Stolen Virtue

I knew that smell, I would be able to pick that smell out of a crowded room. That smell is embedded in my nostril. That smell can only be associated with one person. Clyde Romeo Davis. What my sleep corrupt brain could not understand, was why I was smelling Clyde in my bed. I inhaled deeply, and I felt something moving under me.

My body stiffened and I tried to gather my thoughts. Everything came rushing back to me, a wave of fresh tears threaten to fall anew. I bit it off and told myself I was not going to cry, I was going to stay strong and fight through. I was not going to let whoever hurt me, bring me down and take control of my life.

I eased myself off of Clyde’s chest, however his grip tightened, pulling me back. I decided it was best to shake him awake. I pushed on his chest, calling his name. “Clyde, Clyde, wake up.” It all happened so fast, I didn’t have any time react. One minute I was tucked securely up against Clyde’s side, with my head on the chest and the next I was pinned under him with his tongue in my mouth.

At first, I laid there rigid, not daring to move. I waited for the feeling of dread and panic to take over. However, when his hand began to skim the length of my body, the heat started to build up in me. Instead of feeling panic or fear, I felt passion and longing. My heart kicked up, heat began to pool between my thighs as his hand gently caress my breast.

I moaned, giving into him. My hands came around him, fingers sinking into the skin on his back. His reaction was just as fast as when I tried to wake him. One minute I was pinned to the bed being kissed by him and the next I was I utterly alone.

Clyde jumped from the bed, having come to his senses. He looked at my kiss swollen lips, then his eyes travel over my disarray body. The shirt of his that I was wearing was high up my thigh and moulded to my body. My legs were left parted, from where he had been. His eyes travelled back up my body then locked with mine. I was breathing hard, and shaking slightly. He swore under his breath and flee the room, leaving me there confused and ashamed.

After hiding away in the room for almost an hour, I decided to venture out. I had nothing else to wear so I stayed in what I was already wearing. Fixing my hair as best as I could, I went in search of Clyde. I took my first real look at the house, realising it was a bungalow. A very clean bungalow, from the looks of it, you wouldn’t believe that there was a party just the night before. Gotta love being rich.

On my right of the room, sat a set of lush brown Italian leather sofas and behind it was a massive fireplace with heavy logs and dusty embers, which was enclosed by a strong golden cage. The chandelier was a waterfall of mesmerizing handcraft crystals.

Above the fireplace lay a golden guiled mirror and in it, I could have seen the left half of the house. The kitchen was by far the loveliest. Bright and airy, yet cosy and comfortable. A chrome top breakfast island separated the kitchen from the lounge room. Pendant lights were directly above the island, enhancing the lighting and the beauty of the kitchen. A two-door stainless steel refrigerator sat in a small alcove with frosted cupboards on either side.

Opposite the fridge was another alcove where a stainless steel chrome hob was. Standing in front of it was Clyde making a very late breakfast. I wanted to run back into the room and continue hiding, however, I steel my nerves and made my way over to him.

I pulled out a chair and sat down behind the breakfast island. Clyde never stopped to acknowledge me, but I knew he knew that I was there from the stiffness of his shoulders.

The tantalizing scent of the eggs reached my nostril, causing my stomach to protest. Clyde heaped up a good portion on a plate and set it down in front of me. He did the same for himself then got us both coffee. He took a seat across from me and started eating. Not knowing what else to do, I started to eat as well.

I was halfway through my food when Clyde spoke.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I promise you, I’ve never done anything like that before. It won’t happen again I swear it.” He looked at me waiting for a reaction. I didn’t know how I felt about any of it, so I just nodded.

“Ok.” Seeming to be satisfied with my reply, he too nodded then returned to his eggs.

I watched as he cleared away the dishes, after refusing my offer of help. He moved with ease around the kitchen like he’d been doing it his whole life. He washed and wiped and packed away, things I would never had imagined bad boy Clyde doing. It just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its first few pages, you have to almost reach the end to really understand it.

Clyde was put into a whole new light in my eyes.

After our uncomfortable kitchen moment, Clyde asked me if I had decided whether or not I wanted to stay. And since going by my friends and going home was not an option, I said yes. He bridged the subject of clothes, and I told him that I would drive home and pack a bag. I was not too keen on spending any time alone in my house. Clyde saw the scared, unsure look in my eyes and offered to give me a ride, which I accepted readily.

He gave me a dress from his sister, it was a little on the short side, but he said it was the longest thing in her closet. Since I had nothing else to wear, I donned the dress and we headed out to get my things.

The silence in the car was deafening, we were both tense, and unsure of what to say to each other. When the silence got too much to bear, I broke it. “Are we going to sit here and fill the car with tension as thick as the London fog?” Clyde let out a long sigh and briefly looked at me before returning his focus to the road.

