you get away from your 'boyfriend'."

  She stiffened and pulled away. Standing up, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked out the window. "Look, you don't think I've tried? I have tried twice: once before my daughter and once when she was a baby. But…Alfonzo…Alfonzo always found us. There is no place in Las Vegas we can hide."

  He stood up and walked over to her. "Who said anything about Las Vegas?"

  She looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"

  "Look, in less than two months I have to return to New Haven in Connecticut to return to my job. This…Alfonzo wouldn't have any people in such a place, would he?"

  She frowned as she thought this over and slowly, she began to nod. "No…no, he wouldn't."

  "Then run away with me," he said. "You can enroll in school there and find a job to support your daughter." He cupped her cheek. "Diamond, you deserve so much more than what you have… Your daughter deserves so much more."

  He didn’t know what it was about this woman that drove him crazy. He wanted to worship her on an altar, while also being there for her and her daughter. He wanted to be buried so deeply within her, to hear her scream his name as she climaxed, but most importantly, he wanted to help her get away from that man.

  She bit her lip. "J-Jonathan, I don't know.”

  He pulled her close. "Stop trying to think with your head and think with your heart."

  Cupping the back of her head, he kissed her gently, slanting his lips over hers to deepen it. For a moment, she stiffened in surprise but then melted against him. Kissing him back furiously, her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer.

  Their tongues fought for dominance as he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed. Gently laying her on it, his hands roamed over her body through her clothes while she tore off his shirt, but he pulled away when he felt her reach for his belt.

  "No," he groaned softly. "N-not here…not now…”

  Her lips twisted into a pout. "But why?"

  "I want you to be a free woman first," he said, slowly getting off her. "And I want to date you longer than just once. Before we sleep together, I want it to be perfect. OK?"

  She nodded and fixed her shirt, but he kissed her neck, earning a giggle from her lips. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her to his chest before sliding under the covers, holding her until she fell asleep. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

  This poor woman has been through so much and I want to help her no matter what. However, what will happen when she finds out who I really am, the son of a duke? Will she leave me? I've only known her for a short while and know if she does I will go insane from the loss. No, no, the best thing to do is to not tell her at all until I know she is ready to hear the truth.

  Chapter Eight: Beaten and Betrayed

  Secrecy and time. They both can be my enemies and allies. Right now, they are my allies. Well, they are supposed to be…, Diamond thought to herself.

  She and Jonathan had a plan. In a couple weeks Alfonzo would be leaving for a week-long trip to Los Angeles. Like normal, she would be the one in charge, and no one would worry if she went ‘missing’ for a couple hours after he left, as she normally had to handle his interests.

  It would be the perfect time to leave.

  All she had to do was wait.

  The weeks that followed were important as they had two purposes: to gain trust in each other and explore their options. Virtually every day, Jonathan would request her for ‘dates’, making him her regular.

  At first, she was nervous Alfonzo would get jealous. Strangely enough, he seemed to not care. She brought in tens of thousands of dollars for him weekly, much more than any other girl. Of course, all he saw was dollar signs.

  “He ever wants to get another girl to join you?” Alfonzo asked one day, as she handed him the bundle of bills.

  Diamond shook her head. “Not at all. He wants only me, and only pays for just me.”

  These dates were not just massages and movies, they were planning sessions and mock runs. Every day they dared to go a little further with themselves in running away, but one thing always prevented her from going too far: Dalila.

  Diamond never took her da
ughter with her on her dates for two main reasons. One, she knew Alfonzo would get very suspicious if she did so. Two, little Dalila was a blab mouth. She was a parrot, and Diamond just couldn’t afford for her daughter to blurt out her plans to her father, even if it was just an accident. Her heart pounded every day as it got closer and closer to the date of both Jonathan leaving and her escape.

  When they weren’t planning this death run, they spent time with each other, learning more and more about each other’s past. She told him what she was comfortable with him learning, but was surprised that he seemed to be such an open book about his life. His father was very wealthy and he had a mother and younger sister who he loved to bits.

