Monster (4 page)

Eden raked a hand through her chin length bob, having gotten rid of the extensions and hacking nearly everything off during the first week she’d been here. She’d kept it short since then, keeping her naturally tawny locks a shade or two darker. Eden deviated from nearly everything in her old life, the only luxury afforded to her now were the occasions when she got to paint her toes and shave properly. Knowing Liam would be out for a few hours, she took the opportunity to clean her apartment.

With Liam’s laundry in the wash, she went about vacuuming,
swiftering the hardwood floors until they shone, and then dusting every little corner her petite frame could reach. Tackling the kitchen next, Eden went about washing dishes, cleaning out the cabinets, cleaning out the subzero and throwing out dated food. She made sure Liam’s food supply was in order for the sitter in the morning, having pumped his milk in little bottles, Eden knew he was good until late afternoon, and by then she should be home from her showings. She walked into her bedroom and contemplated on what to wear for her first day back on the job. Eden settled on a navy blue pencil skirt, a white satin capped sleeve top, and a pair of black sling-backs.

An hour later, exhaustion finally took hold of her, and she set a hand on her mouth to cover a yawn. She chanced a glance at the clock on her nightstand. Liam would be up in exactly three hours for his next feeding, so she had exactly that amount of time to rest. She drew the bassinet to her until it was flush against her queen size mattress, once again assured that he was alive and breathing, Eden gave a sigh and relaxed. Sleep should’ve come then, but she found herself wide awake, blinking up at the ceiling as her mind wandered aimlessly, until it came to the very subject Eden had tried ignoring for nearly a year. And because there was no cure for memories, she grew sicker at the thought of him, but she couldn’t
stop
thinking about him. Around and around and around her mind went. Menacing green eyes haunted her, while the impression of his touch echoed along her skin and lingered in her pores.

This was when she hated herself most. At night, when her mind ran uninhibited and her body fevered so wantonly for…for…no! She couldn’t possibly be so stupid. She was just horny that was all, it could really be anyone, but not him, never again with him. Then her heart quickened at the thought of him finding her, of the unspeakable wrath he would bring down on her, and breathing became nearly impossible at idea of him taking Liam away from her. Dominic Armstrong was ruthless enough to take Liam from her out of spite, just to punish her for daring to leave him. No! Eden shot up, panic constricted her breathing, and it took all her effort not to hyperventilate. Once she was calm enough she closed her eyes and prayed fervently to remain hidden.

The last year had not been easy but she would’ve chosen this struggle any day to the degradation she’d faced as Dominic’s wife. She would be damned if she had to go back to him. She’d taken the tentative steps four months ago in contacting an attorney, but with the distraction of work, her classes, and seeing to Liam’s nursery before he arrived, she had lost focus. Eden vowed to make it a priority now. She was still married to that sadistic prick, but would resolve that soon enough. Divorce was the only option. She’d been young, desperate and had fallen for the lure of all that money. But she wouldn’t let herself fall back into that trap. She was a mother to a boy, a boy that would one day grow up to become a man, and Eden couldn’t very well allow him to think that degrading women was okay. She had to be the example she wanted to set, and every day she spent with her child Eden was learning that. The mistakes of her past were just that, mistakes, which she was learning from, another year, another touch of wisdom. Dominic was her past. A mistake. Divorce would rectify that.

She didn’t want anything from him. Even the half million dollars that was contracted to her at the end of their marriage no longer seemed appealing. There was still money left over from the jewels she’d pawned, it was enough to support her and Liam for another year if she maintained her frugality. Bolstered by strength of purpose, Eden settled back on her bed, scooting just a little closer to her slumbering child. She closed her eyes and while sleep did eventually come, it was a fitful one, filled with plaguing dreams of her husband and the ominous inevitability of his return into her life.

A good shot of espresso with her morning coffee waylaid the fatigue so that she was able to make it to work without looking like she felt. The sitter had shown up on time but it’d taken Eden some time and effort to leave her little baby behind. The day progressed uneventfully and by midmorning she was making great time with her clients. The Wilsons, expecting their third child in October, were looking for a single family, with three baths and five bedrooms. Mr. Wilson wanted a pool and Mrs. Wilson wanted French doors and a solarium for her studio. It was a bit of a challenge, but Eden was up for it. She had seven homes to show them all within the quiet suburban area of Amesbury. By the sixth showing, they were leaning towards the colonial and the Cape Cod. Mrs. Wilson, well past the eight month and nearly ready to burst, was just about done with looking, so Eden suggested they meet up at one of the local cafes. Mr. Wilson deferred to Mrs. Wilson’s choice of Italian and while they put in their order, Eden laid out the pros and cons of the six homes, with an emphasis on the two they were leaning on.

