Free Flesh: Part Sixteen (The Flesh Series Book 16) by Sky Corgan

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER ONE
     
     
    “Amy, wait!” My name is a choked sob on Janice's lips.
    I want to be deaf to it. I pretend to be deaf to it, opening my closet to find my suitcase. I can't stay in this apartment any longer, not knowing what I know now. Being ignorant was blissful, though there was always the slightest hint of suspicion in the back of my mind.
    There aren't many Doms at Flesh. Common sense should have told me that Janice would end up with Lucian. The part of me that truly believed she cared for me as a friend, and that he loved me, tried to pretend that there was no way possible they would do this to me. It was wishful thinking though. Reality is cruel. Everything has been cruel in my world lately. Why should this be any different?
    Curse words linger on the tip of my tongue. I want to tell Janice to fuck off, but I remain silent. The goal is to be bigger than her right now. Bigger than both of them. I will gather my things and leave and never speak to either one of them again. That's the best way to handle this.
    “We didn't do anything.” Janice leans against the door frame of my bedroom, tears streaming down her face in torrents.
    Oh, you didn't? Really? Those marks on your body tell me otherwise .
    I'd love to take my time packing, but desperation is getting the best of me. I know Janice isn't going to leave me alone. She's going to trail behind me like a puppy, crying and whining and begging for me to forgive her. Silence is the best punishment. Well, next to my permanent absence from her life.
    “ We didn't kiss. He didn't touch me. We just did the scene together.” She boldly takes a step into my room, standing between me and my dresser. I push past her, practically knocking her over before opening my top dresser drawer, grabbing two fistfuls of bras and underwear and returning to messily shove them into my suitcase. “You have to believe me. I knew it was wrong, but...”
    But what? You wanted him so badly that you stopped caring. Pft. I know how that is. He's charming. He gets what he wants. Always. You two have secretly lusted after each other from the first time you met. Be happy. Now you can have each other. I won't be in the way anymore.
    I close my suitcase, realizing that I'm leaving behind over half a dozen things that I need. I don't care anymore though. I have to get out of here before I snap. That point is so close. I feel like a rubber band wound too tightly. It's only a matter of time before I break and destroy everything around me.
    I don't even bother changing my clothes. I simply slip on a pair of flip flops, grab my suitcase and my keys, and head for the door. I'll come back to get the rest of my stuff later after I've had time to cool off, whenever I know that Janice won't be home.
    “Please, Amy, don't leave.” Janice clutches at my arm, but I jerk it away from her. “I never meant to hurt you.”
    The tension in my jaw has built to an insurmountable level by the time I reach the front door. I've been clenching my teeth so tightly that I'm surprised they haven't shattered. My mind is screaming for me to keep my mouth shut. She wants me to break my silence. If I do, I feel like she'll win in some way. I can't help it though.
    I turn to her, hatred plastered across my face like a dark mask. “You did hurt me though. You hurt me on a level I never knew I could be hurt, and I will never forgive you for it.”
     
    ***
     
    My strength fades by the time I pull out of the apartment complex parking lot, tires screeching. I'm a mess of wracking sobs all the way to my parents' house. My heart feels broken beyond repair. It's a different feeling than anything that Lucian has put me through before. The pain is on multiple levels like my heart was made of layers of glass and someone took a hammer to each one individually. I've lost the man I love and my best friend in one night. It feels like there's not much left to lose. All I have now are work and Derrick and my