DIRTY

Veronica
“Don’t you ever do that to me again, understand?”
“Which part, this?” I gave him the finger again. “Or the walking away?”
He squeezed my arm, his mouth tightening. “You want to play after all?”
I narrowed my eyes, but my heart pounded at the look in his eyes, the tone of his voice. I always seemed to forget my inexperience. Forget his power.
Or maybe I just thought things had shifted between us last night.
“We can play.”
He turned me and pushed me over the footboard of the bed.
I made to get up, but he pressed a hand between my shoulder blades and kept me down, then shoved the T-shirt up over my back and spread my legs apart before coming to stand between them. I felt him then, felt his hardness at my ass, and as much as I didn’t want to, as much as I wanted to stay angry, my body was responding, like it always did to Stefan.
“You have a great ass, Veronica,” he said, then slapped it once.
“Ow!”
“Keep your face on the bed.”
He twisted my hair around his hand and leaned over me.
“You’re hurting me.”
“Seems to be the story of our lives.”
He slapped my hip again.
“Stop!”
“You going to keep your head down?”
He squeezed his fist, and I nodded. When he straightened, I stayed as I was. His hands came to my ass and spread me open.
“A very fuckable ass,” he said, fingers caressing me, holding me wide.
I made a sound, embarrassed, and buried my face in the bed.
“And your cunt is always dripping for me, isn’t it?”
“I hate you,” I muttered.
“That’s not true.”
In the next moment, his tongue was licking the length of me, from my sex to my ass, circling there, then sliding back over the lips of my sex.
“I’m going to fuck every hole, you know that, right?”
I swallowed, more aroused than I liked.
He licked again, this time, pressing his tongue against my ass.
“Stop.”
“Don’t worry.”
He straightened, his cock at the entrance of my pussy.
“Not that one yet.”
He dipped his cock inside, and I arched my back, biting my lip.
Fuck. That first moment, when he first entered me… fuck.
“You want to come, don’t you?” He moved slowly in and out. “You like being fucked.”
I swallowed, gripped the bedcover, and refused to answer. Too humiliated to let him know how turned on I was.
“Not this morning, though,”
His hand in my hair, he drew me up, held me to him with his cock still buried inside me.
“Consider it your first punishment. A relatively easy one.”
He slipped out and turned me around to kiss me once, then pushed me to my knees.
I looked at him, at his cock before me, slick with my juices.
“Open wide, honey. I want to come down your throat. Take care of this hole before I take care of that ass”
I wanted to hate him, wanted to be repelled by him, by his words. He got hard while humiliating me. So why couldn’t I hate him? Why did I, instead, open my mouth and lick him, tasting him and myself on him, before opening wide, like he said, and taking him into my mouth? Why did I drip for him?
“Fuck,” Stefan groaned, drawing the word out.
I looked up at him as he moved me over himself with his hand in my hair, hurting me a little, still leaving me wanting.
This was fucked up. This wasn’t how sex was supposed to go.
And it was even more fucked-up that it made me wet.
When he looked down at me and gave me that lopsided, dirty grin, all I wanted to do was reach between my legs and make myself come.
“I like your virgin mouth, Veronica. I’m going to like coming down your throat, making you choke on me.”
He moved me faster along his length, going deeper, not easing up when I struggled for breath.
“And I want you to know that when I say I forbid you something, I expect obedience.”
He squeezed my hair, his cock stuffed deep in my mouth, forcing me to look up at him.
“Remember your wedding vows.”
He smirked and thrust deeper, his face tightening, his cock thickening.
“Because I didn’t take a whip to your back last night doesn’t mean I won’t take my belt to your ass when you need it. Punishment earned is something else entirely.”
The head of his cock hit the back of my throat.
“Understand?”
Tears fell from the corners of my eyes as I pushed against his thighs, struggling to breathe.
He pulled out a little, and moved my head in a nod.
“Good girl.”
In that moment, I hated him. I hated his power over me. Hated that it aroused me even now, even through this.
But then he leaned me backward at an angle just this side of painful and fucked my face, really fucked it, and when he stilled and came down my throat, all I could do was take it, take him, and watch his face, his beautiful face as he took his pleasure from me then drew out, releasing me.
——–
Veronica
I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth, sitting back on my heels.
“That was good for your first time,” he said. “But you missed some.”
With his toe, he pointed to where some cum had dripped onto the floor.
“Lick it up.”
Rage burned hot inside me, starting at my belly, searing my throat as it made itself heard. “Fuck. You.” I stood, somehow not stumbling, and faced him. I refused to look away. And when he grinned, I drew my arm back and slapped him.
