by Layla Arts
My eyes traveled down to her side, leaning closer I saw that there were shards of glass still stuck in her skin. A heavy sigh left my lips, finally realizing what made the pain more intense every time she moved. I grabbed the first aid kit and searched for something – anything – that could help me remove the glass. When I found what I needed, I was uncharacteristically fast with getting rid of the shards from her precious body. I could see it in her facial expressions that Vicky wasn't enjoying this at all, but it needed to be done.
“Hadrian, that h-hurt,” Vicky muttered painfully.
“I know, babe, but this is important,” I told her pointedly.
I was relieved when I placed the sharp objects far away from her. A deep breath expelled from her mouth, and I knew she was just as relieved as I was. I cleaned my hands immediately, and I placed one hand under Vicky's neck. She looked at me with big eyes, and I planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose.
“If I am right, the bath should be filled right now.”
Vicky looked at me confusingly before she understood what I meant. Soaking in the warm water could clean her wound better than a running shower. Vicky pushed herself up and sat on the edge of the bed before standing up. I was beside her, holding her firmly because I didn't want her to fall again.
I escorted Vicky to the bathroom, a room she was undoubtedly familiar with, and grabbed a washcloth. I wanted to remove all the blood from her wound before the water could turn red and freak her out.
“That looks better,” I said when I examined her wound.
Vicky walked lazily to the bath, and I unclasped her bra. She didn't protest by holding her bra against her chest but instead, she allowed me to slip it off her body. I was standing behind her, and I took her knickers so I could pull them off as well. She stepped out of her knickers, and I threw them aside. I didn't want to waste time by meticulously putting her underwear away since she needed to be in that warm bath as soon as possible.
I saw Vicky lifting her leg up so that she could step into the warm water. Her toe touched the water, and she carefully stepped inside with her right leg. I helped her lift the other one over the ledge, and she sat down in the bath. The water came in contact with her naked body, and her facial expression morphed into a more relaxed one.
I knew she was still feeling the pain, and that she badly wanted to get out. It took her a few minutes to realize this could help ease the stress of her current condition. I placed a kiss on the top of her head, and I excused myself from the bathroom. I wanted to grab a drink for her.
When I arrived in the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator. Luckily, my maid had bought groceries so I could get some fresh orange juice for Vicky. I poured it into a plastic cup since I didn't think Vicky was strong enough to hold something heavy now, and if a plastic cup were to fall there would hardly be any damage.
I entered the bathroom again, and I could see that Vicky had her arms wrapped around her legs. She was leaning her head against her knees, and she looked at me while I stood in the bathroom. I stepped closer and handed her the orange juice. “Here, drink up,” I instructed her. A drink could do her some good.
“Thanks,” she muttered lowly.
I turned on my heel, and I wanted to exit the room before I heard Vicky's protest.
“Don't go,” she said, her voice still small; fragile from everything that has happened. “Please, don’t leave me.”
I looked over my shoulder at the naked woman in my bath. She wasn't up for sex, and neither was I at this point. She just wanted my company, and I wanted hers. The decision was easily made, and I placed my jacket on the side. I kicked off my shoes and found myself naked within a few seconds. I stepped into the bath, and I sat behind her. My bare body responded perfectly towards the warm water, and when I was comfortable, Vicky shuffled herself a bit closer to me.
I cupped water in my hands and lifted it to let it fall over her shoulders. The water was streaming down her bare skin, leaving trails in its wake, and I pressed a light kiss on her shoulder. She laid her hands on my knees – which were stretched out by her side – while we sat there.
It was silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. There wasn't an ounce of awkward tension between us right now because we were both just exhausted.
“Hadrian,” Vicky spoke weakly.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for taking care of me,” she said, squeezing the knee she was holding onto in reassurance.
I placed my arms around her upper body, and lightly pulled Vicky closer. I was well aware of the fact that she was still in terrible condition, and that I needed to be careful with her. I didn't want to hurt her accidentally, she was already feeling like complete shit without any help from me.
“Vicks,” I spoke against her skin. “I would've been a dick if I left you there.”
“You would,” she chuckled in response, but I knew how much effort it took to let out just a small laugh. I leaned my forehead on her shoulder to comfort her, and probably myself as well.
“I haven't been completely honest with you,” Vicky suddenly said.
I frowned – well aware that she couldn't see me – at her words. I placed a quick peck on her skin before I found the right words to say. “Why haven't you been honest with me then?” I questioned her seriously, but in an inviting tone, hoping she would finally open up.
“You have told me everything about your past with William, but I never told you something about myself,” she cleared up. “I've told you about my camping trips with my parents, but never about the days I didn't go anymore.”
I was confused about what she was trying to tell me, there was clearly something that had went on in her past that left a mark; like my previous intentions.
I wrapped my arms more protectively around Vicky, determined to hear her out without jumping to any conclusions; like she had done with me.
“Enlighten me,” I instructed her politely.
