Electrified(57)

Her mom and dad were good people, but firm believers that Lila was in a match that was meant to be. A match, ironically enough, that was very good for their standing in the community, yet devastating for her.

Elon, a boy from a rich and pious family, one with resources and a good reputation in their Brooklyn neighborhood, was a son-in-law her parents were thrilled to call their own. There was nothing that Lila could say to persuade them differently. Once, right after being married, Lila tried to mention Elon’s temper to her parents over tea. Neither of them would hear anything about it. They were in love with the idea of their new in-laws, who owned a large publishing house and were among the wealthiest in their community. Her in-laws donated large sums of money to many of the religious causes in their neighborhood, which only increased their stature.

Her parents couldn’t even begin to believe Elon was anything but righteous and good like his family, but Lila knew differently. Elon wasn’t good, kind, gentle, or pious. He was mean to the core. He’d been spoiled by his parents, never told he was wrong, and given the family business to run without ever finding his own way. He wanted Lila to fall in line with his ideas, no matter what he had to do in order to exact results.

Lila always wondered what his childhood was like, or if his dad had a temper like Elon. Elon’s mother didn’t work. She took care of the house, her husband, and children, and was always docile. Lila questioned whether her obedience was her natural temperament, or if it had been beaten into her.

While growing up, Lila had always wanted to work at the school library. She loved kids and reading. Elon made it clear that wasn’t going to happen. She was going to stay home, keep a perfect house, prepare food for every holiday, and make him babies. If she dared read at story time or go visit the school to volunteer in the little library, Elon lost it. Eventually, she stopped trying to sneak over there.

Thank God or whoever might be in charge, the baby thing didn’t happen, which only angered Elon further. So once a month not only would she bleed from her period, but as a result of Elon’s heavy fist.

Elon never struck her face, but everywhere else on her body was fair game. In her culture, women didn’t show skin other than their hands or faces, so her clothing and heavy tights covered every inch of her. They also covered the bruises. When she went to religious services, no one could tell what a hell she was living in at home. Elon would be full of himself, praying like he had a direct line to God, when in fact he was nothing more than the devil.

Sometimes, Lila was sad that she no longer believed in God. It was such a part of her growing up, she didn’t like when her original doubt surfaced. She was a nonbeliever now, though, beyond a shadow of a doubt. If God existed, he wouldn’t allow a man to do what Elon did to her.

From the time she was old enough to understand, her parents led her to believe it was a sin not to believe, and an even greater misdeed to not marry a religious man, one she could raise a righteous and believing family with. Now that she’d had her first sincere and loving affection from a nonbeliever, a man of a different faith, she was fine with that.

Actually, she didn’t even know Carson’s religion. It wasn’t the same as the one she was raised in, and she couldn’t have cared less. It was a whole new mentality, a breath of fresh air to be attracted to someone, rather than be promised like a piece of property. There was no way she could ever go back to having a firm faith, let alone think she would live a life of lies and deceit because her parents expected “believing” grandchildren. She was never going back, even if she thought for a minute her family would welcome her with her newfound ideas.

She hated every minute of running away from her family and friends, but she’d run out of options. If she’d stayed, Elon would have killed her someday. Either that, or eventually she’d get pregnant and he’d kill both of them, Lila and an innocent baby.

It was ironic that Lila had found solace and safety in one of the dirtiest, naughtiest cities in the country. Living in Sin City with a makeshift family of adult entertainment people and bouncers, she’d felt safer than she ever did in Brooklyn. Her new family protected and guarded Sienna, and that was all that mattered. Certainly what they did for a living didn’t matter.

The people she now called family were good and decent, despite the general opinion that anyone who worked in the adult industry was evil. She knew from her marriage, evil often disguised itself as good.

Sienna had dwelled on the past for so long, her bath turned cold. She dried off, slipped on satin pajamas, and curled into her bed where she thought about something way more pleasant. Carson and her first orgasm with a man.