Aurora's Point Of View

"Look at me, babydoll," Arlan groaned quietly, my bare arms chilling at his tone.

I gradually lifted my head and eyes from their stare at the floor, to Arlan's dark figure across from me. I could only see the shape of him and most of his face, his smooth skin glowing warmly in the candle light. The flickering flames of the candles made his eyes occasionally seen in the light, and sometimes unseen in the dark. It was eery. I felt my face grow red and my waterline fill with tears. This was scary.

Don't cry, Aurora. No reaction. No reaction.

"What do you think of dinner?" He asked.

"Fine," I said simply.

"Romantic, isn't it?"

I tried to think over in my head the most bland response there could be, and one that could provoke his insecurity.

"Sure, if one finds this kind of thing romantic."

It wasn't rude enough to bring on a punishment and it wasn't quite a compliment, it was a beautiful little middleground to bring him right to insecurity. Which I could tell worked by his lips unconsciously tugging to a slight pout. He unscrewed the wine bottle and began filling a glass with its blood red liquid, a slight chugging sound appearing from the bottle.

After delicately tilting the bottle away and setting it on the white table cloth, he set the wine glass, filled to the brim, in front of me and started pouring his own. I looked at the glass utterly confused, then at him.

"Uh, what? A-Arlan, I don't drink."

"Special occasion," Was his clipped response, nonchalant, as he shrugged one shoulder and was still pouring his own glass.

"I don't like drinking," I replied uncomfortably. "Remember last time?"

You'd think he wouldn't want me to drink either. He was furious after my birthday. He spanked me when I was hungover. It was horrific.

"Well, second chances, Dove," He reasoned, simply watching his wine glass as he poured his own.

I felt my forhead wrinkle and my brows draw in with confusion, eyeing him, before the wheels started turning in my head and I caught on easily. He wanted me to drink to get me horny again like how I acted on my birthday.

Drunk horny. Sloppy, all over him, riding his lap horny. I felt disgust churn in my stomach and embarrassment all at once. Was this whole dinner just an excuse to get me drunk and in bed with him? He was really disgusting. If I wasn't on Elise's plan, I'd grab the drink and chuck it in his face. Maybe I'd grab a candle and burn his hands. How dare he try to take advantage of me like this. Well, I'm smarter than him. I'm not the naive Aurora who before would drink and think he'd be a perfect gentleman. I'm also not going to react crassly and in anger at him for wanting me to get horny drunk again, though my instincts were begging me too. The only thing Arlan and I had in common is that now I know what it's like to have the desire to choke someone.

"I'm too tired, but thanks," I said simply. Even for effect, I stifled a yawn and patted my mouth.

He looked up from pouring his cup and in that instance the flame illuminated his dark blue eyes. In an instant, the light was gone and his dark figure stared at me. I refrained from gulping, as he would probably see that through the candle light. Arlan's attention to body language was impeccable, if the most subtle indication that I was scared or uncomfortable was able to be picked up by him, he would feed off of it. So I sat neutral, face indifferent.

"You're tired?" He echoed. "I had this whole special, romantic dinner for us set up. That doesn't wake you up at all?" He growled loudly.

"I had a long day."

"Me too," He spat, his anger spiking as he slammed the wine bottle down. "You could at least pretend to appreciate this, you fucking brat."

"Okay. I am sorry. It's a lovely dinner. Thank you," I said quite monotony. If he wanted appreciation, I'd cooperate.

But really, he didn't want that. He wanted me to be a brat so he'd have an excuse to beat me. Well, I wasn't giving it to him.

That slight pout turned into a frown. I was mentally manipulating him and it was actually working. He licked his lips, trying to turn his upset frown into a menacing one.

"Good girl," He muttered. "Let's just make this a nice evening, alright?"

I didn't respond; Instead, I was thinking. I wanted this night to go in my favor. And if I played my cards the right way and got him comfortable enough, I could get some answers out of him. I lifted my wine glass and he instantly looked up and watched me take a mere sip. I wasn't planning to drink it all, only a little. But I knew it would be him at ease and take some of his edge off. I placed the cup down and lifted my fork to the rice and vegetables. The flavors married together perfectly and tasted impeccable. Opaline was an incredible chef, it tasted professional.