I felt Vicky inhale deeply; her fingers making circles on my knees when she held them under water. The steam from the water hit my face, and I was probably completely red because of the heat.
“The day I yelled at you in your house when you wanted to talk, but I didn't want to because I was absolutely pissed off,” Vicky started, and I thought back to that day, remembering it perfectly. “Kent had come by my house that afternoon; after you left. He told me I had to pretend to be his girlfriend since you had an encounter with him earlier that day. He told me about the conversation you had, and it wasn't the one I wanted to hear,” she explained to me.
“Keep going, please.”
“When he said I needed to pretend to be his girlfriend, I questioned him. Obviously, I mean why should I pretend to be anybody's girlfriend? He said that he told you that he was my boyfriend, but I didn't understand why he demanded me to do anything; why he would he tell me to be his girlfriend?”
She leaned her head back against my chest, and I searched for her hands to intertwine our fingers.
“Kent wants to protect me so badly from you, that he was willing to go to the extreme. He told you not to touch me, but you still did after he lied that I was his girlfriend,” she spoke silently. “But that is probably just a tiny portion of the real reason why I acted so rude towards you.”
“You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,” I assured Vicky immediately.
“I want to, I really do,” she made it clear.
My eyes were laid upon her bare back as I saw her body moving carefully.
“My parents and I always went camping, and we truly loved it, but at the age of 16, I stopped joining them. I was out on different adventures with my friends from High School. I had a blast. Every night, we went out to a nice club, but so many terrible things happened as well.”
Vicky paused for a while – clearly feeling the heaviness in her chest.
“I met my boyfriend during summer break. A summer love is probably the most romantic thing any girl could ask for, but things quickly changed. He wasn't the guy
I fell in love with. He was horrible, but I never saw it. I just didn't want to accept that he had this monster personality.” Vicky stopped talking, and I heard her inhaling a sharp breath. She had a hard time talking about it, which was noticeable.
“What did he do?”
“We started dating a few weeks after we met. He was the first boy I exposed myself to completely. For me it was new, something strange and scary. He was my first, my 'one and only' or whatever they call it in movies,” Vicky told me. “But I wasn't his.”
I saw Vicky putting her head down, focusing on the moving water. “He cheated on me three times, but he never told me. He just kept making love to me – if that was even considered making love – despite his infidelity. I caught him one day at his house. His little sister basically refused to let me enter the house, so I already knew something was going on. My friend made it clear that she thought he was only in it for sex; she was right.” I heard a soft sob escape Vicky. “I should've known.”
“That's horrible, babe,” I whispered against her skin.
I heard her sniffling a few times, and I knew tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“The whole relationship lasted more than a year. We were inseparable, or so I thought. He moved away after High School, so there was no possibility we would ever see each other again. But after him, I had another boyfriend that lasted for four months.”
“He didn't hurt you, right?” I asked Vicky pointedly.
“No, he was nice,” she assured me quickly. “He just assumed that after three months I would give myself to him easily, but I didn't. So when I told him I wanted to wait, he thought that he had done enough waiting. I declined him for what must've been the hundredth time, and then he broke up with me,” Vicky added.
“I am sorry, Vicky,” I apologized.
She shifted from her position in the bath, making it possible for her to turn around a bit.
“Why would you be sorry?” she asked me, confused.
“Because I kept pushing you into sex when I didn't know anything about your past,” I informed her seriously. “I have been a dick to put you in a position you didn't want to be in, and if my chat with Kent made you think I only wanted your body, I was, but not in the way you think. I wanted to make you feel happy, Vicks. There is absolutely no part of my body that desires to hurt you on purpose.”
“But I didn't tell you, Hadrian. You didn’t know.” Vicky clarified.
“I know, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have treated you better.”
The thoughts about Vicky being in such a horrible position, made my stomach turn. I hated the thought of her being used like that because I hated to think of her in someone else's arms. Many people would protest about my feelings towards her; say that I was falling for her too quickly and that I should keep our relationship strictly work-related and separated from my private life.
This wasn't their life – it was mine.
And I knew I acted like a dick towards her in the beginning. I was thirsty for her body, and I definitely would love to have her one night, but I came across the other things as well. I realized there is more to her than just a simple one night stand.
***
“I am so tired,” Vicky said when she crawled into bed.
I took my watch off my wrist and placed it on the nightstand. I shoved the duvets down and laid in bed. The lamp above us was emitting a dim light throughout the big bedroom. Vicky wrapped herself in the duvets, and the sight of her enjoying my bed was absolutely adorable.
“It's so soft,” Vicky squealed happily.
“I see someone is in love with my bed,” I whispered in the crook of her neck.
“Quiet,” she demanded me teasingly. “Can you, maybe, hold me tonight while we're sleeping?”
“You don't have to ask me,” I told her.
A smile appeared on her lips, and she rolled towards me. Even with her terribly bruised body, she was able to laugh after the personal talk we had together.
It was amazing how she could make the best out of such a horrific day. I was laying on my back when Vicky moved closer to me; she placed her head and hand on my chest.
