Sold
Keeping her in the Dark Vol. 1
By:
Leslie Sansom
For those of us who like a dark story
Copyright@ Leslie Sansom 2013
ISBN-13:978-14839112448
ISBN-10:1483912442
Also by Leslie Sansom:
Lost at Sea
Stranger on Route 35
And coming soon “Lost in the World” Book 2 of the
“Lost of Sea” duet
Prologue
Norah stood at the kitchen sink washing the dishes, listening
to her summer vacation and graduation present being planned out
behind her.
“I think two months in Europe is extremely generous, Norah. I
don’t know why you aren’t more excited, or thankful even?” Her
mother had her hands on her hips, she was clearly irritated by her
daughter’s less than enthusiastic attitude. Norah nodded.
“You’re right. It’s very generous. But I was really hoping to
spend the summer with Lorraine and Maggie.” Protect them is more
like it, she thought. She finished the dishes and wiped her hands on
the drying towel, and then turned to face her mother. She tried not
to make eye contact with Jim, her mother’s new boyfriend and the
person behind this very generous gift.
“Well, I think Jim is being very sweet by offering to pay for
you and Tiffany to go together. Most girls would jump at the chance
to leave their families behind, and back pack through Europe for the
summer. You’ve graduated college, Norah, and you worked very
hard. I think you deserve a break. You’ve lined up this internship in
Chicago in the fall, so this summer is the only time. Soon you’ll be so
busy and you’ll wish you had taken this opportunity,” she huffed.
She was right. Norah had worked very hard in college. She
worked so hard she hardly ever came home to visit. So when her
mother started dating Jim, she wasn’t around to tell her the guy
seemed a little creepy. She didn’t know what it was about him,
something just wasn’t right. Maybe it was the way he looked at her,
or sat to close. Maybe it was how he always tried to find a reason to
touch Norah in some way, or maybe it was just the rude comments
he would make when her mother wasn’t around. All of it added up
to nothing really, so she kept her mouth shut. Her mother never
seemed so happy. Jim was a rich business man, what kind of
business, Norah still wasn’t sure.
She thought it had something to do with real estate, but he
was never clear. He gave her mother everything she had ever
wanted and more. So Norah held her tongue most of the time.
Having Norah at 15, and then the twins at 20, kinda limited
her prospects on men. Mary Birch was attractive, but when men
found out she was a 37 year old, show girl, with three kids, they
usually ended things rather quickly. Mary had her heart broken so
many times, Norah couldn’t tell her that her new prince charming
was really just another jerk.
When Norah came home to visit for Christmas all her fears
were confirmed. Jim had cornered her more than once and tried to
have his way with her. He never managed to get any further than
groping and grinding before someone else walked in the room.
Norah told him to leave her alone, that she was virgin, but that only
seemed to turn him on more. Finally, their last encounter, just
before Norah went back to school, he crossed the line.
“If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll just have to get it from
Lorraine or maybe Maggie,” he breathed. Norah hated the idea of
him being in the house with her sisters. She certainly didn’t want him
to turn his focus on them. So she did the only thing she could do; she
pulled a knife on him.
“Look, asshole, I’m telling you right now if you lay a hand on
one of my sisters I will cut your balls off and feed them to the dog!”
Jim backed away from Norah with his hands up, as if he
surrendered. “Don’t think for one second I can’t go and tell my
mother about this whole thing and then you’ll be out the door so
quick your head will spin!” He smirked and laughed a little. “What’s
so fucking funny?” she asked.
“Norah, come on, be serious. We both know if you thought
you stood a chance in hell of your mother believing you over me, you
would have told her already.” He hung his head and laughed a little
more.
“I’ve given her this house, her car, nice clothes, and that
lovely diamond ring she has on her left hand as well. We both know
your mother is not about to give those things up, because I groped
you a little,” his smirk was bigger now.
Norah knew he was right. As much as her mother loved her
and the twins, she also resented them. She secretly blamed them for
chasing off any boyfriend she ever had, and even their own father’s.
Norah’s Dad had left as soon as the word baby was brought up. The
twin’s father split right after they were born. Mary never said it
openly, when she was sober. But when she was drunk, which was
often when they were younger, she couldn’t stop saying it.
Norah accepted the blame, and made herself a vow. She
would never give herself to a man until she was married. She didn’t
want to take the chance of having a child out of wedlock, the man
leave her, and she spend her life trying to replace him, and blame
the kid in the process. She didn’t want to be her mother. Going to
college was the first step.
She was educated, and had a career lined up. She knew she
could take care of herself without a man. His voice brought her out
of her head.
“Put the knife away, and we’ll forget this ever happen, ok?”
Jim said. This time Norah laughed.
