Out of Oblivion (8 page)

Chapter
11

Pain was the first thing I experienced. Every part of my body throbbed, but at least it was a sign I was still alive. My first thought was I would open my eyes to find Kurt standing over me, but something was different. I was warm, and something light and soft covered me. A blanket. Kurt never let me use a blanket no matter how cold I was. Even when I slept in his bed, I had to sleep on top of the covers.

I blinked a few times before fully opening my eyes. The room was beige. A green curtain hung to my left, and I was in a bed. To my right, Dominic sat in a recliner with a laptop resting on his thighs. A tube came out of my arm, leading to a bag with a clear liquid dripping out of it. How did I get to a hospital?

I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it, but I didn’t cry out. Instead, I took a few slow, deep breaths until the pain passed.

"Don't sit up," Dominic said. "You have a few cracked ribs, a broken leg and concussion."

"Where is Kurt?"

"He was arrested." Dominic sat forward in his seat, facing me. His arm was in a sling.

"What happened to you?"

"Kurt shot me, but I'll be fine."

I sobbed. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

Dominic set his computer aside, leaning towards me. "Why would you think that?"

"You tried to warn me, and I didn't listen. If I did, none of this would have happened. All because I was being stubborn and hard-headed."

"Well," he said, reaching out and giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "Next time I get a bad feeling about someone, just hear me out and we'll call it even."

I nodded, then winced. Any kind of movement was a bad idea. "The worst part is, Kurt gave me the creeps from the start. He wooed me though, and I ignored my instincts even though there was a part of me warning me not to."

"You should always trust your instincts."

"Now you tell me."

Dominic chuckled.

"So how much did I miss? I need to call my parents. They must be so worried."

"Relax, Haleigh. You've only been in the hospital a few hours."

"I mean, how much time has passed since." I looked away. "You know."

"How much time do you think has passed?"

"I don't know. It's hot and humid outside so it must be summer, and I moved in with Kurt in April so three or four months?"

Dominic grew quiet, and he looked concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Haleigh, I don't want you to get upset. You're right. It is summer, but more than a year has gone by since you disappeared."

"That's not possible. It couldn't have been that long." My eyes filled with tears. When I considered everything I had been through, I realized a lot more than a few months have passed.

Dominic held my hand as I cried.

After I calmed down, Dominic went back to work so I could rest, but I sleep eluded me. I'd been gone so long, and now I wasn't sure what to do. I missed my twentieth birthday, something I was looking forward to because it would have been my first birthday coming out of my teen years. It represented becoming an adult more than turning eighteen. I also missed an entire year of school, and I was more than certain I lost my scholarship. My life was ruined, and it was all my fault for trusting the wrong person.

The rhythmic sound of Dominic's typing was a balm keeping my panic attack at bay. It gave me something to focus on so I wouldn't dwell on what I lost. Then another distraction came. I smelled the food before I heard the rattling wheels of the cart coming up the corridor. My stomach churned. I was so hungry, but mealtimes always made me cringe now. They were a time of humiliation and often meant continued hunger if my owner—no captor—decided he wouldn't feed me.

Dominic pressed a button on the controller, lifting the back of the bed. When he pushed towards me, I sat there, staring as if this were a new experience. It was spaghetti and meatballs, one of my favorite meals. I reached out my hand to grab the fork, held it there for a moment, and then sighed as I let my hand fall to my lap.

"Aren't you hungry?" Dominic asked.

"I guess so."

He watched me for a moment. "What's wrong?"

I debated lying to him, saying I didn't like pasta, but I would have other meals brought and the problem would not go away. Even if he believed me this time, eventually he would know it was something more. I could go without eating for days. I'd done it before, but I doubted I would get away with it in a hospital, especially with Dominic around, keeping watch on me. It was easier to tell him the truth, but I avoided his eyes as I spoke.

"Kurt didn't let me eat from a plate. I know it's stupid, but it just feels weird."

"It's not stupid, Haleigh. How did you eat?"

