Chapter Twenty-Six

Alex

I tried not to breathe as Bill forced himself deeper and deeper into my mouth. I felt myself start to panic and choke and I retched and gagged. He drew back, slapped my head and forced himself back inside. “Don’t tell me you didn’t deep throat your rich boyfriend,” he said, “The virgin act doesn’t fool me. Little slut.” He tugged on my hair and thrust. “Take it, take it all, bitch.”

I choked, saliva running down my chin and tears streaming down my face. No matter how I tried to tell myself to just suck, that it was just a blow job and it would be over in a minute, most likely, I still couldn’t take him. His dick wasn’t even that big. On the small side of average really and yet, it felt enormous when he was trying to get it down my throat. I didn’t suck, I just let him fuck my mouth, thrusting, yanking my hair so hard I’m sure it was coming out at the roots and all the time, that cold steel at my neck.

And now Lucas and I had a shared experience. Now I know how he felt when he was pinned to that bed and forced to take a cock down his throat. Now I understood his pain, his trauma, his anguish and always would.

I fumbled in my pocket for my phone, thought about clicking the side buttons to trigger an emergency call. But that would involve seeing the screen, to then swipe it. Lucas would surely come if I called him, but again, I couldn’t do that without looking.

Bill was grunting, muttering filthy entreaties, telling me how good I was at sucking cock. My eyes were streaming so hard my vision was blurred. My knees were in agony on the cold ground and no matter how I tried to force my throat to relax, I was still choking and gagging. It didn’t help to think about how I had done this willingly a few hours ago. How I had done it so easily. How I had wanted and needed it and how I had looked up at Lucas’ face and seen the ecstasy on it as I had sucked him off. I thought about raking Bill with my teeth. But he had the knife and could slit my throat in a second. It would be stupid to fight.

“I want to fuck your tight little arse,” Bill ground out. “After this. When I’ve come in your mouth, I’m going to come in your arse.” I doubted very much that he had two erections in him and reassured myself that he’d be jabbing at my arse with a limp marshmallow for some time.

My attacker got faster, breathless and moaning, using my mouth, cutting off my air, making my jaw and neck ache until black spots danced in front of my vision and I thought with only relief that I might pass out.

Over the noise of my laboured gasps for breath filling my head, I heard a distant shout. “Hey! Hey!” Then a loud rattle, a clanging of metal, and suddenly Bill jerked away and I could breathe. I sagged onto my knees, sucking in air, lifting my head to stare through blurred eyes as a tall dark shape scaled the locked gate at the end of the alleyway. At the same time, the kitchen door opened and Max stepped out, staring up and down with bewilderment.

Bill laughed as Lucas approached, swiping clumsily at him with his knife. I fell weakly back onto my arse as Lucas charged at him, launching a fist that sent him staggering back so I barely escaped his bulk toppling onto me as I skittered sideways. The knife clattered somewhere beyond me, perhaps going under the bin. Lucas stepped forward, intense eyes glancing down and meeting mine before he dragged Bill up by the collar of his coat, marched him across the alleyway and slammed him against the wall. “What are you doing?” he cried. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, rapist?”

Bill’s only response was a low grunt. “He fucking wanted it.”

Lucas gave a cry of rage at that and I heard his fist colliding with Bill’s face as Max hurried over and helped me to my feet. Wiping my hand over my face to remove saliva, snot and tears, I staggered up, clutching at Max, my gaze on Lucas and Bill.

Sagging against the wall, Bill’s eye was already swelling shut and his mouth and nose were bleeding. Lucas punched him in the stomach and Bill started to slither down until Lucas grabbed him and held him upright, shaking him violently. I was afraid he might kill him.

“Lucas,” I said and he jerked his head around to look at me, his face pale but with high spots of colour on both cheeks, his fists balled and his body shaking. “Leave it.”

“Are you serious?” he asked. “Are you actually serious?”

Max pulled his phone out. “I’ll call the police.”

“Don’t,” I said. After yesterday, I couldn’t bear the thought of another encounter with the cops.

Lucas puffed out a furious sigh and let go of Bill. When my attacker slid down the wall, Lucas aimed a kick at his balls and stalked away. Max urged me past Bill, stopping to spit on him as the three of us trooped into the kitchen and he secured the door.

In the blue-lit room, he sat me down on one of the chef’s little stools they used to climb to the high shelves and knelt before me. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, adrenaline making my limbs shake uncontrollably.

He pressed a tissue to my neck, looking at the cut Bill had made. “I’m going to get you a drink, okay?”

I nodded and Max glanced at Lucas as he left.

Lucas blew out a breath. He stooped over me, cradled my head with the most tender touch anyone other than my mother had used towards me and pressed my face into his chest. I clutched him around the back, breathing in his scent and warmth, and let myself give a few dry sobs before I parcelled this experience away in a box inside my mind.

“I’m sorry,” Lucas said. “I’m sorry.” And I wasn’t sure if he meant sorry this had happened to me or sorry for beating Bill the way he had, or both.

It was only a minute of clinging to him before Max returned holding a glass containing amber liquid. Lucas moved back, keeping his hand on my shoulder. I looked at the drink dubiously because I hated brandy and whiskey and it was not my idea of fun after my ordeal to be made to down vomit-inducing liquor.

“Kahlua,” Max said with a smile. “I know you like that shit.” I took the glass eagerly and drank the contents in one. The fiery liquid worked its way down my oesophagus, warming my body. It was just what I needed. I managed to climb off the stool after that and the three of us left the kitchen. But not before Max nipped back outside to check Bill had left the alleyway. And he had. Out through the gate, leaving it swinging on its hinges.

Max put a plaster on my neck, saying the cut was a shallow one. He sat Lucas and I at a table on the other side of the bar, then went to have a word with Bill’s table. It was clear from their concerned faces and glances in my direction that he had just told them Bill had assaulted me and they had to leave. They got up hurriedly and one of them paid the bill at the bar. Another made to come over to me, but Max called him back, shook his head, and darting looks at me, the three of them left. Max dimmed the lights, poured us three drinks and joined us at the table.

He sighed. “I have to tell Les,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll want to tell the police.”

I didn’t have much to do with the owner and usually felt intimidated in his presence even though he seemed friendly enough. I shook my head. I couldn’t bear the thought of having to discuss it with Les and then to detail it to the cops.

“I can’t keep it from him,” Max said. “It’s your choice whether you press charges but I have to tell Les a member of staff was sexually assaulted on his premises. He’ll be horrified.”

I bit my lip and glanced at Lucas. He squeezed my hand. “It’s okay,” he said.

“What are you even doing here?” I asked. He had seen my humiliation. He had seen it all. It wasn’t all right.

He shrugged. “I was hoping you might have a table for one.”

Max laughed, but I didn’t.