Page 8 of Under Her Skin

“Being a smartass has consequences, Ava.” He rolls me onto my stomach, hiking my ass into the air. “You’ll have to hold up her top half,” Kiel instructs. “She’s totally immobile so you’ll have to manipulate her to get the angle you want.” The man in scrubs grins at his boss.

“Hold on, I have an idea.” He runs out the door. Kiel takes the opportunity to grab hold of my butt plug. He slowly pulls it out and I feel my hole shrinking without the intrusion. The man in scrubs returns with a stack of pillows. Kiel laughs at him then pulls me upright by the hair as the man stacks them on the end of the bed. My scalp burns and I grunt in pain. When Kiel sets me back down, my upper half is propped up.

I hear Kiel uncap a bottle then feel the cold lube over my opening. Kiel pushes into me first. I’m sure he only used lube for his benefit, because he doesn’t pause for me to adjust before burying himself in my ass. The toy in no way prepared me for the intrusion. The pain is momentarily blinding. I gasp and the man in scrubs drives into my mouth. His tip hits the back of my throat, making me gag, saliva pouring out of my mouth. The man groans and grips my hair as Kiel thrusts into me from behind.

“Imagine if Cal could see you now, pretty girl. A cock stuffed in your ass and a

cock stuffed down your throat. What do you think he’d say if he could see you dripping cum from both ends? I’ll give you a hint. Callum doesn’t like a whore.” Kiel taunts as his fingertips dig into my hips. He suddenly strikes my ass, the sound echoing in the small space. I yelp, but choke on the sound. The man in scrubs groans.

“Fuck, do that again. Her mouth felt so good when you did that.” Even though I’m expecting it, I cry again at the second hit. The man holds me still for a second as he pushes his entire length into my mouth, and I gag again. Tears slow down my cheeks. The sight makes him snap. He begins fucking my mouth so hard that I can hardly breathe. Kiel sets his pace to the man in scrubs. My body rocks in time on the hospital bed.

He reaches around to circle my clit. Shame washes over me as the pleasure

builds. I feel nauseous by the time I tip over the edge. The man in scrubs finishes first, hot ropes of cum shooting into the back of my throat and coating my tongue. The taste makes me gag, and for a horrible moment, I think I really will throw up.

Kiel strikes me on the ass one more time, and sinks into me. Before he can roll

me back around, he eases the toy back into my anus. I couldn’t swallow even if I

wanted to, but my lips won’t move into a shape to let me spit, so the man’s semen

drips out of my mouth. The pair stand there with limp cocks, watching me where I

lay on the bed while they steady their breathing. Kiel cuts his eyes to the man in scrubs.

“That was a onetime thing to teach her a lesson. Don’t get any ideas.” He nods his head, but doesn’t meet Kiel’s eye. My routine changes again after that day.

The man in scrubs likes spending private time with me, too.

9

CAL

I was never trained to endure this. Officially, I was trained to endure anything, but that was before Ava. Everything I learned about resisting the enemy became null and void the moment Kiel approached her in that room. I’ve lost track of time and hardly know when I’m awake or asleep. I think I sleep a lot. Either way, I’m in a nightmare. My heart perpetually hammers in my throat. My body feels heavy. I slump against the wall and can’t convince my legs to support my weight.

There’s a horrible sound. I think Ava’s crying. When I look toward the window, she’s asleep and alone in her room. The sound doesn’t stop.

“Ava?” My voice is raspy but cuts through the noise. The room is so empty, and I don’t know where I am. “When I was a boy, I wanted a sister.” I say into the room. Maybe Ava can hear me. I doubted it, but that didn’t stop me. “Ava. I wanted a sister, but I knew my dad would treat her like my mom. So, then I thought I wanted a brother, but I knew there’d be a chance that he’d turn out like my dad. I figured I was better alone.” The light in the room seems to pulse.

“Ava,” I say, but I don’t know what the word means. I like the way it fits in my mouth, so I say it again.

My body trembles so violently it feels as if my very skin is trying to slide off my flesh. There’s a woman in the other room. She’s naked and asleep. Even thin and bloodied, she’s beautiful. I know her.

“Ava,” I whisper. Tears clog my throat. Horrible images flash through my mind. I see Kiel on top of her. I am the reason she’s here. I am the reason she’s hurting. I’m dying in the other room. She’s dying.

I have never felt more useless in my life.

“One of the only times I felt like my mom was safe was when we went to church. I never liked Christianity, but I really hated it when my dad became a pastor.” She doesn’t respond. I watch her chest rise and fall.

“She was the most beautiful woman. She had dark hair like me and eyes like the deepest part of the ocean. She smelled like the beach during winter but was always soft and warm. The women at church pretended to like her, but they were all jealous of her. She was more beautiful than anyone else in the congregation, and they always talked behind her back. You would have loved her.” The room spins, and I have to close my eyes to avoid the growing nausea. My heartbeat pulses all the way down my fingertips.

“I stopped going to church when I was in high school. I wanted to appease mom, but I couldn’t stand before a god that let such horrible things happen to the person I loved the most. When I was younger, I thought going to church and keeping up appearances would encourage my dad to go easy on her. I eventually learned that it didn’t matter what I did or what she did. If he wanted to beat on her, nothing would stop him. So, I stopped going.”

I open my eyes again, but my vision won’t focus. Ava’s still in the adjacent room, but her body is a blur. “Something about the imagery always stuck with me. There’s so much interest in Christ’s blood and his suffering. What can I say? It held a certain appeal.”

I chuckle, but nothing feels funny. The laugh swiftly turns into a cough. Suddenly, I can’t stop coughing. My lungs are on fire as precious moisture pours from my eyes. I force myself to hold back the cough and focus on controlling my breath.

“I’m so sorry, Viper,” I say when I can speak again. “I would do anything to save you from this.” I am suddenly a little kid again, kneeling on an altar while the congregations’ eyes bore into my back.

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