I shook my head. "It's too humiliating."

Dominic picked up my fork, twirling some of the spaghetti onto it. At first I figured he planned to eat it himself, but then he held the fork to my lips. I gazed at him with a what-are-you-doing look.

"If you won't feed yourself, I'll feed you. But you need to eat," he told me.

I watched him for a moment, my arms folded over my chest, but it was obvious he wouldn't give in. So either I had to let him feed me or suck it up and feed myself. I sighed and took the fork from him.

"I'll eat."

Dominic smiled triumphantly. He watched me take a few bites before going back to his work.

It wasn't as difficult as I imagined it would be. The fact that I was in a different environment helped. I seriously doubt I could eat this way in Kurt's house. Even now I couldn't shake the feeling I would find Kurt scowling from the doorway any minute. I needed a distraction if I had any hope of maintaining my appetite so I could continue eating. Speaking without being asked something would be another thing to get used to, but it was easier than the alternative.

"I need to contact my parents and tell them what happened, but I'm afraid."

"Why?" he asked, looking up from his laptop.

"I hurt them, and my mom gave me a necklace that's been passed through our family for over a hundred years. I also had a blanket my grandmother crocheted when I was a baby. Kurt… I think he sold them. I think he sold all of my stuff. It will hurt her even more when she finds out." Tears came to my eyes.

"Oh, Haleigh. They'll be so relieved to hear from you and know you're safe, they won't be concerned about those things."

"Maybe at first, but… well, I feel guilty about it. It's all my fault."

Dominic took the phone receiver off the wall and handed it to me. "What's their number?"

I told him the number and held the phone to my ear. A message blared a repeated message in my ear telling me their number was no longer in service. I handed it back to him, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Dominic asked.

"They must have moved. The number's been disconnected." Then the tears that threatened moments before spilled over. What if it wasn't that? What if something happened to them? Even if they were okay, what if I never found them?

Dominic took my hands in his. "I swear I will help you find them."

*****

Dominic was a permanent fixture and my moral support over the weeks that followed. The only time he left my room—to the dismay of the hospital staff—was to eat or when the doctor came in to examine me. The only other time had been when a police officer came in for a statement about what happened. Part of me wished Dominic stayed, but a bigger part was glad I wouldn't have to bear the horror on his face when he learned the awful things I'd done because I was too scared and weak to fight Kurt.

I told the officer as much as I could about my experience, without going into every humiliating detail. He told me to stick to the important facts anyway. The details weren't as important. He seemed more interested in what I told him about the organization, or whatever it was, that Kurt was involved in anyway. He told me they'd been investigating those people for a while, now, and suspected Kurt to be a part of it, but they never found any evidence to support their suspicions. They would need a lot more concrete evidence, but her testimony gave them the first real lead they've had. Before he left, he thanked me and gave me a card with a number to contact him if anything else came to mind.

Dominic returned when the officer left, sheepishly admitting he'd overheard what I told the officer about the organization.

"I found out about it right before I saw you at the club. It's why I wanted to get away from him so badly and why I was glad when you offered to help me. He uh," I gazed out the window. "He planned to put me in some breeding program if he got bored with me. I thought he loved me, and I would have done anything he wanted until I heard that. If that hadn't happened, I might have declined your offer for help."

Dominic frowned, but said nothing. What could he say? It sent a shiver up my spine when I consider where I might be right now had I not learned what kind of person Kurt was.

"There are a lot of groups out there with men who are threatened by gender equality and many of them are attempting to subjugate women in very violent ways. Worse, they're using the BDSM lifestyle to lure people in. You were very lucky to escape. Most women never do," he said, solemnly.

That was something he didn't need to explain. I was well aware of how close I came to being trapped in the reality Kurt had created for me.

*****

After two weeks in the hospital, I didn't realize how much of a comfort zone the place became. It was the first safe place I'd been after being with Kurt. When the doctor announced I should be able to go home by the end of the week, it occurred to me I had nowhere to go. I was homeless. I owned no clothes, no furniture, no possessions at all. What would I do? Dominic returned to the room to find me curled up and sobbing.

