Designing Woman (The Sloan Brothers Book 2)

by Willow, Jo

  I closed my eyes at this point because I didn’t want to see the pain in her eyes when she talked about the next part. I held onto her hand though, and she held on to mine. Sean took her other hand and together, we were going to get through this.

  “There was no preparation other than another kiss. He shoved himself inside me all the way in one go. I screamed and he groaned and shook. I was certain I’d been torn in half and I started to struggle. His mouth clamped onto my neck and he started to move hard and fast. It never got easier. Then I remembered he wasn’t wearing a condom. I had no clue who he’d slept with before me, and I had no protection at all. When I started to say something, his hand went over my mouth and he started moving faster. His other arm hooked under my knee and he pulled me up, shoving even deeper as if that were possible. I started screaming in earnest then and his hand stayed over my mouth until he was finished. I felt him shudder and then relax, almost suffocating until he rolled off of me.”

  Sean sniffled and we both looked at him trying to wipe away tears without being seen.

  “Ayla tell us that you had him arrested for date rape. Please tell us that gorilla is behind bars.”

  She shook her head and lowered her eyes to our clenched hands.

  “With age comes wisdom and I had no wisdom to speak of. He’d warned me it would be painful and it was. He never took the handcuffs off and he took me three more times. He even flipped me over and took me from behind. By the time he was ready to take me home, I could barely walk I was so sore. On the ride home he told me that he was ‘clean’ and there would be no condoms. He recommended I get my hands on the morning after pill and birth control pills as soon as possible, because now that I was ‘his’, this and a whole lot more would be a regular thing for us. He told me that I felt too good to give up and that he was so happy that I’d waited for him. He told me that he didn’t care if I got pregnant, that we’d just get married sooner. Then he informed me that he would definitely be marrying me after he taught me what I needed to know. I had no clue what he meant. He told me he loved me; that he adored me. He told me that he’d be faithful to me from this point on because we belonged to one another. Then he thanked me for the gift I’d given him. I couldn’t think beyond his words. He loved me. He wanted to marry me. I’d actually be Pauley and Connie’s daughter. And above all else, I thought I was in love. I’m a stubborn woman and I was a stubborn girl. I told myself I could do this and by god, I was determined to try.”

  She paused to finish her coffee and I asked her if she wanted something stronger. She declined, and pushed on.

  “I continued to do the books for Pauley and he and Connie were thrilled that Tony and I were an ‘item’. In some ways it got easier after that first time, but in the bigger picture it got harder. Tony was a Dom. He set me up with an extravagant bank account and gave me a key to his place. He taught me how to kneel properly and to call him Sir when we were alone. He told me that he’d call ahead of time when he expected me to be at his place, and he expected me nude and kneeling when he walked in the door. It progressed from there.”

  I had to interrupt, I couldn’t hold my tongue.

  “Did he beat you Ayla?”

  She sniffed and blushed, once again looking at our hands.

  “He used a flogger but never whips. He didn’t have to. I was small enough that the floggers had the desired effect. Once I was a crying mess, he’d make love to me until we were both exhausted. I lived that life for another two years before he was satisfied that I’d learned all my ‘lessons’. Then he put a ring on my finger and announced our engagement. He moved me into his place and I never said a word to Anton until much later, but I’m getting to that. Everyone was thrilled with the news, so I was too. I didn’t want to let anyone down. I sat for the CPA exam and passed it the first time. Tony liked that I was making real money of my own to supplement what he was bringing in. He started talking about children and that was my turning point. How could I bring children into our situation? How do you explain to a child why mommy screams at night? He never hit me in anger, I don’t want to give you that impression. There was nothing to be angry about. I was the perfect submissive and he adored me.”

