I Won't Give Up on You (14 page)

Waking up a little while later, I have her cradled against me, her back to my front. Her hair smells like strawberries which makes me laugh because she has red hair. I kiss her shoulder and slowly move away from her to head toward the bathroom.

Once inside, I start the shower and step inside. All I could do was think about her. What the fuck is wrong with me? I lean my head on the tile wall and let the water fall over me. I’m not sure how long I stand there before I hear the door open.

“Mark?”

She slides in behind me and wraps her hands around my waist. I know I need to stop this before she falls too hard. Oh what the fuck am I saying, before I fall too hard.

I instantly turn in her arms and kiss her. She pushes up onto her toes, so she can reach my lips a little better. I do her one better and sweep her off her feet, pressing her to the wall of the shower.

“I need you,” I say when I rest my head on her forehead.

She wiggles her hips, and I let myself slide into her slowly. I don’t do slow. I’ve only done slow once in my life. That was with Sabrina at the lake. Pushing that thought out of my head, I continue. My hands kneed her ass, and I feel myself getting close to the edge.

“I’m going to come. Are you close?” I say into her neck between a few kisses and nips.

“Fuck yes, Mark. I need you.”

She has no idea what that does to me. I want to come in her so bad, but I won’t.

Once I feel her start to convulse around me, I pull out and come on the wall below her. I press my chest to her and take her mouth with mine.

When we come back to earth, I know I need to get the fuck out of here. Now!

Seeing her eyes turn sad when I tell her I have to go hurts. I want nothing more than to crawl back in bed with her and fall asleep again. I need the shit beat out of me. There’s only one place to go for that.

I arrive back home and make my way through the condo. Stopping in front of her room, I take a deep breath and open the door. Walking into the room, I see she isn’t here, but I need this. I strip down and sit on the floor naked with my head bowed, waiting for her to come through the door.

Hearing the click of the door knob, my heart is in my throat.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

I don’t move or look up at her.

“Why are you here?”

I stay silent.

“You may speak.” She’s slowly undressing. I can hear it, but I don’t dare look up. She only told me to speak.

“I need you to get me back into shape. I felt something today, and I don’t want to.”

I can hear her walk toward me, but I remain still. My cock defies me, though, and is slowly getting hard. I feel her presence behind me. She grabs my head and tugs it back. I’m looking up toward the ceiling. Her breath is by my ear.

“For the whore you’ve been with behind my back?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Did you think I didn’t know?

“Yes, Mistress.”

“So you want me to beat you?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Why?”

Before I can answer her, she pushes my head back down forcefully before smacking me across the back of the head. She walks away, and I hear the belt slide out of the loops. The first smack lands across my back. I whimper, but immediately feel better at the sharp sting.

Once we’ve finished and I’m dressing, she sits on the bed staring at me.

“I don’t have much news on Caston and Sabrina, but I should have information for you soon.”

She shakes her head and waves me away.

Leaving Beverly’s clutches, I’m still thinking about Kaitlyn. Her eyes are staring into my soul. Shit. I walk out of my condo and continue on to the park. I sit on a bench and stare off.

Letting my head fall back, I cover my face and scrub hard, fighting to wipe away the memories that want to surface.

Crash, bang, yelling. I hear him move through the house. I cower in the corner of my room, trying to be as quiet as I can be. He’s drunk again. I hate it. Mom’s working, so she won’t know. Just like always.

“Mark, where are you, you little bastard?”

Pulling my legs tighter into me, I bend my head into knees.

Ric comes to door and wiggles the knob. I locked it. Big mistake. He kicks it open. Walking over to me, he picks me up by my hair and flings me onto the bed. I’m only six. I scramble to the headboard. He smacks me so hard this time my head flies into the headboard, and I pass out.

I wake up to my mom covering me and kissing my head. It hurts so badly, but I don’t say anything. He always cleans up, so she has no idea what happens when she’s at work. She doesn’t realize I wasn’t sleeping.