"What's wrong?" he asked, rushing to my side.

"I'm fine. Just shocked. I'll be okay," I said, waving away his concern. This wasn't his problem.

He sat on the side of the bed, taking my hands in his, then gazed at me with raised eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

I sighed. "The doctor said I can go home at the end of the week."

"And this is a bad thing?"

I started crying again. "I have nowhere to go. I can't even go home to my parents because I have no idea where they are, and even if I did, I would have no money to get there. My friends won't help me. I've burned all my bridges."

"Not all of them, Haleigh. You're welcome to stay at my place until you get back on your feet."

"No, I can't do that." Living with a man had gotten me into this mess in the first place, and besides, "I'm sure your brother wouldn't appreciate you inviting someone else to live at his place."

"Well, if I was living with my brother, he wouldn't mind, but I own a house now. My web design business has taken off, and I bought a house a few months ago." Then added more softly, "With my brother's help."

I gazed at him curiously.

"Brant gave me the down payment, but I think he was eager to get his little brother out of the house. His girlfriend just moved in, and I got the impression they wanted their own space."

I forced a smile. "I guess I can understand that, but it still wouldn't be right for me to move in with you." My reluctance was made worse after realizing it would just be the two of us.

"Haleigh, I understand it might be hard because of what Kurt did to you, but I want you to understand I would never do that. I know it's just words, but I do want to help you?"

"Why?"

"I feel somewhat responsible for what happened to you. I should have tried harder to expose him to you."

I shook my head. It wasn't his responsibility.

"Haleigh, I would like to help you, but I'll understand if you're uncomfortable with it. I can help you find other arrangements."

I wasn't sure I wanted to live with complete strangers either, and Dominic stayed with me the last couple of weeks after having saved my life. If he cared enough to do that, was it reasonable to assume he wouldn't do anything to hurt me? Either way I looked at it, the bottom line was he was my only friend. The worst part was I didn't even deserve his friendship after how I'd treated him, yet here he was. He was the only one I could turn to right now. I couldn't do it on my own. I needed a starting point to get my life back together.

"Just until I get a job and can find my own place?"

"That's the plan," Dominic said with that goofy grin on his face.

"Okay." I hoped I wouldn't come to regret my decision.

Chapter
12

"Home sweet home," Dominic said as he opened the door and swept his arm across the threshold.

The gesture made me giggle. He waited for me to enter and walked in behind me. The house wasn't as big as Brant's. His was more like a mansion than a house, but Dominic's house was still more than twice the size of any house I'd ever lived in. Downstairs was an open floor living space with a kitchen and island with a breakfast nook separating it from the living room and dining area. A door from the living room led to a small room Dominic set up as his office. A large glass door folded out opening the entire back part of the house onto the patio. Dominic opened it half-way sending a cool breeze through the house.

The outdoor area was covered and furnished. To the left was four two seater sofas facing each other around a square coffee table. To the right was the largest glass table I ever saw. It was also square and seated eight people, two on each side. I got the impression Dominic had a thing for square furniture. There was a BBQ grill that looked like it was designed to cook for an army, but more astounding was the enormous in ground pool, complete with diving board and slide. A glass fence separated the pool area from the patio.

It was a warm day, and the pool looked so refreshing, but I didn't own a bathing suit. Even if I did, I could never wear it in front of Dominic. I wasn't shy about my body, but it would show my brand, and there was no doubt the labia rings would be noticeable too. I would have to give him the impression I didn't like swimming to avoid the embarrassment.

After exploring the bottom floor, we went upstairs. There were five bedrooms. The largest, of course, belonged to Dominic. Each room had its own bathroom, except for one, which served as his workout room.

"Use it any time you like," he told me.

The rest of the rooms were furnished with a queen sized bed and dresser, a comfortable place for guests to sleep and store their clothing. Each room also had built in closets, and Dominic supplied plenty of hangers. Clothing storage wasn't a problem for me though. All I owned were the shorts, shirt and sneakers Dominic purchased, so I would have something to wear when I left the hospital.

