Page 74 of The Vow

Oh, she knew that all too well, but she was genuinely not consenting to whatever Kavan had planned for her. His hands were on more than just her thigh now. His body pushed her down onto the bed, and he climbed on top of her.

“No! No, Kavan!” She tried to raise her voice, but her throat felt sore, dry, her voice cracked. The tears came, unchecked.

“Some men like to see a woman cry, that’s it, Lena, don’t worry, just trust me…”

“No! Carmelo!” she called for him. She unashamedly called for him.

“Oh, I’m afraid your betrothed is otherwise indisposed right now.”

“What? Kavan, what do you mean?” Lena struggled to push him off. His body was thinner and lighter than Carmelo’s, but she was disgusted to touch him, his bones were sharper, digging into her hard.

“He’s high out of his mind, didn’t you know?”

Lena paused her struggling out of dumbfoundedness. “What? He doesn’t take drugs,” she said.

Kavan leaned down to kiss her, taking her pause in struggling to his advantage.

“Oh, well, he does, and he has, he was talking about going out to find a stripper or something, then he bought drugs off one of my foot soldiers, and walked out that door.”

Lena frowned. “No.”

“Yes, my darling, which is why I thought I’d come and protect you tonight-”

“I don’t want you, Kavan, get your filthy hands off me! I don’t believe you. Carmelo!” she bellowed, through the tears, through his cold, clammy hands. She twisted and tried to wriggle free. His hands on her rib cage grabbed her, stopped her.

“You can relax now, otherwise this is going to hurt you more…”

“Fuck off! Kavan! No!” she screamed in panic, bile in her throat, seizing up her limbs.

He opened her legs roughly. She had one hand on his chest, pushing, the other she flung over her head, over her eyes, sobbing, begging. Her knees continued to kick and flail but Kavan ignored them.

She felt his hand creeping up her thigh, and then pawing at her core.

“Men will want to seek out this hot little warm place on you, Lena, a place you don’t even know exists, but let me show you, let me show you how good it can feel and let me make you feel something you’ve never felt before-”

He froze.

She took her hand off her face. Maybe now was her chance to-

“You’re wet,” Kavan said with a frown, pulling away a little like he’d been burnt.

“I…” Lena looked down. She remembered the moment in the storage room, minutes ago but also a lifetime ago now. Yes, she was wet. Carmelo had turned her on, she’d been anticipating sex with him, Carmelo, her husband, the strong, brave, easy-going, determined, passionate man she had married. The fight returned. Thinking of his warmth, thinking of his kiss, his smile, the way he looked at her, oh God. The fight returned.

She pushed Kavan harder.

He simply pawed again, almost like he was examining her now, groping fingers, feeling for something.

His face suddenly clouded over. “You’ve had it before,” he said, his voice bitter with disappointment and anger.

“Yes, you bastard, I told you all, I’m not a sweet innocent flower.” She bucked hard, Kavan maintained his grip but his bulge in his trousers had subsided, the drive was leaving him. She could stand a chance of-

But then he backhanded her across the face.

Lena was stunned into a stinging silence.

“I didn’t believe it for a second when you said that but… dirty fucking whore, who did this? Was ithim?” His face was morphed by anger.

“Carmelo, my soon to be husband, you mean? Not that it’s any of your fucking business-” Lena spat back.

---