No Deal Breakers

by Amanda

  "Aria, sweetheart, what's the matter?" She didn't answer, but moved in closer to him, holding on tightly, almost using him as a shield. This was so different than the other times she'd zoned out on him.

  "Come on honey, talk to me, you're starting to worry me." She was shaking now as she continued to stare.

  "Him," she finally breathed. Brian followed her gaze again.

  "What do you mean, that's Warren Kingston. He's Paul and Kara's dad."

  "And Jenny, he has a younger daughter named Jenny, she's only ten days younger than me. We look similar." He had to lean in to hear her now, as she was barely whispering as she continued to stare at the man that had almost become his father in law. He couldn't figure out how she knew all of that, he never talked about Jenny with her, he didn't know her that well, she lived mostly in New York and didn't come home often. He certainly never told her when her birthday was.

  "Aria, how do you know that?" He asked, and as soon as the question was out the answer hit him. He was furious, but sadly not surprised, when Warren had found out why Brian was calling off the wedding he'd laughed it off and told him that all couples had extra-marital affairs.

  "He was a client," Brian stated matter-of-factly, he was in Vegas frequently, and it was well known that Warren only had respect for laws when he was in the courtroom. She whimpered and clung closer to his side as Warren saw them, his eyes flaring with recognition as he made his way toward them, stopping every few feet to greet someone.

  Brian immediately began praying that this would a healing experience and that it would go according to God's will.

  "King," she breathed, barely a whisper.

  18

  She couldn't look away, she couldn't move, she couldn't breath. She was rooted in place, waiting as the man that haunted her nightmares and stole her virginity made his way to them. She had begged Brian not to take legal action against Jack and his clients for this exact reason. She never wanted to face this evil again.

  "Breath, honey, just breath. I'm here, and I've got you. I'd never let anything happen to you, okay? You're safe, he can't hurt you ever again." Brian murmured reassurances as he gently rubbed her back. She tried to focus on what he was saying and not on the man that was now coming to a stop in front of them, but she couldn't. Every slap, every curse, every time he raped her came rushing back, stronger than ever before, they were playing on surround sound in her mind.

  "Arianna, my love," she cringed, she wasn't Arianna any longer, hadn't been since the day she'd met Brian, and she certainly wasn't King's love or anything else.

  "I have missed you on my visits. Your poor uncle has been beside himself with worry about you, he's been looking for you for months," she stiffened, how dare he act so casually as if they were old friends and he was really concerned about where she'd been. Jack had deep pockets, she'd hoped that she just wasn't worth expending the resources on, but now she was worried he may actually find her, especially now that King knew that she was with Brian.

  Everything she'd worked so hard to build with Brian over the last several months had come crashing down in the matter of a few moments. What would happen when Jack found her? Could Brian protect her from Jack's minions when they came?

  "Brian, good to see you again, but I never imagined I'd see you, of all people, with a prostitute, and at my son's wedding no less." King looked at Brian in disgust, as if he himself didn't spend thousands of dollars a month on prostitutes.

  They were off to the side and his voice was low enough that no one would be able to tell what they were discussing, Brian's hands were fisted at his sides and she could feel the anger radiating off him. "Don't talk about my wife that way, she is not, and has never been a prostitute." King's eyes met hers, and he ran an assessing gaze up and down her body, she could almost feel his hands on her, it caused her to shiver and shift more behind Brian.

  "Wife, huh? Well, Arianna, it looks like you haven't been completely honest with your new husband, shall I enlighten him as to your previous occupation? I'm sure a good, honest, Christian boy like Brian here wouldn't have given you a second glance if he knew who you really were." Brian shifted so a little more of her body was shielded.

  "Oh no, King, she's been completely honest," hearing Brian call him King caused him to flinch. "That's right, I know all about how you repeatedly raped a twelve year old girl, and continued to for twelve years every chance you got. I know all about how she fought you off, and that excited you more. I know that you paid to have your own child ripped from her womb when she was only fifteen. I know that she was a child forced to give up her innocence at the hands of you and men like you, she was never a prostitute, she was a victim and she escaped, she's a survivor." Hearing Brian defend her like that, and watching King, the man she had feared for half of her life blanch and look around nervously, making sure no one was close enough to hear gave her an unexpected surge of confidence.

  For the first time she realized that she had the power here, she had control over him, not the other way around. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, no longer using Brian as a human shield and faced her nightmares head on.

  He was done ruling her life, from this moment on, he didn't hold any power over her. She was done being afraid, done living in the past, and done being ashamed of what happened to her. Brian was right, she was a victim and she got out, she escaped, she was a survivor. She found a better life and a real man who loved her regardless of what was done to her.

  "You can't prove anything," King—Warren, growled before she could confront him as she was preparing to do.

  "No, you're right, it's your word against mine. But I know, I know who you are behind closed doors. I know why you paid to steal my virginity, I know about the thoughts you harbor for your own daughter." At that, Brian drew in a sharp breath and Warren looked as if he was going to explode at any moment, he'd gone from bright red to pallid in a matter of seconds.