  “We planned to be married a month after my twenty-second birthday. Connie went crazy with the wedding plans and it was quickly becoming a huge affair. They invited the mayor and he was delighted to accept. They were paying for everything. Tony was traveling two weeks out of every month and was set to try for the title a month after our wedding. He told me that we would go on our honeymoon after he became champ. Connie went with me to choose a dress and didn’t blink an eye at the twelve-thousand dollar price tag. She loved it, so I loved it. Like I said. I was the perfect little sub.”

  A month before the wedding, I started having serious second thoughts. Twenty-two is a long way from nineteen when you’d been through what I was going through. I was worried about myself because I’d begun to crave being told what to do and what to wear. I liked that he made all the decisions and the sex was good. It was everything leading up to it that was the problem. I tried to seduce him one time without all of that, when he was in the shower. He got so angry that I took the initiative, that he put me in the kneeling position and left me there for ten hours. I couldn’t support my own body weight when I tried to stand. I never tried that stunt again.”

  “I still had the bank account that he’d set up for me and although he kept making regular deposits, I spent very little. From my years pre-Tony, I was naturally frugal. I bought the clothes he expected me to wear, but I didn’t require much else. A week before the wedding, he was out of town. Austin wanted to take me out for the last time as the brother of a ‘single woman’ and I broke down in the restaurant. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I told him everything. We had to leave because he was so angry, I thought he was going to tear the place up. He drove us home and we started talking details. I showed him my bank balance and he was flabbergasted. He’d never seen so many zeroes, but it gave him an idea. One we discussed in detail.”

  “We thought about telling Connie and Pauley the whole story, and then realized that if we did, they’d have no choice but to confront Tony about it. He would deny it of course and probably close my account before he took out his personal revenge. Like I said, he’d never hit me in anger before, but I’d never made him angry. Not the kind of anger THIS would generate. Then there was the distinct possibility that he’d take it out on Austin. After all, I was his perfect little sub and I’d never consider leaving him or telling his parents so it would have had to have been Austin’s idea, right? Our plans got trickier. I couldn’t tell Tony I was having second thoughts because he was out of town and I had no way to reach him. He always told me that it had to be that way because his head had to be in the fight and if I needed anything, or there was a problem, I should contact his father. We didn’t think that was a viable alternative under the circumstances.”

  “The first thing we did was tell Chase. He’d made Detective by then and we knew we’d need his help if this was going to work. After he got over his plot for he and Austin to beat the shit out of him with baseball bats, he was onboard. The next day, we emptied my bank account in a series of multiple cashier’s checks. Then Chase and Austin came here and found the bar. Chase used his connections to find a place in one of the burrows that was reasonably priced with a motivated seller. The economy sucked and the guy hadn’t made improvements in at least a decade. We had more than enough for the bar and the improvements and it had the apartment upstairs that we could live in. Forty-eight hours later, the two of them had moved all of our stuff out of the old place and had deposited the rest of our money into a new account. We had enough to live on because we knew how to be careful. I found a job here and we both started breathing a little easier.”

  “The day before the wedding, my phone rang and it was Tony. We’d both gotten new phones and numbers, but I’d kept the old one activated until the end of the month, just for this call. We could not l
et any of them become suspicious. He wanted me at the brownstone when he got there. I stayed calm and told him that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. Thirty minutes later, he finally acquiesced and he told me to consider it his ‘wedding gift’ because he wouldn’t be making a habit of letting me have my way.”

  “The day of the wedding I obviously never showed. I was officially a runaway bride. They had no idea I’d run days before. Tony called every hour on the hour and I let it go to voicemail. On the day after the wedding, Pauley called. That one I answered. I didn’t care if Tony had put him up to it or not, his parents had been good to Austin and I. He sounded broken and I started crying. Then I told him everything. He knew I was telling the truth because I’d never lied to him and he knew how much I loved his family and his son. When I was through, he told me that he loved me, he believed me, and he didn’t blame me. He told me that he was ashamed of Anthony and I started crying harder. Then he told me that Tony was a mess. He was angry and he was looking for me. He said that I was ‘his’ and that I’d promised him fidelity for life. He told his parents that he’d find me. Then Pauley told me to stay hidden and watch my back. He’d do the best that he could to protect me. That was three years ago.”

