Chapter 15
Levi
“Thank you, young man.”
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Spalding,” I said as I closed the car’s trunk.
I was prepared for the tip she tried to give me since it was something she did every week when I carried her groceries out to her car for her.
Closing my hand over hers, I said, “Remember how I told you that you don’t have to pay me to help you with your groceries? ”
The sweet old woman looked at me in confusion and then smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s right dear,” she said, though from the tone of her voice, I knew she was completely confused. But just like every week, her husband came to the rescue.
“Come on, Mildred, we’ll save that for the kids,” he said as he came around the car and took his wife’s elbow.
“The kids?” she asked.
“Remember the jar they have set up at the ice cream shop for the kids at the Children’s Hospital?” he asked.
Mrs. Spalding nodded. “Oh yes, that’s right.”
Her husband sent me a knowing smile as he guided his wife around to the passenger seat.
The couple was at least in their late eighties.
But while Mrs. Spalding struggled with her memory more and more, Mr. Spalding was as spry as ever.
I loved watching them together because Mr. Spalding was always so attentive to his wife’s needs while she shopped.
Once he had his wife settled, Mr. Spalding walked back around the old Town Car and shook my hand.
“See you next week, son,” he said and then he patted my shoulder.
I nodded and watched them drive off, then grabbed the grocery cart Mrs. Spalding always insisted on taking out to the parking lot, even though she never had more than two bags in the cart.
I returned the cart to the side of the building where they were stored so people could easily grab one on their way in, but when I turned around, I ran straight into T.
“Around back, now,” T said as he motioned to the side of the store.
“I’m working-” I began as I tried to move past him, but stopped short when he pulled out a gun and pressed it against my belly.
“Move, Princess,” he said.
Fear lurched through me as I did what he said and walked with him past the employee entrance to behind the store.
The back of the store was quiet since all the deliveries were done for the day.
T shoved me up against the wall and held the gun on me.
“Been waiting a while to get you alone, Princess,” he said snidely.
“Seems you found yourself a new boyfriend. Gun did say you preferred dark meat.”
Maybe if he hadn’t said that last part, I could have played my role and just kept my mouth shut. But between my father and the fucking tattoo, I’d had enough. “Fuck you,” I said. “He’s more man than you or Gun will ever be.”
My retort earned me a punch to the face and the barrel of the gun pressed against my temple.
“Listen here, you little faggot,” T snapped. “We’re going to get down to business and then I’m going to show you what a real man feels like.”
“Do what you want to me!” I said, not caring anymore. “I’m not helping you.”
The next blow left me rattled and I felt warm blood dripping down my cheek .
“The stakes have changed, Princess,” T warned. “I heard something very interesting about that sweet little old lady in there,” he said. I knew he was talking about Betty. “Turns out she’s one rich bitch,” he added. “Got me to wondering why I’m not thinking a little bigger.”
Anxiety tore through me. “What do you mean?”
“You and me are going to pay her a little visit at home one night. I’ve seen her place…it’s locked up tighter than a virgin on her wedding night. But I’m thinking she’ll gladly open up for her trusted little Employee of the Month.”
I began shaking my head, but T grabbed my chin and slammed me back against the wall.
“Before you try growing a set of balls and saying no, think about good ole Hank.”
I froze at that.
T got right up in my face. “Don’t worry, the old man’s still breathing, but he’s gonna be walking funny for the rest of his life. ‘Course, you even think of saying no to me again, his life is going to be a whole lot shorter.”
It wasn’t possible. Hank had Jasper watching out for him.
But I could see from the satisfaction in T’s eyes that he was telling the truth. Terror crawled through my belly. What had they done to Hank?
“You still thinking of saying no to me, Princess?”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
“That’s what I thought,” T said with a smirk and then he was tucking the gun in the waistband of his pants. I didn’t move as he stepped back just a little and held there for a moment, his beady eyes on me. Then his fingers went to his pants and I closed my eyes as he drew his zipper down.
No.
I wanted to scream the word out loud, but I couldn’t. I’d been prepared to fight T on anything he wanted to do to me, including this, but that had been before he’d brought Hank into the equation.
