Stealing Beauty Book
Stealing Beauty Book 1
“No way. Absolutely not.”
“Beth, come on. Why?”
“Because… because… oh, Natalie. Do you really have to ask?”
Beth Harker went back to filing her nails as her friend sighed in frustration and started pacing the room.
“I don’t know, Beth. You’re here. But you’re not.”
Beth remembered the tips from her first night spent waitressing. Natalie had started to tell her to keep the money. Even though she failed to finish the thought, the intention was always clear.
She had to save her pennies if she ever needed to run again.
Once was all the proof that she needed.
Once was Alex.
He started off so sweet. So generous. He showered her with gifts and kind words. That would have been more than enough. He followed that with an offer to pay her rent until she forgot the due date. It was magical.
Until it wasn’t.
“You still have to pay something, Beth,” he had told her.
The first time he took her, his thrusts were soft and sweet. Beth imagined it lasting until she needed nothing else. But Alex shifted once he felt her firmly under his thumb.
And then the demands started.
“This way. It’s better for both of us. You’ll see. You’ll love it.”
Beth was open to the possibility, but when he tied her hands to the bedpost, she struggled and begged for him to stop. She didn’t like it. She felt like a prisoner in her own home, and the fact that he got off on it was turning her stomach.
“I have to keep you from running off.”
Alex fucked her without looking at her, his eyes focused on his cock plunging in and out of her bound form. It was as if he wanted to see how far he could go, and Beth was nothing but a means to an end. When he finished with a groan, he fell on top of her, and she saw his contented smile. But he kept it buried in her breasts and never lifted his face to hers.
That should’ve been her first clue that something was wrong with her seemingly perfect man, but when he untied her and presented her with a sapphire bracelet, she tried to convince herself that she might be making too much of it. So he liked a little kink. Most men did, but just never acted on their impulses. She could learn to play the game.
“Beth, you don’t have to keep hiding. He’ll never find you. Not here.”
True. She had never mentioned Natalie by name. It was always just a friend from Fairleigh who owed her one after a night when Natalie drank too much and almost puked on the shoes of the boy that brought her to the dance. Beth knew that even Natalie didn’t want to go that far on a first date, so Beth pulled her away from the boy and sat her down in an abandoned room reeking of smoke and sex.
“Don’t just settle,” Beth had said. “You can do better.”
Natalie twisted her head in the face of the suggestion, but Beth’s eyes stayed on her friend.
“Come on, Natty. You’re more than a fuck toy. Don’t you know that?” Beth said gently.
It took a joint and two more beers for Natalie to regain her confidence. But once it was back, it returned with a vengeance. “You’re so smart, Beth,” Natalie had said.
Beth wasn’t sure of that. In that moment, it was easier to just nod and pretend that she was wise.
Natalie fell to her friend’s side and laughed. “Like brilliant, Beth. I can do better. So can you.”
And Beth had believed that. She wouldn’t settle. She’d never be one of those girls.
And then she met Alex.
It started slowly. She should wear the blue blouse over the gray jeans. He wanted spring mix instead of baby spinach. But soon, far too soon, Alex’s petty whims were more than she could follow.
And then she started to make mistakes.
“What the hell is this?”
He wanted pasta al dente for supper. Simple. Easy. But in his mind, the broad term of pasta meant linguine, but Beth prepared a spaghetti dinner. This slimness of the wrong noodles sent Alex into a rage, and he dragged her from the table and banged her quaking body against the wall.
“Alex, I’m sorry. I…”
He lifted his hand, and she was ready for the blow. Her eyes slammed shut in expectation of harm, but he held back at the last second and cradled her chin in his hand.
“You’ll get it right. One of these days. I’ll deal tonight. Now come here.”
Beth breathed again when he didn’t strike her.
“Besides, I bet there are lots of other things that you do… well.”
She tried to speak and he plunged his cock into her body. She swelled at the pleasure of his entry, but as his flood filled her, Beth started to sense that she’d made another mistake. He would never give her a kind word unless he had her at a disadvantage.
