by Somer Grey
This time when I arrived at Final Stand, Raul was at the door and ushered me into the club. I didn’t have to wait or show my ID. He just slipped the white band on my arm and led me to the loft. A second bouncer opened the rope before I even uttered a word.
As I climbed the stairs, Bryce stood at the top with a drink in his hand. He was dressed even sexier than the last time I saw him: dark blue jeans and solid black dress shirt untucked from his pants. The first three buttons were undone, and a gold necklace hung from his neck.
Bryce took my hand and kissed my cheek. “I’m glad you came.”
He led me to the same table from the week before. I hadn't noticed the view the last time I had been there. The entire bottom of the loft was made of glass and allowed the dance floor and bar to be viewed from above. I often wondered how he found me in the back of the club at a small table if he partied up here. He apparently had the perfect view. We drank and watched the dancers below for the first hour, and then he pulled me close to his body. His arms wrapped around me, and my head fell to his shoulder as we swayed to the music. The club music was pumping loud and to a fast beat, but our bodies moved in harmony with each other. It was like we had music just for us. One minute we were dancing, and the next our lips collided, and passion took over. His tongue swept into my mouth, taking my tongue hostage, sucking and pulling it into his mouth. His hands moved from my arms to the back of my head and tilted it to have better access. His kiss was a match, and I was the unlit candle—together combustible. My heart was beating faster, and my panties had just melted off of my body. Someone called his name and broke the connection; he groaned in annoyance.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
As he stepped away, all my senses came back. I realized the consequences if I didn’t get out of there fast. It would cost me everything.
“Bryce, I need to go.”
“But the party is just starting.”
“I can’t. If I get caught with you, I'll lose everything.”
A smirk crossed his face. “Oh, I can make you lose everything with just my tongue.”
Damn, why did he have to be so sexy? Turning him down wouldn’t be easy. “I really have to go.”
“Oh, Melissa, you break my heart and leave me desperate.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me back. “Talk to me. Let me help you.”
I leaned my head into his chest and inhaled; his scent alone made me weak again. He pulled me into another passionate kiss and was relentless with the attack on my mouth. His tongue worked fast as his hands pulled me even closer.
“Meet me tomorrow for lunch.”
“I can’t. I shouldn’t be here now.”
“Melissa, my sweet Melissa—please?”
“I’ll think about it.”
He took the phone out of my hand and called his phone. “I’ll text you.”
Fuck, I was in such a sex-induced haze, I didn’t realize Bryce used the phone Peyton had given me. I needed to get away fast before I lost my will to leave.
“Fine. Where?”
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at noon. I’ll take you somewhere we can talk and really get to know each other.”
I knew it was against the rules, but I was so tired of being lonely and depressed. Bryce made me feel alive again. He treated me like Peyton did in the beginning—made me feel wanted. Our first lunch was simple and easy. We talked about school and our dreams. He spoke about his mother in Savannah, and that one day he would be the head of Montague Corporation. He told me about his childhood and that his mom had been the best friend of the corporation’s owner and his mother’s friend’s husband had groomed him from a young age to take over the business. He would return to Savannah after graduate school and in no time at all be running a multimillion-dollar company. He never showed disapproval of the fact that I didn’t come from money. He didn’t care.
It wasn’t until our last lunch that I realized Bryce cared about only one thing—his dick. Up until that time, Bryce had been one of the most charming men I’d ever met. He’d held my hand and kissed the top of my head like I was special. He’d never mentioned sex and never pushed for more.
Bryce always wore a gold chain, but this was the first time I noticed a charm with the letter “A” dangling from it. I tried to pick it up, but he twisted my arm back and squeezed tighter.
He growled, “Don’t fucking touch!”
“Bryce, you're hurting me.”
Just as fast as he turned angry, his demeanor changed again. “Melissa, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just that the charm is special. It belongs to a… friend.”
“Oh,” I said. “I just wanted to look at it. It’s beautiful. What does the “A” stand for?”
“Alexandria.”
“Alexandria? Who is she?”
“My fiancée.”
“Your fiancée?” WTF. You're engaged?” I tried to keep my voice down, but people had already heard us and began to stare.
“Melissa, calm down. You didn’t think I would marry a nobody like you? You’re a fuck—nothing more. You may be a high-priced whore, but you’re still a whore.” His eyes glazed over and his teeth gritted together as he delivered his speech about the type of woman I was and assessing my worth or lack thereof.
I grabbed my purse and left, crying the entire way home. Bryce was like every other asshole—they used people for their benefit. Even the first boy I slept with used me to help him pass his finals. Peyton used me for sex, and even though I didn’t sleep with Bryce, that was always his intention.
Every man I wanted to give my heart to was a cheater. But was I any different? Every man I slept with was already in a relationship. I may not have known, but I still was the other woman. And truthfully speaking, my relationship with Bryce was more than as a friend. We may not have had sex, but we kissed each other like lovers. I had to classify myself in the same category as a cheater. That was the moment everything became clear: things needed to change.
