“I’m glad you’ve decided to obey, Jenny, you’re a stupid cunt for screwing me over,” he smiled with that same devilish spark in his dark eyes. He placed the handcuffs over my wrists and suddenly I was plummeted back in time two years. Lost in a pool of pain. I wanted to die. I wished he would put me out of my misery. I remembered rushing home to Mama broken and battered, only to find out that she had died before I could make it back to her. Tears squirted out of my eyes as I relived the pain of not being able to say good-bye. I was drowning in the past that I didn’t even know what was happening now in the present. I sobbed silently and then I was brought back to the present by a SMACK. Only it was not as bad as I thought. With my face pressed into the mattress he whipped me again. SMACK. The flogger doesn’t have the same bite as I remembered the cane. I tried to breathe, only my chest felt too tight. Maybe he was going easy on me because there were people in the room. Every nerve ending was on standby to run as the flogger made contact with my back again. SMACK. My heart rate was erratic. I needed to flee; I needed to get away from this mad man. Only fear had me frozen in my spot. Then SMACK. This was too much. I knew he wasn’t drawing blood but it was still painful now that he was hitting the same spot over and over. The sound of the flogger making contact with my skin pushed me into the deep hole I was in two years ago. I was spiraling, falling….

“You motherfucker, step away from her,” I heard Luc’s voice, but I didn’t know if I was dreaming. Maybe I was dreaming that he would save me again. He was my knight in shining armor. He had been watching over me since I came to New York and I pushed him away. Now loud sobs were coming from me, I was pretty sure I could hear them. With my face still buried in the mattress it was hard to breathe but I still couldn’t move.

“You think you are a big man LeBaum?” I could hear Scott’s voice goading Luc.

“You don’t want to fuck with me, Scott. Right now, I will take care of Vicky…” he said, then I felt strong hands pick me up and turn me over. It was Luc. He was here. I wasn’t imagining it. His green eyes looked pained and full of emotion. I still had a hard time breathing as warm tears ran down my cheeks. Luc released my hands from the cuffs.

“One minute, Vicky, I need to get rid of him,” he whispered to me softly. I heard him but I was too worked up to give an answer.

Luc left me sitting on the bed shaking like a leaf as he turned his attention back to Scott.

He stalked over to him and held him with one hand by the neck. Scott’s face was a burning inferno. “If you fuck with me or Vicky ever again, I will torture you and stuff you in a body bag before throwing you off the Brooklyn Bridge. And if you so much as leak even a second of any video of Vicky, I will track you down and kill you with my own hands. Am I clear?” he asked with his thick choppy accent.

Scott's face reddened as he used his hands to try and unclasp the grip Luc had on him with only one hand. I never thought that Luc was dark and dangerous, but listening to him threaten Scott who was a tall and a built man himself, I knew that not even he would be a match for Luc’s strength. A mix of pride and worry burst through my anxious state. I was glad to have Luc on my side, even though I realized that he was the trained killer he warned me about.

In that moment, a rush of people entered the room and turned the lights on. A man wearing a suit came up behind Luc and pulled him off of Scott. Scott fell forward gasping for air. Good asshole, now you know what it feels like.

Luc shrugged the other large guy off him. “Mr. Lebaum, what is the problem?” the man in the suit asked.

“I would like this man removed from my home. I don’t think he should be allowed to attend future parties. I will make a report later,” Luc ordered the other man. He must be in charge or something. Luc walked back over to the bed. “Vicky, I need to make sure he’s leaving and then I will come back for you,” he said, gently running his thumb across my cheek and swiping away my tears. I nodded my head. I couldn’t speak.

“Nevermind, LeBaum, I’m leaving…” Scott huffed, picking himself up and walking out of the bedroom.

“I got this…” the big man in the suit said. “You take care of the lady. Ma’am, if you would like to file a report let me know. I organize the parties and I don’t put up with anyone that exhibits foul behavior,” he said nodding his head.

“I got this, Big Key, just make sure the asshole leaves,” Luc responded with his choppy accent. He was more than angry. A small group gathered at the door of the bedroom, followed by random people walking up to me and asking me if I was all right. One of the girls brought me a glass of cold water from the bathroom and I sipped it slowly.

With one swift movement, Luc lifted me in his strong arms as he walked me effortlessly toward the master bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, he kicked the door shut as he walked over to his bed and lay down against the headboard while cradling me in his arms. I buried my head on his chest, taking in his scent. He rubbed my back. “Are you okay, Vicky? What did he do to you?” his voice was soft and soothing but I couldn’t answer him. He didn’t push for an answer. He just continued to rub my back. My earlier panic subsided and I was left feeling spent and defeated. What if Luc hadn’t come to me in time, that asshole would have raped me again, while I lay there completely useless to myself.

The thought scared me, as the errors in my ways bombarded me with a vengeance. Feeling safe in Luc’s arms, I allowed my eyes to close. I still had questions for him and a part of me was angry with him, but for now I felt too weak to deal with anything. I closed my eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

***

I awoke on a large bed. The room was dimmed except for a table lamp that was lit on the opposite side of the bed. Luc was lying on a heap of pillows with his laptop open on his lap. I lay with my eyes open for a few moments watching him. He was such a contradiction of a man. His badass side that just came out because of Scott was seriously scary, but the way he took me into those strong arms and was so gentle with me, it made my chest feel warm. I could probably lie here and stare at him for a long time; in his thick arms and wide chest.

“Are you working?” I asked, letting him know I was awake. Whatever he was working on had him in deep thought.

“You’re awake.” He smiled placing his laptop on the side table. “Are you okay?”

I nodded.

“Can you talk about it? What did he do to you?” he asked, raking his fingers through his hair. His hair was wet and he was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of loose grey pajama pants.

“I’m okay, I’m grateful you walked in when you did….I panicked….” I admitted even though it was hard to.

“Don’t be grateful, it was my fault he even got to you,” he answered, throwing me off.

“It wasn’t your fault…even though I didn’t like the game you were playing,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks flush. It was hard to open up in general but something about Luc made things a little easier. “Did you sleep with her?” I asked, even though I would rather plug my ears and not hear the answer. The thought of him sleeping with anyone else but me burned.

His green eyes went wide and he looked startled. He flinched into a seated position. “No Vicky, I didn’t sleep with her. I had no intention of sleeping with her,” he answered with irritation in his tone.

“I heard her moaning, you must have been touching her or fucking her…” I said as my chest clenched tight. The visual of him with another woman was disturbing. It threw my mind back to the day that Jamie was pounding into that bitch against a truck in his father’s mechanic shop. I could never be with someone that was unfaithful.