Stripped

by A. G. Khaliq

  One thing I did know was that Lazarus was an enemy to me now…and I was going to help Raven get out of this trap.

  I was going to help her even if it was the last thing I ever fucking did. She had a terrible past…but that wasn’t to say it was too late for her to have a good future.

  I wanted to kiss her and tell her everything was going to be all right, but it was too early. I knew she wanted me, but she needed time to move on from Lazarus properly before she pursued me.

  And I was going to respect her boundaries and do things on her terms. Not my own. I needed her to trust me.

  Deep down, there was a monster inside all of us. We all had our demons. We all had our skeletons in the fucking closet.

  But I was going to show Raven that all monsters aren’t evil.

  raven

  WEEKS LATER

  * * *

  I stood in the middle of my bedroom getting my head and thoughts together. Lazarus made his way into my room, moving towards me. I folded my arms uneasily, wondering what the hell he wanted from me now.

  “Have you been to your fight training today?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I muttered.

  “Good,” he said flatly before narrowing his eyes. He looked me up and down with a predatory stare that made bile swim in my throat. “You look really sexy in that outfit. I’d love to pin you down right now.”

  I rolled my eyes, not wanting to hear any of this fucking bullshit.

  “A man has his needs, babe.” He smirked.

  I couldn’t believe he was asking to sleep with me after all the damage he’d fucking done. The man who I used to find so attractive, who I used to be fucking mesmerized by…

  Now fucking revolted me.

  “Sorry, Lazarus, I’m not in the mood for sex today,” I snapped. I knew I shouldn’t speak to him like this, but I didn’t care anymore.

  Lazarus rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “Geez, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” he said sarcastically.

  I rolled my eyes again, wishing he would just leave me alone. Me still having to force myself to live with him was bad enough. I’d been training with Damon for weeks now, and it was bringing the two of us closer together. He was such a sweetheart, and he was so genuine it melted my damn heart. Damon was different. I could be myself around him. He didn’t want me to change and pretend to be somebody I wasn’t. He liked me for who I was.

  From the way I burned beneath his gaze the day I met him in the mall, I knew it wasn’t going to be the last time I saw that man. And I couldn’t help but feel like it was fate that brought us back together.

  “Anyway, I wanted to ask you something,” I mumbled, shutting off my thoughts.

  “What?”

  “Since I’ve been listening to everything you’ve said and been doing my training…” I began wearily, “I was wondering if you could let me work at the coffee shop again.”

  Lazarus cracked up with laughter, repulsed at the very damn idea, like I was an idiot for even thinking it.

  “You’ve got some nerve asking to go back there after what I saw!” Lazarus accused. “You’re staying at home, and you’re only leaving the house for your training. Do I make myself fucking clear?”

  “Lazarus, you can’t keep me locked inside forever,” I mumbled helplessly. “If I don’t go back to the coffee shop, my colleagues are going to get suspicious and think something’s wrong. They might get the police involved. I’m sure you don’t want that, do you?”

  I furrowed my eyebrows uneasily, knowing I was overstepping the boundaries with Lazarus, knowing I was crossing my damn limits. But I’d already endured so much abuse. I didn’t have anything left to fucking lose by standing up to him.

  “I guess you have a point,” Lazarus sighed.

  “O-Of course I do,” I breathed, unable to believe he actually gave in.

  “Not so fast,” he barked. “If you’re really going back to the coffee shop, you still have to do your training and all the work down at my spot.”

  “Understood,” I mumbled.

  “And you’ll have one of my men watching you while you work at the coffee shop,” he snarled.

  “Is that really necessary?” I denied, furrowing my eyebrows, my face falling.

  “Yes, to make sure you don’t start flirting with other men again!” he shouted.

  “Fine,” I snapped, not wanting to argue. I didn’t have the energy anymore.

  “Good,” Lazarus said triumphantly, and then left my bedroom.

  I sighed to myself, exhausted. I dug through my wardrobe, flicking through my work outfits for the coffee shop. I threw on the first red-colored coordination I could find.

  “This will have to do,” I muttered.

  I went downstairs.

  When I arrived in the living room, I was shocked to see Lazarus standing there with Damon. What the hell was Damon doing here?

  “Damon will take you to work today,” Lazarus explained, as Damon stared at me with an intent gaze that caused my skin to heat.

  “Okay,” I mumbled.

  “Make sure you keep an eye on her, Damon,” Lazarus muttered. “I’ve gotta go down to the police station to cover our tracks for the latest shipment.”

  “Understood, Boss,” Damon said.

  Lazarus nodded, and exited from his penthouse. Before I knew it, I was following Damon out of the penthouse to his car, and he was driving at a fast speed down the motorway, the wind lapping in our faces.

  “I’m glad it’s you and not some creep that’s dropping me off to work today,” I admitted shyly.

  He smiled at me reassuringly, giving me the comfort I needed.

  “I’m not taking you to work,” he said.

  “W-What?” I stammered. “Then where are we going?”

  “I’m taking you to Crosby beach.” He smirked.

  I swallowed, not sure why the hell he wanted to go to the beach, but the thought of going there excited me nonetheless. Especially with him.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I went out. Getting the fresh air I needed would do me a ton of good.

