Chapter 4 #2
“Flirting isn’t consent.” Janessa yanks herself away from him, stumbling into the chair, pushing it quickly out of her way, and backing up again until she’s almost out of my line of sight in the narrow window I made on the bookshelf.
“You practically begged me to drop Kira for you. You all but promised me you’d spread your legs–”
“I didn’t beg you for anything, and I didn’t ask you for anything. You’ve made all your own choices–”
“You stupid bitch, you’re not making any fucking sense!
” His cheeks flush a ruddy red and he sways on his feet, and I realize that he might be more than a little tipsy.
His aggression and anger make more sense, now, and I narrow my eyes at the couple as their argument continues.
“Why did you make me do all of this if you weren’t serious?
If I wanted some bitch to turn up her nose and be a prude, I would’ve stayed with Kira!
What is with you fucking women and not putting out? ”
“I didn’t make you do anything, Brian.”
“You’re a fucking tease. You wanted me to ditch Kira for you, admit it! You dangled yourself in front of me, made all kinds of promises, and now that I’m trying to collect, you’re all excuses.”
“I’m done with this conversation. We can talk when you’re sober.”
Brian growls and steps forward, stopping her from leaving.
“Do you know what I noticed, Janessa? You’ve only ever kissed me on camera to post on your socials.
What am I to you? A prop? I’m not going to be used by you without getting anything in return.
You want the perfect life? To be with a hot, rich guy and use him for his money and his status?
Fine, I don’t give a shit. But I sure as hell will be getting something out of you for the trouble. ”
“Brian, you’re scaring me–”
“Shut the fuck up, slut.” He lunges forward, and I dart around the shelves in time to watch him push her back against the table hard enough to make her cry out in pain. The table rattles and the glasses of wine tip over, sending glass and dark red alcohol flying.
“What’s going on here?” I demand. Janessa whirls to look at me through her wild hair, her eyes wide with panic. I see the emotions warring on her face as she realizes who came to her rescue.
Relief, because she’s not alone with Brian anymore. Anxiety, because she isn’t sure I’m going to help her. Shame, because of the situation she’s in. Desperation as she silently begs me not to let her down, not to leave her alone with him.
“Get lost,” Brian snaps, all his cool, suave playacting gone; the alcohol has peeled back all the falsehoods and facades to reveal his true, ugly self.
“No.” I take slow, measured steps forward. Not halting steps, not hesitating or cautious, but slow enough for him to notice even with his buzzed reaction time. “Let her go.”
“This has nothing to do with you!” Brian tries again, snarling at me like a dog. “She’s my fucking girlfriend and this is between me and her.”
“If you haven’t let go of her by the time I get over there, you’re going to regret it.” My voice is low and calm. I’m still walking closer. I’m only a handful of steps away now.
Brian blinks, then scoffs. “Ohhh, big tough guy, huh? What a load of shit. You want her? Fine, take her! She’s just as prudish as Kira is. I’m sure you’ll be very happy with both of those frigid, teasing bitches!”
He yanks Janessa up from the table and tosses her to me. I catch her as gently as I can when she stumbles into my chest with a frightened noise. Her rapid breathing exposes her panic, and she grips my shirt with white knuckles.
“Go ahead and leave,” I say to her quietly. “You don’t need to be here for what comes next.”
“Wh-what?”
“Go on,” I gently prod her toward the door. “I’ll take care of this. Go back to your room.”
Brian laughs, obnoxious and angry, and grabs his crotch through his pants. “Oh, you’ll take care of this? Sure, get on your knees then, Claremont, and take care of what that slut started! A mouth is a mouth, after all.”
Janessa blushes with shame and flees. I listen to her light footsteps rushing away, until I’m certain she’s left the library altogether. Now, it’s time to take care of this trash.
“Brian,” I drawl, tsk’ing my tongue. “Brian, Brian. What a tricky situation you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“What the fuck?” Brian laughs again. “Freak. What are you talking about?”
“You came here and you started something you’re not going to be able to finish,” I sigh, stalking closer.
And despite his arrogance, his instincts must still be functional because he takes a step back, staying out of my range.
“You held her down and decided whoever is the strongest gets to take what they want from people, hm? Gets to claim what they want.”
“Dude, stop being such a freak,” Brian scoffs, still backing up. “What the fuck do you want from me? You can have her, just leave me the fuck alone.”
