Everywhere I went, men treated me as a sexual object. Like the only thing I was good for was how I looked and what pleasure my body could give them. It didn’t matter what I desired.It seemed impossible for me to smile or be nice to anyone with a dick without them imagining I wanted to fuck them.
I was a tool, and I had allowed myself to be treated that way. I laughed off the jokes, shrugged away from their hands, pretended like their actions were innocent, when they clearly were not.
Even Elijah treated me like that. He didn’t have time in his day to listen to me when I needed him, but he was okay with fucking me whenever he wanted. I couldn’t interrupt work when my boss had touched me against my will and fired me, but if I started sending him dirty texts, he’d answer right away.
I gripped the edge of the counter until my knuckles turned white. I was becoming unhinged. The air was trapped in my lungs and I couldn’t breathe with the weight of everything on my chest. I needed to talk to someone, and not just anyone. Someone who wouldn’t pass judgement. Who would know just what to say to calm me down in my reckless state.
Chewing on my lip, I pulled out my phone and clicked on my text conversation with Damien. I’d never messaged him back yesterday, but now I was going to pretend that didn’t happen.
My fingers froze over the keyboard, remembering Jade. I had promised myself I’d put distance between Damien and I, but at this moment, I needed him.
Are you busy right now?
He responded immediately.
Damien
No, what’s up?
Can I call you?
Sure. Are you okay?
I clicked on the Facetime icon and tried to push down the flutters in my stomach as I waited for him to answer.
When his handsome face popped up on the screen, I found I could breathe again.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did I wake you? You’re still in bed.” He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his hair was adorably disheveled.
He grinned and rubbed his eye, “Not really. I’m just lying in my bunk on the bus. I don’t have the luxury of windows, so my phone is a little bright.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” And I finally noticed the white earbud that sat snug in his ear.
“Don’t be. But seriously, what’s going on?”
I frowned. The small amount of bare chest I could see had distracted me. I mentally shook myself and refocused. “Well. Actually. I’ve had a crazy morning. I just got fired.”
“Are you kidding? So, they did fire you.”
“Yeah! Can you believe that?” I moved from the kitchen to my couch and sat down, leaving my frozen veggies behind.
“What happened?”
I blew out a breath of air. “I’m still trying to comprehend it myself. I came in this morning, and my boss called me into his office. He said it was because of the compliance inspection we had. Yes, I made a mistake, but fixed it on the spot and wasn’t written up. Instead, my boss blamed his write-ups on me and fired me for it.”
“Seriously? That’s fucked up.”
“Oh. Just wait. It gets worse.”
“Do I need to be sitting for this?”
“You’re lying down right now.”
“Good point. Proceed.”
“As he’s giving me thegood news, my boss decides to hit on me.”