"This food is amazing," I say, looking at Arlan.

"I'm glad you like it, Dove," He says. Then, he beckons me with one finger. "Come sit next to me, I wanna be near you."

Gulping slightly, I hesitate before I raise myself and go behind my chair. Pushing it towards him, I stop when it's next to him. I seat myself down slowly and his hand creeps to grip the flesh of my thigh, his wine-covered lips to my neck. The softness of his lips find behind my ear and sensitively place heated, open mouth kisses. His slow tongue licks softly behind my earlobe and I shiver, gasping softly. His fingers squeeze and unsqueeze the side of my thigh making them grow excited as his mouth peppers sensual kisses achingly slow. He then nips at my ear lobe gently as a subtle whine slips from me and he faintly whispers into my ear, his breath fanning my ear, "Your breathing is shaking."

I gasp softly and open my eyes, not even aware they had closed or that I let my breathing be that loud.

"Mmm," He groans softly in my ear. "We could take this to the bedroom, you know, Dove. Dinner can wait."

I close my mouth in humiliation and inch away from him when he tilts my chin towards his face, tracing my cheek with his ring-covered finger.

"Fuck babydoll," He groans in a soft but rough voice, his tongue swiping my bottom lip. He moans in satisfaction. "I love you."

He starts making out with me aggressively and I catch myself feeling panicked for breath, trying to pull away from him.

"W-we should eat," I whisper against his lips as he tried to shut me up with his. I finally manage to shove him away before clearing my throat. "I haven't eaten since those fries earlier, I should really eat," I turn away from him, and thankfully he lets me.

I dig my fork into my pasta and quickly begin eating, trying to calm myself. His hand is still on my thigh. How could I let myself get entranced in that?! I need to be the one in control here. Arlan's disgusting, not someone I want to do anything sexual with.

I lift my wine glass again and take a tender, small sip. I notice him glance at me when I do so, before he looks away. I place my glass down, a few minutes of silence pass.

"Arlan, can I ask you something?" I inquire gently.

"Yeah," He didn't look at me, and continued eating. His face is more visible now that I'm next to him.

"I just...I wonder sometimes how you and Kacelynn worked, you know?" I thought it was a pretty innocent question to ask.

His dark brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I just mean...you're both so different. She's a dancer, she's so popular, she's the head of the social chair department. You're...a criminal," I mumble the last word hesitantly. "How did you guys even meet?"

"She came to me," He replied quickly, sipping his wine and staring at the candles ahead of him. His answer quite frankly caught me off guard.

Kacelynn approached him??

"But....why?"

"It's pretty simple. Rich, dark older guy meets vulnerable rich spoiled brat looking for attention. Boom. Sex every week. Her mommy and daddy weren't paying attention to her 'cause of some financial lawsuit they were going through," He said through a mouthful of rice, chewing. "She was rebelling and practically begged me to date her, threw herself at me," He exaggerated with his hands. " Even asked to move in with me. You know how I feel about whiny bitches begging for me, so I dated her. Obviously, the rest was history," He joked dryly, shrugging a shoulder.

"Did you love her?"

"Fuck no," He snorted under his breath, a laugh rumbling deeply in his chest. "But I took care of her. It was certainly more than just fucking. There were a lot of nights I picked her up from her parents place at like 1 AM and consoled her. I guess to me it was deep, but to her, she was using me. I didn't really care though. Now I look back and see it wasn't deep at all. It was a kiddy pool. She's a piece of shit."

I could sense the resentment in his voice. He wanted something more, something deeper. She used him.

"And you never wanted to kidnap her?"

"No. That would have been dreadfully boring."

....Boring...right...

"Besides, like I said, she was always begging to move in anyway."

"So...why didn't you let her?" I eyed him carefully. "You only want people to live here...if they don't want to?"

He moved his ringlets out of his face and smoothed them behind his head, his wine glass was nearly empty.

"I didn't wanna deal with her all the time, Dove. I could only tolerate her so much. While I don't appreciate how she ended things, I couldn't actually foresee a future with her. A forever with her."

Was he trying to say he wanted forever...with me?

It sounds like he did.

