Seducing Richard

《Chapter 17》

A/N: This chapter is not edited for grammatical errors so don't judge me.If you want to get more readers click on the external link guys! http://www.inkitt.com/storypeak?utm_source=chalikaysnan%40gmail.com

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"Gave you the benefit of the doubt,till you showed me what you were about. Your true colors came out..." - Trey Songz ft. Toni Braxton, 'Yesterday'

☆☆☆

"Good morning sunshine." I greet Katie. I went looking for her and wound up with her in the cafeteria and so I'm getting coffee with her.

Katie smiles at me. "What's got you in such a chipper mood?" She asks. 

"Honestly, I have zero meetings today I just came here to drop the report file I took home a few days ago and then I'll be out and with my client for a while." Not that I look forward to hanging out with a person who is hell bent – I suppose – on ignoring me. However, that beats running into Robert anytime and any day.

Katie's usual smiley face falls and she sighs. "Sometimes I wish I was an escort for a day and I'd get my behind out of this chair, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody said my tosh was beginning to take the shape of the chair I'm always seated on." She whines.

If only she knew how demeaning it can be sometimes. It's a great job and it's a fun experience until your skin isn't thick anymore, until your confidence starts to waver until you meet people like Raphael and Robert until you discover gems like Richard. It's great until you have a Declan in your life.

It turns into a whole load of bull after that. It pays well though so I can stuff my face and forget my feelings.

"Being an escort has its downs as well." I put it nicely.

"Yeah well, being a secretary is a huge downer." She says taking a long sip of her coffee.

Katie is hardly one to complain. Out loud anyway.

"I've never heard you complain about your job before why now?" I'm a nosy idiot. I'm a nosy pig.

"I didn't have a reason to before but that was before I got these in more places that the one you're seeing." Katie tells me in a timid voice as she pulls up her shirtsleeve and shows me her arms, which are covered in bruises. Some fresh some slightly older. Now that I look at her face again I can tell how thick her makeup is today.

"What the hell happened to you, who did it to you?" I whisper yell, I get the feeling she wouldn't want me saying anything out loud. Katie just looks down at the floor and I don't take long to reach a conclusion.

The only threat I know close enough to Katie to hurt her and threatening enough for her to not have done much or even anything about it is this one asshole.

Robert bloody Smith.

"I thought he was a good person but clearly jail's made him a whole different person." She finally says.

I inwardly snort. You think?!

"Mr Smith?" I ask for clarification. I know but I just want her to admit it, really, is it too much to ask?

"Yeah."

"He did go to jail for a number of things and battery was one of them don't be so naïve. When did this happen?" I say rationally.

I'm a realist. If a person snaps and get 'mended' they could easily snap again.

Never trust a serial killer with a gun even after jail. It's like waving drugs in front of a person who just got out of rehab.