A Second Chance Part 14
This chapter is unbeatead so any mistakes are mine.
Five weeks passed since Jenny apologized to Emma in her office. Much to Jenny’s dismay, Emma remained firm in her decision not to forgive Jenny. Almost everyday Jenny tried some other way to apologize to Emma. Jenny bought Emma gift cards, apology cards, and movie tickets for Emma and a friend, but to no avail. Jenny constantly called Emma to her office to talk about work just so she could talk to her. But the moment Jenny tried to steer the conversation away from work Emma immediately became cold and pushed Jenny away.
It took Jenny a while to understand that her constant thoughts about Emma had more to do than just wanting to be friends with Emma. Jenny realized with apprehension that she had a slight crush on Emma. This made it even more difficult for Jenny. One part of her was telling her to stay away from Emma until this crush subsided. But the other part kept being drawn to Emma. It didn’t help Jenny when she saw Emma and Jasmin laughing in the hallway or the break room. Jenny became increasingly jealous of Jasmin and Emma’s friendship. She wanted to be the one making Emma laugh; not Jasmin. She also didn’t like how Jasmin spent increasingly more amounts of time with Emma instead of her. Jenny began to feel even more alone, thinking that Jasmin was replacing her with Emma. It was a never ending cycle of confliction for Jenny.
To find relief from her constant thoughts Jenny immersed herself in her work. As much as she hated her job Jenny found it easy to forget her problems with the tedious work she needed to complete every day. Jenny quickly began bringing in more business than her father or any other boss could have dreamed of. Jenny managed to bring in three big investors in a span of two weeks. Every chance Jenny’s father had he told Jenny how proud he was of her. Jenny soon found herself getting a substantial raise; but didn’t feel any excitement like others in her position might.
The harder Jenny worked and the more her father prided her in a job well done the more Jenny became sad and hopeless. She tried to push away the unhappiness by working harder. But at the end of the day she still went home to her empty apartment. It was there that Jenny’s thoughts caught up with her and suffocated her in misery. She began finding her apartment almost unbearable to be in. Several times a week she ended up spending the night in her office to avoid going home.
No one seemed to notice Jenny’s internal battle. Every day she put on her perfected act and fooled everyone. On the outside Jenny appeared happy and carefree. But on the inside she was slowing losing it. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could live this life she hated so much. But she continued on; pushing herself through the movements every day and trying not to stand still long enough to think. It seemed to work for Jenny. At least that is what she thought anyway.
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Jenny opened her apartment door to see Ben standing there with a bouquet of roses, a fancy suit, and a goofy grin on his face. Jenny quickly pulled on a fake smile and feigned gratitude as she took the roses from Ben. She excused herself quickly while she went back to her kitchen and put the roses in a vase. When she returned she closed and locked her door behind her. Ben extended his hand and took hold of Jenny’s; much to Jenny’s discomfort. Ben walked Jenny down the flight of steps and told her about the brand new restaurant he was taking her to that just opened up. He bragged about how the waiting list for reservations was at least six months long. But he knew the owner of the restaurant and was able to get them in without waiting. Jenny listened with disinterest as he walked them out of the apartment building. Jenny stopped though when she saw the car parked right next to the building; the one Ben was steering her too now.
Ben stopped and smiled at her. “Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s a nice car” Jenny admitted. Jenny looked at the brand new silver BMW Z4 in surprise. She knew the car was not exactly the cheapest car out there and while she knew she made a decent wage there was no way she would be able to go out and buy one of them any time soon. This is so strange. How could he afford this? There is no way he makes enough money in a given year to buy this.
“Did you buy it?” Jenny wondered aloud.
Ben turned to her with a proud smile on his face. “Yes I did. I just got it from the dealership a few hours ago”.
“How did you afford this?” Jenny blurted out. She quickly bit her lip in embarrassment. It wasn’t her business to know how Ben could afford the car. She didn’t care what he decided to spend his money on. But she was still curious. Was it possible that Ben was making a lot more money than her? He was basically doing the same job as her so she didn’t understand why he would get paid a substantial amount of money compared to her.
“I’ve been saving up for a long time now. Plus I know the owner of the dealership and he was able to give me a wicked deal on it” Ben replied effortlessly.
“Oh okay” Jenny muttered. This seemed like a reasonable answer. Why do I even care? Its Ben’s money not mine! Jenny shook her head to rid herself of her noisy thoughts. She stepped towards the car and got in. By the time Ben pulled the car away she had completely forgotten about her curiosity with the brand new car.
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“How was the fish?” Ben asked as the two of them were walking down the street hand in hand.
“It was excellent” Jenny replied honestly. Although Jenny had been less than thrilled by spending the whole evening with Ben she had to admit that the food was absolutely delicious.
“Good I am glad. We will have to go back there again soon” Ben commented.