I did not want a forever with him. I didn't even want another day with him.

"How did she end things?" I say softly.

"Are you gonna eat that food, or just question me 'bout my ex girlfriend?" He said through another mouthful, not looking at me. I could tell he was getting agitated. "You're the one who said how 'hungry' you were."

I rose my fork and scooped some rice, eating a few forkfuls. Even lifted my wine and took a ginger sip. I hoped I hadn't pushed him too far. But I had always wondered about their relationship dynamic. It didn't make sense to me, I needed to know.

"She broke up with me right before I met you. I was actually going to skip class, when you accidently bumped into me. And then...all the sudden my body tension just melted," His hand squeezed my thigh and I flinched. "And you looked so small and shy,"-

So, an easy target.

"And I wanted to make you mine."

I licked my lips, trying to forget about that and ask something else. No use in dreading that day. How was I to know who I was bumping into? None of this was my fault and I wasn't going to go down that rabbit hole.

"How did you find me at the diner today? Did you ask Nate or something?"

"I was driving to the college and at a red light I saw you through the window. Mafia man, remember? Attention to detail."

"Right..." I said under my breath, just relieved it wasn't Nate or a tracker or some secret person watching me.

"Any other questions, Dove?" He asked sarcastically, clearly not wanting the answer to be yes, which made me flinch just slightly.

"Yes," I exhaled shakily.

I used all my courage and spoke.

"Why were all my bags packed?"

Arlan seemed to freeze, his face blank. I now grew nervous that he looked so nervous. What was the truth? Was he considering selling me into some human trafficking scheme, or as a prostitute? Maybe he was planning to kill me and use my clothes as a wardrobe for a new victim. Either way, I needed to know. I thought I could ignore it, but it's all I thought about when I'm around him. I deserved the truth, and hopefully I would get just that. I was holding my breath, hands growing clammy. Just how evil could he get? Maybe it was something worse than I could even imagine in my head.

"I was thinking about getting you new clothes and getting rid of your old clothes, then I decided against it."

I paused, soaking the information in. I had built up a daunting fear of whatever my packed bags meant for weeks and his explanation seemed so simple and innocent. Still holding my breath, I said barely, "That's it?"

He nodded.

"Mmhmm."

I sighed.

"I-I don't know...I just thought it was some sort of punishment, to be honest."

Without looking up, he continued eating his pasta. I wiped my palms on my jeans and relaxed, lifting my fork and stacking some pasta on it to eat mine. I lifted it to my mouth.

"Is that why you've been sleeping with me?" He asked, not looking up.

I froze from eating, looking to him. Fuck. What do I say to that? I had more questions to ask, and now I feared I dug myself into a hole. I wasn't sure exactly what to say. I couldn't say yes. But I also couldn't say, 'No, of course not Arlan, I love having sex with you'. I despised it more than anything in the world.

"I-I'm shy talking about...sex," I whispered just barely the last word.

"It's just a question," He said through a mouthful of food, glancing at me. "Do you do it to avoid getting punished?"

"Do you have sex for meaning?" I nervously counter quickly, to avoid answering him.

"Answer me, Dove," He growls raspily.

"Answer me," I insist meakly.

Before I can blink, he's up and hovers over me, pushing my chair back as I screech and we both fly to the ground. Luckily the cushion of the chair catches my head but I could've cracked my skull on the ground! His hand muffles my mouth which screamed in terror and I go silent.

"I fuck to assert dominance," He hisses, his other hand squeezing my neck and while I'm sure he can feel my heart beat jackhammering against his hand, I will my face to stay neutral. Neutral eyes, no tears. Neutral eyes, no tears.

"I fuck to put brats in their place. I don't like brats. I like clingy, submissive little whores whining and writhing beneath me and doing what the fuck I say as I ruin them. I love to put them in so much pain they're shivering in fear and crying until they cum," He then, to my horror, spits on my face, making me gasp.

What the fuck is wrong with him! My arms are pinned and I can't even wipe it off!

"That's why I have sex, Aurora. Now, why do you, hm? Tell me," He hisses and seethes breathlessly, grabbing my jaw and squeezing it with his fingers and shaking my head. He lifts his hand before removing my shirt with one hand over my head and kneading my breast through my white bra. "Why do you let me fuck that little body?" He whispers into my ear and reaches down and squeezes my hip painfully.

