The metallic taste of blood filled Riviera’s mouth from her lip, now split wide open. She didn’t have time to worry about that. She needed to move but was so damn dizzy, the room tilted sideways.
Scooting like a crab on all fours, her feeble stab at escape lasted about three seconds before he hauled her up with one hand fisted around her shirt. Jasper was a big guy—huge, in fact. Six foot three inches of muscle, and mean as hell from all the steroids he used, he was the local gym rat who prided himself on his ability to bench press three hundred pounds. Riviera weighed one thirty soaking wet. When he got in a rage such as this, she often wondered if he’d kill her.
Ramming his liquored-up face into hers, he breathed, “Just where the fuck do you think you’re going, bitch?”
She dared not look him in the eye. Being bold was not a good idea at a time like this. “Nowhere, Jasper. I was going to clean up the mess like you asked,” she rasped, her voice tangled and trembling.
“Damn fucking right, you are. But you’re gonna do something else first. Get rid of those piece-of-shit clothes you’re wearing.”
“Please, Jasper, let me get that mess cleaned up first.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake.
A meaty paw grabbed her around the neck and squeezed until her air supply was gone. Her chest burned as she choked and tried to kick her legs, but he was so strong, he simply laughed at her weakness.
“Don’t you backtalk me, you stupid slut. I’ll teach you, you hear?”
He flung her aside and she hit the floor like a lead ball. As she lay there, sucking that necessity of life into her lungs, he crouched down next to her. “If you won’t strip, I’ll do it for you.” Pulling out a knife, he ripped into her clothes. She whimpered once, when the knife “accidentally” slipped and sliced into her throat, slashing from her neck down to her breast.
“Shut up, you fucking whore!” he yelled as he whacked her across the face. For the second time that night, she saw stars. He left her for a minute, but came back with a roll of duct tape. Jerking off a strip, he stretched it over her mouth and ground it onto her face. She felt her teeth tear into the fleshy insides of her cheeks. Then he smirked, “Scream all you want now.”
Chills ran up and down her spine as icy needles pierced her skin, making her wonder what price she would pay this time. Kicking and scissoring her legs, she tried to get him off her but failed. He punched her in the face again, turning everything gray and fuzzy. Her ability to struggle vanished in a snap, but now she had to fight to maintain consciousness. She was cognizant of when the rape began, not so much because of the pain, but because of his disgusting grunts next to her ear and the smell of his fetid breath as it fanned across her face.
When his animalistic sounds ceased, he collapsed on top of her, nearly crushing her with his weight. Then he was silent and completely still.
Riviera knew he’d passed out. Pulling herself together, she had to find the power to push his enormous dead weight off her. She was suffocating. Squirming enough to get her hands between them, she started shoving … and wiggling and pushing. Finally, with a burst of energy from deep within, she rolled him off her. Sitting up, she tried to gently pull the duct tape off. It was impossible because her lip was split and the tape had adhered to her open flesh.
Gritting her teeth against the stinging pain, she tugged until it came free and gulped in as much precious air as her lungs could hold. When her breathing evened out, she rolled to her knees and dragged herself to the shower. Before she could even make it to the tub, she threw up several times. After the nausea passed, she stood and rinsed off her face. Catching her reflection in the mirror, fat salty drops shoved past her lids. Riviera hated when she cried because she only had her own stupid self to blame for this predicament.
Why had she stayed with him for all these years? They weren’t even married, for crying out loud. She’d met him when she was barely eighteen, and so damn naïve. He was such an icon to her back then. She was a waitress in the neighborhood diner and he was the local weight-lifting celebrity who would come in and leave her big tips. He’d been so sweet to her back in those days, it wasn’t long before she fell for him. He seemed like the kind of guy who would protect and take care of her, and at the time, that was the most important thing to her.
After they dated and she moved in with him, things rapidly deteriorated. He grew jealous and possessive. His obsession with bodybuilding became his addiction and when his steroid usage increased, so did his crazed behavior. But here she was, four years later, still getting the shit beaten out of her.
Countless lies, cover-ups, trips to the emergency room, and to her doctor and she still stuck with him. Sometimes she actually felt sorry for him because he’d been abused as a child. But not anymore. This was the last time she would endure his brutality. It was time to put her plan into motion. She needed to get a move on if she was going to get out of here alive.
Recalling that Jasper had a set of handcuffs just for her, she rummaged through his things. When she found them, using every bit of her strength, she dragged his hulky body to the support pole in their dumpy apartment’s living room. Finally, she’d be able to put that ugly eyesore to good use. Taking one of his wrists, she clamped the cuff on as tight as it would go, and clamped the other link to the pole. She had no idea where the keys were and she couldn’t care less.
As she made her way back to the shower, she found she couldn’t stop shaking. Turning on the water as hot as she could stand, she let the spray rinse away the mess of what her life had turned into. The tub floor swirled with red, her blood flowing from all the areas he’d used the knife to slice into her. She would be a vision in butterfly bandages later.
Scrubbing her body hard and getting rid of his putrid stench was her first priority. When her skin was raw, for she never truly felt cleansed, she dried herself off. He’d really fucked her up this time, but she dared not let herself dwell on it. Leaning close to the mirror to examine her lip, she was chagrined to see one of her front teeth had chipped. Another thing to worry about later.
Damn, she looked like she’d just gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. The bruises were already popping out. She hoped her eye wouldn’t swell shut—that would make it a bit more difficult to drive.
