Hotline Bling

Chapter 8

Essence began to stir, stretching out her sore limbs as she opened her eyes. That was the best night sleep she had ever had. When had her bed ever been so comfortable? She turned onto her side, coming into contact with soft warm skin. Her eyes shot open and she screamed, kicking her way across the bed. Roman hopped up, reaching for the gun on his bedside table with quick hands. Essence jumped even further back at the sudden sight of the gun and fell off the bed. The fall seemed to go on forever, the back of her head smacking against the carpeted floor beneath her. Though the carpet took away much of the blow it still hurt nonetheless. She grabbed for the back of her head, wincing out in pain.

She balled herself up and closed her eyes, convinced that she was dreaming.

"You ai'ight?" Roman asked. "Why you screaming?"

She stayed silent, counting to one hundred in her head, hoping that this was just another nightmare that she would soon wake up from.

All hope of this being a dream vanished when she felt herself being lifted off the floor. Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets as her hands came into contact with his warm flesh. He was naked from the waist up, his smooth skin soft to the touch. She flinched back, raising her hands high in her attempt to not touch him.

He placed her onto the bed and she slid as far away from him as she could, running her hands through her matted hair.

"What's going on? Why am I here?" She asked.

He placed the gun on the table and sighed, running a hand down his face. He looked at her, his eyes piercing as he watched her. Then he began to pace in front of her. She openly stared at him, his chiseled torso seemed to be beckoning for her eyes to watch. The muscles in his arms flexed slightly as he rubbed at his chin in thought, his face was twisted up as if his thoughts were hard to deal with. But even with the almost angry tilt to his face he was still handsome. His dark brown skin gleamed, the rigid set to his jawline was at a hard masculine angle one only saw on models, his lashes were long and wispy fanning almond shaped eyes that sparkled. His features had only seemed to grow throughout the years, making him too handsome for his own good. She frowned, prying her eyes off him and staring down at her legs. And that's when she realized that she wasn't wearing her dress. Her eyes widened as she grasped the long white shirt hanging off of her body.

"Did you change me?" She asked hoarsely. Her voice was barely audible. If he had changed her...he knew...The bruises and welts and scars from years past had all been hidden neatly underneath her clothing. The secrets that she had held, the façade of a perfect life that she had sold to Roman years ago would all come crashing and he would see her as the victim...the helpless girl, the liar that she was.

He was staring at her now, watching the nervousness that crossed her face and the rigid set of her hands. He hadn't undressed her, the thought had been a pleasant one but he had chosen against taking advantage of her. He had opted out and surrendered her over to Tonya. But the look on her face had him regretting the missed opportunity.

It was obvious to him that she was hiding something. He licked his lips before moving toward her. "Why does it matter if I changed you or not?" He asked as he got close to her, invading her space.

She looked up at him, panic shinning in her eyes. "Did you undress me?" She snapped at him.

He smirked, the pettiness that he had been harboring came forward with a quickness, "I don't know...did I?"

Her frown melted away into a look of pure vulnerability that melted his heart. He nearly choked on his heart at the expression on her face. He sighed before stepping back, giving a little bit of space. "No, I didn't undress you. Tonya did."