nathaniel warner (adonais) wrote in onceuponadream, @ 2011-07-27 06:36:00 |
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Nathaniel Warner had been having a fairly good day. His work day had been relatively stress-free. His girlfriend had stopped by with lunch at mid-day and while he hadn’t been thrilled to learn she would be going out this evening, he definitely enjoyed the time he spent with her over an extended lunch break. He’d tried to make other plans for his evening, but it seemed that most of his friends were busy. Christian was in France, everyone else had families or significant others demanding his attention. He exchanged a few text messages with Evelyn, teasing her that she was in the wrong city, but neither of them had ever been heavy texters and the conversation hadn’t lasted for very long. Nate had just settled himself into his favorite chair with a glass of brandy after dinner when the buzzer sounded. He frowned, wondering who it was, since he wasn’t expected anything. A few moments later, he was holding a small package in very non-descript packaging with a note attached. At first, he set it on the counter. It was addressed to his girlfriend, after all, and he should probably respect her privacy. He found that his curiosity got the better of him, however, and Nate was stealing a peek at the note a few minutes later. It mentioned a complimentary copy and requested she sign some kind of release form. That definitely piqued his interest. Privacy be damned, he wanted to know what his girlfriend was getting that required her to sign a waiver. Moments later, he’d opened the packed and inserted the enclosed DVD into his player. He couldn’t help smirking at first when Elle introduced herself as Victoria Cummings. He did have fond memories of that name, after all. His amusement faded slightly as the video continued to play, though. It was obviously some kind of sex tape. While he knew she liked to fool around with her best friend, it was a different matter to watch her doing it. “Are you fucking me?” he roared angrily at the television, throwing his empty glass against the nearest wall. He was going to kill Elle. It was bad enough that she had cheated on him, but her doing it on camera where it was obviously meant to be seen by others was unacceptable. It was an understatement to say that Eleanor Richards was intoxicated. Her steps were uneven as she made her way to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend. The doorman had offered to give her a helping hand, be she'd slurred something of a dismissal. Moments later, she found herself leaning heavily against the wall as she slipped her key into the lock and opened the door. It was late. As such, she'd been expecting to find her boyfriend in bed. He'd never been a night owl. Needless to say, it pleased her when she realized that wasn't the case. She was horny, after all. He had always been very good at helping her with that particular problem... the best, really. A lopsided smile moved over her features when he screamed at the television. She was too far gone to take notice of what he was watching, but a flirty response instantly popped into her mind. "Not yet," she answered as she kicked off her heels and moved further into the room. "Give me two seconds, though, and I'll gladly do just that..." As she spoke, she dropped her handbag onto a near by table and took another couple of steps in his direction. Fucking him sounded like a damned good idea, if you asked her, and she intended to do just that. Nathaniel was not amused. He barely heard the door as it opened, but he did hear Elle's joke. It wasn't funny. It might have been at another time, but he was too pissed off at the moment to see the humor in her statement right now. "Are you fucking stupid?" he growled at her as he crossed the distance between them. His blue eyes flashed with fury as his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. She was insane if she thought he wanted to touch her right now. Well, he might want to touch her, but not nearly in the way she wanted her to. "If you're going to fuck around on me, Eleanor, you could at least show some discretion," he added. Fucking around with him on camera like some... whore was much worse than her just cheating. The cheating hurt, but something like this, the idea that it could get out just pissed him the fuck off. There had been a smile on her face as she stumbled through the apartment, but that smile faded when he asked if she was stupid. Who the fuck did he think he was? More importantly, who the fuck did he think he was talking to? She was Eleanor Richards. "Are you stupid?" she slurred. Unthreatened by the way he'd quickly closed the distance between them, she braced herself against the wall and kicked her shoes across the room. If he was trying to intimidate her, it wasn't working. Of course, she was so drunk that she probably wouldn't have been afraid of anything. Her eyes locked with his, when he used her full name. That annoyed her. Did he think he was her father? "The next time I fuck around on you, Nathaniel," she answered coldly, "I'll do just that." It went without saying, but she'd yet to notice the television. If she had, she might have... no, she probably would've been just as much of a smart-ass. She'd always been stubborn when it came to things like that. Nate was going to regret it later, but he raised his hand at her words and smacked her hard across the face. "The next time you fuck around? Are you planning to fuck him again, then?" A moment ago, he'd barely been controlling his fury. Now, though, he wasn't even making the attempt. He was pissed. She'd cheated on him. She'd allowed some asshole to FILM it. And she's was acting like it was no big deal. She as good as said she intended to do it again. Maybe he should have just told her to get out with that admission, but he didn't. Later, he would tell himself it was because he loved her no