Jenny gave a non-committal murmur. She would definitely love to go back to the restaurant but not with Ben. She couldn’t help but think that would be the perfect restaurant to take Emma too if Emma ever forgave her. Jenny quickly lost herself in thoughts of Emma and what she would love to do with Emma as friends, and maybe even more than friends. Jenny was too busy focusing on her own fantasies that she didn’t notice Ben steering her away from the car and into an abandoned space between some buildings. Jenny only came out of her thoughts when Ben stopped walking. She barely had time to look up before Ben leaned in and kissed her lips hard. Jenny didn’t kiss Ben back but stood there and let it happen. After a moment Jenny tried to pull back from the kiss but Ben stopped her. He yanked her close and increased the intensity of his kiss; forcing Jenny’s mouth open. Jenny put her hands on Ben’s chest and shoved forcefully. This time Ben stumbled backwards a few steps.
“Ben, stop it!” Jenny ordered.
“Oh come on Jenny! I just took you out to a really expensive dinner! The least you could do is show some gratitude!”
Jenny’s eyes widened in disbelief and her mouth fell open. Did he really just say that? He can’t be serious! “You think taking me out to a nice restaurant means that I should put out for you? Are you crazy?”
“Jenny we have been together for almost two months now! You haven’t done anything but give me a small peck on the lips! Do you know how much money I have spent on you in these last two months with dinners, gifts, and flowers? The least you could do is show how appreciative you are! It’s been two months and we still haven’t had sex! Come on!”
Jenny couldn’t believe the words she was hearing. She looked at Ben in utter disgust. Jenny never thought she could hate someone as much as she hated Ben. How could he think I would have sex with him? He knows I didn’t enter this relationship voluntarily. He knows I don’t want to date him!
“Ben, if you want sex so badly just break up with me and find some tramp who would be happy to have sex with you. You know I don’t want to date you! You can leave whenever you want!”
Ben’s face hardened and he stepped forward grabbing Jenny’s arm and pulling her close to him. “Your father told me about your confusing thoughts on women. How you think you like women. He told me I needed to straighten you out. Make you see how childish your being. Trust me Jenny, one night with me and you will never think about another woman again”.
Ben didn’t give Jenny time to reply as he immediately pressed his lips against Jenny’s and wrapped his arms around her. His hands traveled to her ass where he squeezed hard. Jenny was taken off guard when Ben lunged at her and started to kiss her vehemently. Her mind seemed to still be stuck processing what Ben had just said to her. But, it didn’t take long for Jenny’s whole body to freeze in fear. She stood paralyzed in place as Ben’s hands travelled all around her body; squeezing and groping in intimate places. Jenny wasn’t sure what to do. She couldn’t believe what Ben was doing. A small voice in Jenny’s head told her to that Ben was going to try to rape her. This voice seemed to jumpstart Jenny’s senses. She would fight as much as she could to prevent Ben from doing that to her. She began pushing on Ben to get him off of her. But Ben just grabbed Jenny’s hands and held them behind her as his rough lips moved down Jenny’s neck.
“Ben, get off of me!” Jenny half pleaded half commanded.
“Jenny, just relax. I promise you will like it” Ben murmured against her skin.
“Stop, Ben!” Jenny screamed loudly. She tried to fight his grip on her hands and wildly shook her body to get him off of her.
“Jenny, hold still. Stop fighting it! You know you want it!”
Tears began to stream down Jenny’s face. Her heart pounded in her chest. She screamed for Ben to stop and thrashed around to try and get him off of her. But to no avail. Ben’s hand moved to down Jenny’s leg and then up under her dress. Jenny whimpered as she felt Ben’s cracked rough hands on the inside of her thigh.
“Ben, please stop! Please!” Jenny begged.
“Hey! What is going on here?” a female voice suddenly demanded from behind them.
Jenny whipped her head around and felt a dozen emotions wash through her at once when she saw who the voice belonged to.
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“Thanks for the ice cream Emma” Erik said happily as he took another bite from the ice cream cone in his hand. Emma smiled, “You’re welcome Erik” she replied.
Emma had surprised Erik this evening by picking him up from his football practice. Erik had been ecstatic to see his sister and had excitedly run into her arms. After practice, Emma had taken Erik out for a quick bite to eat at one of his favorite sandwich places. She let Erik tell her about what had been going on in his life recently. She listened intently and laughed often. After dinner Emma treated Erik even more and bought him an ice cream. Erik’s eyes had almost bulged out of his skull when Emma told him he could have an ice cream. The little boy skipped around the ice cream shop and immediately began to scarf the cold treat down as soon as he was handed the cone. Now it was relatively late out and Emma and Erik were walking back to their parent’s house.
“How is the ice cream?” Emma asked her little brother.
“It’s amazing!” Erik exclaimed. Emma looked over at her little brother and noticed Erik’s mouth and cheeks were covered with ice cream. Emma chuckled silently, thinking the whole scene looked cute.
Emma and Erik continued to walk in silence for several minutes as the little boy took the last bite of the cone, finally finishing the treat off. Emma and Erik then crossed the street and continued on the sidewalk chatting about simple things.
Suddenly Emma heard a female voice yelling. She slowed down her pace and took hold of her little brother’s hand. An uneasy feeling washed through Emma and her eyes darted around the almost empty street. As Emma and Erik continued to walk the woman’s voice became louder. Emma was able to make out what the woman was saying.