"Because!" I hiss, angrily trying to push him off me and stop his assault.

"Because why?" He rages, squeezing my breast harder as I'm thrashing in his grip.

"Because you make me feel like I never do anything else right!" I screech in one breath, finding myself hyperventilating.

His assault halts at once and he's now just hovering over me silently. All that is heard is the subtle crackling of the candles as he lifts his body slightly from crushing me. I turn my head to the side as tears leak out silently, hot on my face. I sniff and feel some relief with crying but also disappointed like I might have ruined Elise's plan. Well, I fucking tried. But remaining emotionless around Arlan was fucking impossible. He evoked the strongest spectrum of negative emotions that were exhausting to resist. Grief. Sadness. Hurt. Anger. Humiliation. They all rose to the surface and spilled over. With the darkness and my silence, I'm hoping to God he won't see the tears. But even so, I screamed. I gave him a reaction.

My only last resort is to subtly make him insecure, flip this around and make him weak.

"I don't think that's really why you have sex," I say shakily, desperately trying to hide in my voice that I'm crying but sort of failing.

He says nothing.

I lean up on my elbows, dare myself to look at him.

"You do it to feel something. To feel something real. Everything else is fake. Your Dominance. Passion for work. It's all fake. So you try to find those things in the rawest form, through sex. But even that doesn't work. Because you know you don't treat me right and I can't love you because of it."

He still said nothing, and in the darkness on the floor I can't see his expression. He slowly stands up to his full height and I look up at him from the floor for a few moments. I shakily lift myself up. We're two dark figures among the candle lit room, I see our shadows against the wall. My frame stands small below his chest and his body arcs over mine. He pulls my arm causing me to collide into him and look up. I flinch when he reaches for my face, expecting choking, but he gently cups the right side of my jaw. What comes next? Abuse? A slap? More choking? Another punishment?

"I do love you. I really do," He whispers.

I bit my lip to keep from sobbing. He disgusts me.

"That's not fake," He shakes his head, "It's real, and it's deep. It's achingly deep, it's core shaking and earth shattering and," He catches his breath as his voice shakes, biting his lip, "and I know one day you'll love me just as much. I know one day you'll love me," His tone shakes as he speaks with urgency, grip tightening on my face now as I whimper softly with panic. "You'll love me, I know you will, y-you you will."

"I can't," My voice breaks and I remove myself from him, untangling our bodies and he lets me go. I shake my head slowly at him.

"You do, you just don't want to say it," Is his reply.

"I hate you," I whisper, turning away.

"Aurora!" He tugs my arm. "Aurora."

I look up from the table, feeling Arlan pulling my arm, coming out of my daze and looking around me.

"W-what..."

"I've been calling your name like ten millions time and you just zoned out. You said 'you thought the bags packed were a punishment' and I said no, then you just blanked out. Are you okay?"

I looked at the table in front of me, most of my food untouched, my chair upright with me on it, not toppled over on the ground. I look up at Arlan.

Had I imagined that whole argument and fight?

"I...yeah," I said blankly, my mind confused.

So I didn't lose my anger.

"Sorry," I shook my head. "I...I must have just...I don't know..." My voice trailed off. He lifted my chin to face him and the candle light perfectly illuminated his face so that I could make out his eyes in the dark. I wondered if he could see mine. I couldn't believe I had dazed out for so long, imagining this scenario in my head. I guess my subconscious was seeking to release anger so bad that I got lost in a daydream...

"I miss you," He confessed softly.

I gave him a confused look.

"I'm right here...?"

"But you're not," He whispered, shaking his head. "You feel so...distant. You've been dazed out for minutes sitting next to me. It's been different the last few days. Every since I," He swallowed thickly, cleared his throat and mumbled, "Hit you."

My face grew heated and palms felt clammy with sweat. I swallowed uncomfortably. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, sorry, Arlan, I'll act completely normal' ?? He deserved this treatment for the abuse he gave to me. I wasn't going to give him affection and comfort to soothe his regret so he'd feel better about hitting me.

"I don't want you to be like this."