Passion Follows Pain (Passion Series Book 3) (8 page)

I couldn’t help but smile at her expression. “Ok, but I’ll take it through to the living room. I need room to open it. It’s a big box.”

I led the way while Daisy followed on her crutches and when we reached the living room, with me moving slowly so the other woman could keep up with me, I placed the box down on the dining table and carefully removed the lid. Layer upon layer of tissue paper greeted me when I looked inside and as I picked up the small card that lay on top of it, I saw Daisy come over for a closer look.

I slipped the card from the tiny envelope and read it, gasping at the words.

Arissa,

A lady as beautiful as you should be dressed in the finest clothes. Please accept this gift and do me the greatest honour of not only wearing everything that is in this box but of accompanying me on Saturday night.

Yours,

Lucian. xx

I stared at the card, my eyes wide. If that was Lucian’s handwriting, he wrote beautifully for a man. As I absorbed his words, I felt a mixture of both happiness and uneasiness. This man was obviously prepared to go to extreme lengths to get me to agree to go out with him. The trouble was, what would he expect from me?

“My goodness Arissa, you’re going to be the death of me. Are you ever going to look in the box or spend all day staring at the card?”

I started slightly at the sound of Daisy’s voice. With the distraction of Lucian’s gift, I’d forgotten about her presence momentarily. I smiled at her and put the card down before slowly peeling back the layers of tissue paper and when the fabric of a folded garment was revealed to me, I reached in and slowly pulled out the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen.

It was blue, a blue deeper than the summer sky, in a material that seemed to shimmer when I moved it in my hands. The neckline was rounded and fairly modest from what I could tell without trying it on. It looked quite small, potentially tight fitting and short. My god, I couldn’t wear something like this, father would be so….

I cut my thoughts off at that point. Why did I do that? I’d run from him, determined not to endure more years of his constant abuse and I was still letting him influence me. Was it so wrong of me to think the dress was pretty? I wouldn’t be wearing it as I wasn’t going to go out with Lucian but I could still admire it.

“Oh baby girl. Look at it. It’s beautiful, but come on, what else is in that big box?”

I carefully laid the dress out on the table and dug through more of the tissue paper, uncovering a pair of shoes that were almost a perfect match in colour to the dress, with heels higher than anything I’d ever worn in my life. How could he buy me shoes? He wouldn’t know my size although they did look like they would fit all the same.

“What gorgeous shoes. Oh to be able to wear shoes like that again. Sadly, aside from this.” Daisy pointed to her broken leg. “I’m too old to wear something like that anymore and no man to take me out either for that matter.”

I placed the shoes down by the dress and lifted more tissue paper out of the way, revealing a small purse, or was it a handbag? I wasn’t sure; it was so small, just big enough to fit in my hand and not much beyond that.

“What is it? Is it a handbag?” I asked and Daisy shook her head.

“It is sort of, but it’s called a clutch purse. One of those items women own that looks pretty but unfortunately is completely useless. They hold bugger all but you wouldn’t need much anyway.”

I put the clutch purse with the other items and went back to searching through the tissue paper. The last things I found tucked away inside were earrings and a beautiful necklace in silver that had a butterfly hanging from it. It appeared to be made from diamonds and sapphires but they would have just been coloured bits of glass I knew. No way would Lucian have given me the real thing. It would be too expensive.

“Oh my god child; hand me that please?” Daisy held her hand out to take the butterfly necklace from me. “I do believe those stones are real.” She gave me a wide eyed look. “Just what does this young man want to spend so much money on you?”

“He asked me to come with him this Saturday night to go to the club. He’s offered to bring others with him so I feel more comfortable but I can’t go Daisy. It would be wrong.”

“That’s a strange thing to say girl. Wrong for who? This young man likes you, I think that is obvious. What would be the harm in going with him? He seems to have gone to a lot of trouble to try and persuade you to go. He’s covered all bases it would seem with this.” She waved a hand around encompassing the contents of the box. “He’s taking you to a public place too so you would be safe. He hasn’t invited you to his home. If he had then it could have meant his intentions were far from honourable. but he hasn’t. Again I ask, what would be the harm in going with him?”   

