My cell phone rings as I’m turning to leave. Panic instantly sinks in as the thought of something wrong at the house crosses my mind, but when I see Toby’s name and picture flashing on the screen, I feel relieved. I quickly turn my back to Zach and connect the call.
“Hollie!” Toby’s voice is quick and high.
“Yeah,” I respond in a whisper.
“Have you been home?” He asks with his gentle tone. “I haven’t seen your father at the station for a few days, and I would have stopped by but-” He starts to ramble on but I don’t need to talk, I need something else from him.
“Toby, can I come over?” I talk over him, cutting him off and making him go silent. “I don’t want to talk.” I want him to know what I mean in the tone of my voice. I want him to know that I need an escape and I want to know that it’s okay.
“Okay.” He says softly. “I’ll wait up for you.”
“That quick, huh?” Zach peers over my shoulder.
“What’s it to you?” I snap at him as I tear open my door and get inside.
“If you have sex with anyone, then even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to hold up my end of anything.” He peers inside the car and tells me, holding his control over me.
“Fuck off.” I spit as I yank the door shut and leave him standing there. I drive as fast as I can away from the house. The tears start flowing instantly. It gets so bad that I must pull over and wait for my breakdown to pass before I’m able to finish the drive to Toby’s house.
I’m not at all nervous when I knock on his door. He greets me with a cautious hug and I allow myself to get lost in the way he’s holding me, like all my broken pieces are being pushed back together. He’s warm against me and I breathe in the comforting way he smells. He kisses my forehead softly and I look up at him. His hazel eyes are searching my face as he bends to kiss the tip of my nose. I close my eyes and allow his lips to kiss my cheek until I lean into him and seal my mouth over his. He kisses me with control, his hands stay at his sides.
“Hollie, I’m sorry I kept it from you.” He whispers with another soft kiss. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
I hear his words but I don’t want to listen to anything he has to say. I want to feel his lips on mine. I want to feel his hands on me. I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips against the heat of his shoulder. He groans and pulls me inside, closing the door behind us.
“Can you do this?” I pull back so that I can see his eyes. “Can you make me forget about it all?”
He knows what I’m asking, “I’ll do it.” He says with a nod and then kisses me with no restrictions. His lips are soft against mine, but it’s not what I want.
I want them wild on mine, desperately searching for connection. I want him with no control and no hesitation. I want him to kiss me like I imagine Zach would kiss me. I want to feel consumed by my lust for him. I want to feel like I’ll die if I can’t have him.
“Kiss me,” I beg him.
“I am.” He insists, and he attempts to give me what he thinks I want.
His lips crash against mine, but I don’t feel the same intense fluttering in my stomach. I don’t feel the heat rush to my thighs, my ears aren’t ringing and my heart isn’t threatening to beat out of my chest.
It makes me frustrated and I pull away. “This isn’t helping me.” I groan and throw my hands over my face.
“Okay.” He places a hand behind his neck, “What do you need?”
Images of Zach come flying at me. His greedy lips are on my skin. His beautiful eyes searching my soul. His hands on my body. His chest, his arms, his mouth.
My stomach rolls when I touch the spot on my arm that he grabbed just an hour earlier. My thighs ache when I remember his eyes and the cold tone in his raspy voice.
Even if I can’t save Dad’s reputation, I still want to feel the escape that only Zach can provide me with.
“I’m sorry, Toby.” I sit down on the couch and place my head in my hands. “I can’t do this.”
“I can handle it. I know that it doesn’t mean anything.” He sits beside me and cradles me in his arms. “I can do this.”
“I believe you.” I rest my head against his shoulder, “But, I can’t.”
“I’ll give you whatever you need. Anything.” He promises with a flicker of his warm eyes.
He can’t give me what I need because what I need is to be swept away to a place where I have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about and he can’t take me to that place. Zach has already taken me to that place and that’s the place where I need to go. I need to lose myself for a few hours. I need someone to take the pain away, and even though he causes the pain he is the only one who can also take me away from it. I need my release, and my release is Zach.
“I have to go,” I say and stand up. “Please, don’t say anything just let me go.” Toby stands but he says nothing as requested. He watches in silence as I leave his house.
When I get back home, Dad is still snoring peacefully on the sofa. He’s not aware that his entire world is about to come crumbling around him. He’s not aware that I failed to protect him this time. Unshed tears sting my eyes as I make my way upstairs and collapse onto the bed in tears. Sleep takes me away almost instantly.
The next morning comes too soon and before I know it night has fallen.
After I’ve made sure Dad is settled and fast asleep on the sofa in the living room, I climb the stairs to my room.
I pull my shirt off and walk to the closet. I finger through multiple shirts until coming across a small red bag that has a large VS printed on it. I smile when I remember the day Sally and I went shopping at the Mall last year. She insisted that I get some lingerie because according to her, “Every woman deserves to feel like a goddess.”
I take out the bag and open it up to see the black and mint blue lace material lying on the bottom. I pull out the tight corset and run my fingertips over the soft lace.
My phone buzzes with a text on my bed so I put the bag down and walk over to where the phone has fallen out of the pocket of the sweater. I flip it over and see a number I don’t recognize with a text that says,
If you’re serious, come in an hour.
My face messes up in confusion, must be a wrong number? I text back:
Who Is this?
Almost immediately the screen lights up again with a response.
Someone looking for revenge.
Revenge? Chills shoot up and down my spine with realization.
Zach.
Zach?
Minutes pass by with no reply. I check the time on the phone and see that almost twenty minutes have passed before my phone finally lights up with another text:
If you want to settle the score, then come to my house...and wear something...appropriate for the occasion.
Confusion takes me over.
Something appropriate?
What do you mean by that?
My screen doesn’t have the chance to dim before a reply pops up:
Figure it out...Dress up.
YOU ARE READING
Blackmailing The Untouched
RomanceWhat would you do if someone you didn't know showed up at your door and tried to spill lies about your father? And what if your father just happened to be the town sheriff? What if he says that he framed him for a crime he didn't commit? And what if...