“The Cape Cod is move-in ready, although we can get the seller to fix a few things before we finalize everything. The bit of renovation on the colonial would be slightly over your overall budget, but I’m sure I can roll it in your loan. Also take into consideration that neither one of these is a short-sale, so we’re pretty good with that.”

“I think we’re leaning towards the colonial, right, sweetheart?” Mr. Wilson looked at his wife, who was too busy shoving a slice of pizza into her mouth to bother looking up at her husband. When he cleared his throat, she looked up with an embarrassed smile.

“Well,” she began, setting the slice of pizza down then wiping her mouth, “I really like the Cape Cod, honey. It has just about everything we want.”

“Except the pool.”

Mrs. Wilson rolled her eyes. “We can have an above ground for now.”

“We shouldn’t settle,” he groused.

“Yes, settling would be the worst thing you could do,” Eden quickly interceded, sensing an argument. “Buying a home is a huge investment and everything should be carefully considered before making the commitment. We have plenty of time. So, this is what I’m going to suggest. Take the information I’ve provided today, go home, and talk it over. If you want to put in an offer, we’ll go from there.”

They reluctantly agreed, and once they finished eating, Eden settled the check, thanked the Wilsons, and proceeded to her next appointment.

* * *

Dominic was in a foul mood and that mood was only getting fouler the longer he remained in the presence of the rat-faced moron seated across from him. Settling back in his seat, he steepled his fingers and regarded the man narrowly. He searched his mind briefly for a name and quickly found it...Alex. Dominic could not recall a last name, but he did remember giving the man his card several months ago. The reason why he was seated across from him now could only pertain to one thing; at least Dominic hoped so for Alex’s own good.

“What can I do for you, Alex?” he inquired laconically and Dominic was pleased to see that he had the good sense to look anxious.

“You…you said I could contact you if I had information about Eden.”

“And do you? Have information on Eden, that is?”

He smiled triumphantly at Dominic. Rising just a bit out of the leather chair to search for something in his back pocket, he slid a piece of folded paper towards the dark haired man. Dominic simply raised an eyebrow as he stared at the offensive crumpled paper. “What exactly am I looking at?” He didn’t move, didn’t even reach out to touch it. He returned his gaze to the grinning man and itched to press the button for security.

“That’s your girl, man. I found your bitch!”

In that instant Alex paled considerably, wishing he could take the words back as hunter green eyes pinioned him, nearly drawing blood from where he sat. There wasn’t much he knew of this man. All Alex saw was the grandness, the wealth, and the fact that Dominic Armstrong could very well be the answer to all his money problems. But looking at him now, caught temporarily in those cold, calculating eyes, he wondered whether he hadn’t bitten off more than he could chew.

“Be very careful, Alex,” he began voice like sandpaper on silk, “I don’t take kindly to people insulting my wife.” His lips drew back, showing nothing but teeth. “Now, I strongly suggest you tell me exactly why you are here, or I will have security escort you out.”

“She’s in Amesbury. She’s been sending my girl some money every few months. I was looking through Jenna’s things and I found that.” He pointed at the crumpled paper. “It’s an envelope that has a post office box address on it, but I’m sure you can find her with it. It has her name on it—Eden Mercer.”

So it did. Dominic, having reached for the wrinkly envelope minutes ago, peered at it now while his mind worked. Laughter nearly burbled up from his gut. Right under his own fucking nose. A whole year, searching as he had, and she’d been right under his nose! Simply brilliant.

“You...you said you’d pay me if I had information.”

And pay him he would, for Alex had given him something the highly paid PI he’d hired couldn’t have: his pet’s location.

With a Cheshire Cat grin, he glanced at Alex. “Twenty thousand dollars, as promised. See yourself out and my personal assistant will cut you a check.”