“Ben, get off of me!” Emma heard the woman say. Emma heard a low voice reply but wasn’t able to determine what he said exactly.
Emma then heard the woman’s voice again. “Stop, Ben!” The voice caused a shiver to run down Emma’s spine. The woman was obviously in distress. Emma stopped in the street wondering if she should approach the woman and see what was wrong. She was afraid that she might get hurt too.
The man’s voice suddenly became clearer and Emma was able to understand what he said. “Jenny, hold still. Stop fighting it! You know you want it!” Emma’s whole body froze. She recognized that voice anywhere. She quickly realized that the woman yelling was Jenny her boss and the man was Jenny’s boyfriend. Ben’s words made Emma panic. She knew what Ben was trying to do to Jenny. Without giving it a second thought Emma hurried towards the source of the noise. As she got closer she could hear Jenny whimpering.
“Ben, please stop! Please!” Jenny begged.
Emma ran faster and finally saw a clearing in view. She ran up and saw Ben’s hand holding Jenny’s arms behind her while his other hand was in between Jenny’s legs. Jenny was crying and trying to fight Ben off. Emma stepped closer to the two of them but still kept enough distance. She pushed her little brother behind her to shield him and she felt his tiny fists grab on to her jeans.
Emma took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then cleared her throat. “Hey! What is going on here?” she demanded in a strong voice. Immediately Ben let go of Jenny and stepped back. Jenny looked towards Emma. Her eyes were swollen with tears and her face was etched in fear. Emma felt a tug at her heart when she saw how scared Jenny was.
“Nothing is going on here! “ Ben shot.
Emma ignored Ben and instead looked at Jenny. The brunette was roughly wiping away the tears on her cheeks. Emma decided to ask again; hoping Jenny would answer her.
“Is everything okay here?” Emma directed at Jenny.
Ben’s black eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at her with an intense hatred. Emma felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest. Another flash of fear coursed through her but she tried to push it away. She knew she wouldn’t be able to protect herself against Ben if he attacked her.
“Everything is fine” Ben hissed angrily.
“I wasn’t asking you” Emma shot back. Emma was surprised at her sudden bout of courage. Even though Ben terrified her at the moment she still stood up to him. There is no way I can defend myself if he lunges at me. Why should I put myself and Erik in danger? Erik shouldn’t be seeing this! But one look at Jenny’s small frame, and her petrified face told Emma that she had to intervene. It tugged at her heart seeing Jenny look so sad. She couldn’t leave Jenny alone with Ben. She knew what she saw when she walked onto the scene. There was no way she would leave Jenny with Ben. If I leave I am sure Ben would finish what he started. That thought made Emma shudder.
“Jenny, are you okay?” Emma asked softly.
Jenny bit her lip in hesitation. Emma could see she was struggling with how to answer her question. After another moment Jenny replied in a shaky voice, “Yes I am fine”. Emma knew that Jenny was lying. Emma figured Jenny was afraid to tell the truth with Ben so close to her. Emma took a deep breath and made a quick decision.
“Jenny, why don’t I take you home?” Emma offered as she extended her hand in a friendly matter.
“I’m taking her home” Ben argued. He wrapped his arm tightly around Jenny’s shoulder and Jenny flinched. “She is on a date with me. It is my responsibility to take her home”.
“I don’t think that is a good idea. I think Jenny needs to come with me”.
“Listen here blondie” Ben replied in anger. He took a step towards Emma and Emma moved back a step holding her brother behind her. Emma’s whole body shook with fear. What is he going to do? Will he try to hurt me?
“Hey what is going on here?” a male voice said from behind them. Emma whipped her head around and saw a group of three men approaching them from the street corner. Emma was so thankful that these men were coming to her aid. Emma saw her opportunity now to get Jenny away from Ben.
“Nothing is going on mind your own business!” Ben snapped.
“If nothing is going on why is that young lady crying?” One of them replied.
“Like I said it is none of your damn business!” Ben raged.
“Lady is this guy bothering you?” The same man asked.
Jenny just stood there unsure of how to respond. Her gaze went back between the men, Emma, and Ben. Emma could see the indecision in Jenny’s face so she cautiously stepped forward. “Jenny come on, let me take you home now” she gave soothingly.
Jenny looked at Emma for a moment; her face seemed to relax and a small smile formed on her lips. Jenny nodded her head and shakily stepped towards Emma.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Ben shot. Ben reached out and grabbed Jenny’s arm yanking her back towards him.
“Let her go Ben!” Emma hollered at him.
The three men instantly stepped forward and closed in on Ben. “I suggest you let that lady go now or you’ll regret it”.
Ben whispered something in Jenny’s ear and then reluctantly let her go. Jenny hurriedly walked towards Emma and fell into her embrace. Emma immediately wrapped her arms around Jenny and pulled her into a comforting hug.
All of them just stood there for a few moments in silence not sure what was going to happen next. Finally Ben huffed in anger and turned and walked down the street towards his car without looking back.
