Under the Cover of Darkness

09 | Alexandra

I don't usually put content alerts but I thought it would be a good idea to include one here.

This chapter may contain triggering content!

There is abuse and hintings of rape.

Please read at your own discretion.

• • •

The air was wonderful against my face.

We were seated on the roof of an abandoned building with the magnificent skyline before us.

Tonight had been a bust.

Sure I'd been able to make enough to pay off the rent but I could still feel the strong fingers clutching my arm like a vice.

I could still feel the warm mouth travel against my neck, the teeth grazing my skin. I could still feel the unwanted hand slide between my legs.

I had a fierce temper but as soon as the drunken man pressed up his body against mine my brain shut down and instead changed his face to that of my father.

I closed my eyes but the image was still there. His blue eyes were filled with alcohol and determination as he raised up the hand that wasn't clutching the bottle of Jack Daniels to strike me.

I begged but my feeble voice was lost to him.

I felt a bulge travel down my leg and fingers crawl up my thigh.

At the back of my eyelids a different movie was playing. One that featured harsh words and pain and starring my father. The scar at my back started tingling and I almost cried.

"Please don't hurt me," I whispered snapping my eyes open. It was no use since it was the same thing playing before my eyes.

Suddenly the weight was yanked off me and I heard something explode.

I flinched just as something crunched.

It was quiet for a while until a calm voice pulled me out of my nightmare.

I was staring into Carson's face and before I could overthink anything I wrapped my arms around my boss. He smelt strongly of sandalwood, champagne and the beach. A combination I found oddly soothing.

A hand on my neck caused me to flinch and come out of my reverie.

I watched Carson trace the spot where the drunk man had sucked my neck. The spot revolted me and I couldn't wait to go home and scrub my entire body clean. I tried not to show how much his fingers were affecting me.

"I'm really sorry about . . ." he apologized in that gentle voice of his that washed over me like lemonade on a hot day.

I couldn't get over how incredibly handsome he looked. With a white turtleneck under a blue-black blazer, his dark wavy hair fell over his forehead and almost into his grey eyes which were at the moment giving me stares that turned my insides into a useless knot.

"That's ok," I stopped him. I really wished he would stop apologizing and just focus on keeping his fingers dancing on my skin.

For some reason tonight Carson's touch was giving me serious butterflies. I didn't know if it was because it was so gentle and no man had ever handled me gently before but what I knew was that for the first time I actually wanted a man to touch me.

After everything my father and all the men I've encountered put me through I never thought I'd have this feeling again.

As if Carson read my mind his fingers moved up to caress my cheek. This time I did lean into his warm, long fingers.