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Those men were just a bunch of drunk jackasses.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she closed her eyes and began her breathing excises she’d been taught to help with her anxiety.
Chapter Four
“Lamont, please. No!” she begged, walking backward, away from him.
He stalked toward her with pure rage on his face.
“How is it, I left you alone for two minutes and come back to find you talking with another man?” he snarled into her ear. He grabbed her arm and tugged her behind him.
She cried out from his tight grip.
“It was nothing,” she said, praying no one had seen them leave.
They were at the factory he worked at for the Christmas party. He dragged her down an empty hallway, and her heart slammed against her chest.
The music was loud and echoing down the hallway. They came to a closed door away from the party. He pushed it open and forced her into the room.
“Get in here,” he snapped. It was a small office with stale air and barely anything in it aside for a desk and a chair. It was windowless, and with the party going on, no one would hear them.
She backed up with her hands raised. “Please, Lamont. It was nothing. He was going around talking to everyone.”
“I see how the men look at you.” He advanced on her, trapping her between his larger frame and the wall. He gripped her face with his hand and held her in place. “You want their attention, don’t you. I don’t give you enough?”
“Yes, Lamont—”
Her head snapped to the side. He’d caught her off guard with the back of his hand. Her face stung, and a cry built up in her chest, but it was stuck. She stumbled, and her heel slipped, and she flew forward. Her head slammed against the corner of the desk with her body landing on the floor.
A warm sticky substance gushed from above her left eye.
Blood.
Her head ached, and sharp pain radiated from her forehead to her ear. A groan escaped her lips at the feeling of his hands gripping her legs. He pulled hard, dragging her across the floor. She cried out and tried to hold on to something.
“I’ll give you attention,” he growled.
She screamed and attempted to fight him off.
Candi awakened with a strangled cry. Her legs were kicking, the feeling of being held down taking over her.
She blinked and saw it was just her blanket on top of her.
Leaning back against her pillows, she forced herself to relax. Her eyes focused, and she took in her small bedroom.
“It was just a dream,” she murmured, running a hand along her face. She released a deep sigh. Pulling herself from the bed, she stumbled to the bathroom, stripping her clothes off. She was hot, sticky, and in desperate need of a shower. Her nightmare had caused her to work up a sweat.
She flipped the water on and stood waiting for it to warm up. She tried to push the memories of her dream from her. Steam filled the room, and it helped her relax. She stepped into the water and allowed it to comfort her. The warm sting reminded her that she was alive. That had she stayed with Lamont, she may not be here.
Candi turned and pressed her hands against he wall and allowed the water to pound onto her back. A good shower always helped her through the nightmares.
“I am strong”, she muttered. She closed her eyes tight and breathed in and out slowly. Her heart rate decreased to a steady pace. “He has no hold over me.”
She’d learned that by voicing out loud what she knew to be true, it helped build her confidence. After getting away from Lamont, she’d sought out a counselor who had helped her immensely. Starting over had been hard, but she’d done it, and because of that, she knew she could do anything.
Love didn’t have to hurt. She was sure one day she’d find someone to love her like she was supposed to be loved.
Lamont wasn’t the one for her. When she’d first met him, he’d been kind, loving, and caring. It was once he’d begun picking up the bottle that things had changed. The people he began to associate with were no good, and he couldn’t see that.
