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He returns, touching my skin, grabbing me in what he probably thinks is a sweet caress. His hands slide to my ass and then he is roughly gripping my hips, pulling me to my knees, spreading my legs, and setting me in place like I was his prized show bitch. “Good Dolly.” He sings songs, but I can hear the sinister grin in his tone as he straightens, preparing for his favorite type of lesson.
I close my eyes tight, pretending I’m anywhere but here. My mind imagines I’m in a bookshop. Reading stories of fairytales, watching as little faces brighten with smiles and excitement when I get to the part where the brave knight rushes in and saves the beautiful princess from the horrible beast.
Reality hits me like a bucket of ice-cold water when the first strike hits my skin. Pain burns across my back as he lashes out again and again. I bite my cheek harder, coating my mouth with the taste of copper as I try not to scream. Screaming always makes it worse. The three lashes he promised turn into six before he drops the belt, and the sound of rustling clothes followed by a zipper being pulled down makes me tense again.
“Hang on Dolly. It’s time for your present.”
I jerk upright in bed, panting, sweat dripping down my body in waves all over. My sheets are soaked with the memories that haunt me. I whip my head around the room as the pure panic still courses through me. I hear a noise to the right, snapping my head in that direction as terror threatens to consume me. Did he find me? Does he know the truth?
When nothing happens after a few minutes, I take in a deep gulping lungful of air, trying to calm the erratic beating of my heart. He didn’t find me. There’s no way. I was careful. I lay back down, reminding myself it was just a dream. A nightmare. A memory.
I reach over to the nightstand, grabbing my phone, pressing the button on the side so it can tell me the time. Three o’clock in the morning. Ugh. I have a few more hours till I have to get up and get ready. I roll over onto my side and bury myself deeper into the warmth of my blanket nest. A few more hours of sleep and then I can start my day.
I close my eyes and start to think of my bookstore. My happy place. The place I might lose soon if I can’t get the guy from the bank to help me. My mind starts to go foggy as sleep threatens to overtake me again. I force my thoughts to stay positive.
Please, let me have a wonderful dream. Please, no more nightmares. Please, no more him.
Chapter three
Wren
“Motherfucker!” I yell out, jumping around on one foot while grabbing at my other one that is currently throbbing in pain. You would think that after living in this shithole apartment for the last few years that I would remember that the stupid coffee table is right there, but I swear someone sneaks in and moves my shit around.Maybe I have naughty little house-elves that enjoy fucking with me.After a second, the throbbing dulls and I can place my foot down without crying out in pain. I continue my walk to the bathroom, feeling for the door frame as I slide my fingers against the smoothly textured wall. My fingers find the knob as I shuffle my feet in case anything else in my place decided it needed to move in the middle of the night.
Reaching my destination, I finally breathe out a sigh of relief when I’m able to do my business after holding my bladder for so long. It’s my own damn fault for waiting, but the cozy little nest I made with blankets was so warm and comfy that I couldn’t bring myself to escape till I couldn’t hold it any longer.
I start to strip my clothes after I do my business, reaching for the knobs in the shower. I turn it till I know it’s somewhat centered, where I know it will be semi-warm but not too cold or too hot. The pipes groan and sputter in protest, but after a minute it finally spits water. I wait another second before climbing in, standing under the showerhead, shivering as the water hits my bare skin.
I grab my two in one shampoo, pouring a bit into my hand as I begin to scrub my scalp. I started getting this combo when I realized I couldn’t tell the difference between the bottles anymore.
Next, I use my body wash, lathering the soap from head to toe, inhaling the scent of lavender and coconut. My favorite. Once that’s done, I stand there, going over what I need to do today at work. Mentally making a list, knowing it’s going to be a long ass day. I groan as I realize the water is turning cold. Sighing because for once I wish I could just take a long hot shower and not worry about having to rush. But I shut off the water, not wanting to freeze and step out, reaching for my towel. I frown to myself when my fingers grab at empty space. Weird, I always put my towel here. Kneeling down, I feel across the floor, thinking I may have dropped it or something, but still come up empty.
My frown deepens when I step out, hands outstretched, feeling for the towel that has suddenly appeared on my sink counter. I must have moved it there. I shake my head, feeling a bit confused, but it’s the only answer I can come up with.