"You can choose whatever room you want," Dominic said.

I chose the room farthest from his. I told him it was because I liked the colors best, and I did. It was a soothing, soft lilac color, but my real reason was because I felt safer. In fact, I would prefer sleeping on a different floor with a deadlock on the door if it was possible. At least, I noted right away, there was a lock on the door.

Dominic set a duffel bag on the bed. "It's got a couple changes of clothes in there for you. We can go shopping tomorrow to get you more, but I thought this would get you started. Hope you like them."

I nodded. "Thanks, but you don't need to do all this. You're giving me a place to live. That's enough."

"Don't worry about it. It's not a problem."

"How can a web designer afford all this?" I said without thinking, then looked away as my face heated. "I'm sorry. That was rude."

Dominic didn't look insulted though. In fact, he was smiling. "I wasn't kidding when I said I was doing well, but I'll admit my brother has helped a lot. The down payment he gave me was a big down payment."

I nodded sheepishly. "I really am sorry. It's none of my business."

"Don't worry about it. Why don't you get settled and I'll get dinner started? I thought it would be nice to BBQ steaks, and I'll make a salad. Something light."

"That sounds great."

I waited for him to leave and then climbed onto the bed to test it out. Sleeping on a bed wouldn't be something new. I spent nearly three weeks in one at the hospital, but this bed was larger and softer than anything I'd ever slept on before. It would take a little getting used to, but somehow I imagined it would be the easiest thing to grow accustomed to in this new life. I missed comfort. It was the other things that would be harder to cope with.

*****

It didn't take long to look around the large, sparsely furnished room or to unpack the few sets of clothing I now owned thanks to Dominic. I spent more time looking around my bathroom, and I was pleased to find it was the only room in the house—aside from the master bedroom, which had a Jacuzzi tub—that had one of the large garden tubs. Of course, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it until they removed my cast. After sighing wistfully at the tub, I headed downstairs to see if Dominic wanted help with preparing dinner.

Crutches made stair climbing tricky, but it wasn't too hard once I got started. As I stood at the top of the stairwell, I realized I had no idea how I would go about going down. I wasn't even willing to experiment on my own. With my luck, I would end up back in the hospital. So I lowered myself onto my bum and made my way down the stairs that way, dragging my crutches next to me. As I reached the bottom, Dominic walked over with a smirk on his face.

"Need help?"

I glared. "I'm doing just fine, thanks."

He ignored me, reaching a hand under my arm and helping me to my feet.

"Thanks," I said.

"I should set up the sofa bed for you until you get that thing off," Dominic said, motioning towards my cast.

While it would make things easier on me, I liked the idea of being able to lock my bedroom door at night. I knew he could likely get in with a key if he wanted, but it still gave me a sense of security knowing I had that option. "I'll be okay."

"Actually, I was on my way up to let you know dinner is nearly ready." He led me to the patio, motioning for me to sit on one of the sofas.

"Oh," I said, leaning my crutches against the side of the sofa. "I meant to ask if you needed any help."

Dominic quirked an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be resting."

"Cutting vegetables for a salad isn't a strenuous activity."

"True, but I made the salad while the steaks were marinating. I'm just about to put them on the grill, and they won't take long at all."

"I'll just give you some moral support as you cook then." I smiled.

Dominic smiled back. "That's acceptable."

The sofa I sat on faced the grill, so I didn't need to twist my body to watch him. My mouth watered as the aroma dominated the patio. I didn't know what the marinade was, but it smelled divine. Dominic's back was to me, and my eyes drifted to his bum. I wasn't the type to stare at men's body parts, covered or not, but his was just the perfect shape, and the jeans he wore made it hard not to look. When he turned, I quickly looked away, my face heating. I hoped he didn't see, but when I noticed him trying hard to hide his grin, I knew he caught me.