“Thank you” Emma said to the three strangers once Ben was gone. The men just smiled and shook off the apology. Once the men were sure Ben had left they turned and said goodbye to Emma and Jenny. Jenny smiled weakly and thanked each one of them as they walked off down the road.
Emma still held onto Jenny for a few moments, gently running her hand on Jenny’s back in a soothing motion. “It’s okay he’s gone now” Emma tried to sound confident but was still shaken herself. Jenny was trembling slightly and tried to take a deep breath to get herself under control. A few stray tears ran down Jenny’s cheek. Jenny tried to hide her tears from Emma by burying her face into the crook of Emma’s neck. Emma momentarily pulled Jenny closer. Emma found herself enjoying the closeness with Jenny. All of her anger at Jenny over the last few weeks seemed to dissipate. She felt her whole body tingling in the most exquisite way. As she held Jenny close to her she suddenly felt something wet on her shirt. She pulled back slightly, making sure not to let go of Jenny completely. Jenny dipped her head shyly away from Emma’s gaze. Emma could tell Jenny was embarrassed about crying. Emma lifted Jenny’s chin and gently wiped away the tears on Jenny’s cheek. “Hey, it’s okay” Emma said with an understanding smile on her face. Emma wanted Jenny to understand that it was okay for her to cry. There was no need to hold it in with her.
Jenny looked up at Emma with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. But her blue eyes sparkled happily. Emma was mesmerized by Jenny’s eyes. Emma had never really noticed how strikingly blue they were. She thought Jenny’s eyes were beautiful. It was like an endless sea of blue. Emma forgot everything that was around her. Her whole focus was on the stunning blue that was in front of her. She was captivated by the beauty that shined in them.
“Emma?”
Emma was pulled out of her reverie and whipped her head around to the source of the noise. Her brother stood behind her with wide eyes. His face was contorted in fear and his small fist clutched Emma’s jeans so tightly that his petite knuckles were turning white. Emma could see his eyes were watery like he was about to cry. Emma immediately let go of Jenny and kneeled down to her brother. She opened her arms and Erik jumped into them.
“Hey everything is okay. Don’t cry” Emma whispered softly.
“I’m scared. I want to go home before that mean man comes back” Erik replied.
“We’re going home now okay? Don’t worry the man isn’t coming back. You’re safe with me” Emma responded. With a little effort Emma managed to pick up her baby brother and the boy instantly wrapped his tiny legs around Emma’s waist. Emma turned around and faced Jenny again. Jenny looked so small and delicate standing there in the dark. The first thought that came to Emma’s mind was how broken Jenny looked. It made Emma’s heart constrict painfully in her chest. She hated seeing Jenny look so defeated.
“Th-thanks for helping me Emma” Jenny gave shakily.
“Of course I would help you. As soon as I saw you and Ben I knew I had to intervene. I just had a bad feeling about it” Emma explained.
“Well, I am extremely grateful that you did”. Jenny was silent for a moment as her gaze flickered to the ground. Just as quickly her gaze returned on Emma. “I-I think I will head home now. You have a nice night Emma”.
“Woah, where do you think you’re going?” Emma asked as she reached out and took hold of Jenny’s hand. Electricity zapped through Emma’s hand at the contact. She quickly pulled back from Jenny’s hand and wiped her palm on her jeans. What was that? she wondered.
“I am going home” Jenny said in confusion.
“Not by yourself you are not. I told you I would take you home and that is what I am going to do”.
“But, I thought you were taking him home?” Jenny replied.
“Yes, I am going to take my little brother home. We will all walk to my house and I will drop Erik off and then I will walk you home” Emma clarified.
“Emma you don’t have to do that. Tha-”
“Jenny” Emma cut in. “I don’t have to do it, but I am going to. I promised you I would take you home and I will take you home. Stop being so stubborn”.
Jenny’s eyes sparkled with relief and the corners of her mouth curved upwards into a weak appreciative smile. “Okay” Jenny gave simply.
“Good. Now before we begin I want to introduce you to my little brother. Jenny this is Erik. Erik, this is Jenny, my boss at work”.
Erik turned his head shyly towards Jenny and looked at her. The little boy was still too shaken from the earlier incident to be his normal talkative self. Instead he gave Jenny a shy smile and a whispered ‘hello’ before digging his face back into his sister shoulder.
“Hello Erik. It is very nice to meet you” Jenny replied sweetly. Erik didn’t reply but dug himself farther into his sister’s shoulder.
A loud noise startled the three of them suddenly. It sounded like it was relatively close. Emma noticed how Jenny’s eyes grew wide in fear and she latched on to Emma’s shirt. Emma tried to calm each of them down with comforting words. But it seemed to have little effect on Jenny. Her whole body was trembling and her bottom lip was quivering. Emma reached out and directed Jenny to hold on to her waist. Jenny quickly obliged; moving her body closer to Emma and leaning against the blonde.
“Come on, let’s go home before something else happens” Emma said. Emma quickly took off down the street with Jenny and Erik; hoping to get as far away from this place as possible.
