RESTRICTED

CHAPTER 3

Raina suddenly felt she was struck by lightning. She felt numb. "I need a response, buttercup! I'm getting impatient!", Hunter told her, with an angry expression. She finally came back to reality. She turned her back to Mr. Coleman to face her husband. "This is my boss, Mr. Coleman.", she told him, turning her face to her boss in response. "Mr. Coleman, this is...my husband, Mr. Clawthorne...", she told him, giving him a look of dismay. Roy grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "What?" "Is this the husband you told me about?", he inquired alarmingly. Before she could respond, Hunter pulled her away from his grip and drew her closer to him.

"Yes, mister! She is my wife! Got a problem with that?", he yelled, glaring at Mr. Coleman. Roy clenched his fists. He turned to look at Raina. She looked terrified. "Has he been good to you Raina?", he asked her. Before she could respond, Hunter clenched her tighter. "Of course, I have. Wouldn't you say buttercup?", he told her, looking straight at her. Raina was forced to say yes. She had no other option. 'She must be too scared to talk back. I shouldn't ask her more questions.', he thought. He turned to face her husband. "That's alright! It's nice to meet you, Mr. Clawthorne." he said, holding out his hand for a shake. Hunter just stared at him. "Well, I've asked Raina to stay put today. I mean, she's got to spend time with her husband, right?", he said, smirking at his slight frown.

Roy frowned. He didn't like this man holding Raina. He was also upset he had asked her to stay home. But what could he do about it? He was her husband after all. Raina looked at Roy. He was so understanding. Hunter smirked wider. 'I think he feels something for my Raina! I must get rid of him.', Hunter thought. "She'll go to work tomorrow. She needs to stay at home for a while, even though she showed me a good time last night.", he said, staring at Raina. Roy shook his head in disbelief. 'They slept together???', he said to himself, trying to believe it was all a dream. Nonetheless, she was married after all. Without saying any more words, he bid farewell to the two of them and walked out the door, feeling disappointed. Raina knew Roy was upset but there was nothing she could do but dance to the tunes of the song her husband played.

Hunter left for work, leaving Raina all alone at home. The sky turned dark, and the moon shone brightly, showing all its pride and glory. Raina and the girls had a very awkward dinner, as Hunter forced them to answer lots of questions about themselves. Soon after, it was bedtime. Raina's hair was glistening by the time she had finished showering, her hair curly as ever. She tucked her dainty legs into the duvet, resting her head on a pillow. As she was about to drift off into a long weary nap, she felt a tap on her leg.

There Hunter was, sitting in front of her, dressed in his bathing robe, looking insistently at her. "We need to talk.", he said. Raina nodded and sat up, all ears. "What exactly did you tell your nosy boss about me?", he inquired, staring right into her soul. She panicked. "I...I...I only told him that you were my husband...That's it...I...I...swear!", she stammered, scared of the outcome of the conversation. He let out a small laugh and then frowned at her. "You're lying.", he told her. She winced at those two words. "No...I...I'm...It's the truth...it's true!", she said, as her heart started racing wildly. "You stammer when you lie to me. You told him I treated you badly, didn't you?", he asked her, walking over to his belt rack.

Raina winced, as he wrapped a thick leather belt round his palm. "You think I'll allow you to get away with lying to me?", he inquired, walking towards her. Raina jolted from the bed in fear knowing what was going to happen next. He called out to her before she could turn the doorknob. "Don't bother trying to run. I've locked us in." he told her, dragging her to the center of the room. She kept failingly trying to escape his grip. "Please, Hunter. I'm begging you...I'm sorry...I...I...", she stammered. He smirked. "It's far too early for apologies, buttercup. I want you begging and weeping for mercy by the time I'm through with you.", he told her, pointing at her nightwear. "Take it all off!", he hollered. Raina's excessive pleading made his anger rise to the top of the scale.