When he was alone again, Dominic pored over the crumpled envelope as though it had more to convey. He looked at the perfect curve of her writing. She’d touched this. His fingers traced the blue ink absentmindedly. He could remember that night he’d returned and had found her gone. Dominic had
nearly lost his mind. His rage had blinded him to everything, pushing him far too close to murder; it’d taken an act of God alone to bring him back from the edge. But he’d been wrathful, scouring nearly every crevice for her to no avail. He’d torn the mansion upside down looking for clues, anything that would tell him where she’d gone.

It’d taken holding Bruce at gunpoint before his so called best friend confessed to his part in abetting Dominic’s deceitful wife. That bit of information had led him to the stripper and her boyfriend, the one who’d just left Dominic’s office. He’d gone to Italy on the off chance that he would find her, but he’d realized how stupid that had been considering he lacked the exact destination. Every trail he’d chased had been a dead end. But he’d refused to stop; nothing would’ve made him stop looking for her. He would’ve searched for her until his dying breath. But it wouldn’t come to that it seemed. He finally found her, and it was high time he returned his pet to her cage. Dominic had underestimated her once; he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Jenna knew she shouldn’t have pushed, but with Alex’s track record it was only natural for her to be apprehensive, especially after coming into such a large amount of money. The last time he’d had nearly this much money, it’d been borrowed from a few unscrupulous people who hadn’t been shy in detailing exactly how easy it would be to not only break Alex’s body, but take a piece of Jenna’s ass in the process. She’d spent nearly two months on her back getting the loan sharks their money back, and Jenna wasn’t about to go through that shit again. So she’d posed the question when he’d returned from clubbing with “the guys”. She’d ignored the pussy and liquor cologne that oozed off him like noxious fumes and instead got straight to the point. His reply had been a brusque shove that sent her stumbling back. She’d returned with a slap to his face, and he’d countered with a punch to hers, the sort of punch a guy would throw during a fight with another guy. It’d hurt like a motherfucker, and despite the fact that she’d taken more than her fair share of his love taps, this one hadn’t hurt any less. He hadn’t stopped there; one punch was never enough for him.

To minimize the damage, Jenna had assumed the fetal position, one she’d become accustomed to over the course of their relationship. She didn’t know how long it lasted, but when he’d finally grown tired, she was a mass of burning agony. Every inch of her being throbbed mercilessly, and she knew he’d broken a few things. Blood coated the inside of her mouth, nearly gagging her. Breathing was agony, moving was sheer hell. So she’d lain there, praying for the darkness at the fringes of her vision to consume her. But her body refused to shut down, refused to give in, and when he’d began to disrobe her, carelessly tugging her jeans down her hips and further down her legs, Jenna had dared to attempt an escape.

“This is the only thing you’re good for, Jen,” ’he’d grunted in her ear, “and you can’t even give good pussy right.” He’d been short of breath as he’d carelessly flipped her onto her stomach. His weight had fallen on her again, and he’d raised her hips to brutally thrust into her. Jenna had closed her eyes and prayed it would be over. When he’d finished, he’d gone out again, leaving her exactly where she was now, prone on the hardwood floor. In an attempt to assuage the pain, she allowed her mind to wander.

She can’t remember her parents because she never had any. Well, she did technically because two people did fuck to conceive her, but she’d never known who they were. She’d grown up in the foster system, bounced around from home to home, and had no stability whatsoever. Puberty hit her all in the right places far too early, and one too many men who were supposed to nurture her took notice and took advantage. Jenna grew up too fucking quick. Her first time was with the high school quarterback. She could barely remember his name now, but he’d been a senior and she’d had a thing for older men and muscle cars. In the backseat of his Mustang behind the football field, her popularity had been forged in virgin blood. She became known as the quick and dirty girl. She’d met Alex when she’d been sixteen and he got her a job at the Crazy Pussy. He said she’d be his girl, and they’d been together since.

What Jenna had begun to realize a very long time ago was that being Alex’s girl was like being fucked in the ass without lube, and she was getting tired of limping her ass everywhere. Getting off the floor was a huge challenge, and it took nearly all she had, but she managed the feat. She was a ball of agony, and propped up against the loveseat, she felt like the loneliest person on the face of the earth. Raising a hand up she felt around for the bag she’d left on the loveseat when she’d arrived home earlier. She looked at the phone in her hand, tears pooling in her eyes. She shouldn’t call. They’d promised each other to have as little contact as possible to maintain Eden’s whereabouts and to keep Jenna safe. But Jenna needed her best friend. She was the only family she had.

