*THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE HEAVILY EDITED*
TW: kidnapping, manipulation, toxic/abusive relationship, violence, death, grief, self-harm, suicidal thoughts/attempts, sexual assault, non-consensual sexual content, alcoholism, stockholm syndrome, switching...
Something ticked inside me when I looked at her and she was in pain with that terrified look on her face. Then she called me by my first name and I couldn't even look at her, so I dropped her onto the ground. Then she couldn't breathe, so I did the only thing I could, I held her.
She said it hurts, what hurts? Her throat? I wasn't squeezing that hard. No, this was something else, something was going on with this girl. She's a nervous wreck around authority figures, anyone above her. Kara, her friend, was always the one to take the lead for her, she couldn't do anything on her own and I'm going to find out why.
This girl was doing something to me and I didn't like it. I've just met her and feel like she belongs to me, she's mine. There's nothing I can do, I can't take my eyes off of her. I can't stop watching when she dances on that pole in her tight little dresses while other men watch her. But she wanted me to stay away from her, so for now I'm going to do just that.
For the next two weeks, I silently watched her as she gained confidence, earned more money and smiled more. She loved to dance here, it was like she was at peace on the stage, stealing the attention from every single person in the building, even my security. Even though it pissed me off, it told me what I needed to know. This girl is nothing but an attention-seeking dirty little slut, waiting for the right man to come along and give her what she craves.
And I'm going to be that man, whether she likes it or not.
Nia's POV...
As I got ready for work, Mr. Rivera kept crossing my mind. I haven't seen him since that little incident two weeks ago and even though I told him to stay away from me, I missed seeing his face. What? No, Nia. The guy gave you a panic attack. He wrapped his big, veiny, gorgeous hand around your throat.
"Let's go, Nia! We're going to be late!" Kara yelled.
"Give me a minute!" I yelled back.
"I'll wait in the car!" I didn't have time to tell her to wait, because she already slammed the front door close.
Ugh. I quickly finished straightening my hair and threw my outfit on. Tonight, everyone was wearing lingerie sets. When I asked Kara why, she just shrugged and said, "Amanda came up with the idea a while ago, said it was so we could switch it up a little bit, but we all know she's just trying to impress Mr. Rivera. It usually works and she ends up going home with him."
For some reason, hearing that gave me an odd feeling. I don't know what it was, but it definitely brought my mood down.
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NIAS OUTFIT.
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KARAS OUTFIT.
I threw on a pair of grey sweatpants with a jacket on top then ran out the front door.
"Wow, Kara, I could've sworn I saw you wearing that exact same piece of lingerie a few months ago, not enough money to buy something new for a change?" We heard Amanda's voice when we walked into the dressing rooms.
"Yeah and I could've sworn the stank ass smell from last night was the air, turns out it's just you. Go put some perfume on girl, I could smell you from outside." Kara threw back at her, clearly unbothered by Amanda's unnecessary comment.
We both walked past her and went to say hello to the other girls.
As I danced on stage for the third time, the way my body moved so smoothly, provocatively and sensually, my mind remembered how calming it used to make me feel. I forgot how in love with it I was and realized how much it helped with my anxiety.
An hour later, I went to the bar to grab a water bottle when I heard someone calling out my name.
I turned around and almost had a panic attack when I saw who stood in front of me, a few feet away.
"Papa?" I whispered. He looked so different. His hair had gotten a lot more grey, he had some stubble, huge bags under his tired eyes and worst of all, he looked drunk out of his mind.
"You. I finally found you." He muttered, slurring his words. I was confused, why had he been looking for me? Did he miss me? Did my parents finally want me back home? A gasp left my mouth when he struck me in the face, making me fall down.
"It's all your fault! She's dead because of you," He yelled in my face as he hit me over and over again. I was starting to lose consciousness, confused at what he was blaming me for. Was he talking about my mother?
Before he could hit me again, two security guards pulled him away from me and tackled him to the ground.
"Nia! Nia, are you okay?" I heard Kara's voice from above me. I nodded.
"Yeah, yeah I'm okay," I grunted, moving to sit up. I stood and looked at my father. What the hell just happened?
It was all starting to register in my head, my father just beat me up and blamed me for someone being dead. Was it my mother? What happened to her? I struggled to breathe as my body felt hot and my airway felt blocked.
"Hey, it's okay, Nia. They're taking him away." Kara didn't recognize him, or else she would've been freaking out as well.
"No, Kara that's-" I couldn't get my words out, having to hunch over when my head felt light so I wouldn't pass out.
She quickly handed me a water bottle and sat me down, waiting for me to calm down.
"Kara that's-that's my dad." I gulped down some more water and cleared my throat. I hurried over to the dressing room and threw my sweatpants back on and grabbed my bag, shoving everything inside it but making sure Alex's blanket wasn't getting creased.
All the while, Kara was right beside me, doing the same.
We both knew what was about to happen, where security was taking him and hurried to get our stuff together.
I threw the door to Callum's office open, watching as the gun he had put up to my father's head went off. He shot him. The scream that left my mouth as my father's body dropped to the floor was unrecognizable, his lifeless eyes staring at me made me queasy. I'm too late.
I went to go run to him, hoping he was still breathing but was quickly held back by those familiar arms that were around me, holding me, calming me down just two weeks ago, the same hands that just killed my father. I fell to the ground, sobbing with my hands around my mouth, trying to quieten down my screams.
Callum picked me up and my legs wrapped around his waist as he carried me out of the room through the door behind his desk. I wanted to fight him, yell at him to put me down so I could call the police and have him arrested. But knowing I wouldn't get far, I decided to stay put.
Through my blurry vision, I saw Kara being dragged out of the room, kicking and yelling, by this man. I couldn't see his face clearly, but he was obviously with Callum.
AUTHORS NOTE!!!
This chapter honestly sucked, I know. But get ready, cause the storyline is about to pick up:)
I hope you enjoyed it, I'd really appreciate it if you voted, followed and commented on any feedback you may have. Remember to eat and drink loads of water to stay hydrated, see you next time, sexy;)