  Especially spending it with a man who genuinely cared for me.

  We arrived at the beach, and it looked phenomenal. The sun was setting, the sky pink with red tones, the water calmly lapping against the sand. The sound of the waves were so peaceful.

  I was in awe.

  “It’s so beautiful here!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands to my face excitedly.

  “It is.” Damon chuckled. “But that’s not the reason I brought you here.”

  I turned around to face him, so our eyes were burning into each other. He took my hands into his, giving them a reassuring squeeze, and I could feel my eyes well with tears.

  Where had this man been all my damn life?

  “Look, Raven, I want to help you,” Damon breathed. “I have feelings for you. I know it’s a bit fast, and I understand if you don’t like me back.” He squeezed my fingers.

  “From that day I met you in the mall I never stopped thinking about you. I wondered how you were doing, I wondered why you didn’t respond to my texts. I’m genuine. I’m not like other men.” His lips brushed against my forehead. “I don’t care about the job you used to have, I’m not a judgmental person. Hell, I didn’t even know Lazarus was a woman abuser.

  “What you told me came as a shock. I hate Lazarus now. I want to ruin everything he’s ever worked for. I want his world to come crashing down on him. That prick doesn’t deserve shit but to be behind prison bars,” he seethed.

  “I agree…” I murmured.

  “Look, Raven, we need to take him down,” Damon said. “He needs to pay for what he’s done to you. I know I’m no fucking saint myself, being in the mafia business, but it’s just a means of survival for me, it’s kill or be killed in my world. I grew up in this lifestyle, and it’s all I know. Don’t judge me for that, baby…”

  “The last thing I could do is judge you,” I whispered. “You’ve been so kind to m
e. So kind…”

  “And that’s why we need to set him up,” Damon sighed.

  “How are we going to do that?” I asked uneasily.

  “We’re going to side with his opposition. We’re going to side with the rival gang he wants you to get intel on after you’re done with training.”

  I found myself rubbing my chin, immersing myself in thought at this revelation.

  “We’re going to help the rival gang by giving Lazarus false information. When Lazarus goes to the location we’ve given him, he’s going to be leading himself into a trap. Him and any men that have been brought with him are going to get killed by the opposition.” Damon drew out a deep breath, taking his head into his hands. “It’s a stretch, but we can make it work. If you reckon working with the opposition is too dangerous, we could always just tell the feds the location he’s going to instead. Then the feds will know the real truth about what he is, and how he’s a dirty cop.” His chest heaved. “Either way, we’re going to fucking take him down,” Damon snarled.

  “This sounds like a great plan,” I agreed.

  He really had planned it to the finest detail. He really was a genuine man. A loving, caring, gorgeous man who had so much to offer. And I’d been so stupid not to realise sooner.

  “Thank you for helping me, Damon.” I smiled at him gratefully. Letting him know I appreciated every. Single. Word.

  Damon drew out a deep breath before taking my hands into his again.

  “Any man with a heart would,” he breathed. “It’s not fair what’s happening to you. I like you. I don’t care if you don’t like me back. I’m happy to be friends with you. I don’t want to pressure you into anything. You don’t owe me a thing. Anything that happens between us will happen on your terms, not because you feel obligated to…” He trailed off, sighing. I could feel my cheeks flush bright pink as I burned underneath his gorgeous dark brown eyes. My skin was on fire, and butterflies were fluttering against my damn chest.

  God, he was so fucking sweet. He didn’t want to overstep the mark, he didn’t want to make me feel uncomfortable. All he did was care about my feelings. Where did I find this angel?

  I needed to be careful, just in case he was only helping me for his own gain too, especially after I believed Lazarus was genuine in the beginning. But I severely doubted Damon had an ulterior motive. He was prepared to risk everything for me. He was prepared to go against Lazarus.

  He was prepared to risk a damn war.

  “Damon?” My breathing hitched in my throat as his name rolled off my tongue.

  “Yeah?”

  “Kiss me,” I whispered.

  “Are you sure?” Damon asked, cupping my face in his hands as my eyes glistened with tears.

  “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” I breathed, and Damon’s eyes darkened with desire. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed his mouth on mine.

  He was the remedy I needed.

  He was everything I needed, and so much fucking more…

  The world spun around me as Damon crashed his mouth on mine, kissing me with such an urgency it was hard to breathe. The beach was empty, we had the privacy we needed…

  So he wouldn’t hold back. He made known how much he wanted me. Every touch he made on my skin, every movement of his tongue, set me on fucking fire. As his tongue caressed my mouth deeper, he groaned against me, and I moaned into his mouth, my whole body quivering. We were just kissing, and I was already so hot for him.

  His hands moved up and down my back, caressing my bare skin, causing me to whimper and gasp. His hands slid underneath my leggings, desperate to feel my ass as he squeezed it, letting out a satisfied growl as he continued with his torture. I wanted more, I needed more. It was never enough.

  I was intoxicated. Intoxicated by him, intoxicated by his touch. I was falling for him.

