Sucker Punched (Resilient Hearts Series Book One 1)

by Owen, L

  “That’s ok, Caitlin,” Donnie reassures.

  “So, what exactly made you jump?” Ethan says, his tone challenging as he raises one eyebrow.

  I’m not about to admit the truth, and he knows it, so I try to change the subject. “Kiaya, I better come help you now. Excuse me, everyone.” I need to get away from this guy before I embarrass myself, although I know it’s too late because the damage has already been done.

  “No, no, it’s fine, Caitlin. You stay there and rest; you seem to have had quite the startle. You didn’t get burned by something HOT did you?”

  I glare at her. Bloody friend she is! I’m glad she’s finding it funny. All eyes are on me now while I sit there squirming. A few awkward moments go by before I hear the tinkling of the doorbell. Never in my whole life have I been so relieved to see customers as I am right now. It appears a day-trip from a retirement home was dropped off right outside the door. Phew.

  Laughing, Kiaya says to Ethan, “You better let her out now.” Her help is better late than never, I suppose. Although, if the chance to get her back ever arises, she’d better watch out, friend or not.

  Ethan stands so I can slide out but doesn’t move far from the table. His position forces me to squeeze up against his very firm, beautiful body in order to pass. Believe me when I say it takes all of my willpower not to feel every contour of his muscles with my now sweaty palms. By the look on his face, he knows exactly what I’m thinking. The smirk is long gone, and he won’t take his eyes off me. Dipping my head down to break the eye contact, I say bye to no one in particular and walk off with a giggling-like-a-school-girl Kiaya. Dragging her with me, she whisper shouts, “That’s Ethan Kendricks!” Like she expects me to know what that means. “He’s co-owner of the gym next door, the gym you’ve just joined.”

  I stop in my tracks, “What!?” I say a little louder than intended.

  “You’ve joined my gym?” Great! He heard us, nosey bastard.

  Spinning around and seeing the amused look on his face, I can’t stop my mouth from opening, and I say in as sexy a voice I can muster, “Yes, I’ve heard it’s a good place to get really hot and sweaty.” My bravery doesn’t last as I run off behind the counter to hide and take orders.

  I feel Ethan’s eyes on me for the next half an hour before he leaves with Donnie, but not before he drops some money in the tips jar. Ethan winks and says, “Thanks for the great service, Caitlin.” What an arse!

  I learn later from Kiaya that Ethan has taken Donnie under his wing. Donnie works at the gym, cleaning the equipment and helping out with whatever else is needed.

  “I’m bloody glad the lunchtime rush is over. That was hectic, and my back’s killing me.” I hopelessly attempt to rub at the sore patch but fail, as unfortunately, I’m not that flexible.

  “It’s dead now, girls. You can both take your break now. Grab something to eat and drink,” Len calls across the shop. My new boss rocks.

  “Thanks, Len,” we both say at the same time.

  “Jinx!” we shout at each other.

  Laughing, we grab some lunch and take a seat. We don’t sit with Len because he’s occupied with the horse races, as usual. We know better than to bother him when he’s trying to win money.

  “So, Kiaya, I have been meaning to ask you about your name. Do you know what it means?”

  “I have no idea; my parents think it might be Japanese, but I don’t know for sure. I have researched it but can’t find it anywhere.”

  “Really? If it’s that rare, where did they hear about it?”

  “My mom was watching a film when she was a teenager and heard it. She said she knew right there and then if she had a daughter, it would be her name”.

  “What was the film?”

  Chuckling she replies, “Willow.”

  “Willow, that sounds familiar?” Thinking for a moment I suddenly remember it. “Is that the film about the dwarf who has to save a baby?”

  “Yep, that’s the one. I’m named after his wife.”

  “So you’re named after a dwarf in a really bad film from the eighties?” Now we are both laughing.

  “Yep, I don’t mind; I really love my name. The only bad thing is how my mom spelled it. It’s how it was in the film, but when people see it, they never know how to pronounce it. It would have been better to spell it how it sounds, Ki-ah.”

  “I see what you mean. I admit I wasn’t sure when I saw your name badge. It’s really nice, though.”