Her plans were etched in her mind, and had been now for weeks. She went to her room and pulled the largest suitcase she owned from the closet’s top shelf, filling it with her few clothes and other belongings. The next step would require large garbage bags.
In the kitchen she tiptoed around the broken glass. On her way back to the bedroom, she double-checked to make sure Jasper was still out cold. Satisfied that he was, she continued to pack. It only took her about thirty minutes to have all her things stuffed in bags and loaded in the car. Knowing the pain would be gripping her fairly soon, she wanted to get the heavy stuff done fast.
She stuffed all of Jasper’s clothes in bags and put them in her car too. They would end up in a dumpster somewhere on the other side of town. The rat bastard didn’t deserve anything less.
Now for a little extra handiwork. Picking up the knife he’d used to cut her with, along with a pair of scissors, she cut his clothes off in strips. Then she tore them into even tinier pieces. The only thing she left intact was his tighty whities. He loved those stupid underwear. He thought he looked so fucking hot in them, when in reality he was nothing but a loser, prancing around the apartment.
Grabbing the scissors, she cut a huge hole in the crotch, so even if he tried to wear them, all his junk would be hanging out, not to mention his ass.
She inspected the house, just to make sure she didn’t forget anything. She wanted him to wake up and have to call for help and then not have a damn thing to wear.
“Towels and sheets!” she thought. She decided she needed to grab those too. After emptying out the linens, there wasn’t anything left, except maybe a cotton ball, that he could use.
Riviera didn’t bother to take a last look at the hellhole she’d been
living in for the last four years. She was making a break, grabbing onto this dream that, for whatever reason, she’d never acted upon. Why does any abused woman stay in a relationship? Lack of confidence, lack of self-esteem, lack of self-love, fear?
It certainly wasn’t because she loved him. At one point she tried to suggest he stop using the steroids, but that only resulted in another beating. She even suggested counseling, thinking it might help him overcome his childhood of being abused himself. But again, it had terrible consequences for her. It was then she admitted their relationship was hopeless. She hadn’t loved Jasper for years. Fear kept her tied to him. He threatened her every day, but somewhere, something bigger than fear began to grow within her. Fear was soon replaced by the desire to live. She had no doubt that at some point, if she stayed with him, she would become a statistic.
As she got in her car, her body shaking with the enormity of what she was about to do, she realized this was her big chance at freedom … her chance to live.
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Acknowledgements For SIDELINED
To every athlete out there, who dedicates hours and hours to their sport, we thank you and appreciate you. Not only do you entertain us, but you also give us something to write (fantasize) about!
To our readers: you guys are THE BEST! And we say that from the bottoms of our hearts. We love and appreciate each and every one of you and we hope our little dirty, flirty romance is something that you love. We decided to play a little with this and veer away from the serious so we could have some fun. So please tell us what you think. Hit us up on Facebook or wherever, but there will be more Wilde Players on the way.
Here are the lovely people we’d like to say THANK YOU to. Our beta readers: Kristie, Andrea, Nina, Kat, Jill, and Heather. You ladies are our shining stars and always make our books brighter and prettier than they can ever have been without you. We love you to the end zone and then some!
Thank you Nina Grinstead, and Social Butterfly PR for running your butt off in getting our stuff out there when we were so late. We love you!
And thank you Rick Miles at Redcoat PR For everything, but especially for putting up with Annie (and Walter) after two pots of coffee. Next time she’ll just give the coffee to Walter.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A.M. Hargrove
One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, USA Today bestselling author, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So she made a quick decision to quit her job and reinvented herself as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author.
Annie fancies herself all of the following: Reader, Writer, Dark Chocolate Lover, Ice Cream Worshipper, Coffee Drinker (swears the coffee, chocolate, and ice cream should be added as part of the USDA food groups), Lover of Grey Goose (and an extra dirty martini), #WalterThePuppy Lover, and if you're ever around her for more than five minutes, you'll find out she's a non-stop talker. Other than loving writing about romance, she loves hanging out with her family and binge watching TV with her husband. You can find out more about her books at http://www.amhargrove.com.
Terri E. Laine
Terri E. Laine, USA Today bestselling author, left a lucrative career as a CPA to pursue her love for writing. Outside of her roles as a wife and mother of three, she’s always been a dreamer and as such became an avid reader at a young age.
Many years later, she got a crazy idea to write a novel and set out to try to publish it. With over a dozen titles published under various pen names, the rest is history. Her journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. She looks forward to many more memories to come.
You can find more about her books at www.terrielaine.com.
STALK TERRI E. LAINE
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For Other Books by Terri E. Laine Visit her Amazon Author’s Page or
www.terrielaine.com
Cruel & Beautiful
A Mess of a Man
Chasing Butterflies
A Beautiful Sin
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For Other Books by A.M. Hargrove visit her Amazon Author’s Page or www.amhargrove.com
A Beautiful Sin
Cruel and Beautiful
A Mess of a Man
THE EDGE SERIES:
Edge of Disaster
Shattered Edge
Kissing Fire
THE TRAGIC SERIES:
Tragically Flawed, Tragic 1
Tragic Desires, Tragic 2
THE HART BROTHERS SERIES
Freeing Her, Book 1
Freeing Him, Book 2
Kestrel, Book 3
The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart
Sabin, A Seven Novel
Sidelined: A Wilde Players Dirty Romance Page 25