“Yeah, how can I do that?” she said. “You want me to forget
this ever happen, and go back to school, knowing the minute I’m
gone you’re going to rape one of my sisters? You must be out of your
mind!” she snapped. Jim held his hands up again.
“I think we can make a deal,” he paused. “You put the knife
down, go back to school, and I won’t touch your sisters.” Norah
laughed again. “I promise.”
“How can I trust you? Once it’s done, it’s done. Calling you a
liar, liar, pants on fire, won’t take away my sisters pain,” she cocked
her head to the side, still holding the knife. Jim stepped a little
closer.
“You’re right. You’re right. You’re absolutely right. So you are
going to have to trust me, Norah. You can’t stay here, you have to go
back to school. If you don’t, what will you tell your mother? I’m
telling you, I won’t touch them. I promise.” Norah didn’t want to
believe him, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. She could kill
him, or just hurt him really bad, and then end up in jail with her life
ruined.She could tell her mother, and have her not believe her, and
lose everything she held dear to her; or she could simply trust this
asshole. Her options were not easy. She slowly lowered the knife,
and Jim walked away.
The night before she went back to college she had a long talk
with Lorraine and Maggie. She explained to them the importance of
staying away from Jim, in not so many words. Neither one seemed to
be affected by him, which made her feel a little better. At least he
hadn’t given them the creepy vibe. She also pressed upon them that
in the event something weird did happen, anything, they were to call
her right away.
She also gave them each a can of pepper spray and told
them to keep it with them all the time. The University of Nevada was
only six hours away from Las Vegas, she could be back in a jiffy. She
was strangely comforted when both girls thought she was acting
crazy.
Now he had offered her this trip to travel Europe for the
summer. She knew it was just a ruse to get her out of the way. He
didn’t like having her around.
The twins were supposed to spend the summer traveling to
different colleges. They would both start their senior year of High
school in the fall, and neither had decided on a college. They both
wanted to attend the same college, the problem was Lorraine
wanted sun and sand, while Maggie wanted snow and skis. They
were identical physically, but their personalities couldn’t be more
different. Finally coming to an agreement they could both live with,
they decided to travel to several colleges over the summer, and
whichever one had the hottest guys, that’s the one they would go to.
It was very scientific, and Norah assumed that to them,
school programs and the quality of the education didn’t matter
when it came to college guys without their shirts on. Norah wanted
to go with them. Not to check out the guys, not that that would have
been all bad, but to help them decide on something other than abs
and biceps. But a trip to Europe was also appealing, even if it was a
bribe to get her out of the way. Jim hadn’t made any more advances
on her, and from what Norah could tell he hadn’t touched the twins
either. Even with her vague questions, she concluded that the twins
weren’t at all weirded out by Jim. Which again, gave her a small
sense of relief, and thought Jim might be an ass, but he kept his
word.
Norah started packing two weeks before they were set to
leave. They would fly out of Las Vegas and be in New York for one
day, then leave New York for Paris. Jim had generously given her his
credit card and let her go shopping for her trip, which she graciously
accepted. She didn’t at all feel guilty about buying Tiffany new
clothes too.
“I can’t go,” Tiffany said. They were set to leave in two days,
and she was dropping this on her now! Tiffany plopped herself on
Norah’s bed.
“What do you mean you can’t go?” Norah asked. Tiffany held
out her left hand which now had a mid-sized emerald cut diamond
ring on it.
“Jason proposed! We’re getting married! He wants to have it
in the fall, so I can’t go. I have to stay here and plan the wedding!”
She seemed very excited, despite the fact she was kinda screwing
Norah over.
“Congratulations! But come on, it’s only two months, you’ll
have plenty of time to plan when we get back! Don’t do this to me. I
didn’t want to go back in May, and you convinced me. Now I’m really
excited!”
“I can’t. If I went it would only give me August and September
to plan for an October wedding. That isn’t enough time. Jason has
like five hundred people he has to invite, and with his sisters, my
sisters, cousins and friends, our wedding party is going to be like
fifteen people strong,” she paused. “Look, I’m really sorry. I know I
convinced you to go, but I didn’t know this was going to happen.”
Tiffany tried to give Norah a little smile. “We can do Europe next
summer. Instead of traveling with a backpack, getting lost, and trying
to find anyone that can speak English, you can stay here and help
me. I would love for you to be my maid of honor.” Norah’s eyes filled
up with tears. “Really? That is so sweet, Tiff. But I’m going,” she took
a breath. “I know it’s crazy for me to go alone, but next summer,
you’ll be pregnant, and won’t want to travel, or Jason will be in the
middle of building your dream home, and you’ll have to stay to make
decisions on bathroom tile. I would love to be your maid of honor,
really, I would. But if you’re going to put together the amazing
wedding I know you want, in four months, you need someone who is