  “Thanks, Caitlin. Soooo,” Kiaya drags out.

  I’ve just taken a mouthful of my sandwich, so I mumble, “Mmhuh.”

  “Ethan Kendricks is Mr. Hottie. Who would have thunk it?” I wondered when she would bring Ethan back into our conversation.

  “Well, if that’s his name, then yes, he’s Mr. Hottie.” I don’t hide the hint of sarcasm in my tone. “What do you know about him?” I ask, now trying not to sound eager.

  “Not too much really. He co-owns the gym with his brother. They were both in the army. I think Ethan does a lot of charity work for injured veterans. From what I’ve seen of him, he’s a nice guy.” She blows on her coffee then takes a sip.

  “Oh right.”

  Kiaya narrows her eyes and holds me in her gaze. “Hmmm, what’s going on with you?”

  Looking down at my sandwich as I take a bite, I say with my mouth full, “Nothing.”

  Kiaya leans back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. “Bullshit.” I nearly choke on my food. “I know we haven’t known each for that long, but you can talk to me.”

  The genuine look on her face takes me aback. I’d forgotten what it’s like to have daily, face-to-face chats with friends. Since I’ve been here, the only person I can classify as a real friend is my neighbor, Grace. Kiaya’s question has me thinking back to the first time Stephen attacked me.

  Stephen was adamant I wasn’t to have friends. The first time I went against him on this matter had been one of the most terrifying times of my life up to that point. I’m sorry to say, there have been many more since. That was when the abuse became physical. Before that, he’d only made demands and shouted at me until he got his way. When he became really angry, he’d stamp his feet like a little boy. My counselor has said the reason why this attack affected me so deeply was because I hadn’t expected it, and it completely changed the dynamics of our relationship. I wasn’t scared of him at that point, only slightly wary and not fully understanding of what he was capable.

  Beth asked me to go have coffee at her house. I didn’t ask Stephen for his permission. That was my first mistake that morning. When I mentioned my plans for the day, he forbade me to go, shouting and getting in my face. I agreed, assuring him I wouldn’t, but once he left for work, I left too. I was so cross at how he had spoken to me. How dare he? It was only coffee at a friend’s house for goodness sake. I was determined to go; he wasn’t going to stop me.

  I was only gone for an hour. When I got home, I was surprised to see Stephen’s car in the driveway. I had been so naïve, rolling my eyes and thinking here we go again, another lecture. When I walked inside, there was no lecture; he only asked me one simple question, if I had been to Beth’s. When I nodded, something changed in his expression; it was something sinister. Taking large strides, he closed the distance in no time at all and punched me in the side of my head. The force made me fall backwards, but the wall prevented me from going down. I was in complete shock that he had put his hands on me. My hand covered my sore skin rubbing at it, not that it helped to dull the ache. He moved forward, but I put my hand up stopping him in his tracks.

  “You come any closer, and I promise you, Stephen, I’ll call the police,” I stated, feeling proud for standing up to him. No man was laying a hand on me. Well, that’s what I thought. His hand shot forward so quickly that I had no time to react, and he closed it tightly around my neck. He brought his face in so close I could smell his breath. I wish I’d smelled alcohol on him because that would be an excuse to why he was acting lik
e this, but no, all I could smell was mint.

  “You will not be calling or seeing anyone without my permission. I say who you see. I say when you leave MY house. I say what you can do and when you can do it. You are MINE. I control you,” he said through gritted teeth. With those last words, he punched me in my stomach twice. I doubled over, winded. While I was still bent, he grabbed fistfuls of my hair then began to drag me through the house. It was hard to breathe as I gasped for air. I screamed and cried out in pain, clawing at his hands to free myself from his iron-clad grip. Pulling me into the spare room, he threw me to the floor in a heap. As he pulled his belt from his trousers, he said to me in a calm but chilling voice, “You will stay in here and think about how you should behave. I have certain expectations, and you need to meet them.” He then proceeded to beat me with his belt, relentlessly whipping at my body. I lay there trying to cover myself from each lash, but it was no good; every blow hit its mark. I lost count at eight. When he finally left, I heard him lock the door making me his prisoner.