Vicky was wearing one of my baggy, old sleep shirts, but I also handed her a pair of long sleeping pants. After the whole conversation we had, I wanted her to feel comfortable without overexposing herself.
“I appreciate that you opened up to me, Vicky,” I whispered when I turned the light off. Our eyes were met with the darkness that engulfed the room. “And you had every right to be mad at me earlier this week.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Vicky responded quietly.
“Don't worry, Vicks. That is the least I could do. Get some sleep now,” I instructed her softly.
“Sleep tight, Hadrian.”
“You too,” I said.
My arm was around Vicky, and I stroked with my thumb up and down her arm. I closed my eyes, and I carefully drifted to sleep. I felt Vicky planting a kiss on the side of my rib, and goosebumps consumed my body in its wake.
16
Vicky West
When I finally became coherent, my body was one big painful mess. I groaned when I turned around; I knew that after falling, my body would ache way more after I had slept. I was right. I was in pain.
I rubbed my eyes. After the fuzziness in my brain, I was met with the curtains from the balcony billowing in the wind. The doors that led to the balcony were probably open, and I wasn't sure whether Hadrian forgot to close them or just didn't want to.
Thinking about Hadrian made me turn around fast, my aching body protested against the sharp movements, but the spot next to me in bed was, again, left empty. I didn't know what his reason behind disappearing was this time.
It was hard for me to get out of bed, but I managed to push myself up and walk around the room.
I took a quick glance in the mirror, and luckily my hair wasn't a big mess this time. I lifted the t-shirt Hadrian had given me last night, to see my wound. It looked awful since the laceration seemed to be pretty deep, but it wasn't big enough that it would require me to see a doctor. I used my fingers to trace over the wound, and I flinched a bit when I came in contact with the bruised skin. It was sensitive, and I definitely needed to take care of it.
I let the fabric fall back down over my body, and I opened the bedroom door. I went down the stairs and followed voices into the kitchen.
When I peeked around the wall, I saw Hadrian with his phone pressed against his ear, and he was furious. His veins were thick and prominent in his neck. His hand was clenched into a fist, resting on the marble countertop.
“Don't fucking say that,” Hadrian seethed into the phone. “I don't give two damn shits about that, William,” he bellowed.
I placed my hands against the wall, while I watched Hadrian from a distance. He rubbed the heel of his palm into his eye, and he brought the mug towards his lips. I saw that he wasn't pleased with the conversation he was currently having with William.
I didn't know what he was talking about, but I immediately thought about the past he and William shared. He told me William wasn't pleased with him canceling things out of the blue, and that could very well have been the cause of the argument over the phone. It wouldn't surprise me at all.
“William, just fucking listen for once, goddamn it,” he spoke frustratingly. “I am not giving away any personal information about my dancers, whether you like it or not. I've made it clear to you enough times that this is over, so don't fucking talk to me about it.” Hadrian brought the phone away from his ear, and he pressed the 'end call' button.
“Trouble with work I see,” I spoke, loud enough for Hadrian to hear.
He turned around, and his eyes doubled in diameter when he saw me. “You were supposed to stay in bed,” he told me, clearly annoyed. “I wanted to call a doctor after this phone call.”
“I am okay, Hadrian. I can walk, see?” I said as I stepped closer to him.
“But you're in pain, Vicks.”
“I know, but I can hardly just lay down and do nothing,” I said blatantly. “I will make us coffee, do you want some?” I asked Hadrian, not bothering to pay any attention to his condescending words.
He nodded his head in confirmation, so I approached the coffee machine to prepare our warm beverages.
“Still, I am not happy about you getting out of bed,” Hadrian remarked.
“You did the same, Hadrian,” I told him. “I am not disabled, I just fell.”
“What actually happened yesterday? You never told me.” Hadrian spoke suddenly.
“Because I was in pain, remember?” I filled two mugs with coffee and handed Hadrian the blue one. I wasn't sure why, but he had some strange mugs with animal prints on it. “I walked around the club last night after I saw Red, and I got pushed off the stage,” I muttered quickly.
“Vicks.”
“I am fine,” I assured Hadrian.
“Who did this?”
“It's not important.”
“It is!” Hadrian fired back. “Someone did this to you, and now you won't be able to dance for a while.”
“I can still dance, Hadrian.”
Hadrian grabbed my hand, and I locked eyes with him. “I am not letting you dance while you're injured,” he spoke sternly.
His mind was set, there was absolutely nothing I could do to change it now, so I nodded my head, and he let my hand go. I took the mug full of coffee, and brought the drink to my mouth.
“Now tell me who did this, Vicky,” he spoke dauntingly.
“Keeton,” I whispered.
“Bitch,” Hadrian hissed under his breath.
I placed my mug on the counter with a look of disappointment. “Hadrian,” I said.
“Why didn't you smash a chair against her head?” Hadrian questioned me seriously.
“It's your employee!” I exclaimed.