TBC
Five weeks passed since Jenny apologized to Emma in her office. Much to Jenny’s dismay, Emma remained firm in her decision not to forgive Jenny. Almost everyday Jenny tried some other way to apologize to Emma. Jenny bought Emma gift cards, apology cards, and movie tickets for Emma and a friend, but to no avail. Jenny constantly called Emma to her office to talk about work just so she could talk to her. But the moment Jenny tried to steer the conversation away from work Emma immediately became cold and pushed Jenny away.
It took Jenny a while to understand that her constant thoughts about Emma had more to do than just wanting to be friends with Emma. Jenny realized with apprehension that she had a slight crush on Emma. This made it even more difficult for Jenny. One part of her was telling her to stay away from Emma until this crush subsided. But the other part kept being drawn to Emma. It didn’t help Jenny when she saw Emma and Jasmin laughing in the hallway or the break room. Jenny became increasingly jealous of Jasmin and Emma’s friendship. She wanted to be the one making Emma laugh; not Jasmin. She also didn’t like how Jasmin spent increasingly more amounts of time with Emma instead of her. Jenny began to feel even more alone, thinking that Jasmin was replacing her with Emma. It was a never ending cycle of confliction for Jenny.
To find relief from her constant thoughts Jenny immersed herself in her work. As much as she hated her job Jenny found it easy to forget her problems with the tedious work she needed to complete every day. Jenny quickly began bringing in more business than her father or any other boss could have dreamed of. Jenny managed to bring in three big investors in a span of two weeks. Every chance Jenny’s father had he told Jenny how proud he was of her. Jenny soon found herself getting a substantial raise; but didn’t feel any excitement like others in her position might.
The harder Jenny worked and the more her father prided her in a job well done the more Jenny became sad and hopeless. She tried to push away the unhappiness by working harder. But at the end of the day she still went home to her empty apartment. It was there that Jenny’s thoughts caught up with her and suffocated her in misery. She began finding her apartment almost unbearable to be in. Several times a week she ended up spending the night in her office to avoid going home.
No one seemed to notice Jenny’s internal battle. Every day she put on her perfected act and fooled everyone. On the outside Jenny appeared happy and carefree. But on the inside she was slowing losing it. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could live this life she hated so much. But she continued on; pushing herself through the movements every day and trying not to stand still long enough to think. It seemed to work for Jenny. At least that is what she thought anyway.
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Jenny opened her apartment door to see Ben standing there with a bouquet of roses, a fancy suit, and a goofy grin on his face. Jenny quickly pulled on a fake smile and feigned gratitude as she took the roses from Ben. She excused herself quickly while she went back to her kitchen and put the roses in a vase. When she returned she closed and locked her door behind her. Ben extended his hand and took hold of Jenny’s; much to Jenny’s discomfort. Ben walked Jenny down the flight of steps and told her about the brand new restaurant he was taking her to that just opened up. He bragged about how the waiting list for reservations was at least six months long. But he knew the owner of the restaurant and was able to get them in without waiting. Jenny listened with disinterest as he walked them out of the apartment building. Jenny stopped though when she saw the car parked right next to the building; the one Ben was steering her too now.
Ben stopped and smiled at her. “Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s a nice car” Jenny admitted. Jenny looked at the brand new silver BMW Z4 in surprise. She knew the car was not exactly the cheapest car out there and while she knew she made a decent wage there was no way she would be able to go out and buy one of them any time soon. This is so strange. How could he afford this? There is no way he makes enough money in a given year to buy this.
“Did you buy it?” Jenny wondered aloud.
Ben turned to her with a proud smile on his face. “Yes I did. I just got it from the dealership a few hours ago”.
“How did you afford this?” Jenny blurted out. She quickly bit her lip in embarrassment. It wasn’t her business to know how Ben could afford the car. She didn’t care what he decided to spend his money on. But she was still curious. Was it possible that Ben was making a lot more money than her? He was basically doing the same job as her so she didn’t understand why he would get paid a substantial amount of money compared to her.
“I’ve been saving up for a long time now. Plus I know the owner of the dealership and he was able to give me a wicked deal on it” Ben replied effortlessly.
“Oh okay” Jenny muttered. This seemed like a reasonable answer. Why do I even care? Its Ben’s money not mine! Jenny shook her head to rid herself of her noisy thoughts. She stepped towards the car and got in. By the time Ben pulled the car away she had completely forgotten about her curiosity with the brand new car.
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“How was the fish?” Ben asked as the two of them were walking down the street hand in hand.
“It was excellent” Jenny replied honestly. Although Jenny had been less than thrilled by spending the whole evening with Ben she had to admit that the food was absolutely delicious.
“Good I am glad. We will have to go back there again soon” Ben commented.
