HURT FOR ME

Chapter Fifty - Dominance

"It is the law of nature that woman should be held under the dominance of man."

- Confucius

Olivia Bennett

"Get your fucking hands off of her!" Layla exclaimed, pushing against the creep's chest. I stood still, practically frozen in place, after what just happened.

While Layla and I were dancing, out of nowhere, a man approached me from behind and started grinding against me, causing me to feel disgusted by his physical contact.

The man threw his hands up, "Maybe she shouldn't dance like a whore if she doesn't want a man to accompany her then, huh?"

His disrespectful statement brought me back to when I danced on the bar with Roman and Aaron regarded me as a whore. The memory caused an ache in my chest.

"Fuck you, dude!" I appreciated Layla for standing up for me in times like these because I completely shut down, my mind and my body.

The crowd started to part, creating a clear path to the bar where Aaron and Sebastian had been seated, only to find them absent. Instead, they were striding directly toward us, their faces concealed by the darkest expressions.

The man instantly began to back away but it was too late. Aaron had his hands around his collar, and Sebastian checked on Layla and I.

"Who do you think you are, man?" The guy innocently put his hands in the air.

Aaron glanced over his shoulder briefly before returning his dark gaze to the creep. "What did he do, Layla?" I looked at her, shaking my head.

He posed the question to her, aware that I wouldn't tell him, and I had hoped that Layla would remain silent as well.

"He," She gave me a defeated look. "He tried dancing with Olivia." Aaron's shoulders tensed and it was obvious his grip on the man's collar tightened by the way the man slightly lifted off of the ground.

I closed my eyes, trying to figure out how to go about this situation because if I didn't intervene, Aaron would use this poor guy as his personal punching bag.

"Aaron," I stepped forward, placing my hand on his bicep. "Just let it go." He looked at me for a moment and let his collar go, causing him to fall to the ground.

I let out a sigh of relief and took Aaron's hand, guiding us back to the bar. Layla and Sebastian followed closely behind, never glancing back at the crowd that had formed a circle around the ordeal.

"Are you okay?" Aaron rubbed my cheek with the pad of his thumb with a sincere look in his eyes.

"I'm fine," I tucked the hair behind my ear. "I'm just glad that didn't go any further." I briefly smiled and took a seat at the bar.

After a few moments of silence between Aaron and I, I finally spoke up. "Thank you." He confusingly glanced at me. "For letting him go."

"The old me would have beat him to a pulp," He admitted. "But I know the present Olivia doesn't enjoy that side of me very much." I smiled at his confession and took another drink of my water.

We held onto four seats at the bar for an additional hour, giving everyone a chance to relax after the incident, before Aaron and I made our way back to the penthouse.