Free Never Another You by Leeann Whitaker

building.
    He held it out to her. “For getting you into trouble.”
    “Jack,” she sighed.
    “It’s just a rose.”
    She took his offering while smiling softly, placing the petals under her nose to smell. “Thank you Jack.”
     
     

The Final Beating
            Nell stood before her full length mirror wearing a red wrap over dress. She pushed the butterflies onto the back of her ruby stud earrings, feeling that churn in the pit of her gut; the same one she got that time every evening. She brushed down her hips as she swallowed down the dread. Alistair had expectations- high ones. And if she didn’t fill them, then things would often turn sour. Dinner in the Jenkins house was a far cry from enjoyable.
    She pushed her cleavage together with her arms, then tugged down the neckline a little to reveal extra flesh. She didn’t want to please Alistair sexually, but had no choice. She thought that if he found her attractive, he may refrain from hurting her when she insisted she was sick. He owned her. He would spoil her. But everything had a price, and Nell would always have to pay, today even more so. It was Friday, the one night a week in which she had to spend in Alistair’s bedroom. There were no ifs or buts about it. She would lay with him, and her mind would attempt to wander to a safe place.
    With a sigh, she bent down in her closet and positioned her black heels before her silk stocking covered toes. As she held onto the doorframe to slip her feet into her shoes, she saw the corner of the journal sticking out. Quickly, she tucked it out of sight under a pile of her aprons. Jack had crawled back into her mind again. Those loving thoughts of him circled around, making her feel sick. Not being near him was nearly as painful as him not knowing who she was. That stroll together only strengthened her heartache.
    There was a ritual she had to follow on a Friday evening. It was a way of making Alistair feel special. As well as looking her best for him, she had to cater to his ego, and be enthralled by what he had to say. Before Jack was admitted to All Angels, she managed to do this one submissive task for him. But now, she wanted to shrink away from it all. 
    She stood outside the parlour, and tapped three times on the door.
    “Come in Eleanor,” his voice called, creating a cool shiver down her spine.
    She gulped, biting her lip while opening the door. Immediately, she became engulfed by cigar smoke. She coughed quietly as she made her way to Alistair’s finest whisky.
    He was sitting at the dining table dressed in his black suit. It was this one night, in which he would hang up his uniform as he had Nell to look forward to after dinner.
    Nell poured the correct amount of whisky from the crystal decanter into his glass, and made her way over. After setting his drink down before him on the table, she arched to kiss his cold cheek, cringing inside.
    “You smell wonderful Eleanor.”
    She repaid his compliment with a half-hearted smile, and sat directly across from him, repositioning her silver cutlery anxiously.
    The housekeeper entered and placed before each of them, a serving of steamed cabbage and mashed potato, with a thin cut of lamb. Then she left, closing the door behind her. Nell would often want to tell her to stay; to not leave her alone with him. But never did those brave words manage to come from her mouth.
    “How has your day been?” he asked, cutting into his lamb.
    Nell hovered her fork over the food, not really wanting to eat. “It’s been hectic.”
    “Same, same,” Alistair said, eating like he hadn’t in a month. “I have news,” he said with a smile.
    Nell looked under her brow at him while playing with her food. The only things going through her mind were Jack, and the unbearable thought of Alistair climbing on top of her.
    “You are not interested in what I have to say?”
    “Yes dear, of course.”
    “I will be away for a day or so next week. We are making significant progress