“I...I’ve never been out with a boy before. Father wouldn’t allow me to see boys at all. He said I had to be a good girl, and good girls were girls who didn’t have anything to do with boys. He told me I would be a bad girl if I went out with a boy.” I whispered. He had called me a whole list of horrible names if I so much as mentioned boys, and he had been very convincing, so much so that I’d never wanted to go out with one until now.

Daisy stared at me for a moment. “Oh child, no that was wrong of him to say that to you. I know something has happened to you and I’m not asking you to tell me anything about your past, but I suspect your father has been very controlling, and has brainwashed you about things. It is not wrong for you to have a boyfriend and it certainly isn’t wrong of you to accept a date. Don’t let your father influence you. He’s not here and you never seem to call him, so I’m guessing you aren’t that close anymore?” She raised a questioning brow at me. “Do this for you girl. Do you want to go out with this young man?”

“I don’t know. He both fascinates me and frightens me. I’m worried he might expect more from me than I can give him.”

“That’s not enough of an excuse to say no to him. You make it perfectly clear what the boundaries are before you agree to go out. This man must think a lot of you to have gone to so much trouble. He’s done all this to try and make you come out with him. Put the poor fool out of his misery, go with him.” She said smiling at me.

I looked at Daisy and down at the dress, shoes, bag and jewellery and I was torn, torn between wanting to go and fear, fear of what he might do or try with me. Kissing him had been nice, surprisingly nice but no more. I couldn’t handle it if he put his hands on me or he rubbed his hard thing up against me.

My mind filled with images of my father. His breath hot and harsh in my ear as he held me close, pushing against me, grunting, his fleshy flabby stomach pinning me down under him and his sweaty skin skidding against mine. I could hear him so clearly in my mind, feel him, his fingers digging into me as he held me still and I cried, tears rolling down my cheeks into my hair as I fought to stay silent and not beg him to stop; something I knew only angered him. It would be a relief when he finally shuddered on me and I’d know it was over, for this time at least. He would eventually get up and leave me alone, and I would hurry to clean myself down as well as I could from my small wash basin, desperate to remove all traces of my father from my body

“Arissa, girl, are you ok?” Daisy’s voice penetrated my thoughts, and I tried to shake off the horrific memories and give her a shaky smile.

“Sorry, yes, I’m fine. What did you say?”

“I’m not sure you are fine.” Daisy’s expression was serious as her eyes searched mine. “Where did you go just now? I asked if you would like me to meet this young man of yours first?”

I gave her a look of surprise. “Seriously? You would do that for me?”

“Of course. You’re not going out until Saturday night, it’s Wednesday now. You bring that man here and let me meet him.”

“Ok I will ask him when I see him next. He hasn’t been out walking with me the last couple of nights. I’m not sure if he’s angry with me because I ran off and left him.”

“Why did you run away from him? Did he try something? I’ll be sure to give him a piece of my mind when I meet him.” Daisy’s expression looked suddenly quite fierce and I found myself giggling softly.

“He…he…he kissed me.” I said softly.

“Oh did he really? Was he that bad huh?” Her face was filled with what looked like sympathy and I laughed again. Daisy could be so funny, she didn’t act like an old woman at all.

“No that’s not what I meant. He has the most beautiful soft lips.” My mind drifted to that kiss and my fingers touched my own lips as I remembered.

“Oh sweet girl, you do like this boy don’t you? Yet I suspect you’re letting your past influence you having a future. Don’t make that mistake. Life can be over in the blink of an eye, in a moment, never take it for granted. Youth does not guarantee time. We never know when, why or how it can all be lost to us.” She reached out and patted my shoulder. “Now we’ve established he has lovely soft lips and I’m guessing he can kiss so what’s the problem? Why are you still so hesitant?”