Jenny gave a non-committal murmur. She would definitely love to go back to the restaurant but not with Ben. She couldn’t help but think that would be the perfect restaurant to take Emma too if Emma ever forgave her. Jenny quickly lost herself in thoughts of Emma and what she would love to do with Emma as friends, and maybe even more than friends. Jenny was too busy focusing on her own fantasies that she didn’t notice Ben steering her away from the car and into an abandoned space between some buildings. Jenny only came out of her thoughts when Ben stopped walking. She barely had time to look up before Ben leaned in and kissed her lips hard. Jenny didn’t kiss Ben back but stood there and let it happen. After a moment Jenny tried to pull back from the kiss but Ben stopped her. He yanked her close and increased the intensity of his kiss; forcing Jenny’s mouth open. Jenny put her hands on Ben’s chest and shoved forcefully. This time Ben stumbled backwards a few steps.
“Ben, stop it!” Jenny ordered.
“Oh come on Jenny! I just took you out to a really expensive dinner! The least you could do is show some gratitude!”
Jenny’s eyes widened in disbelief and her mouth fell open. Did he really just say that? He can’t be serious! “You think taking me out to a nice restaurant means that I should put out for you? Are you crazy?”
“Jenny we have been together for almost two months now! You haven’t done anything but give me a small peck on the lips! Do you know how much money I have spent on you in these last two months with dinners, gifts, and flowers? The least you could do is show how appreciative you are! It’s been two months and we still haven’t had sex! Come on!”
Jenny couldn’t believe the words she was hearing. She looked at Ben in utter disgust. Jenny never thought she could hate someone as much as she hated Ben. How could he think I would have sex with him? He knows I didn’t enter this relationship voluntarily. He knows I don’t want to date him!
“Ben, if you want sex so badly just break up with me and find some tramp who would be happy to have sex with you. You know I don’t want to date you! You can leave whenever you want!”
Ben’s face hardened and he stepped forward grabbing Jenny’s arm and pulling her close to him. “Your father told me about your confusing thoughts on women. How you think you like women. He told me I needed to straighten you out. Make you see how childish your being. Trust me Jenny, one night with me and you will never think about another woman again”.
Ben didn’t give Jenny time to reply as he immediately pressed his lips against Jenny’s and wrapped his arms around her. His hands traveled to her ass where he squeezed hard. Jenny was taken off guard when Ben lunged at her and started to kiss her vehemently. Her mind seemed to still be stuck processing what Ben had just said to her. But, it didn’t take long for Jenny’s whole body to freeze in fear. She stood paralyzed in place as Ben’s hands travelled all around her body; squeezing and groping in intimate places. Jenny wasn’t sure what to do. She couldn’t believe what Ben was doing. A small voice in Jenny’s head told her to that Ben was going to try to rape her. This voice seemed to jumpstart Jenny’s senses. She would fight as much as she could to prevent Ben from doing that to her. She began pushing on Ben to get him off of her. But Ben just grabbed Jenny’s hands and held them behind her as his rough lips moved down Jenny’s neck.
“Ben, get off of me!” Jenny half pleaded half commanded.
“Jenny, just relax. I promise you will like it” Ben murmured against her skin.
“Stop, Ben!” Jenny screamed loudly. She tried to fight his grip on her hands and wildly shook her body to get him off of her.
“Jenny, hold still. Stop fighting it! You know you want it!”
Tears began to stream down Jenny’s face. Her heart pounded in her chest. She screamed for Ben to stop and thrashed around to try and get him off of her. But to no avail. Ben’s hand moved to down Jenny’s leg and then up under her dress. Jenny whimpered as she felt Ben’s cracked rough hands on the inside of her thigh.
“Ben, please stop! Please!” Jenny begged.
“Hey! What is going on here?” a female voice suddenly demanded from behind them.
Jenny whipped her head around and felt a dozen emotions wash through her at once when she saw who the voice belonged to.
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“Thanks for the ice cream Emma” Erik said happily as he took another bite from the ice cream cone in his hand. Emma smiled, “You’re welcome Erik” she replied.
Emma had surprised Erik this evening by picking him up from his football practice. Erik had been ecstatic to see his sister and had excitedly run into her arms. After practice, Emma had taken Erik out for a quick bite to eat at one of his favorite sandwich places. She let Erik tell her about what had been going on in his life recently. She listened intently and laughed often. After dinner Emma treated Erik even more and bought him an ice cream. Erik’s eyes had almost bulged out of his skull when Emma told him he could have an ice cream. The little boy skipped around the ice cream shop and immediately began to scarf the cold treat down as soon as he was handed the cone. Now it was relatively late out and Emma and Erik were walking back to their parent’s house.
“How is the ice cream?” Emma asked her little brother.
“It’s amazing!” Erik exclaimed. Emma looked over at her little brother and noticed Erik’s mouth and cheeks were covered with ice cream. Emma chuckled silently, thinking the whole scene looked cute.
Emma and Erik continued to walk in silence for several minutes as the little boy took the last bite of the cone, finally finishing the treat off. Emma and Erik then crossed the street and continued on the sidewalk chatting about simple things.
Suddenly Emma heard a female voice yelling. She slowed down her pace and took hold of her little brother’s hand. An uneasy feeling washed through Emma and her eyes darted around the almost empty street. As Emma and Erik continued to walk the woman’s voice became louder. Emma was able to make out what the woman was saying.