My stomach turns when he walks in behind her and places a kiss on her cheek. “Let him sleep, Ann. He’s had a rough night.” He ruffles my head and gives it a shove once she has already turned to leave the room.

Ric’s always been good to Mom. He took us in when my dad died. Mom is head over heels for him, so I’m happy for her.

I’m sixteen, cocky, and untouchable at school. I’m the bully all the teachers love. No matter what I do, I never get in trouble. It’s great. I’m in control—until I get home. Then he gets a hold of me again.

Having sex for the first time, it’s so fast the girl laughs at me. I’m not sure what comes over me. Rage bubbles inside me, and I back hand her. Shocked she stares at me. I’m shocked. I’ve never hit anyone before. It feels strange. When she says I will pay, fear courses through me. I see red and hit her again.

After explaining to her she will keep quiet, I pull my pants up and leave her. She never says anything. I get away with it. I have control.

I continue down that path through high school, and when I get a scholarship to State, I’m a god. No one could touch me.

I turn on the bench and punch it. “FUCK!” I scream.

Getting up, I sprint back to the condo, I jump in the car and drive back to the hotel.

I’m out of breath when I get to the door. She opens it with a surprised look.

“Mark, I didn’t think I’d…”

I take her mouth forcefully as I walk her back into the room.

“I didn’t think I’d be back here, Kaitlyn.”

She smiles at me. “You know my name.”

I kiss her again. All I want to do I strip her and claim her as mine.

My cell phone alert goes off, and I reach in my pocket to grab it. Cracking my eye open, I see it’s a message from Bruce. He’s a friend of mine that has an in with Terrance. I roll over to kiss Kaitlyn on the shoulder.

“I really have to get this, baby.”

She just mumbles and pulls the covers up further to her neck.

Sliding out of bed, I grab my boxers and slide them on. I walk into the bathroom and shut the door. I dial Bruce back after I turn on the water to make sure Kaitlyn doesn’t hear anything I say.

“Hey, man, what’s up?”

“Where the fuck are you?”

“Don’t fucking worry about it. What do you have for me?”

“Chill, bro. Terrance isn’t as tight lipped as we thought. I was able to get him to hire me and last night I was even able to get into the house. Did you know about Caston’s mom?”

“Beverly, ya, I know all about her.”

“No, dude, not Beverly.”

“What?” I sit down on the toilet.

“Ya, apparently Beverly is his aunt.”

I’m shocked into silence while Bruce fills me in on the fucked up relationship between that family.

“This gives me a ton to work with, thanks, bud.”

“Oh, that’s not even the best part yet. Are you ready?”

Probably not, I think, but it’s not like I can prevent it. I grow irritated waiting for him to continue.

“Fucking spit it out already. Do you think I enjoy talking to you when I could be in bed?”

“Hot piece of ass?”

“Fuck off, Bruce. Are you going to tell me, or not?”

“Okay, okay. Rose, Caston’s real mom, who’s dead—she’s not, bro. She’s alive and well.”

“Fuck me. Thanks.”

I quickly hang up and jump in the shower, so it at least seems like I wasn’t on the phone for so long. Now, how do I use this information to my advantage?

It’s been a few days since Caston’s admitted to me that he wanted to meet Rose. He’s been silent and a bit distant since that day. I’m worried. It’s Saturday and instead of waking up in Caston’s arms, warm and content, I’m waking up alone. He has snuck off again without waking me to say goodbye.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and reach to the end, grabbing Caston’s white dress shirt from last night. Feeling the cotton slide along my skin warms me on the inside. The smell of Caston on the shirt makes my insides flip flop.

Getting up slowly, I stretch. As I stretch, I see my dance shoes poking out from under the bed. I crouch down and pull them out. It’s been so long. My heart starts racing as I hold them. The feeling of love that I used to feel dancing is coming back, but my heart aches, thinking about what the doctors have told me. Never again? I can’t believe that. I can’t. This is a part of me. I slide the shoes on and still crouched down I press one foot over onto pointe. My calf tightens. I stand flat footed and roll through my feet one at a time to remind my body what I want them to do.