I needed to be more careful. Dominic was a great guy, especially for everything he did for me, but I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. There was a time I would have jumped at the chance for a relationship with him, but now that I knew what it meant to be with a dominant male, I never wanted it again. And even he weren't so inclined, I doubted I would be ready for another relationship any time soon, if ever.

"I'll pay you back for the clothes once I find a job." That should remind him I expected to keep things platonic between us.

He frowned. "You really don't need to worry about that."

"I really do," I said. "I'm grateful for all your help, but you shouldn't have to spend your money on me."

"You know. If my brother hadn't paid for my schooling and everything I needed to get my business started, I would have struggled. I would not be where I am right now without his help, and he refuses to let me pay him back. So this is my way of paying him back. I'm paying it forward and helping you. When you're in a better position financially, you can help someone else, and I'll consider that my payback. How about that?"

How could I argue with that logic? "That's acceptable."

Dominic chuckled. "Oh, and by the way, Kurt wasn't the only one interested in your dreams. I wanted to ask you about your art during the party, but as host I had a job to do. It would have been rude to neglect my guests, and I needed to keep an eye on things. I should have asked you for a rain check right then and there, but I figured I could ask you out when the party died down. Then I overheard you and Kurt talking, and I assumed you weren't interested in me, so I let it go. Another big mistake on my part."

I suddenly found my twisting fingers interesting and scrutinized them to avoid his gaze. This was not a conversation I wanted to have right now. Aside from the fact that talking about anything to do with relationships made my stomach squeamish, I felt a little sheepish over his admission.

"What's wrong?" Dominic asked.

"I thought because you didn't stick around, you weren't interested in me."

"Looks like we were both a little foolish that night," he said with a wry grin. "I should have asked you out anyway."

"I would have said 'yes'."

"Lesson learned." Dominic dished up the steaks. "Table or on the sofa?"

It would still be too weird to eat at a table. "Here's fine."

Dominic set my pate in front of me and his across from mine. "I'll be right back."

He returned moments later with a salad and a can of Coke for me.

"Thanks, you remembered." Coke was one of my weaknesses, especially with Scotch.

Dominic winked.

We ate in silence for a while. At first I didn't mind it so much, but then I ran out of things to think about and I felt awkward. I wanted to say something, but I had little to talk about except for what happened over the last year, and I didn't want to revisit that. Thankfully, Dominic saved me.

"Are you planning to go back to school?"

Okay, well, it wasn't much of a save. It was another topic I was reluctant to discuss. I would love to, but I didn't have the money to go back. Even if I did, I wasn't sure they would take me back when I dropped out so suddenly. "I'm not sure. I wasn't sure about my abilities as a graphic artist anyway. I could get a job and take art classes or something and focus on my art."

"Okay, let me rephrase the question. If money and lack of self-esteem were not objects, what would you want to do?"

I set my fork down and sighed. He was right though. I was basing my decisions on fears, and I knew my parents would have been unhappy about that if they were here with me. They would tell me to go after my dreams regardless. "I would want to go back to school."

"I'll help you with school if you need it."

"Dominic, I—"

He held up a finger to stop me. "Pay it forward, remember?"

I sighed again, more audibly this time to emphasize my exasperation. "Why do you insist on helping me? I mean, I wasn't the nicest person to you when I was with Kurt. You don't owe me anything, and this goes beyond the bounds of friendship."

"Does it?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I didn't have a good reply.

"Clearly you've never had any good friends if you would question what friends will do for one another."

I considered what he said and shrugged. "You're right. I've never had a good friend. When I was a kid, my parents were my only real friends. I most of the people I went to school with disliked me. Then when I came here I met Alexis, but it turned out she wasn't as good a friend as I thought either."

"Well," Dominic said, reaching out and giving my hand a squeeze. "Now you do, and you'll just have to learn to deal with it."

I grinned. "I might be able to suck it up. You know, in the name of paying it forward and all."

Dominic chuckled, and we finished our meal in silence. This time it didn't seem so awkward.