  I needed Damon more than I needed anything in my life.

  casper

  I watched Raven and Damon kissing each other on the beach, and took a photograph for my own damn satisfaction.

  Looked like Lazarus didn’t have his pretty little toy wrapped around his finger as much as he thought.

  He was going to love this.

  I finally had a reason to piss him off.

  I cracked up with laughter, hardly able to contain myself.

  Lazarus hadn’t heard from me since we were in school. When I dropped the bombshell that his bitch was cheating on him with his best friend, he was going to be so pissed.

  Oh Raven, I warned you that you were going to pay for rejecting me in that damn coffee shop.

  raven

  Me and Damon continued to kiss for a while, until we both pulled away before things spiraled out of control. The beach was hardly a classy place of taking things further, and I wanted the first time I had with Damon to be special.

  Damon smiled at me, pressing his lips to my forehead. He had to stop doing that. Forehead kisses were so damn affectionate, it was like he wanted me to fall in love.

  Even though that wouldn’t be such a bad idea…

  “I’m starving.” I giggled, lightening the atmosphere.

  Damon laughed in response, pressing his lips to my forehead again before he took my hand into his.

  “There’s a rooftop bar around here, it does the most amazing food.” He smiled. “Let me take you there.”

  “Yes please,” I exclaimed.

  Damon laughed again before he took me to the rooftop bar, his hand never leaving mine once. I could feel my cheeks burn pink. It was crazy how he had such a big damn effect on me.

  “Here it is.” Damon grinned as we reached the top of the stairs.

  I allowed myself to take in the surroundings, immersing myself…but as my eyes wandered across the room, I saw something terrible. Something I didn’t expect to fucking see. I could feel myself go stone-white in shock, unable to believe my damn eyes. My heart leapt to my damn throat.

  This had to be a nightmare. This had to be a fucking nightmare…

  “Raven! What’s wrong?” Damon asked, noticing the terrified expression on my face.

  I screamed, unable to hold back the anger anymore.

  And then I broke into sobs.

  “That’s my mum and dad!” I wept.

  raven

  “Am I missing something?” Damon asked, confused. “I don’t understand.”

  “My mum and dad are the reason I had to run away so many years ago. When I was a child, my mum would lock me up without food for weeks and my dad would come into my room and rape me,” I explained shakily.

  Damon balled his hands into fists, the colour draining out of his face. “Oh hell no!” he seethed. “What bastards! That’s made my blood fucking boil!”

  I watched Mum and Dad get up from their seats, looking snappy and agitated.

  “What’s with all the fucking commotion at the front?” Dad barked to Mum. “I want to eat my food in peace!”

  “God knows,” Mum retorted condescendingly.

  Damon was finding it harder and harder to restrain himself. Before I could realise what was happening, he wasted no time in storming over to my parents’ dinner table, and began punching Dad in his face repeatedly. Dad staggered backwards in pain, but Damon wouldn’t stop. He punched him in the ribs, in his chest, then kicked him in his damn crotch, and I could feel my windpipes constrict in terror as I watched the scene play out. Mum looked horrified, begging Damon to stop. I didn’t know what to do.

  Damon grabbed hold of my father, who was now struggling on the ground, clutching his body in agony. Forcing him on his feet, Damon slapped his face to the side, and Dad bellowed in pain.

  “What is the meaning of all this?” Dad roared.

  “You’ll pay for what you did to Raven!” Damon shouted.

  Dad startled, shocked as my name rolled off of Damon’s tongue. Mum looked like she’d just seen a ghost. Both of my parents turned around to see me standing at the other side of the bar, trembling in fear, and began connecting th
e dots.

  “R-Raven?” Mum swallowed weakly.

  “Both of you will stop making a scene in the bar and come with me if you know what’s good for you,” Damon snarled. “Or I’ll kill you both right here with no fucks given.”

  Mum and Dad stared back at him with terrified expressions on their faces, knowing that Damon meant business. Knowing that he knew enough about the two of them to want to put them both six feet under. They obeyed his commands and followed him out. Damon took my hand into his, giving it a reassuring squeeze, as if he were letting me know he was going to take care of this and handle it his own way. I had no choice but to trust him. He was the only person who showed me a grain of genuine kindness in my cruel world.

  We made our way to the same beach out back, where we would be able to talk with the privacy we needed. I was still trembling, unable to believe I was seeing my parents after so many years. I hadn’t seen them since I was a child, and I wished I hadn’t seen them now, either. It was too late for apologies…

  Too late for forgiveness.

  Too late for redemption.

  “Raven, it’s been so long…” Dad began with a timid expression on his face. He looked exactly how he did all those years ago, except now, he was older, more fragile, but I bet his sick brain and way of thinking was still exactly the same.

  “Oh hell no!” Damon roared. “You don’t get to say that to her. What kind of fucking filthy parents are you? Leaving your children without food, hitting them, abusing them?”

  Dad drew out a deep breath.

  “Raven, I’m sorry…” Mum began, tears pricking in her eyes as she remembered how she used to hit me and lock me away. “It was so long ago. I was on drugs, and I wasn’t thinking straight back then. But I’m clean now. I went to rehab. If I could take it all back, I would.”