  Sean and I looked at one another in shock. He was speechless. I didn’t do speechless.

  “He’s found you hasn’t he?”

  She nodded her head slowly.

  “That’s why Chase came. Pauley is one of his most reliable informants. Tony has no idea. He found the bar but he hasn’t made an appearance yet. He assumes we’re living above it. Chase thinks he’s watching it and waiting for an opportunity to grab me.”

  Sean scrunched up his face.

  “Grab you? Doesn’t he have someone to beat up somewhere?”

  Ayla sighed.

  “Sean, have you heard anything about Tony Marconi, Prize Fighter?”

  “Come to think of it, no. I’ve only heard of his father.”

  Ayla squeezed his hand and released it.

  “Chase said that once I left, he lost all of his concentration. He stopped training and started drinking. He was arrested and released on a domestic violence charge when he got rough with a woman he dated briefly, but she refused to press charges. Chase has kept a close eye on him and so far, we’ve been lucky. Until now.”

  She looked at me and implored with her eyes.

  “That’s why Chase and Austin are so uptight about security. No one knows what he’s thinking or what he might do. He might just take me and run, but he’s got nothing to lose anymore. People could easily become collateral damage. He’s made up his mind that I cost him everything: his reputation, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and his career. He wants revenge.”

  She stopped and watched us both carefully. She was waiting for something and I didn’t know what we were supposed to say.

  “Tell us how to help you Ayla. We’ve got your back.”

  It was as if she started breathing again. I don’t know if she thought we’d have questions, make judgements, or throw her out, but she looked relieved.

  “You’ve taken us in and the Sloans have started looking for him. Pierce thinks that if we find him first, they can scare the shit out of him. Chase is skeptical and I’m certain it won’t work. But you know the Sloans. Pierce has turned his place into a fortress. He’s talking about installing a safe room.”

  “It’s a good idea Ayla. If asshole finds you and gets through security while Pierce is at work, it might buy you enough time to get help.”

  She looked at me with fire in her eyes and shook her head.

  “No. I can’t let him alter his home and his life because I’m being stalked by my ex. I took out a restraining order and if he gets close enough, I’ll call the cops.”

  Sean threw his hands up in a grand gesture.

  “If he gets close enough, he could overpower you before you could dial a phone. Take the safe room and buy a gun. Then learn how to use it. Never go anywhere alone until we know where he is or he goes away. You need to walk around thinking that someone wants to kill you.”

  Her eyes grew huge and her mouth dropped open.

  “Sean! He wouldn’t kill me, he loves me! He just wants me back is all.”

  Sean stood up with his hands clenched into fists and started pacing.

  “He USED to love you. Now he wants you back to torture you until he kills you. Don’t get stupid now Ayla. You’ve been doing great so far.”

  She turned to me, pleading.

  “Mel’, talk some sense into him, will you please?”

  I’m nothing if not blunt.

  “I think he’s making perfect sense. We have no clue what Tony wants and I think we should assume the worst. Desperate people do desperate things. I say he’s a trained killer and his sites are trained on you.”

  “Melody...”

  “Ayla stop and think a minute. A jilted lover, even a jilted groom, eventually accepts things as they are and they move on. He’s been hunting your ass for three years. He’s not only dangerous, girlfriend he’s fucking crazy. We all need to act accordingly. I’m surprised Pierce lets you walk the streets.”

  She hung her head in defeat.

  “He doesn’t. I’ve been assigned a driver that drops me off and picks me up everywhere I need to go. He’s practically wrapped me in bubble wrap.”

  I smiled and gave Teddy Bear and mental hug.

  “Good for him. Pierce is good people.”

  She nodded but wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “Ayla? What is it? There’s something more, isn’t there?”

  She nodded again and it was starting to get annoying.