  “My father and I have two different plans for my life,” he admitted to her one night as they sat in the hotel room, sharing a tub of cookies and cream ice cream.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “He wants me to…take over the family business,” he said slowly. “But I don’t want that. I mean…I don’t think I do. Suddenly, things seem so…fuzzy.”

  “How?” she asked, sucking on her spoon.

  He smiled and cupped her cheek. “You. You have…changed my outlook on a lot of things, and I want nothing more than to help you and your daughter.”

  She couldn’t deny she felt something when she was with him, when she was in his arms. They never had sex or anything in the sexual nature, but she knew the desire was there on both sides. Yet, she was nervous and scared. She had opened her heart to one man, who promised her the world and back…and instead, she was forced to walk on eggshells whenever she was around him.

  Jonathan treasured her.

  Alfonzo used her.

  For years, she thought she was in love with him, that she would do whatever it took to make him happy. Now it seems that nothing she could do was worth his time.

  But no longer. I am taking Dalila far away from him. I am going to go to school and get a job and maybe even change my name so Alfonzo will never find us.

  ✵✵✵✵✵✵✵

  "Dia? I need you!" a sharp, annoying voice called out.

  Diamond quickly deleted Jonathan’s latest text and shut the phone, looking up as Ruby stormed over, her cheeks puffed out and flushed with anger. Diamond tried her hardest to not laugh at the haughty, spoiled girl, who always had her eye on her spot as Bottom Bitch. Truthfully, Diamond would pass it to her in a heartbeat, but at the same time, she knew Ruby couldn’t handle it.

  All she saw was the benefits, not the hard work that went into the job.

  "What is it, Ruby?" Diamond asked calmly. “You already got paid.”

  "Your…your…little…child." She spat the words as if they were poison. "Got into my makeup!"

  Diamond looked at Dalila poking her head out from behind a corner, smiling shyly.

  "I wanted to be beautiful like you, Mommy," Dalila said.

  Never before had Diamond seen something cuter in her life. She smiled softly at the little girl, but Ruby was glaring.

  "She's nothing more than a little bitch!" she shrieked. "A spoiled little bi—"

  She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence, as Diamond had punched her hard in the nose. Ruby staggered back, clutching her nose as she shrieked with pain.

  "Let me explain something to you," Diamond said, still deathly calm. "If I ever hear you say a single word about my daughter again, I will kill you."

  Ruby glared daggers at her superior. "You think you're so special, don't you? You think because you're Alfonzo's favorite you're safe? You think just because you have his bastard he loves you?"

  Diamond lunged for her again, grabbing her arm and twisting it sharply behind her back, slamming her against a wall. No one talked like that about her daughter. Ruby continued to scream in pain and tried to twist out, but Diamond held her tight.

  "He was in my bed last night," Ruby finally said venomously. "While you were with that British john, he was giving it to me good!"

  As much as Diamond didn’t want this to hurt her, as much as she tried to fight it…it still stung a bit. She knew Alfonzo slept with the other girls. It wasn’t in his nature to stay loyal to a single woman…no matter how hard she wished it to be. Shaking her head, she threw Ruby to the ground and glared down at her.

  "You are nothing more than a slut," Diamond growled. "Get the hell out of my house!"

  Ruby staggered to her feet, screaming and cursing at her. "YOU'LL REGRET THIS!! YOUR TIME IS UP!!"

  Diamond watched as she left before running to Dalila, who was huddled in a corner, her eyes wide with fear. She'd never seen her mother that angry before, and Diamond held her close to her chest, trying to calm her.

  "Hush, little one," Diamond whispered softly. "It's all right, hush."

  She looked at the blood on the ground and her stomach did a flip. I need to get this cleaned up before Alfonzo gets home.

  ✵✵✵✵✵✵✵

  The sound of a car pulling up from the driveway stopped Diamond from cooking. She looked at the clock and saw that it was a bit early for Alfonzo to get home. Frowning suspiciously, she tucked a fork into her pocket, just as the door opened and hell was unleashed.

  Alfonzo charged in, shouting her name and when he saw her, she could see the wild look in his eyes. The look that screamed for blood. Her blood.

  Pushing everything out of the way, he ran at her like a wild man. "COME HERE!" he roared.