“I’m sorry Juliet, for last night, for what happened earlier, for everything. I have never done anything like that in my life before, I promise you. I just can’t get my head around it. How could I do something so vile, especially to someone I lo…? I care about. What kinda drug could make a person do something like that?”

Ok, was it just me or did he almost say he loved me? I wasn’t sure, but it sure sounded like it. And how many times, was he going to apologise. I already knew it wasn’t his fault, he needed to stop beating himself up about it. We both need to stop beating ourselves up and find the monster whose fault it is and beat them up.

I placed my hands over his, hoping to reassure him. I smiled softly at him, letting him see the sincerity in my eyes as I spoke.

“Stop saying you’re sorry Clyde, I don’t blame you for what happened. I’m mad, angry and hurt, but none of that is directed at you. I just want to find whoever did this, make them pay, or at least stop them from doing it to another person and move on with my life. I refuse to let them take my life away from me too, and so should you. And about what happened earlier, that was my choice, I wasn’t drugged or unaware, it was all me.”

Clyde squeezed my hand in understanding, keeping his eyes on the road, he smiled as he spoke.

“You’re an amazing woman, do you know that. How anyone could ever think to hurt you is beyond me.”

His smile was replaced with a look of earnestness when he said. “I swear on my life, no one will never hurt you again like that and live to tell about it. When I find the bastard, he will curse the day his mother give birth to him.”

The raw ill-concealed anger and violence in his tone should have scared me, yet it made me feel safe and comforted. We neared the entrance to my house, which was similar to Clyde’s minus the gate. Instead of a gate, there was a long curved driveway. As we neared the front of the house, I saw Sanity and Dillon standing by their cars talking. Before Clyde could fully cut the engine I was already throwing open the door, running to meet my best friends.

Sanity and Dillon looked up as I came running to them, they both met me halfway and we hugged each other. Sanity was crying franticly.

“Ohmygod, Juliet where were you, you weren’t answering your phone and I got worried and came over to the house, and you weren’t at home either. So I got even more worried and I called Dillon and he said he hadn’t heard from you either, and then I started to get super worried. I… I’m so sorry I left you at the party last night. It’s just that I saw you with Clyde and I thought that maybe you needed it. Dillon gave me a lift home and when I didn’t hear from you this morning… I’m so sorry Juliet.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

My eyes welled up and I hugged my friends tighter. I half cried, half laughed, “I’m ok, there’s nothing to worry about, I jus…”

I was cut off by Dillon’s angry shout. “What the hell is he doing here!?” And Sanity’s high pitch squeal, “What the hell happen to your arms and your thighs Juliet!?”

I stood there not knowing how to answer, Dillon turned to see what Sanity was going on about and his face got redder with anger. Before I knew what he was doing, he broke away from me and punched an unsuspecting Clyde in his face, sending him to the ground. Sanity jumped back in shocked and I stood there horrified.

My feet took action, running, I planted myself in front of Dillon and Clyde, just as Clyde was righting himself and Dillon was about to throw another punch.

Extended my hands to both parties, I shook my head. “Stop this! You two will not fight!”

Clyde wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, however, made no effort to peruse Dillon. Dillon, on the other hand, ignored me completely.

“Get out of the way Juliet, I don’t want you to get hurt, while I beat the crap out of this asshole.”

I shook my head, letting him know that I was not moving. Dillon, not willing to back down, pushed me out of the way and I fell flat on my ass.

I felt as much as saw the anger in Clyde’s eyes. He grabbed Dillon so fast by his jacket and slammed him up against his car, surely denting it. Dillon attempted to move, however, Clyde was not letting go. Clyde brought his face towards to Dillon’s and spoke in a dangerous and threatening voice.

“If you ever, ever lay your hands on her like that again, I will break every bone in your body slowly and relish every minute of it, do you hear me?”

Without waiting for a reply, he tossed Dillon to the ground and turned to help me up.

He looked me over with concern, then asked. “Are you ok?”

I nodded speechlessly and slightly comforted by his display of protectiveness. Slipping his hands around my waist and pulling my back up against his chest, in a form of ownership. He tenderly kissed the side of my head, then turned to Dillon, who was looking at us with an angry, hurt expression.

“The only reason I’m not kicking your ass right now is because it would hurt Juliet and I would never intentionally hurt Juliet.”

My heart filled with a warm sensation. He knew that the two of them fighting would hurt me that’s why he took Dillon’s punch. I leaned back into him, resting my hands on his, and gently squeeze to let him know, how grateful I was. He turned me around and brought his lips down to mine, in a sweet and gentle yet demanding and reassuring kiss. I closed my eyes and kissed him back in the same way.

With his hands still on my waist, he rested his head against my forehead, with his eyes closed. One of his hands slid into my jacket pocket, to retrieve my keys.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I’ll wait for you in the house, you go talk to your friends. Call me if you need me for anything.”

I nodded and he kissed my nose, then let go of me and walked towards the house.