  I don’t know how long it took me to move my beaten body again. I couldn’t stop shaking for hours. He didn’t let me out until the following morning. I’d been in there since noon the day before. I’d not been given any food or water. That was not the worst of it, though. There was no toilet in there, and after I had banged on the door for what felt like hours, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and I finally wet myself. The next morning was humiliating, the look of disgust on his face as he pinched his nose and told me to take a shower. The violence after that terrible day never stopped, and needless to say, I always did as I was told after that.

  “Caitlin?” Kiaya says. She looks concerned as she snaps me back to reality.

  No wonder she’s worried, I have tears in my eyes. Wiping them away and taking a deep breath, I say, “It’s nice having a friend again. I will open up to you one day. I promise.”

  She gives me a small smile. “Ok, I will drop it, for now.” I’m glad she didn’t push it further.

  The rest of the day is thankfully uneventful. I do get a nice view of Ethan when he gets into his truck in the late afternoon. That’s a big bonus.

  Just before it’s time to close the shop, Kiaya says, “I have to admit, I hate exercise of any kind, and as a rule I must never partake in it, but I have the urge to come with you tonight.”

  “What, why?”

  “I would love to see you squirm again when you see Ethan; that was hilarious.”

  “Ha-ha, you are such a comedian.” Her reply to this is just to grin back at me.

  “Thanks for your help by the way.”

  “No problem, anytime.”

  “I was being sarcastic!”

  “I know!” She really believes she’s funny.

  “You just wait. You ever need some help, don’t come looking to me for it.”

  Giving me a wink, she says, “You would never deny me help.”

  “We will see.”

  FOUR

  Caitlin

  I arrive home from work with barely an hour to eat and get changed before my class at the gym. It’s a lot of effort to cook for just one person, so my freezer is always stacked with an array of ready meals. It’s not that I can’t cook; I can. I’ve always gained immense enjoyment from cooking, but it’s not the same doing it for myself. After eating, I get changed into a pair of black leggings and a plain white baggy t-shirt, tie my hair in a high ponytail, and I’m good to go.

  Arriving at the gym with a few minutes to spare, I walk through the double doors and make my way over to the reception area. There’s no one there, so I wait. After a couple of minutes tapping my fingers on the wooden desk impatiently, I hear footsteps. Turning around, Ethan appears looking hot, as usual. He’s wearing a tank top with his gym’s logo on it and a pair of shorts. I like the way his shorts sit low on his hips, but when my eyes roam lower, it’s only then I notice his leg. Where one should be, there’s a prosthetic instead. Staring hard, I realize he’s right in front of me.

  Clearing his throat, Ethan remarks, “Not such a hottie now, huh?”

  “What? Umm,” I stutter out my words, now realizing he knows the nickname I use for him. Damn, I must learn to whisper better. He folds his arms across his chest, narrows his eyes, and looks deep into me. He seems angry, and a little hurt all at the same time. Oh no, I begin to panic, he must think I don’t like the fact he has a prosthetic. That’s not the case at all. I’m shocked; to be honest, it took me by complete surprise. I’ve seen him a few times now, but he’s always wearing jeans, so I had no idea at all. He manages to cope with it brilliantly.

  Pulling me from my thoughts, he asks, “Are you here for the kick boxing class with Roman?”

  “Yes, that’s right.” His sudden change in topic puzzles me.

  “Up the stairs, second door on the left.” He turns, stomping back up the stairs he’d just come from, so I follow him thinking he’s showing me the way. I need to walk fast to keep up with him, but when I stop at the second door, he continues without a word. I watch him reach the door at the end of the corridor. He goes through and slams it shut. The noise makes me jump. Shit. That did not go well at all; I really didn’t mean to offend him. I just get so tongue tied when around him. I will have to find Ethan after the class and apologize, I hope he doesn’t leave before I get a chance to try to explain myself.

  “Hello.” I turn when hearing the greeting and peer inside the door where seven sets of eyes look back at me. Great. They just saw that little show.

