Chapter 5 Valeria

I stood behind the door and listened as Salvatore walked away. My heart fluttered with warmth as he cupped my cheek. I remember when Charlie did that the first time. Charlie Davidson, my nightmare. He was sweet and gentle at first. Then, when I refused to give myself to him, he slapped me. Then the beatings began. I could not take it anymore. After I stabbed Charlie in the hand, my uncle threatened Charlie not to pursue my anymore.

That is why I moved to my uncle's warehouse loft. Of course, I had to pay rent. My uncle had told me nothing was free in life. I never really thought of myself as beautiful, but I did not think I was ugly. I am five foot, four inches. I am very slim as I walk everywhere. I never got my driver's license. Did not have time for it, nor the money for a car or insurance.

After I took a hot shower and relaxed, I thought about the way my body melted into Salvatore's touch. Dammit, treacherous body. I cannot do this again. The third time Charlie beat me, he almost broke my cheek bone. I had a terrible bruise. I just told people had an accident on the subway.

My mind wandered back to Salvatore. He called me his little lamb. My body shivered. I wanted him to hold me against him. Maybe that was just a little crush. He is just gorgeous. His dark, wavy hair. His dark eyelashes that surround his green eyes. His soft lips. He stands at least six feet compared to my short ass.

His suit fit his body perfectly. You could tell just by the way his suit fit that it was custom made. I loved the way his hands held me. His panty-dropping smile. I almost felt like body was going to spasm just having him hold my hand. I hope he did not smell my arousal.

I thought back to when Charlie had first slapped me. We had gone to dinner and were walking in the park. He asked me up to his apartment. He started getting handsy with me. I told him I was not ready to give myself to a man. He slapped me when I said that if I cared about him I would, but that I did not feel that I was in love with him. I was not able to just open my heart up for sex.

I realized that he was just using me after I caught him with several women. I tried to break it off with him after he slapped me the first time. He told me that he had put a lot of money into dating me and he was going to get me one way or another. He was then stalking me and showing up on campus just as classes let out. I was so embarrassed when he slapped me as I tried to walk away from him.

A classmate of mine helped me. Jonathon was part of the football team. I had helped him out a couple of times with his assignments. Jonathon and his friends were a few feet away, when Charlie slapped me so hard, I dropped my books and fell to the ground. Jonathon had chased Charlie off of the campus and yelled at him never to return otherwise, the team would be waiting for him.

Jonathon walked me to the main office where he called the police for me. I was dazed from the slap across my face. Jonathon had filed the report himself after I refused to filed charges for assault. The female police officer had told me to file the report and file a restraining order against Charlie. I knew it would not help.

Jonathon or another member of the football team would be with me at all times after that incident. Charlie would watch me from a distance with disgust in his eyes. He started sending me messages that I was a 'whore' and other terrible things. Another classmate of mine, Jessica, pulled me in the bathroom one day. She told me she was almost raped by Charlie. She had dated the previous year, Jessica had started self-defense classes and learned kickboxing.

I am not strong enough for that. I finished off my final year, mostly on-line. But I still graduated and completed everything. I had started cooking while I was at home. I shared some of my meals with Jonathon who them told the football team of the protein males I had made. I ended up catering the football teams parties. Some private parties. I did meal preps at home and sold a bunch to other students who either did not want to take the time to do it or who just could not cook. Either way, I sold my foods and made money to pay my bills.

I sent out my resume for any kind of business management. I only got back a couple of replies, needing job experience. Hello people how am I supposed to gain experience if I cannot get hired. I kept cooking and stayed happy doing that.

Until one night. I had made meal preps for several members of the football team. There was a knock at my door, stupid me, I thought it was one of my customers. I yelled out come in and in walks Charlie. My heart dropped. I felt nauseous. I froze. My mind said run, my body would not cooperate. He walked toward me slowly after locking the door. I could not open my mouth and scream. I felt catatonic.

He walked right up to me, and he back handed me so hard my body flew across the kitchen knocking things off the counter. He was yelling at me and stopped as there was a mad knock at my door. Jonathon and a teammate of his were picking up meals and were pounding on my door. I suddenly jumped up off the floor and grabbed the closest thing to me. When Charlie turned back to me. His eyes went wide as he realized I just stabbed him with the small knife. I stabbed him on his thigh. He screamed in pain, and I stumbled back into my pantry and was trying to close the doors when he lunged at me.

Jonathon had broken through the door, he and his teammate had rushed Charlie and tackled him to the ground. I was trembling as Jonathon helped me out of the pantry. Jonathon and his teammate had used an extension cord to tie up Charlie until the police got there. I left the apartment that night and moved to my uncles. I sold everything and withdrew from the public. Jonathon called me daily and so did Jessica. I kept in contact with them by phone as Jonathon had been drafted by an NFL team. Jessica was working and now owned the kick boxing gym where she trained in self-defense.

I did not have enough courage to join. My uncle had found out what had happened. I had told him I lost the apartment I was living in, but he found out when Jessica had stopped by the warehouse loft to check on me.