She's A Lady

8

*trigger warning-violence- watch for notice*

He was a gentleman. I was both relieved and disappointed for the next few dates. There was less kissing than I wanted. I suppose it sounds silly and unrealistic but they were not as spectacular as the first one. They were however pleasant and showing promise for the two of us. Now I had to admit to Peggy at the office that I was dating Damien. I blushed furiously when she huffed a 'thank god' before smiling and patting my arm.

Max sulked for a few days because I wouldn't let them meet him, but when I invited them out for coffee with us it seemed to smooth things over. Introductions were quickly handled at the door to the shop before we headed in to order. The café was not too crowded. A few tables stood empty even after Max, Damien and I sat down. We smiled over our drinks and did our nervous gestures until we could think of something to say.

"Have you known Erin long?" Damien finally asked Max. They finished their sip of coffee before responding.

"Since college. We had two classes together, everything else was more specific to our majors. That was in our first year, after that we kind of grew on each other I guess." Was the response. I grinned.

"Like mold?" They snorted at my comment.

"Exactly." Max grinned back and Damien laughed quietly. It wasn't a horrible first meeting for a best friend and a boyfriend, but so awkward I wanted to scream. It would get better if we met up more often as a group. I knew from past experience that you couldn't force relationships between friends. The two of them chatted about random topics, thankfully not needing me for most of the conversation. I sat back and sipped my caramel crème Frappuccino.

"So, does she snore?" I perked up at that question and narrowed my eyes at Max.

"Like a Lawn mower. Especially on her back." I gasped at their pert response. Max giggled as I punched their shoulder and spluttered a protest. "Well how do you know if you snore or not? I'm just warning him ahead of time!"

"It was one time and I had a bad cold!" I shot back as Damien laughed at us again. I was blushing furiously.

"Aw, it's ok sweetheart. I wouldn't mind if you snored like a jackhammer and had stinky feet. I swear." He crossed his heart and held up a hand solemnly. I glared at him for a minute before my giggles won out and rested my forehead on my arm. I couldn't win again two of them. I was outnumbered and I knew it. I sighed.

"Whatever. You are both crazy." I huffed the last word, or so I thought.

"Of course we are. We love you after all sweetheart." Max replied. I rolled my eyes. We were going out shopping after this so I had ample time to get them both back. I slipped my neatly written list from my purse and glanced it over, planning my attack. Max grabbed it from me and shook their head with comments about not being spontaneous enough. Damien mentioned that it was a good thing at the office, and that he had appreciated my organizing skills when I had worked for him. I blushed at the compliment.

We lingered only a short while before heading to the crowded mall. Once inside the glass doors, Max took charge in their usual spontaneous way. In other words, they dragged us from one shop to another until we were all exhausted, bag laden and ready to leave. I had lost my list at some point during the bustle. I hoped I got everything. I squeezed into the car with Max as Damien waved goodbye. He was headed to a family dinner, or so I gathered.

The bags rustled in the wind blowing from the windows as we sped towards my flat. The music blared and Max tried to shout above it. I just sat back and smiled, nodding when it was appropriate, and waited for a chance to get a nap. My hair was a tangled mess by the time we pulled up to the front entrance. I was drained but happy. Max helped me sort through and collect all my bags. I staggered up the steps on the walkway and thanked them for holding the door with a quick kiss on the cheek and a promise to get together again soon.

The walk to the elevator was slow, the climb to my floor was slow, and I would have taken the stairs to make up for a greasy burger at lunch if it hadn't been for my complete and utter weariness. I didn't notice the person come out from the stairwell until they were grabbing my shoulder practically out of my socket and throwing me against the wall. My eyes went wide when I recognized the slightly tubby, average build and greasy hair of Bill. Yeah, scumbag old boss Bill whom I had just gotten fired this year.

(*SKIP HERE* -violent scene ahead, please don't read if it's a trigger, you won't miss any plot and you don't need to be ashamed if you need to avoid it)

"Fucking slut. I knew it. You're fucking the new boss and have a piece of ass on the side, don't ya? That means you can make a little room in your panties for me, doesn't it?" He had me pinned to the wall with his body, huffing in my ear as I struggled. Even through my exhaustion, I tried to throw him off me. I shouted, but that resulted in a dirty hand smothering my mouth and nose. His other hand wandered down and I panicked.

He blew in my ear and whispered obscenities as he roughly grabbed at my breasts and waist. Then he got low enough to realise something was off. He pulled his hand away with a confused look. Then he grabbed my junk roughly and squeezed. I yelled out in pain. He brought up his knee sharply and took the wind right out of me. I crumpled to the floor as he stepped back.

"You! What the fuck!" He ran his hands through his hair as he screamed at me. "You fucking... disgusting piece of shit!" I cowered on the floor without moving. Maybe he would just go away. If I just held still and didn't move, maybe he would leave. No such luck for me. His foot connected with my arms and legs in a flurry of unrelenting kicks. He stomped at me until my ears were ringing. I heard a distant shout and cried out for help to the unknown person.

He turned and ran then. I sobbed and tried so hard to keep from throwing up. My neighbour ran up to my side, a phone in one hand. She was talking to someone urgently on the other end of the line. I started to shake violently as shock set in. It made everything hurt more. Another body came up to us, gathering my bags and talking to Liz. I wanted to pass out. I wanted so badly to just pass out so I wouldn't hurt so much.