around me again, really ready to go. “Don’t give me advice about my relationship with my father,” I said without demand or bitterness. “You don’t understand. We’ve been through a lot. When I’m ready to leave him, I will. Right now, we need each other and there is nothing wrong with that.”
The emotion drained from his face as he scrutinized me. “Understood, Hanley,” he stated coldly, deepening the octave of his voice. The charming and endearing man faded away for a version that was intimidating. “Fair warning… don’t make this a habit.”
I began to walk backward. The look darkening his face alarmed me and intrigued me all at once. “You aren’t above reproach.”
He grabbed me again, this time pushing me against the wall with a force falling somewhere between gentle and harsh. “You’re very rough around the edges when it comes to relationships.” His voice was whisper quiet but held enough wickedness to terrify me a little more. “Even more so when it comes to how you should behave when you're with me.” He leaned forward, touching his forehead against mine. His hand clasped either side of my neck, holding me firm enough to feel the pressure but not tight enough to restrain my breathing. “Don’t ever disrespect me when I tell you to do something.” Every word was dramatically enunciated and brimmed with increasing anger while he kept the volume of his voice low.
Torn between turned on over his vexation and furor over his need to constantly direct my actions, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why, Elias? Are you going to hit me and keep me in line? You’re threatening me a little too early in our relationship, don’t you think?”
He searched my eyes with impassivity for too many silent moments. “Men who beat women to keep them in line have the social intelligence of a goldfish. When I want to keep you in line, Hanley, I won't need to use my fists to destroy your beautiful face.”
“Oh? What will you use?”
He slowly simpered. “That's very cute. You don’t even realize, I've been doing it since the minute we met.” He kissed my forehead and parted from me, disappearing back inside his bedroom.
Gaping at the place where he once stood, and shaken by the entire interaction, I couldn’t move for a while. For a split second, I wondered if the stakes were too high to play his game. It wasn’t the dimpled, gentle smile he quickly showed me once he was dressed that negated the intense moment I shared with him; it was sheer fucking will.
I had a purpose and a reason. I wouldn’t stop until my purpose was fulfilled, no matter what the consequences were.
I WATCHED THE scenery fly by as Elias navigated the back roads leading to a rural town next to Ipomoea and toward his brother’s house.
“What’s it like to go so fast?” I would never let on how he scared the bejesus out of me earlier. I was the queen of bluffing and today would be no different.
“It’s not something that can be explained; it would be a disservice. You would have to feel it.”
I looked out the window at the landscape of woodlands and unkempt fields, entertaining me during our drive. “Oh.”
“Hanley.” He began to downshift, slowing the speed of the car. “Would you like to…feel it?”
“How?”
He pulled over on the side of the two lane road beside a densely packed forested area and stepped outside of the car, leaving me bewildered. He wanted me to get in the driver’s seat? My heart migrated to my throat again and my nerves became completely frazzled.
I slid across the bucket seats and sat behind the massive wheel.
“Do you know how to drive standard?” Sliding into my once occupied seat, he slammed the door behind him.
Gripping the steering wheel tight enough to cause pain in my hands, I nodded.
“Well.” He gestured toward the gear shift and the steering wheel. “What are you waiting for? You wanted to see what it feels like, take her as far up as you can.”
My eyes
The emotion drained from his face as he scrutinized me. “Understood, Hanley,” he stated coldly, deepening the octave of his voice. The charming and endearing man faded away for a version that was intimidating. “Fair warning… don’t make this a habit.”
I began to walk backward. The look darkening his face alarmed me and intrigued me all at once. “You aren’t above reproach.”
He grabbed me again, this time pushing me against the wall with a force falling somewhere between gentle and harsh. “You’re very rough around the edges when it comes to relationships.” His voice was whisper quiet but held enough wickedness to terrify me a little more. “Even more so when it comes to how you should behave when you're with me.” He leaned forward, touching his forehead against mine. His hand clasped either side of my neck, holding me firm enough to feel the pressure but not tight enough to restrain my breathing. “Don’t ever disrespect me when I tell you to do something.” Every word was dramatically enunciated and brimmed with increasing anger while he kept the volume of his voice low.
Torn between turned on over his vexation and furor over his need to constantly direct my actions, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why, Elias? Are you going to hit me and keep me in line? You’re threatening me a little too early in our relationship, don’t you think?”
He searched my eyes with impassivity for too many silent moments. “Men who beat women to keep them in line have the social intelligence of a goldfish. When I want to keep you in line, Hanley, I won't need to use my fists to destroy your beautiful face.”
“Oh? What will you use?”
He slowly simpered. “That's very cute. You don’t even realize, I've been doing it since the minute we met.” He kissed my forehead and parted from me, disappearing back inside his bedroom.
Gaping at the place where he once stood, and shaken by the entire interaction, I couldn’t move for a while. For a split second, I wondered if the stakes were too high to play his game. It wasn’t the dimpled, gentle smile he quickly showed me once he was dressed that negated the intense moment I shared with him; it was sheer fucking will.
I had a purpose and a reason. I wouldn’t stop until my purpose was fulfilled, no matter what the consequences were.
I WATCHED THE scenery fly by as Elias navigated the back roads leading to a rural town next to Ipomoea and toward his brother’s house.
“What’s it like to go so fast?” I would never let on how he scared the bejesus out of me earlier. I was the queen of bluffing and today would be no different.
“It’s not something that can be explained; it would be a disservice. You would have to feel it.”
I looked out the window at the landscape of woodlands and unkempt fields, entertaining me during our drive. “Oh.”
“Hanley.” He began to downshift, slowing the speed of the car. “Would you like to…feel it?”
“How?”
He pulled over on the side of the two lane road beside a densely packed forested area and stepped outside of the car, leaving me bewildered. He wanted me to get in the driver’s seat? My heart migrated to my throat again and my nerves became completely frazzled.
I slid across the bucket seats and sat behind the massive wheel.
“Do you know how to drive standard?” Sliding into my once occupied seat, he slammed the door behind him.
Gripping the steering wheel tight enough to cause pain in my hands, I nodded.
“Well.” He gestured toward the gear shift and the steering wheel. “What are you waiting for? You wanted to see what it feels like, take her as far up as you can.”
My eyes
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