“I don’t care about what you want or don’t want, Brian.
I’m stronger than you, so that means I get what I want, and you have to submit or I’ll hurt you.
That’s how you want this to be, right? That’s how you were about to do things with Janessa.
By force. So let’s do it, then. Hm? Let’s both pick on someone our own size, and see who ends up on their knees. A mouth is a mouth, after all.”
I’m fucking with him, because there is no way in hell I want my dick anywhere near his mouth and I wouldn’t actually want to force anyone to do anything like that.
I’ve had enough shame and coercion around sex in my life.
I won’t perpetuate more, nor will I tolerate it being done to others when I can stop it.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve some justified terror, and a taste of the fear he caused in Janessa.
“What, you’re gay now?” he blusters, forgetting in his drunken stupor that he was the one who suggested I suck him off first. “I shouldn’t be surprised, since you’re with Kira. Fat bitch never once put out for me–”
I lunge forward and grab him, spin him, and slam him against the table much like he did to Janessa.
He bellows in surprise, pain, and drunken rage, but he’s uncoordinated and not that strong, so I hold him there easily for several long seconds before tossing him to the floor, back toward the corner of the room lit up by that lurid orange lamp.
He lands heavily and rolls, groaning and cussing.
“You’re drunk,” I tell him as he stumbles to his feet. “Doesn’t excuse anything you’ve said tonight, or what you tried to do, but I think you should go sleep this off before I end up doing something I can’t take back.”
“Fuck you,” Brian sneers unsteadily.
“You really are too drunk for this,” I continue, shoving him back to the ground and putting my foot on his chest to hold him there, leaning over him until his breath is squeezed out of him and his eyes bulge.
“It’s pathetic. I can’t even properly threaten someone this fucking stupid. It would go right over your head.”
He grabs at my leg and tries to push me off his chest. I lean down harder and kneel on him, putting my center of gravity right on his lungs, forcing the air from him.
He silently gasps, trying to get enough air to stay conscious.
His skin flushes even darker red, his eyes widen and roll in panic, his fingers scratch against my leg and he kicks his feet against the ground in panic.
“You’re so dramatic,” I sigh. “I’m not even holding your throat. You can breathe a little bit. No need to act like you’ll die like this right away, it would take quite a while to suffocate like this. I mean, I know it hurts, but take it like a man, Brian. Sober up a bit for me, hm?”
He gurgles, skin going a bit blue. I can hear the whistle of air puffing weakly in and out of his chest under the pressure of my weight, so I know he’s breathing, just not enough to stop him from slowly suffocating.
I watch him suffer, and I like it. Brings back good memories.
“Maybe killing rapists is my calling,” I muse softly, staring into his eyes as he starts to tremble all over.
He’s too far gone to listen, spasming on the ground.
So I whisper even quieter, for no one but me to hear.
“Want to know what I did to them? One by one? The last one was particularly brutal, but I promise, he deserved it. He was the worst of them.”
Suddenly bored and feeling itchy with memories, I get off Brian and pace, letting him gasp for air. He coughs and rolls to his stomach, trying to push himself up.
I have the urge to kick him in the gut, maybe in the nuts, to give him a nasty bruise and some soreness to remember his mistake in the morning when he sobers up. But before I can follow through, I hear footsteps.
I spin just in time to see Janessa rush into view, out of breath, followed closely by the very last person I want to see.
Well, okay, I actually love to see him because he’s fucking gorgeous, but I’m kind of in the middle of almost killing someone so I’d rather he didn’t notice me right now.
Young-gi’s face is impassive and unimpressed as he takes in the scene; Brian on his hands and knees, gasping for air, drooling and coughing onto the lush carpet. Me, barefoot and in pajamas, standing over him, wine and shattered glass all over the table.
And Janessa, trembling at his side. She looks at me like she’s trying to tell me something, or ask me something. I don’t know her well enough to say which it is.
“And what’s all this?” Young-gi asks. The calm, icy tone sends shivers right down my spine.
Any normal man would be demanding answers, getting upset, possibly becoming a little panicked by the signs of violence. But Young-gi? No. He acts like he feels nothing at all.
“Mr. Sokolov, um,” I hesitate, trying not to eye-fuck him too much. But good lord, he’s still fine as hell even in his rumpled suit, wrinkled from doing whatever bratva leaders do in the middle of the night in their castles.