Page 18 of Crawl
He’s my boss; I’m his subordinate. And he’s getting rid of me.
“I expect you back by eight,” he says. “Clean yourself up before you leave. You don’t want them to think you’re fucking your boss, do you?”
There’s a snicker to his words, but by the time I check his expression, he’s already back to his computer. I walk slowly, my body clenching with desire, then close the door behind me.
CHAPTER 5
Remedy
Our pattern continues like that; he calls me at weird hours—midnight, at dawn, in the late evening—then he teases my body with sensation and pain, always demonstrating how much control he has over me, never giving me release. And of course, afterward, I find the nearest bathroom and give myself that release, knowing that I’m only reinforcing the desire. He’s a monster who likes wielding that power over me. But the worst part?
Ilikehow he controls me. My pussy and mind know we’re losing, and he’s winning.
Which is why after a few days of this, I give myself a reality check. I knock on Jenna’s front door—another Winstone rental house, one she shares with three other women—and my stomach fills with knots.This is a good thing,I remind myself.You’re only going after Winstone for Jenna.
She opens the door in her pajamas. I raise a brow. She’s usually working on makeup by now, but she hasn’t even showered yet.
“Don’t you start work in less than an hour?” I ask.
“I’m sick,” she says. She drags her feet, shuffling inside, and I follow her to the bedroom. Her hands wrap around herself as she slides back into the covers, lying in the fetal position.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, stroking her comforter.
“Haven’t been feeling like myself lately.”
A sharp pain grips my chest, and I’m back in my childhood. I couldn’t stay anywhere in my house without worrying that someone was going to use me, and that’s what Jenna is experiencing right now. She scrunches up her face, her lips pale compared to their usual red paint, her whole body weighed down with everything that’s happened. Winstoneandthe agency turned their backs on her. But I ball my fists; I’mnotgoing to leave her. Even before I told her about my stepdad, she’s always been there for me.
And I want her to be back to her normal self.
When we were still in high school, Jenna had a crush on my stepbrother, Brody. No matter how mean he was to her, she had her soul set on him, because she swore he was a sweetheart, somewhere inside his thick skull. All I saw was the cruel stepbrother who was twice my size now but still hurt me like we were kids. And because I knew Brody and Jenna would neveractuallybecome a thing—Brody was and is too much of an idiot—I let it go, seeing it as a harmless crush. After all, Brody and I hit each other because we were step-siblings; he’d never touch Jenna like that.
But one day, he cornered Jenna in my bedroom and told her to ‘stop being such a needy little bitch.’ I found her in tears, curled up in a blanket on my bed.
That was the end of me letting her crush on Brody.
He’sdone,I said to her.He doesn’t get to treat you like that. Not in a million years.
Please,she whispered.Don’t make a big deal out of it.
She chased me, but I ignored her. I couldn’t stop my stepdad, but I wasn’t afraid of Brody. He might have given me a black eye before, but I had made him cry from a swift kick in the balls. And if he hurt my best friend, he was done.
Brody,I shouted. He looked up from his phone.You want to tell me what you said to my bestie?
He stood up, using his height to tower over me.Sure,he said.I called her a sniveling little bitch.
Apologize,I demanded.Apologize to her. Or you’ll regret it.
He waved a hand, dismissing us.I’m not apologizing. You’re both such drama queens.
I slammed down my foot, and he jolted, surprised that I’d actually do something.You don’t get to talk to her like that,I said.
He shoved a chair out of the way as he stepped closer.
What are you going to do?he asked.Cry to my daddy?
Asshole.
I kicked him in the knees so hard he stumbled into the wall, then I grabbed Jenna’s hand, and yelled,Run!
