What's a Girl to Do? (Season 7)

Chapter Three: Bandit Territory

Suffice it to say, since Halloween, I'd been literally walking on tiptoes for the last couple of weeks in anticipation of Tommy's moods. Sure, he was plenty happy to have received his promotion, but if his little woman stepped a toe out of line, there would be hell to pay, and I knew it. Not wanting a repeat performance, I did my best to only speak when spoken to, and to not say or do anything that would provoke his anger. I knew that this was no way to live, but a part of me believed that I deserved it, and while Tommy broke me to his fancy, I did my best to keep my mind free of negative thoughts.

"Since Mom and Dad moved to Palm Springs last year, I think we'll spend Thanksgiving with your family this year, Murphy."

I nearly dropped the plate that I'd been scouring that morning from Tommy's breakfast—an abundance of scrambled eggs, bacon, sourdough toast dripping with butter, and a healthy amount of potatoes had covered it only twenty minutes ago. Now, I had to do a quick job of pre-scrubbing the bacon grease from its surface before putting it into the dishwasher. "M-my family, Tommy?" I managed to get out, my voice raw from lack of use.

"Yeah," Tommy replied, not put-off by the fear in my voice; in fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if it turned him on. "I know that Kev and V will likely be there, too, with their girls, and it'll be nice for you to have a couple of hours with your kids and siblings. Fiona and Jimmy going to make it over?"

I shrugged, running the grease-covered plate under hot water before shutting it off. I opened the dishwasher, placing the plate accordingly in the bottom half before I shut it. "Doubt it," I said quietly. "Jimmy's usually pretty busy during holiday times—lots of food poisoning cases, or so I hear..."

Tommy gave a short nod at that. "Makes sense," he replied. "But Lip, Debbie, and Franny will show up, right?"

"Right," I said softly.

"And Frank? Don't get to see much of him lately. He's a riot, isn't he?"

I leaned back against the counter, trying to catch Tommy's eye, but he was eyes-deep into his phone at the breakfast table. "That's one word for him, I guess."

"What I don't get is why all of you call him Frank," Tommy went on. "I mean, he's your dad, and the only dad you're going to get. Why don't you call him 'Dad'?"

I sighed. "Well, because, Tommy, he abandoned my siblings countless times over the years, and effectively let me be kidnapped and adopted out by an ill-fit family. Trust me, there are more reasons than one that we call him 'Frank' and not 'Dad'..."

Tommy's eyes finally snapped to mine. "But, still, Murphy, he is your father," he said, his eyes flashing in a dangerous manner. "Father's command respect, just like husband's. And," he went on, getting to his feet, while I did my best not to shrink back from him, "when I become your husband, I'll demand it, Murphy, which I'm sure you know by now," he continued, putting his arm around my waist and yanking me towards him, his eyes boring into mine. "Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded, feeling myself trembling in his grip, but forced my voice not to do the same. "Yeah, Tommy, of course you do. Loud and clear."

Tommy grinned down at me. "You know it fucking turns me on when you quiver in my grip, Murphy?"

I felt the bile rising in my throat. "Y... Yeah?" I ask him.

"Yeah," Tommy replies.

Without hesitation or warning, Tommy promptly turns me around and slams me up against the counter, its edge digging roughly into my ribs. I know there's no point fighting him, but as his fingers deftly yank down my jeans, I find myself gripping onto the counter, bracing myself against it, hating myself for allowing it to come to this. I squeeze my eyes shut, gripping my bottom lip with my teeth as tightly as I can to prevent myself from crying out as my fiancé paws at me, sending revulsion through every inch of my being. I hated, hated having sex with him—that's all it was, really, sex, with the term rape always flying through my mind whenever it happened, for although I never said 'no', my mind constantly screamed it whenever he got that look in his eyes, and I wanted more than anything to shove him away from me and fucking kill him whenever his dick made contact with any part of me.