  She turned to Brian, "There are some things I just wanted to keep out of your head. But, that's how I knew all of that about Jenny." Brian looked like he might be sick; she turned back to Warren to finish showing him the ugly truth of who he was.

  "I was a substitute for her; you couldn't steal your own daughter's virginity, so you found a doppelganger. Because raping your own daughter, that would be wrong, but raping someone else's, that's okay. You did everything to me you wished you could do to her. Do you know you used to call me Jenny sometimes? I'm not even sure if you were aware of it. But, it didn't take me long to figure out what you were doing, as soon as you showed me her picture and told me about her, I knew. I knew just how sick and twisted you are." He took a step toward them, he was visibly shaking, he looked caught between wanting to run away and wanting to charge her. Aria was terrified he'd choose the latter, but she stood her ground regardless, she finally had the chance to face him and let him know by her words and her actions that he no longer owned her, she wasn't backing down now.

  "I have never touched either of my daughters inappropriately, ever. Thoughts are one thing, but I have never acted on them. You may think you're all high and mighty now that you've had your Pretty Woman moment, but none of this will ever stand up in a courtroom, you can't prove a thing." He stammered, it seemed to be the only leg he had to stand on, assuring her she could never see justice done in a courtroom, and she knew he was right, but that wasn't what she needed, she needed this. She needed him to see that he hadn't broken her beyond repair and that she was done letting him control so much of her.

  She stepped forward to tell him just that when another voice cut through the night, "Maybe not, Dad, but this video will sure make an interesting piece of evidence," Paul Kingston had stepped out of the shadows and was holding up his cell phone for his father to see. "If nothing else it will be complete and total social suicide, which, let's face it, Dad, would be much more of a punishment to you."

  "Give that to me," Warren made a move toward his son, but Paul gracefully avoided his father's hand, causing Warren to
stumble into her.

  She stiffened at the contact, but it didn't last long, as quickly as he'd stumbled into her he was pulled away from her. Looking up she saw Brian's hands on Warren's shoulders, pushing him back from her. He was shaking with obvious and barely contained fury, "I don't ever want to see your hands on her again. If you ever come within ten feet of her again, so help me—"

  "Bri, think about what you're about to do. This isn't you." Paul's calming tone and hand on Brian's shoulder broke off his threat.

  Brian kept his hands on Warren's shoulders a moment longer, his eyes conveying the silent threat to the older man, before finally breaking contacting and stepping back to wrap his arms around Aria again.

  She looked around, expecting to see a crowd gathering or people gawking at them, but to her surprise and relief, no one seemed to have noticed the brief confrontation.

  With Brian several paces away from him Warren made another grab at the phone, again Paul avoided his hand, though this time Warren was able to keep his footing.

  "Wouldn't make much difference if you did destroy the phone, it's already backed up in four different places online. How many other girls have there been, Dad?" She felt Brian wrap his arms more tightly around her as they prepared to hear his answer.

  "None," at the look of disbelief he received from the three of them he held his hands up in surrender and was near tears now. "I swear it was just her. I've never even been attracted to any other young girls, ever. That's the God's honest truth. It wasn't even until her Uncle Jack showed me her picture that I realized how I felt and that's when I decided to buy her virginity, to try to get it out of my system. It didn't work though, you can ask her, I kept coming to her even as she grew into a woman. If I was only attracted to young girls I would've quit going to her, it's the truth, I swear." Paul looked to her for confirmation and she nodded.

  "Paul, I know this will sound crazy, and it may be the wrong choice to make, but for the first time, it's my choice. I really don't want this to go to trial. I've found my closure, and I really don't think he's a risk to any other girls. I always kind of knew it was just me he was interested in, well, instead of Jenny. I just can't face this all again and again, the lawyers, the judge, the jury…I just can't take all that. I just want my normal life with my normal husband. Please, Paul." He studied her for several long moments before nodding and then turned to Brian, the two seemed to share a bit of silent communication before Paul spoke again.

  "I respect that, and honestly, this getting out would kill Jenny…and Kara and Mom for that matter. I feel awful for sitting on a secret like this, and I agree, it may be the worst choice. But, it may also be better than dragging you through this." Warren must've thought he'd won, if the normal smug expression returning to his face was any indication, but Paul shut that down rather quickly.

  "Just because this isn't going to trial doesn't mean you aren't going to have to pay for what you've done." They were all staring openmouthed at Paul now. "I have an idea, you and my family will be protected, but my father is going to have to give up much more than just a few years' jail time and house arrest."

  Brian smiled, "I think I know the direction you're headed. I agree with it, as long as you're sure, Aria, that you don't want to pursue this further," he turned to study her face.

  It may be wrong, to let him go with no real punishment, but in all honesty he was a very powerful man and would probably end up getting off anyway and his wife, children, and herself would have to be drug through months of trials and media for nothing. The wounds were finally healing, and she wasn't about to rip them open again.