I felt tears sting my eyes as I thought of Phoenix. It had been three days since we’d sat on the beach and talked. Afterwards, he’d kissed me for a really long time…just kissing. It had been amazing and once my mind had accepted that all he was going to do was kiss me, my body had started to react.
In more ways than one.
For the first time in years, I’d felt my dick stirring. And while I hadn’t been ready to take things beyond kissing, I’d considered the possibility that maybe someday I’d be ready for more. That Phoenix would be the one who could show me that sex wasn’t always about power and humiliation.
But this, with T, it would destroy all that. It would be like I was cheating on Phoenix, even though he wasn’t my boyfriend.
Because in my head he was so much more than that.
And as horrifying as what was about to happen was, I did have a choice. I could run or scream or say no. I doubted he’d really kill me…at most, he’d beat me to shut me up and then take what he wanted. But if I did that, Hank’s life was over. I knew that without a shadow of a doubt.
So yeah, I was choosing.
As much as I was already in love with Phoenix, I couldn’t risk Hank’s life.
I forced my eyes open and sucked some air in through my nose in the hopes it would clear my head and somehow give me strength to get through this.
T already had his hard cock out. I started to lower myself to my knees, but stopped when T said, “No, Princess, we’re going to try something a little different today. ”
A scream of denial pierced my brain, but I managed to quell it.
“Turn around and face the wall. Take your pants down.”
I shook my head even as I did what he said.
The second I turned away from him, I let the tears fall as cold numbness began to blessedly settle over my body.
My fingers shook as I opened my pants. It seemed to take me forever to work the zipper down and push the pants past my hips.
I couldn’t bring myself to slide my underwear down.
Although God and I weren’t on good terms anymore, I still prayed that He’d do something, anything.
But I knew my plea had gone unanswered when I felt my underwear being yanked down my body.
I was wearing a smock for the store that had ties in the back.
The extra fabric would have afforded me some privacy from the front, but T snapped the tie where I had it loosely knotted and then tore the smock off over my head and threw it to the ground.
I heard T spit and I knew what it meant.
A little bit of spit on his cock was the only lube I’d get.
And since I hadn’t heard any foil tearing, I suspected I wouldn’t have the benefit of latex separating my body from his.
My last line of defense crumbled and I let out a harsh sob as T pressed up against my back and said, “Let’s see if this pussy is as tight as Gun said it is. ”
“Levi, are you out here?”
I cried out in relief at the sound of the store manager’s voice.
T let out a foul curse and shoved away from me.
I heard his footsteps hurrying away from me as Adam, the manager, called out my name again.
My limbs felt heavy as I struggled to get my pants up.
I snagged my smock off the ground and bundled it up in my hand so the broken tie wouldn’t be noticeable.
I was shaking so bad, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to stay upright.
God had heard me.
He’d actually heard me and he’d helped me.
I didn’t even know what to do with that. Maybe thinking it was divine intervention was a stretch, but I didn’t know how else to explain it. If T had taken that last little piece of me…
“Levi?”
“Here,” I called as I wiped at the tears on my face, but when I saw the blood on my hand, I scrambled to come up with something that would explain the marks T had left on my skin. I hurried over to the dumpster and smeared the blood still on my fingers on the corner of the lid.
“Hey, you okay?” Adam said as he rounded the corner. “Betty was starting to worry about you.”
“Yeah,” I said as I tried to calm myself. I turned around and wasn’t surprised when he gasped at the sight of me. “Had a little accident,” I said as I pointed at the dumpster. “I noticed the lid was open and went to close it and it kind of got away from me.”
“Wow, come on inside so we can get some ice on it,” Adam said kindly .
“It’s really nothing,” I said as I fell in step next to him. My adrenaline rush was starting to wane and the crash was making me dizzy.
“Tell that to Betty,” Adam responded with a chuckle.
I didn’t bother trying to tell that to Betty as she fussed over me for a good half an hour and then insisted on me taking the night off. She even had Adam drive me home.
But home was the last place I wanted to be so as soon as Adam told me to take it easy and left, I went up to my apartment and grabbed my father’s car keys, since I knew he’d be too far gone with his alcohol to even notice they were missing.
More than anything, I wanted to drive straight to Phoenix’s house so I could find the safety I was craving in his arms. But I knew he couldn’t help me. And now more than ever, I knew I needed to end it with him. There was something else I needed to do first.