  “Hi,” I say, entering the large room and giving a nervous wave. It’s similar in decor to downstairs: brick walls with one wall being mirrored, wooden floors, and mats stacked to one side. Apart from that, there isn’t much else in here.

  “Hi, I’m Roman, the instructor,” says the guy who walks up to me as I offer him my hand. This must be Ethan’s brother; they look very similar. They’re around the same height, but Roman’s hair is a much darker brown; it’s almost black. He’s wearing a tank top the same as Ethan but has on jogging pants instead. The six other people in the room are all young guys and no longer seem to be paying any attention to me, thankfully.

  “Hi, I’m Caitlin.”

  “Ahhh Caitlin,” he says with a grin. “I hear you had a fall the other day. I hope you’re not too bruised?”

  “Great, you have been talking to Ethan, who I’m going to guess is your brother?”

  Laughing he states, “He is, and yes, we do that sometimes.”

  “Of course you do…” I trail off at the end of the sentence. It’s becoming apparent these brothers seem to have a talent for making me feel embarrassed, and I say stupid things every time I come into contact with them.

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to make fun of you.” He winks. “Shall we get started?” Roman begins to talk a bit about the sport then proceeds to pair us up. But as there’s an uneven number and being the only girl, I find myself being left without a partner. It’s just like being back at school. I never got picked then either. I feel uncomfortable and the odd one out. Not a great start.

  “It’s ok, I can work with you,” Roman says, understanding my predicament.

  “Well, as long as you promise not to give me any more bruises,” I remark, grinning back at him.

  He laughs, “I’ll go easy on you.”

  “You have that wrong. I promise to go easy on YOU,” I taunt.

  Half an hour later, Roman narrows his eyes at me. “You’re not a beginner, are you?”

  “Not really, but I haven’t trained in two years.”

  “Well you wouldn’t know that; you’re really good.”

  “Thanks!” I’m elated and loved every second of the last thirty or so minutes.

  After the class wraps up, I thank Roman and agree to come again next week. Then I go downstairs in search of Ethan. I hate admitting I’m in the wrong; I mean, who doesn’t? But I do need to apologize. Let’s hope he doesn’t make me grovel too much. I just need to get this over with. Seeing Asher down
stairs, I ask him if he knows where Ethan is. “Go back upstairs, he’s in his office. It’s the door at the end of the hall.” That’s the same door Ethan slammed earlier.

  “Just go in, I’ll call up and let him know you’re coming.” His grin is as big as the Cheshire cat’s as he lifts the phone to his ear. It’s a bit strange, but I shake it off then make my way back up the stairs.

  When I reach the door, I go straight in like Asher suggested but instantly freeze. In hindsight I should have knocked. Ethan sits at his desk, a topless woman before him. His startled eyes shoot up to mine as the topless lady swings her face to me and spits out, “Can’t you see we’re busy? Fuck off!”

  I immediately look down needing to see anything but this scene playing out before me. “I’m sorry.” I stammer, while trying to escape out the door. Ethan orders the woman to get dressed, and then demands I come back. I turn to them, but my eyes remain fixed to the floor. Holding my hands up I state, “No, please, keep your clothes off; it’s fine. Sorry again.” I turn away and flee from the horrible scene. I can’t believe I just told that horrid woman to keep her clothes off!

  Once I’m out the door, Ethan bellows my name and insists I come back. Do I go? Like hell I do! I take off running and manage the stairs without falling, thankfully. At least something is going my way tonight! At the reception desk, I see Asher with his hand over his mouth trying, but not succeeding, to stifle his laugher.

  “Thanks a lot for that. What have I ever done to you?” I’m so angry with him right now, and to think I liked him. He can’t hold it in anymore and bursts into a fit of laughter. I do the only thing I can with everyone watching me, I hold my head high while walking out the door, and then run all the way home in tears. Why am I bloody crying?

  As I approach my apartment door a short time later, the phone ringing sounds through the door. Struggling with the key in the lock, I rush over to the phone before the caller hangs up. I’m relieved to hear Beth’s voice. Thank God, I really need my best friend right now.