  "I'm sure. I just want to heal, and I don't think the circus this would open up would help that any. I hate to be rude, but can we leave?" Paul smiled kindly at her, she purposely avoided looking in his father's direction.

  "Of course, Aria, I completely understand, and I hope you know that my father isn't a reflection on the rest of us. I am completely disgusted by what I heard and if we weren't at my wedding I'd have kicked his ass by now, in fact, I still might…"

  "Sweetheart, let's get out of here and let Paul handle his dad, okay, I think we've had enough for the day," she nodded and Brian pulled her closer into his side as they made their way back through the crowd.

  It was so surreal, the reception had gone on without them, it seemed that no one else had even noticed what had been going on in their little corner. Her entire world had just been knocked off its axis, and everyone else just continued talking and carrying on like nothing had happened.

  Neither of them had said a word on the way back to their room, they were both in their own little worlds trying to process everything that had happened. For Aria it was the strangest sense of relief, for twelve years she'd let the man she knew only as King have a part of her, and today she took that back. It was the closure she needed, it may not have been the most logical ending to her story, but it was what she needed most.

  She needed to see him and to realize that Brian wasn't anything like him and he never could be. Seeing King today made her realize that he and the others like him were why she was holding back from her husband, why she was always unable to give him all of her self. They may have taken something from her, but she'd never given them anything.

  That was the difference that she hadn't noticed before, when she made love with her husband he wouldn't be taking something, they would both be giving something to one another.

  Aria looked over at Brian, he was sitting at the small table in the room, and she was sitting on the bed, he was giving her space, as usual. She didn't want space any more. She wanted exactly what she told Paul today: normal.

  Aria kicked off her shoes and climbed under the blankets, holding them back she patted the empty space next to her, "Will you come snuggle with me?"

  Brian looked surprised, but stood and removed his shoes and tie and climbed under the blankets with her, she immediately rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

  She sighed in pleasure, Brian was different, he could never evoke the same feelings men like King did. He was safe, he was love, he was comfort, he was home.

  "So today was…" she started, but wasn't quite sure what she wanted to say.

  "Interesting doesn't quite cut it, does it? It's amazing how small the world is sometimes."

  "Ugh, I haven't even started to process the odds of that yet. I'm still stuck on facing him." Brian's arms tightened around her for a moment.

  "Me too, how are you doing with it all? You've been so quiet, I can't really tell what you're thinking."

  "In some ways it was a huge, monumental moment in my life, I came to some realizations today that I needed. I found closure and now I know I can move forward, but at the same time it all feels really…anticlimactic."

  Brian chuckled, "It was, wasn't it? I kept waiting for something huge to happen, because it felt like such a huge moment, and then…nothing."

  "I know! That's the strangest part to me. Hey, what do you think Paul is going to make him do?"

  "I don't know exactly, but I do know that his image and money are the most important things in his life, so I would imagine something that would affect that."

  "You're right, that would probably be much worse for him than jail time," they both grew quiet again. They continued to snuggle and Brian ran his fingers through her hair. It always amazed her how differently his touch affected her. Right now it was having a calming effect, and before she knew it, her eyelids were growing heavy and she lost the fight to keep them open.

  19

  The next morning Brian woke before Aria, they were still in their clothes from the previous day, and she was still snuggled into his chest. He looked down at his sleeping beauty and was in awe of her once again. She'd endured so much and yet here she was; trusting another man, standing up for herself, and moving on with her life. Watching her confront Warren yesterday were the most terrifying and rewarding moments of his life.

  He knew the terror that King
brought to her dreams and memories, he knew how much he'd taken from her. Yet, she still had the courage to stand in front of him and tell him exactly who he was and what he'd done. He knew it couldn't have been easy for her, but she'd done it flawlessly.

  "Good morning, what are you thinking so hard about?" Aria had woken up and was staring back at him with those big, beautiful eyes of hers.

  "Morning. I was thinking about you, and how brave you were yesterday, how hard that must have been for you, and how weird the whole situation is."

  They adjusted so they were both sitting up in bed. "I'm still in disbelief myself. What are the odds that your ex employer and almost father in law turns out to be the man that's haunted me since I was twelve?"

  "Pretty slim, I'd say. How are you doing with everything?"

  "Honestly, I'm fine. Much better than I thought I would be, but seeing him there yesterday actually gave me confidence, and helped me realize what I've known all along, that you aren't him. I realize now that all of my fears about seeing you the way I see him were pointless, there's a big difference between what he did to me, and what I want to do with you." He rolled this around in his mind for a few moments, she really did look fine. Better than he'd ever seen her, the traces of worry and fear that normally lurked in her eyes when they talked about her past were all gone.

  "What do you mean, you said sex was painful and were worried about me hurting you, that doesn't seem pointless, even now." She just smiled at him.

  "Yeah, it might hurt physically, but that's not what I was worried about. What I realized was with him, with all of them, was that they were doing something to me. With you, I'll be doing something with you. With you I have a choice, I'll be a participant, I won't just be lying there praying for it to be over." He turned to her, and took her chin in his hand, staring into her eyes.