  “They’re worried about the show on Saturday. They’re worried about me being unprotected in such a busy and public place. You know shows are madness backstage. Chase and Pierce are shitting bricks over this.”

  I looked at Sean and raised my eyebrows. He nodded once in return.

  “That’s easy enough to fix. Sean will accompany me as my assistant this time. You’ll stay here or at Pierce’s.”

  She stood up and started storming around the room.

  “No! I can’t let him dictate my life anymore! If he generates fear, then he’s won. I can’t let him make me afraid anymore. I’ve lived that life and it doesn’t work for me.”

  “Ayla, sis’, be reasonable. It’s one show and not even a major one at that. It’s a pre-holiday stint to try and sell a little more shit before the end of the year. That’s it and you know it. Give us a picture of him and stay out of sight. If we spot him, we can message Chase. If you’re not visible, he’ll get careless. This is the closest he’s been and he won’t be able to control himself....”

  I was interrupted by the ringing of Ayla’s cell phone. She grabbed it from the desk and looked at the caller I.D. before she looked at Sean and me.

  “It’s Chase.”

  She took the call and I watched her get paler as the call progressed. By the time she hung up, she was shaking all over and Sean and I were practically on top of her.

  Sean wrapped his arms around her and she clung to him with her face against his chest. We barely heard her.

  “Chase and Austin are at the apartment picking up the rest of our clothing. The place has been destroyed. He said it looked like a tornado blew through. There was a word written on the mirror in my bathroom with my lipstick. ‘MINE’, in capital letters.”

  I started rubbing her back in a comforting gesture. She turned her face but didn’t step out of Sean’s embrace. She scrolled through her contacts and hit a button. I looked at her in question.

  “Who are you calling?”

  She put the phone to her ear and waited.

  “I’m calling a man about a safe room.”

  Chapter Five

  There are two terms that come to mind when describing backstage at a fashion show. They apply to any fashion show, and not just some “before the holidays” thing that we were doing. The terms are, “herding cats�
� and “a stampede of water buffalo”. Those graceful creatures that you see strutting their stuff in couture designs on the runway? They’re tall screech owls backstage that eyeball every other dress but their own, backstage. You can read their minds too. Everyone is wondering if everyone else’s dress is prettier than their own, closely followed by wondering if they can keep the one they’re wearing. It’s a freaking nightmare.

  Then there are the designers. Myself included. Will this be the show that gets you laughed out of the industry? Will this be the show that makes your name whispered amongst names like Prada and Chanel? One perfect design or daring maneuver will do that for you. People think it’s all snobs and prancing ponies, but for those of us nose-hole deep in it, it’s putting your ass on the line every time you dress one of the buffalo up and send her out with your name on the label. Sean was unimpressed.

  “Ladies, get a grip! Charlotte, you’re in the blue silk, not the beige linen. Andrea, the green brings out your eyes, quit fussing. Move it! We’ve got twenty minutes ‘til show time!”

  I watched him and became more than a friend, I became a fan. Ayla was always an organizational whiz, but Sean pulled rank and got their asses moving. I needed to talk to that man about making this a regular thing.

  Since Sean seemed to have everything under control, I slipped out to peek around the curtain. I wanted to see who showed up from our camp to check this out and offer moral support.

  The front row to the left of the runway had been reserved, but no one knew by whom. I stole a look and there they were. Deacon was seated next to my sister, both of them looking relaxed and bored. He was rubbing off on her and I smiled. Pierce sat alone with an amused scowl on his face (only Teddy Bear could pull that off), and next to him sat Anton, with his arm around some redhead who was dressed to the nines. At least she wasn’t wearing the latest in Stripper Chic. Neither Austin or Chase was anywhere to be seen. My mother was seated next to Deacon, looking excited, but my father was likewise absent. I understood. He’d been through enough of these when my mother was modeling. He and I had forged an alliance on this years ago when I graduated and started business.