* * *

“Hello?” Eden answered tucking her phone between her ear and her shoulder while she rummaged for her keys.

“Eden?”

Eden’s heart lurched for a second in a desperate attempt to come up her throat at the sound of that voice. She stopped her search and took the phone in hand. “Jenna, what’s wrong?”

“I know you said not to call, but Alex and I had a fight…” she trailed off, but Eden instantly knew the implication of that. Alex had laid into her again. For the life of her, Eden still could not understand why Jenna stayed with the scumbag when he treated her no better than a punching bag with a convenient hole to stick his dick in when the mood struck him. Alex was a piece of shit boyfriend and each and every time he laid a hand on Jenna, Eden wanted to gut him.

“How bad is it?” she asked, stepping inside her apartment.

Eden heard her sigh, the sound coming from a place that was familiar to her, too. It was a broken sound, a tired sound that came from living a tumultuous life that never seemed to end. “It’s not too bad, but it hurts to breathe…my face is pretty banged up, too.”

Eden swore under her breath. Promising Jenna that she was on her way, she hung up the phone. Eden didn’t go into much detail with the Amy, her sitter, simply that there was emergency she needed
to tend to and would pay double her regular fee if she stayed with Liam for a few more hours. Ami readily agreed, and with a kiss on a sleeping Liam’s cheek, Eden was out the door again.

The two hour trip was mercifully brief, with the late hour the interstate was quiet, making it easy for Eden to get where she needed to be quickly. She hurried up the concrete stairs, paying no mind to the stench of urine or the loud arguing coming from the closed doors.

“Jen!” She knocked on the door, hoping desperately that in her two hour trip over, Alex hadn’t returned to finish what he’d started. “Jenna, it’s Eden.” She raised her fisted hand to knock again, but the door opened before her hand made contact. The sight of Jenna’s face broke her heart.

“Jesus.” Eden followed her inside the dark apartment, closing the door behind her. “Let me see.” She put a hand on Jenna’s arm stopping the other woman from picking up an overturned chair.

Eden had never actually seen Jenna’s injuries without the passage of time or the added effect of makeup to conceal them. Seeing them now, in the raw, was something else. Her ordinarily pale face was a patchwork of bruises; her left eye was swollen shut, blackness haloing the perimeter; and there was a big purpling gash on her cheek that had congealed with blood. She tried smiling at Eden, undoubtedly attempting to alleviate the horror she saw in honey eyes, but her smile came out as a wince.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” she said instead of smiling, the effort it took to talk was even worse than when she tried smiling.

“You need to leave him.” It was an old song, one Eden had been singing since they’d met. Jenna was probably the only person Eden would consider her friend. Hell, she was practically family. Their instant friendship at the strip club hadn’t been a fluke; there’d been a kindred spirit in each other that had been hard to resist and still it persisted, making it hard for them to turn their backs on each other. Eden could no more ignore Jenna than if she were her own blood. “Come live with me,” she said suddenly. “I have an extra room that I won’t need until Liam is older. You and I can live together, at least for a little while. Take a break from, Alex.”

“I don’t know…”

Sighting her opportunity, Eden jumped on it. “Rent free, you can just watch Liam as payment.”

Jenna’s eyes lit up at the mention of Eden’s baby. “I can watch over the little porker?”

Eden laughed. “Yeah.”

Jenna looked over at the woman who she’d known for such a short time, yet treated her like a sister, and the tears in her eyes began anew. Eden was offering her the change she so desperately needed, and she was doing it simply because she wanted to. It wasn’t the way of her world to have someone do something for nothing. But Jenna knew there was no ulterior motive here. There rarely
ever was when Eden was concerned. She’d done so much for Jenna so far, more than she could even begin to say. She sniffled and reached out to embrace Eden mindful of her injuries. “Thank you, Ede,” she uttered through the tears. “Thank you for this.”

Eden drew away slightly. “Thank me by not packing anything. Let’s just get out of here before Alex gets back.” When Eden headed for the entrance, Jenna stopped her.

“Wait…” She left Eden’s side and hastened to the bedroom just around the corner from the living room and returned a few minutes later. She held up a roll of cash. “My tips from CP.”

