Page 16 of Free-Falling
I pull out my pocket square cleaning her up making sure she’s decent and then I clean myself up fixing everything up. Once we’re all good, I release her from the restraints and she turns to look at me. I never realized how much I like her eyes. The way they portray a calming storm, I’ve always admired them. I reach out caressing her cheek, Ainslee leans into my touch and for once, I’m happy we called our own kind of truce with being cordial.
“Forgot to tell you something today,” I say to her.
“What?”
I fix her hair the best that I can. “You looked stunning today.”
She smiles wide. “Thank you.” She looks away with a blush.
“You ready to go home?” I ask her.
“Yes. Let’s go home, wait, I have to go get my stuff.”
“Your husband will get it.” I say with a smirk.
I step away from her, putting my hands in my pocket. It’s like the second I broke the barrier of touching her, everything has changed. I can’t stop wanting to touch her. I tilt my head, wondering why I’m acting fucking crazy right now. I’ve known this girl for a long time, yet it seems like I’m seeing her for the first time.
“Are you going to go get everything or just stand there staring at me like a fucking crazy person?”
I snort. “Ah, there’s the little bastard I know but I promise you, I will fuck that attitude out of you and watch you ask me how I want my fucking steak.” I wink at her and leave.
I walk into the reception hall, not stopping to talk to anyone, grab Ainslee’s shoes and her tiny ass bag. I shake my head and before I can make my way out, I’m intercepted by my dad. “Where the hell have you been?”
I eye my dad from head to toe. Why is he talking to me? I say nothing as I try to walk off. He puts his hand on my chest, stopping me from getting further. “We need to talk about you and Ainslee. With the way you conduct yourselves in public.”
I narrow my eyes. “Dad, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get your hand off me. Don’t fucking touch me and don’t worry about my wife and I. How we behave is our business. Learn to mind yours. We’re done here.”
I shove past him, not stopping even as he calls my name. I make it out to where Ainslee is, and I see her mother all up in her face.
“What the hell was that Ainslee? You let him bend you over on a table like a common whore. You remember the last time you thought you could act like that in my house?”
Ainslee has this blank look on her face, “those marks on my back prove how you feel about me being a common whore, mother. I’ve never forgotten.” She bites back.
Before I take a step, her mother slaps the dog shit out of her. Ainslee barely flinches, but I’m stunned. “You watch how you talk to me, Ainslee.”
Ainslee blinks and tears fall out of her eyes. I don’t think as I interfere. I step up in front of her, sort of shielding her. I look down at her mother, “you ever lay a fucking hand on my wife again, you’ll answer to me.” I snatch Ainslee’s hand before walking out.
When we get outside, she snatches her hand from my deathly grip. “I told you I don’t need a fucking hero!”
I turn to face her. “Fuck that! She hit you, Ainslee! Nobody fucking touches you like that! Nobody!” My voice thunders outside.
“You don’t know a fucking thing, Jagger. You don’t know what I’ve been doing so don’t step in where you don’t need to. You’re not my real husband.” She shouts.
I growl, getting in her face. “Yeah, right! I’m your fucking real husband. I take care of you like you take care of me. We’re stuck together in this shit so nobody fucks with you like that.”
“Fuck!” She screams out sobbing. Ainslee covers her face in her hands.
“Come here.” I pull her to me.
I don’t understand what Ainslee could ever do for her mother to strike her. That’s ridiculous. Now, I can’t stop thinking if this is the first time she’s ever done this? I’m pretty sure it isn’t because from the way she reacted to it. We drive home in silence, and I refuse to let her hand go. I know that I probably shouldn’t be reading too much into this, but I feel like everything has changed for us right now.
“The first time my mother hit me, I was seven,” Ainslee starts. “I don’t remember what I did, but she had this weird leather whip that she used on me. I cried like a big damn baby. She didn’t do it all the time after that but every time I would mess up, she’d do it especially if I did in public.”
I bring her hand up to my lips and place a kiss on it. Just encouraging her. I don’t want to interrupt her. Ainslee clears her throat one more time before looking out the window. I don’t turn towards the penthouse and just continue on driving to my personal property that no one but Oran knows about.
After some silence, Ainslee speaks up again. “When I was sixteen, my mother thought I lost my virginity with one of the guard’s son, the one I was dancing with today but I didn’t. All we were doing was playing a card game. I couldn’t go to a lot of places besides the damn events, your house and such shit. That’s what gave me so much time to concentrate on my make-up and my online store too, but I only made that possible once I moved out. So, she dragged me downstairs where we have a soundproof room and she bit the shit out of me. I questioned if she was my mother and if my father gave a fuck about me because all he did when he got back home was ask me what I did to upset my mother enough to deserve that. That’s when I knew they didn’t love me. My nanny, Margot, the one I’m named after, is the one who took care of my cuts. She was my mother and father. Before she passed away, she made me promise I’d leave, which I did as soon as I could.”
“Thank you for sharing that with me.” I tell her. “Can I ask you something?”