I head back to my room, making sure I’m closer to the wall so I don’t stub my toe again and head towards my nightstand next to my bed. I take a seat as I feel for my phone. Once my fingers brush the edge of thick plastic, I grab a hold, pressing the side button to speak, “Call Amber.” The response comes after a second. “Calling Amber.”
Amber, my best friend, answers after the third ring. “Bitch, you’re thirty minutes behind, so you get to grab coffee today. Ha.” I groan at my best friend. “Fine, but to be fair, you would have been late too if you were in a blanket fort cocooned in warmth.” I say back as she laughs out loud because honestly, we both know it’s true.
“Help me pick an outfit. That business guy is stopping by today to see if he wants to invest in us. I need to look presentable.” I say, worrying my bottom lip. This deal is really important to me. I love my little bookshop, and I’ve worked too hard for the damn bank to take it away from me.
They are sending over an investor guy that had told them he was looking for little shops around town to invest in, “to help build our community.” If I could get him to see all the good that I do and that my bookshop is worth something to more than just me and Amber, then I might have a chance at saving it.
“Turn on your camera, girl, and hurry up. I’m not dealing with your ass if you don’t get your coffee before this meeting.” I giggle at her because, yeah, I’m horrible without my daily caffeine fix. You would think I would have a coffee machine in my shithole apartment, but with my luck, I would burn myself on the thing or worse, burn down my kitchen. And I really can’t afford to be homeless on top of the banks’ ridiculous building rent for my shop.
I push the bottom button on the side of the phone and wait for Amber to reply. “Ready.” She says. I can hear the soft music and her moving around on the other side of the phone as I hold up the phone at about chest level. I head in the direction of my closet, flicking on the light, not that I notice the difference. “So, I’m thinking sexy businesswoman or, of course, my favorite, a sexy librarian.” She says with a seductive tone, making me groan in annoyance. Her and her attempts at getting me laid.
“Amber, take this seriously. This is important. You know I can’t lose the shop. I need to get this guy to like us and want to help pay for the shop.” I say in return. She sighs but concedes. “Fine. You’re right.” I roll my eyes because I’m always the voice of reason between us.
“Thank you.” I run my fingers through my clothes, feeling the different textures. I pull out one after another and get a disgusted sound coming from the phone in my hands. “This one?” I ask for what feels like the hundredth time. “Eww. That’s something my granny would wear.”
“Amber. You're wasting time.” I say again as I continue to feel my way into my tiny closet, touching each item until I get to the end and pause. My fingers touch a silky material, but it’s not familiar. I grab the hanger, pulling it from the rod, holding it in front of the camera. “Wren. That’s the one. Where have you been hiding that gem? It’s so pretty.” She gasps out and from her excited tone, she must really like it.
“What does it look like?” I ask, still a bit confused where this outfit even came from. The material seems too expensive for me to even afford and the soft silky feeling of it seems so foreign. I walk back to my twin sized bed, my towel still wrapped around me and my hair still a bit damp from my shower and place the item on the bed gently. Almost afraid I might ruin it somehow. Amber stays quiet for a moment longer before she starts to describe the dress. “Well, it’s a beautiful silky cream color dress. It has thin straps and a sweetheart neckline, but it will go well with that black blazer you also own. It looks about thigh length, and looks a bit form fitting, but Wren it’s so pretty. Now get ready and get a move on. You still have to get coffee and your reading group starts at 10am.” I roll my eyes again. This girl is so dramatic, but I absolutely love her.
“Whatever, see you soon. Bye.” We end the call, but I continue to just sit there, running my fingers over the soft fabric, trying to figure out where the hell it came from. I haven’t gone shopping for myself in forever and I can’t remember ever buying something this incredible feeling.
I hear a creak on the floor and swing my head in the direction of the sound. Of course, I don’t see anything but wait a moment for the sound again, but then roll my eyes at myself. This is an old building, and it makes noises all the time. Low moans and groans; and I swear I hear the shuffling of animals across the floors. As long as they don’t touch me, they can live a happy little life eating all my crumbs.
“Well, better get ready.” I say to myself while dropping the towel and heading to my dresser for some underwear and a bra. I reach into my top drawer and grab the first set my hand touches, but then pause. “Maybe this outfit needs something a bit more, plus I could totally charm the investor guy, right?” I say to the air and then slump my shoulders. I couldn’t charm a guy if my life depended on it.