“I taught you well. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

* * *

With a heavy sigh Eden fell back on her large bed, the down comforter breaking her fall. She was drowning in it all, drowning in clouds impersonating pillows. Heaven was royal blue Egyptian cotton sheets against her naked skin. With a long, body deflating sigh, her eyes fluttered close, and the events of the last forty-eight hours bled out of her. It’d been a hell of a few days. It had begun with one of her biggest clients failing to close on a commercial property because the financers decided to back out at the last minute. The agency was looking into litigation, but all Eden saw was failure. This would’ve been huge for her had she been able to pull it off and regardless of her best efforts, everything just fell apart. This was supposed to be cake. It should’ve been an easy commission for her, with both sides getting what they wanted. It just didn’t make sense that they would simply walk away, even with the threat of a lawsuit for breach of contract. Eden knew that these investors were going to get a good deal. She just couldn’t figure out what could’ve possibly made them change their minds.

And then, as though that hadn’t been bad enough, Eden had been called home by a frantic Jenna while in the middle of an emergency meeting with Annie Banks, telling her she needed to hurry home because she hadn’t been able to get Liam’s fever down. With her heart in her throat, Eden had instructed Jenna to call an ambulance and would meet her at the local hospital. It’d taken her twenty minutes to get to Amesbury General and another two hours sitting with Liam while they ran tests.

By then, Eden had been hysterical, with Jenna doing all she could to keep her from wearing a hole through the waiting room carpet. It’d taken a variety of blood tests before the ER pediatrician informed Eden that he had an infection that they could to treat with IV antibiotics. It wasn’t until late the following day that Eden was allowed to take Liam home. He’d thankfully returned to normal and had eaten more than usual much to Eden’s delight. She’d just settled him down for the night, and after eating her own well cooked meal, compliments of Jenna’s excellent culinary skills, Eden had been ready
to crash. She turned on her side, teetering between slumber and wakefulness as a dream lured her deeper into sleep. With a furrowed brow, she tossed and turned, consumed now by the lurid nightmare.

From the shadows of the candlelit room, she stood spectator to her own debauchment. On a bed that was meant for more than the two people it had been purchased for, Eden saw herself splayed out like some Dionysian offering, naked and aching for something. That something had yet to make itself known, but one didn’t need much thought to decipher exactly what that something was. The air in the dimly lit room crackled with passion so potent that one need only inhale to taste it. Eden watched herself, hoisted by a bevy of pillows while smooth caramel legs fell akimbo, golden eyes riveted by something between those parted legs, something—or rather someone—holding her complete attention.

“Are you ready, my sweet?” Dominic inquired silkily from the shadows, his voice like sex with the right bit of growl that made dream Eden jump.

“Yes,” came out on an exhale, like it needed to be said.

“Then fuck yourself for me.”

Dream Eden eagerly pleasured herself for him. Without pause, without even a single thought, one hand crept down of its own accord, eager fingers sliding a path down her neck to find and gently cup her breast.

Eden gasped inaudibly, eyes widening marginally upon the realization that she felt everything that dream Eden did. She was suddenly there, no longer a spectator, but a participant in every way possible. She saw him behind her lids, descending upon her, mastering her with large hands that knew nearly every supple inch of her body. Between her middle finger and thumb, Eden tugged and twisted her nipples to tender peaks, imagining it was him playing with her.

It was so real, so pronounced. It was as though Dominic was there, on the bed with his solid frame looming over hers, surrounding her. He was gloriously naked, his physique something of legends, while his long, thick cock enticed her mouth and her cunt. The emotions running through her were carnal, and Eden submitted as her fantasy intensified. Wetness pooled between her thighs, dampening her panties. Her body was on fire, scalding hot, and there was only one man who could temper the fever, assuage the inferno.

With her right hand on her breasts, the left slid down the flat of her belly, the goal the honeyed sex between her trembling thighs. Breathy moans filled the room as she inserted first one finger and then another, lifting her hips off the bed to meet the stroking motion of her hand. It was inadequate, but Eden’s imagination was remarkable in making it feel like the real thing. It was Dominic fucking her, and she melted around his generous cock.

She panted, her fingers delving deeper while she arched and fell, writhing and moaning with the sweetest abandon, entangling her limbs in her sheets. Her orgasm hit her hard, and Eden rode the delicious tremors that rocked her entire body.