“Ben, get off of me!” Emma heard the woman say. Emma heard a low voice reply but wasn’t able to determine what he said exactly.
Emma then heard the woman’s voice again. “Stop, Ben!” The voice caused a shiver to run down Emma’s spine. The woman was obviously in distress. Emma stopped in the street wondering if she should approach the woman and see what was wrong. She was afraid that she might get hurt too.
The man’s voice suddenly became clearer and Emma was able to understand what he said. “Jenny, hold still. Stop fighting it! You know you want it!” Emma’s whole body froze. She recognized that voice anywhere. She quickly realized that the woman yelling was Jenny her boss and the man was Jenny’s boyfriend. Ben’s words made Emma panic. She knew what Ben was trying to do to Jenny. Without giving it a second thought Emma hurried towards the source of the noise. As she got closer she could hear Jenny whimpering.
“Ben, please stop! Please!” Jenny begged.
Emma ran faster and finally saw a clearing in view. She ran up and saw Ben’s hand holding Jenny’s arms behind her while his other hand was in between Jenny’s legs. Jenny was crying and trying to fight Ben off. Emma stepped closer to the two of them but still kept enough distance. She pushed her little brother behind her to shield him and she felt his tiny fists grab on to her jeans.
Emma took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then cleared her throat. “Hey! What is going on here?” she demanded in a strong voice. Immediately Ben let go of Jenny and stepped back. Jenny looked towards Emma. Her eyes were swollen with tears and her face was etched in fear. Emma felt a tug at her heart when she saw how scared Jenny was.
“Nothing is going on here! “ Ben shot.
Emma ignored Ben and instead looked at Jenny. The brunette was roughly wiping away the tears on her cheeks. Emma decided to ask again; hoping Jenny would answer her.
“Is everything okay here?” Emma directed at Jenny.
Ben’s black eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at her with an intense hatred. Emma felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest. Another flash of fear coursed through her but she tried to push it away. She knew she wouldn’t be able to protect herself against Ben if he attacked her.
“Everything is fine” Ben hissed angrily.
“I wasn’t asking you” Emma shot back. Emma was surprised at her sudden bout of courage. Even though Ben terrified her at the moment she still stood up to him. There is no way I can defend myself if he lunges at me. Why should I put myself and Erik in danger? Erik shouldn’t be seeing this! But one look at Jenny’s small frame, and her petrified face told Emma that she had to intervene. It tugged at her heart seeing Jenny look so sad. She couldn’t leave Jenny alone with Ben. She knew what she saw when she walked onto the scene. There was no way she would leave Jenny with Ben. If I leave I am sure Ben would finish what he started. That thought made Emma shudder.
“Jenny, are you okay?” Emma asked softly.
Jenny bit her lip in hesitation. Emma could see she was struggling with how to answer her question. After another moment Jenny replied in a shaky voice, “Yes I am fine”. Emma knew that Jenny was lying. Emma figured Jenny was afraid to tell the truth with Ben so close to her. Emma took a deep breath and made a quick decision.
“Jenny, why don’t I take you home?” Emma offered as she extended her hand in a friendly matter.
“I’m taking her home” Ben argued. He wrapped his arm tightly around Jenny’s shoulder and Jenny flinched. “She is on a date with me. It is my responsibility to take her home”.
“I don’t think that is a good idea. I think Jenny needs to come with me”.
“Listen here blondie” Ben replied in anger. He took a step towards Emma and Emma moved back a step holding her brother behind her. Emma’s whole body shook with fear. What is he going to do? Will he try to hurt me?
“Hey what is going on here?” a male voice said from behind them. Emma whipped her head around and saw a group of three men approaching them from the street corner. Emma was so thankful that these men were coming to her aid. Emma saw her opportunity now to get Jenny away from Ben.
“Nothing is going on mind your own business!” Ben snapped.
“If nothing is going on why is that young lady crying?” One of them replied.
“Like I said it is none of your damn business!” Ben raged.
“Lady is this guy bothering you?” The same man asked.
Jenny just stood there unsure of how to respond. Her gaze went back between the men, Emma, and Ben. Emma could see the indecision in Jenny’s face so she cautiously stepped forward. “Jenny come on, let me take you home now” she gave soothingly.
Jenny looked at Emma for a moment; her face seemed to relax and a small smile formed on her lips. Jenny nodded her head and shakily stepped towards Emma.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Ben shot. Ben reached out and grabbed Jenny’s arm yanking her back towards him.
“Let her go Ben!” Emma hollered at him.
The three men instantly stepped forward and closed in on Ben. “I suggest you let that lady go now or you’ll regret it”.
Ben whispered something in Jenny’s ear and then reluctantly let her go. Jenny hurriedly walked towards Emma and fell into her embrace. Emma immediately wrapped her arms around Jenny and pulled her into a comforting hug.
All of them just stood there for a few moments in silence not sure what was going to happen next. Finally Ben huffed in anger and turned and walked down the street towards his car without looking back.
