Craving Connor - Loving Bad Series (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 4 - Part 2

He stood. I shrank away from him, expecting him to lash out again.

"Connor can have my seconds. And once I'm done with you no one will touch you."

My worst fear was becoming a reality and there was no way for me to fix it. I stared up at him, looking for any chink in his formidable armor.

"Daniel," I whispered. My eyes began to water.

He gave me one last look of hatred before he smoothed his hair and straightened up.

"If you report this I'll tie you up in so much legal red tape you will rue the day you ever messed with me. I'm a respectable businessman with friends in the right places. You're nothing more than a whore with a pretty face. No one will take your word over mine."

His words hurt because they held the truth that he was powerful enough to crush me.

"Daniel," I said again, hoping I could stop what was happening.

He shook his head. "You have to be out of the apartment by the end of the week and I never want to see you again."

His eyes held mine for a moment before he abruptly left. I listened as he exited the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Feeling shocked and defeated, I stared after him. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the tears on my face but refusing to cry.

Everything I had worked for was gone. Daniel, who had been my safety net, was gone and I was free-falling. I couldn't catch my breath. My hand held my rib, aching as I tried to sit up. I hissed in my pain as I got on bended knees before I straightened up to stand.

My tight control over my life had been cut so swiftly and without warning it felt like I was spinning out of control. My throat burned and I swallowed to keep the emotion from coming to the surface. I was afraid if I gave in to it, I wouldn't be able to recover.

I was lost. Back to a time when I had no control over my life, when Slater had shoved me into the closet to protect me.

I needed protection. I shuffled to the walk-in closet and opened the door. Inside the darkness where no one could find me, I would be safe.

There was a sharp pain as I sat down inside the safety of the closet with expensive clothes I could hide behind.

Only when I closed the doors did I allow myself to whimper. In the darkness I found solace. I didn't want to go back to living on the streets. Not knowing where my next meal would come from, or worrying about what could happen out there in the real world where bad people did bad things every day.

I stayed there holed up in the closet, too scared to face the world and my place in it.

At some point I lay down and fell asleep. My dreams turned to nightmares and a few times I woke up from a jolt of pain in my side. I cried for the life I had believed I held in my hand.

Daniel's last words echoed in my mind. He would ensure no one booked me for a job. My modeling career was over.

I couldn't even blame Connor. It had been my curiosity that had led me to search his name on my laptop. I should have known Daniel would keep tabs on everything I did, including the laptop he had bought for me. I had made a mistake and now I would pay for it dearly.

I lost track of time. The emotional ache inside of me hurt far worse than the hunger pangs.

I would have to get my stuff together and leave. I laughed when I remembered I didn't have any 'stuff.' Everything belonged to Daniel. The shaky breath hurt every part of my body. I lay on my uninjured side, unable to get up. I wasn't strong enough to face what happened and the consequences.