“No way. Absolutely not.”
“Beth, come on. Why?”
“Because… because… oh, Natalie. Do you really have to ask?”
Beth Harker went back to filing her nails as her friend sighed in frustration and started pacing the room.
“I don’t know, Beth. You’re here. But you’re not.”
Beth remembered the tips from her first night spent waitressing. Natalie had started to tell her to keep the money. Even though she failed to finish the thought, the intention was always clear.
She had to save her pennies if she ever needed to run again.
Once was all the proof that she needed.
Once was Alex.
He started off so sweet. So generous. He showered her with gifts and kind words. That would have been more than enough. He followed that with an offer to pay her rent until she forgot the due date. It was magical.
Until it wasn’t.
“You still have to pay something, Beth,” he had told her.
The first time he took her, his thrusts were soft and sweet. Beth imagined it lasting until she needed nothing else. But Alex shifted once he felt her firmly under his thumb.
And then the demands started.
“This way. It’s better for both of us. You’ll see. You’ll love it.”
Beth was open to the possibility, but when he tied her hands to the bedpost, she struggled and begged for him to stop. She didn’t like it. She felt like a prisoner in her own home, and the fact that he got off on it was turning her stomach.
“I have to keep you from running off.”
Alex fucked her without looking at her, his eyes focused on his cock plunging in and out of her bound form. It was as if he wanted to see how far he could go, and Beth was nothing but a means to an end. When he finished with a groan, he fell on top of her, and she saw his contented smile. But he kept it buried in her breasts and never lifted his face to hers.
That should’ve been her first clue that something was wrong with her seemingly perfect man, but when he untied her and presented her with a sapphire bracelet, she tried to convince herself that she might be making too much of it. So he liked a little kink. Most men did, but just never acted on their impulses. She could learn to play the game.
“Beth, you don’t have to keep hiding. He’ll never find you. Not here.”
True. She had never mentioned Natalie by name. It was always just a friend from Fairleigh who owed her one after a night when Natalie drank too much and almost puked on the shoes of the boy that brought her to the dance. Beth knew that even Natalie didn’t want to go that far on a first date, so Beth pulled her away from the boy and sat her down in an abandoned room reeking of smoke and sex.
“Don’t just settle,” Beth had said. “You can do better.”
Natalie twisted her head in the face of the suggestion, but Beth’s eyes stayed on her friend.
“Come on, Natty. You’re more than a fuck toy. Don’t you know that?” Beth said gently.
It took a joint and two more beers for Natalie to regain her confidence. But once it was back, it returned with a vengeance. “You’re so smart, Beth,” Natalie had said.
Beth wasn’t sure of that. In that moment, it was easier to just nod and pretend that she was wise.
Natalie fell to her friend’s side and laughed. “Like brilliant, Beth. I can do better. So can you.”
And Beth had believed that. She wouldn’t settle. She’d never be one of those girls.
And then she met Alex.
It started slowly. She should wear the blue blouse over the gray jeans. He wanted spring mix instead of baby spinach. But soon, far too soon, Alex’s petty whims were more than she could follow.
And then she started to make mistakes.
“What the hell is this?”
He wanted pasta al dente for supper. Simple. Easy. But in his mind, the broad term of pasta meant linguine, but Beth prepared a spaghetti dinner. This slimness of the wrong noodles sent Alex into a rage, and he dragged her from the table and banged her quaking body against the wall.
“Alex, I’m sorry. I…”
He lifted his hand, and she was ready for the blow. Her eyes slammed shut in expectation of harm, but he held back at the last second and cradled her chin in his hand.
“You’ll get it right. One of these days. I’ll deal tonight. Now come here.”
Beth breathed again when he didn’t strike her.
“Besides, I bet there are lots of other things that you do… well.”
She tried to speak and he plunged his cock into her body. She swelled at the pleasure of his entry, but as his flood filled her, Beth started to sense that she’d made another mistake. He would never give her a kind word unless he had her at a disadvantage.