“I…it’s just that…well…he…I…what if….what if…what if he wants more?” I stammered. “He…he…I know he wanted to….you know….when he kissed me….he…he was hard. I…I…I can’t do that...I just can’t.” I finally said my voice little more than a whisper.

With my eyes lowered, too embarrassed to look at Daisy, I missed the frown she directed at me. “Have you considered laying down some ground rules? Didn’t you say he offered to bring friends so you wouldn’t feel pressured? This doesn’t sound like a man who is going to try to take advantage of you. You do realise that a man can be erect but not have sex?” Her eyes searched mine. “Just because he was erect and obviously excited from kissing you and being close to you doesn’t mean he will try anything. Did your father make you think a man would rape you or try something every time he’s hard?”

“Don’t they want to have sex if they are hard?” I asked, shyly meeting Daisy’s eyes. “Father…Father always...” I cut myself off before I could say something too revealing.

“What girl, what did your father always...?”

“I...oh nothing. He just made me think that if they were hard they wanted sex.”

“He was right about that. The man wants to have sex if he’s erect but it doesn’t mean he will force himself upon a woman. Give the young man a chance, go out with him girl. As I said, if it helps, bring him here to meet me first, but don’t dismiss him without even giving him a go. Look at the trouble he’s gone to, to try and make you come out with him.” She chuckled. “Makeup is the only thing he forgot for you, but we can get that.”

“Oh no, I can’t wear makeup. Makeup is for sluts.” I spouted, not even thinking about it, and it was only when Daisy gaped at me like I’d grown an extra head that I wondered if I’d said something wrong.

“Please don’t tell me your father told you that?” She asked. “Maybe if you intended putting your makeup on with a trowel then yes, you might look like a street corner hooker but not subtly applied make up. Damn girl, your father has brainwashed you well hasn’t he?”

All I could do was nod. She had no idea, no one did except for Debbie. No one could possibly understand how bad it had been with father and I couldn’t tell anyone. I was too ashamed; I didn’t want to see the disgust in people’s eyes if they learned of what I’d allowed that man to do to me. Sometimes I was tempted to tell Daisy. She was so good to me, so kind but then panic would set in and I knew if she was repulsed by my words and ordered me from her home, I’d have nowhere to go. I couldn’t risk that. She would have no further use for me in a few weeks anyway and that scared me so much. I didn’t want to go home, god father would be…well, I didn’t want to think about what father would be like.

“Girl whatever is going through that pretty head of yours right now, forget it. Take the plunge, you might have fun you know. Go out with the young man but bring him to me, I would love to meet this fellow who has you so tied up in knots.”

Despite my concerns and fears I couldn’t hold back a laugh at her words. “Ok, I will go and I will bring him to you.” I impulsively reached out and kissed her cheek. “Thank you Daisy.”

I felt the free arm that wasn’t holding a crutch come around me and she gave me a squeeze. “Oh bless you girl. You’re welcome. You’re a good girl and don’t you go letting anyone else tell you differently.”

Lucian

“So when are we going to meet this girl from across the road Lucian?” Fabian asked that evening when they were all in the living room.

Lucian struggled to focus on his sire’s words but it was difficult when Damien had a couple of humans with him that were under mind control just enough to make them not question anything going on around them. That level of mind control would be enough to have them wake the next day and think they’d had some strange dream.

They were giggling as Damien kissed them and caressed them, his fangs grazing their skin, occasionally causing a drop of blood to well to the surface and it was driving Lucian crazy. He was so sexually frustrated, he was ready to tear the head off anyone who gave him shit, and he was hungry. The smell of the blood was stirring him up and he was just about ready to rip one of the humans out of his blood brother’s arms and bury his fangs in her and drain her dry. Of course he didn’t, he continued to sit there watching and nearly salivating.

With the distractions going on around him it was hard to concentrate on Fabian but no one ignored his sire, so he fought to get his mind on the questions he was being asked and off the blood bodies sitting nearby.