“Thank you” Emma said to the three strangers once Ben was gone. The men just smiled and shook off the apology. Once the men were sure Ben had left they turned and said goodbye to Emma and Jenny. Jenny smiled weakly and thanked each one of them as they walked off down the road.
Emma still held onto Jenny for a few moments, gently running her hand on Jenny’s back in a soothing motion. “It’s okay he’s gone now” Emma tried to sound confident but was still shaken herself. Jenny was trembling slightly and tried to take a deep breath to get herself under control. A few stray tears ran down Jenny’s cheek. Jenny tried to hide her tears from Emma by burying her face into the crook of Emma’s neck. Emma momentarily pulled Jenny closer. Emma found herself enjoying the closeness with Jenny. All of her anger at Jenny over the last few weeks seemed to dissipate. She felt her whole body tingling in the most exquisite way. As she held Jenny close to her she suddenly felt something wet on her shirt. She pulled back slightly, making sure not to let go of Jenny completely. Jenny dipped her head shyly away from Emma’s gaze. Emma could tell Jenny was embarrassed about crying. Emma lifted Jenny’s chin and gently wiped away the tears on Jenny’s cheek. “Hey, it’s okay” Emma said with an understanding smile on her face. Emma wanted Jenny to understand that it was okay for her to cry. There was no need to hold it in with her.
Jenny looked up at Emma with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. But her blue eyes sparkled happily. Emma was mesmerized by Jenny’s eyes. Emma had never really noticed how strikingly blue they were. She thought Jenny’s eyes were beautiful. It was like an endless sea of blue. Emma forgot everything that was around her. Her whole focus was on the stunning blue that was in front of her. She was captivated by the beauty that shined in them.
“Emma?”
Emma was pulled out of her reverie and whipped her head around to the source of the noise. Her brother stood behind her with wide eyes. His face was contorted in fear and his small fist clutched Emma’s jeans so tightly that his petite knuckles were turning white. Emma could see his eyes were watery like he was about to cry. Emma immediately let go of Jenny and kneeled down to her brother. She opened her arms and Erik jumped into them.
“Hey everything is okay. Don’t cry” Emma whispered softly.
“I’m scared. I want to go home before that mean man comes back” Erik replied.
“We’re going home now okay? Don’t worry the man isn’t coming back. You’re safe with me” Emma responded. With a little effort Emma managed to pick up her baby brother and the boy instantly wrapped his tiny legs around Emma’s waist. Emma turned around and faced Jenny again. Jenny looked so small and delicate standing there in the dark. The first thought that came to Emma’s mind was how broken Jenny looked. It made Emma’s heart constrict painfully in her chest. She hated seeing Jenny look so defeated.
“Th-thanks for helping me Emma” Jenny gave shakily.
“Of course I would help you. As soon as I saw you and Ben I knew I had to intervene. I just had a bad feeling about it” Emma explained.
“Well, I am extremely grateful that you did”. Jenny was silent for a moment as her gaze flickered to the ground. Just as quickly her gaze returned on Emma. “I-I think I will head home now. You have a nice night Emma”.
“Woah, where do you think you’re going?” Emma asked as she reached out and took hold of Jenny’s hand. Electricity zapped through Emma’s hand at the contact. She quickly pulled back from Jenny’s hand and wiped her palm on her jeans. What was that? she wondered.
“I am going home” Jenny said in confusion.
“Not by yourself you are not. I told you I would take you home and that is what I am going to do”.
“But, I thought you were taking him home?” Jenny replied.
“Yes, I am going to take my little brother home. We will all walk to my house and I will drop Erik off and then I will walk you home” Emma clarified.
“Emma you don’t have to do that. Tha-”
“Jenny” Emma cut in. “I don’t have to do it, but I am going to. I promised you I would take you home and I will take you home. Stop being so stubborn”.
Jenny’s eyes sparkled with relief and the corners of her mouth curved upwards into a weak appreciative smile. “Okay” Jenny gave simply.
“Good. Now before we begin I want to introduce you to my little brother. Jenny this is Erik. Erik, this is Jenny, my boss at work”.
Erik turned his head shyly towards Jenny and looked at her. The little boy was still too shaken from the earlier incident to be his normal talkative self. Instead he gave Jenny a shy smile and a whispered ‘hello’ before digging his face back into his sister shoulder.
“Hello Erik. It is very nice to meet you” Jenny replied sweetly. Erik didn’t reply but dug himself farther into his sister’s shoulder.
A loud noise startled the three of them suddenly. It sounded like it was relatively close. Emma noticed how Jenny’s eyes grew wide in fear and she latched on to Emma’s shirt. Emma tried to calm each of them down with comforting words. But it seemed to have little effect on Jenny. Her whole body was trembling and her bottom lip was quivering. Emma reached out and directed Jenny to hold on to her waist. Jenny quickly obliged; moving her body closer to Emma and leaning against the blonde.
“Come on, let’s go home before something else happens” Emma said. Emma quickly took off down the street with Jenny and Erik; hoping to get as far away from this place as possible.
TBC