His body didn’t move, only his head snapped to the side. He exhaled, and the side of his mouth curved upward as his hand rose to touch his cheek. Slowly, he turned to look at me.
His gaze slid over me, and I shuddered, holding my breath when he brought his fingers to my belly and slid them up between my breasts, over my chest. His hand then fisted around my throat, and I grabbed his forearm as he leaned over me.
“Don’t ever fucking do that again.”
He squeezed, and I trembled. He was volatile, like a land mine that if I didn’t tread lightly, I’d set off. He crushed my neck in his hand, and I couldn’t speak. I made a sound as he lifted me up on tiptoe. That was when he must have realized what he was doing, because he blinked fast several times, as if seeing me anew. When he released me, I clutched the footboard. It was the only way to keep upright.
He looked around the room, and it took him a minute to face me again.
“Get dressed. Don’t force me to punish you.”
His warning said, he crossed the floor and left, slamming the door behind him.
I exhaled, rubbing my throat. What the hell had just happened? After last night? How had we devolved to this point? What had I said? What had I asked? I’d flipped him off and walked away. He’d gotten so angry. Too angry.
My legs trembling, I walked into the bathroom and switched on the shower. I hurried to wash and got dressed, pulling my hair into a ponytail as I went to knock on Robyn’s door. But there was no answer. When I opened the door, her bed was made and the room empty. She’d taken to sleeping with Charlie on her bed, and he too was gone.
I didn’t hear Stefan, When I got to the kitchen, I found Maria rolling dough at the counter and Nicola drying and stacking dishes.
“Good morning.”
They both smiled and wished me the same.
“Is my sister here?”
Maria said something, but I didn’t understand so Nicola translated.
“No. She left with Stephen earlier. She said she would be back by dinnertime.”
“With Stephen?” I guess she’d been waiting for me. “Did she leave me a note or anything?”
“No, sorry. She said to let you sleep.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Charlie chose that moment to come back into the house, yapping in excitement when he saw me. Eric followed behind him, looking irritated. “Where’s Stefan?”
“He left for a meeting,” Nicola said.
So I was on my own. Well, on my own with Eric.
“If you want to go anywhere, I’m to take you,” Eric said.
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
After making myself a cup of coffee, I walked outside. Charlie followed. The fields were quiet, not another person in sight as far as I could see. I walked toward the vineyard with my coffee, enjoying the sun, the quiet all around me, disappointed that Robyn had left but glad she had. She only had a few days left, and it was good that Stephen was here and he could show her around. But what would I do all day? Staying here, rattling around the house, just made me feel isolated, even more alone. I wondered if I’d ever settle in. Ever call it home.
I drew my phone out of my pocket and dialed Robyn, but it went directly to voice mail. I left her a message and told her to have fun, then tried Stephen’s phone. His, too, went to voice mail.
I then did something else. Something I knew Stefan would not approve of. But if he was busy with his meetings and expected me to stay here alone all day and just let everything happen around me, well, he had another thing coming. I had to remember that no matter what had happened between us, this man carried a lot of baggage. Physical abuse as a child, most likely accompanied by emotional and mental abuse. Murder-even if it was self-defense. Prison.
No matter what he did, no matter how much I wanted things to be good, no matter how much I needed to believe that demons could be banished, I needed to remember the reality of things. And his hand squeezing my throat this morning, well, that was reality.
I touched my neck, which felt tender. Bruises had already begun to form, and I decided I wouldn’t cover them up. He should see what he was capable of. They all should.
Scrolling through my cell phone, I found my grandfather’s number. He was the only one who answered on the second ring.
“This is Marcus Kingston,” he said formally.
I rolled my eyes. He had to know it was me. He’d see my name on the display. “It’s Veronica,” I said.
“Good morning, Veronica.”
“Good morning, Grandfather.”
An awkward moment. “This is a surprise. A pleasant one.”
“I…” What was I doing? “I need to see you.”
“All right. I’m just getting ready to leave for the winery. Would you care to join me? Have a look at it yourself?”
“The winery?” I had never been to it. Neither had Robyn. Over the years, my grandfather had taken trips there, but he’d never brought us along. “Yes.”
“I can pick you up in about forty-five minutes, if you like?”
I glanced behind me at the house but didn’t see Eric. “Yes, please. I’ll be waiting by the gate.”
“I’ll see you in a little bit. And Veronica,” he said just as I was about to disconnect the call. “I’m glad you called.”
I didn’t have a response apart from a good-bye, and we hung up. I returned to the kitchen, already knowing what I’d tell Eric to ensure he wouldn’t follow me. As for Stefan, I risked his rage, but I had no choice. I needed to talk to my grandfather about Robyn. About Moriarty. I needed to get things out in the open and be finished with it.