I went home to my apartment that Peyton financed and contemplated my next move. I wanted to be free from this contract and tell Peyton the truth. I may have kissed Bryce, but I never slept with him. I hoped Peyton would be understanding. I knew Peyton would be pissed even if seemed as if he didn’t want me anymore. Maybe we could agree to walk away from the contract with no penalties for either of us. If Peyton refused to release me from the contract with Infidelity, I would have to honor it for the next six months. But after that, I was done, and I refused to sell any more of my soul to anyone.
Once I was settled, I decided it was now or never. I needed to text him while my determination was strong. I feared that Peyton would wiggle his way back into my heart if I let him. I might have resented his treatment, but deep down I still cared for him.
Me: We need to talk.
Peyton: Monday. I’m not sure you will be able to speak with your mouth filled with my dick. I pay you to service my needs—not talk.
Dick. Why were all the men in my life assholes? I spent Saturday with my journal: I listed all of my decisions over the last few months and how I would do each one differently. Once I wrote almost every decision I’d made over the previous six months, I realized that everything was my fault. My dream became more important than living my life. My insecurities about never being good enough cost me more than I expected.
Chapter 14
The Betrayal
Melissa
Late Sunday afternoon, security called up to let me know my takeout had arrived, and the deliveryman was on his way up. I grabbed my wallet from the bedroom and headed for the door, just steps away when he knocked. I swung the door open and looked up into the blue abyss—eyes dark and cold.
“How the fuck did you get up here?”
He held up the bag of food. “I brought us dinner. Wasn’t that nice of me?” Bryce sneered.
“You need to leave. Now,” I demanded.
“Melissa, is that any way to thank me for thinking of you?”
He reached up with his free hand to pull a strand of red hair into his fingers, and I backed up, which was a mistake. Bryce’s tone was calm and playful, but his eyes were full of hate. The look reminded me of the other day when I tried to touch his necklace—only he looked deadlier today.
“Bryce, you need to leave before I call security.”
Lord, I silently prayed, don’t let him hear the panic in my voice.
I grabbed the door handle and tried to calmly shut the door. The key was already in the deadbolt, I just needed to close and lock. Three seconds tops and then I could call security and have him removed. Stepping away from the door, I tried to shut it, but it would budge. Bryce had slammed his hand over the door and held it open. I wasn’t strong enough to push back.
Fear as I had never known surged through me as he pushed the door open and walked inside. My heart was a beating drum as my body trembled with fear, intensifying with each step as he came nearer. One step forward for him and one step backward for me, and then he stopped.
“Alexandria, I’ve missed you.”
Alexandria? Did he really think I was his fiancée? “Bryce, listen to me. I’m not Alexandria. It's me. It's Melissa,” I pleaded with him.
Seconds passed in silence, and he turned around, headed back for the door. I prayed he would leave, but I wasn’t that lucky. With one hand he slammed the door shut and the other he turned the key in the deadbolt and removed it.
“You need to leave, Bryce!”
The key twisted between his fingers and flipped in the air as he turned toward me and slid the key into the front pocket of his jeans. Instinct took over; each step he took toward me, I took backward, step by step until I bumped into the Victorian chair at the edge of the area rug. A step to the right led me toward the couch; my legs stopped at the sofa with no escape. The farther I moved away from him, the redder his face turned. Eyes full of hate and rage, his lip curled up, and he bared his teeth. Bryce was gone and whoever just emerged showed no feeling.
“Alexandria, did you think I wouldn’t know?”
“What? Bryce, I’m not Alexandria. Remember? It’s Melissa.”
“Shut up, whore.”
I needed to buy time until I could find a way out or bring the Bryce I met at the club back from whoever this monster was. Bryce had the only key in his pocket, and I sure as fuck didn’t want to get close. My phone was my only option, and it was under my books in the dining room. I just needed ten seconds to swipe Peyton’s preprogrammed number on the keyboard—speed dial one. He might have been distant lately, but he wouldn't let someone hurt what was his—at least that was what I hoped.
Bryce continued to move closer, and I moved to the left on the far end of the sofa. From there, I’d have a straight shot to my phone. It would be my only chance to get past Bryce first. Slow motion took over as Bryce inched closer, and I moved closer to the back of the couch.
His fingers traced and tapped his lips. “I’ve been thinking… you never adequately thanked me for all the dinners and drinks.”
“What?” This had to be a dream. This wasn’t the sweet man I’d met just a few weeks ago, the man who held me and made me want to tell him all my secrets.
“You owe me. I paid for a service—for you.” His hand reached down and rubbed the front of his jeans. “I’m here to collect my money's worth.”
“What?” My mind raced with what the fuck he was talking about; I never promised shit. He paid for our meal when we went out but… OMG—I told him about Peyton.
“Bryce, please. I’ll pay you money, please,” I begged. “How much do you want?”
He walked closer, and I made my run toward the table and freedom. Bryce had expected it and rushed over the couch, grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me closer. “I don’t want money. I want this.” His fingers burrowed into my crotch and his hands ran over my ass and up to my lips. “And this... and this.”
“Please, Bryce. Don’t! Just leave. I won’t tell anyone you were here.”