  Diamond ran away, looking around for a room to hide in. "Alfonzo, calm down," she pleaded.

  Finding the bathroom, she rushed inside, locking the door as he pounded on it.

  "OPEN THIS DOOR, YOU BITCH!" he shouted. "DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!?"

  Diamond screamed as the door exploded and he charged in, grabbing her by the hair, his eyes boring into hers.

  "It's going to take Ruby forever to heal up," he growled. "That's money I don't have!"

  "She called our daughter a bitch and a bastard!" she protested. "What was I supposed to do?”

  "She's your daughter, not mine! You're the slut who had her legs wide open for me!" he bellowed.

  "I…I loved you!" she yelled.

  "As if I ever loved you," he snorted.

  His words were like an arrow in the heart.

  "A-Alfonzo…you can't mean that," she choked. "You said—"

  "I say a lot of things I never mean!" he sneered. "And you are nothing more than a slut who needs to know her place. I've been too easy on you. It’s time I remind you of your place."

  He dragged her down the hallway and into the empty bedroom. The next hours were nothing more than hell on earth for her. He beat, raped and then beat her again. This was the worst treatment she’d ever had from him, and soon, all she could do was tune out from all the pain and shock of this. Fighting and screaming until her voice was hoarse got her nowhere. All she could see were blurry visions of this…of her past. One time it was her stepfather on top of her, another time it was her first john, another time it was back to Alfonzo.

  Diamond didn’t know when he stopped, but when she could feel nothing, she finally made an attempt to open her blackened eyes. Every part of her body was sore, unable to move from being stiff. She slowly rolled her head and eyes, looking around as she tried to place where she was.

  She was in the bedroom, but Alfonzo wasn’t.

  The house is silent or is that from the roar of blood in my ear? I don't know, she thought to herself.

  Gritting her teeth against the pain, she made her body sit up and plant her feet firmly on the ground. She wobbled, almost falling on her bottom, but in the end, she forced herself to stand erect.

  Carefully, and leaning against the wall for support, she made her way slowly through the house, looking for anyone. Nothing. Alfonzo was gone, no doubt having gone to drink with Luke.

  This is my chance, this is my chance to escape, she thought to herself with hope. Yes, it's earlier than what Jonathan and I planned, but this is my one and only chance to escape. When Alfonzo comes b
ack, he's going to finish his work.

  But first, she had to find her daughter.

  "D-Dalila?" Diamond called weakly. "Dalila, where are you, baby?"

  No answer.

  Her heart froze in her chest as the unthinkable flashed in her mind. Did Alfonzo take her? If so, then she couldn’t leave without her baby.

  A gentle scrape caught her attention, and then Diamond remembered something. There were several secret rooms in this house. Alfonzo had them built in case the police ever raided this place. She always told Dalila to go to one in particular in case something ever happened.

  With a soft groan, Diamond headed to the kitchen. The untouched, half-cooked food was still sitting on the counter top. Walking to the pantry, she bent down and moved aside the sacks of potatoes, revealing a door. Gently pulling the handle, the door swung open and there sat her little girl huddled in a corner, her large, chocolate eyes wide with fear.

  "Momma?" she whispered.

  "Hi, baby," Diamond whispered back. "Come on…w-we have to get out of here."

  "What about Daddy?" Dalila asked.

  Diamond flinched. "Daddy…daddy is gone. Come on, baby girl, we have to go now."

  She held out her hand to her daughter and the little one looked at it. Diamond could see the wheels working in her mind and then she took it. She had made her choice.

  Chapter Nine: Leaving

  "Come on, Dia," Jonathan murmured. "Come on, girl, pick up."

  He looked at his clock and cursed under his breath when it went to voicemail. For the last couple hours, he had been trying to call Diamond, but she hadn’t answered whatsoever.

  He was starting to get worried.

  She didn't show up for their practice run last night and didn't show up today for their little date.

  Sighing, he looked at the black box at his side and opened it, looking at the necklace that sat inside. She was the most beautiful and kind girl he had ever met and he wanted to make her his. He knew that she might not yet feel the same way, might not ever feel the same way, but he loved her, and was not afraid to say so.