“Oh, Melissa, I don’t care what you tell people. You’re just an overpriced whore. I’m collecting a debt.”
“Bryce, please.”
“Well, since you begged so nicely.” He let my arm go and took the key out of his pocket and headed toward the door. Relief only lasted a few seconds before he turned around and slapped me across the face. The force knocked me down, and my head slammed into the sofa table.
“Now, where would you like to pay your debt? On the floor like the dirty whore you are or in the comfort of your bed?”
He snatched my hair and dragged me into the bedroom and slammed me into the side of the dresser. One glance at the bed and my heart stopped. The bungee cord Peyton used to secure me during sex stuck out from the mattress.
Fuck, please don’t let him see it, please.
“Well. Well. Well. It looks like Miss Summers is a kinky whore, too,” Bryce said as he bent down and pulled the cord.
Fuck, this wasn’t good. I needed to get the hell out of there.
The bathroom.
I could lock myself in there until he left or Peyton arrived. But he could probably break the damn door down. I needed my phone to call for help. As he walked around the bed, he pulled the bungee cord, and the gleam sparkled in his eyes with even more excitement.
His focus never left me. I wasn’t sure if I would have time, but I needed to try. I ran. Bryce jumped over the bed and had me by the hair before I even left the room.
As he pulled my back to his front, he rubbed his dick into my ass. “Do you feel that, Alexandria?”
My arms were held at my sides, but my legs were still free. I tried to kick, but he was much stronger than me.
“Fucking bitch, don’t kick me.”
He trapped my legs with his and twisted my body to face him. One of Bryce’s hands reached around my neck and squeezed. Little black dots appeared in my vision as his hands squeezed tighter.
“Why. Can’t. You. Just. Fucking. Listen?”
With each word, my body slammed into the wall, leaving me dazed.
“Oh, you like it rough, don’t you, whore? Alexandria, did you fuck all the college boys at Stanford or just the one?”
More pain shot through me as he slammed me against the wall a few more times before he released me. I dropped straight to the floor. Anger and disgust overtook him, causing his face to redden and his eyes to glaze. It was like he was possessed; his mind was in its own world—one minute I was Alexandria and the next Melissa. I wasn’t sure if my life was in more danger as Melissa or as whoever this Alexandria was.
Pain radiated through my entire body; my head pounded and ribs ached from his abuse. His hands wrapped around my neck, smashing me into the wall one more time, and then he threw me on the bed. I tried to fight him, kick, or scratch him, but he overpowered me. Bryce had my hands secured in seconds and my feet within minutes. There was no escape for me tied down and him on top of me.
“Melissa, it time to play out your fantasy.” He stood over me with the most sinister smile. “Well, I planned just to fuck you on the floor, but here you have everything already set up. Fuck me. I do know how to pick the perfect whores to fuck.”
Tears clouded my vision. “Please, Bryce. Please, don’t do this!” I screamed over and over, my voice hoarse from being strangled.
He carried on as if I wasn’t even there. “Now, our safe word will be… hmm, let me think.” Bryce looked up as if he was thinking and tapped his finger to his temple.
“Please stop. Please let me go,” I pleaded. I needed to reach him, to bring Bryce back to the real world.
“You win—no safe word.” He threw his head back and laughed.
Bryce’s fingers dug into my thigh and then reached under my dress and pulled it up. “I like these.” He traced my panties. “But they seem to be in the way.” Bryce slid a finger under the seam and ripped them open to gain access to my most private area.
&nb
sp; I twisted and turned, but restrained as I was, I didn’t have much movement. Bryce gripped and squeezed my breast leaving a trail of pain. He climbed off me and unbuckled his belt, lowered his pants and boxers, and rubbed his hand over his dick. I wasn’t sure who he thought I was. I just prayed he’d come to his senses before he hurt me anymore.
“Where would you like me to start—your pussy, ass, or mouth?” He reached down touching every spot he planned on invading.
“Bryce, please don’t. Please just leave. I won't tell anyone,” I begged over and over.
“There is nothing to tell. This is your rape fantasy. I’m just trying to make it as real for me as it is for you.” A moan escaped as he gripped his dick and pulled. “Don’t worry, I’ll meet your needs, too. Isn’t that what most women complain about?” He laughed.
“Please.”
“Open your mouth. I need you to get me ready.”
Ready? Fuck, he was already “ready.” His hand ran up and down the length, waiting.
“Like what you see?” He stood proud of himself. “Don’t worry; I’ll fill every hole you have with my cum before the night is over.” He laughed. “Maybe even twice if you’re lucky.”
Bryce climbed back on top of me and sat on my chest. “Open your mouth.”
I sucked my lips into my mouth as a refusal. When I did, he placed his hand over my nose and cut off my oxygen until my mouth opened.
“Now, if you bite me, you’ll regret it.”
I closed my eyes and prayed for someone to help, but no one would. I was tied to a bed and locked in an apartment with a lunatic. He shoved his dick into my mouth repeatedly. He didn’t care if I gagged. Tears flowed from my eyes as I gasped for breath, and my mouth filled with his cum.