matter what. Right now, though, he couldn't help thinking that letting her walk out of this apartment would be letting her off far too easily. The force of that single blow snapped her head to the side. Sine he'd managed to catch her by surprise, she didn't make a sound... not even when an invisible flame consumed half of her face. She'd braced herself against the wall when she'd kicked her shoes off of her feet, and that added support was the only reason she was still standing. It wasn't the first time he'd hit her; it probably wouldn't be the last. "Fucking bastard," she breathed as she slowly brought her gaze back to his. Her eyes narrowed when he began to question her. She honestly didn't know what he was talking about, but that didn't seem to matter. A response popped into her head almost immediately, and she delivered it without thinking about the possible consequences. "I'll have a better idea of what I'm planning when I figure out which him you're referring to." Nate didn’t hit her again, not yet, but he stepped close enough to her that he had her effectively pinned against the wall. Elle wouldn’t be going anywhere he didn’t want her to anytime soon. He was making certain of that. “Just how many men have you been fucking around on me with?” he practically growled at her smart ass response. He’d been under the impression a moment ago that this had been a one time thing. A single indiscretion. It had just become obvious from her words that he was mistaken. To say that pissed him off would be a slight understatement. “Have you been fucking around on me the whole time, Eleanor?” he continued to question her, his voice dangerously low. “How many have there been?” Elle probably should have sobered up when he struck her, but she was drunk enough that a single slap wasn't going to magically clear her head. As such, she wasn't thinking about the hole she was digging with her smart-ass responses. "Fuck if I know," she answered, her words a little slurred. As she spoke, she tried to slip away from him. When she was unsuccessful, she pressed on of her palms into his chest. As far as she was concerned, the whole intimidation thing was getting old... especially when she didn't even understand why his panties were in a twist. It wasn't like she'd cheated on him that night. In fact, it had been a while since she'd done anything like that... a month, at least. Her eyes rolled when he continued to question her. Hadn't she just answered him? What the fuck was his problem? Was he hard of hearing? Did he think she was going to cower away from him? Hardly. She was Eleanor Richards. She wasn't some weak little girl that was going to bend to her boyfriend's whim just because he'd smacked her. "Are you deaf?" she questioned, her voice just as low as his. "It's not like I keep a list" To say that Nate was pissed off at this point was probably an understatement. When Elle responded to his questioning, his first impulse was to smack her again and that was exactly what he did. With their close proximity, a simple blow was enough to cause the girl to smack her head against the wall that was just behind her. It wasn't quite as hard as the first blow, but Nate had the wall on his side, ready to lend a hand when it came to trying to beat some sort of... something into her. "How. Many. Assholes. Have. You. Fucked. Around. On. Me. With?" he repeated his question, grabbing her hard by her arms and punctuating each word with a rough shake. Her hands on his chest hadn't had any effect, of course. He was larger and stronger than she was. He was also more sober, despite the little bit of drinking he'd been doing himself. "Quit being a smart ass and answer the fucking question, Eleanor," he demanded. He'd hit her again if that's what it took. He'd keep hitting her until she gave him a straight answer. She grunted loudly when he slapped her a second time. This blow wasn't quite as hard as the last, but the side of her face was already swollen and tender. A wince moved over her features when her head bounced off of the wall behind her. "Get your fucking... don't fucking... fucking bastard..." she slurred angrily as she began to push a little more roughly at his chest. A heartbeat later, he'd grabbed her by the arms and begun to shake her violently. Each jerk caused her head to connect with the wall behind her, and she grunted loudly. Her hands shifted from his chest and instinctively reached for her head. "STOP! STOP! FUCKING STOP!" she protested. What he was saying meant nothing to her, of course. She was focused only on the way he was handling her. At first, it had been easy to get angry, but that anger was quickly fading. "I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T FUCKING KNOW, OKAY?" she screamed when he demanded that she answer his question. "JUST STOP! I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!" Rather than waiting to see if he would release her, she began to fight to free herself. Her fists pounded against his chest as she tried to snatch free. Unfortunately, his hold on her was unbelievably tight, and her struggling was probably worsening the bruises that were sure to be there. ”YOU DON’T FUCKING KNOW? HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY NOT KNOW HOW MANY TIMES YOU’VE FUCKED AROUND ON ME? ARE YOU THAT MUCH OF A WHORE?” Later, Nate would regret hitting his girlfriend. He would regret saying the things he was now saying to her. Right now, though, he was furious. Right now, that word didn’t even seem to accurately describe how he was feeling. She was obviously pretty wasted. Her speech was slurred and she’d been off-balance even before he’d smacked her. He wasn’t thinking about that at the moment, though. It was hard to think rationally when you were this pissed off. “How the FUCK can you not know how many times you’ve fucked around on me?” he repeated. His eyes were still flashing with anger and his grip on her arms had tightened. She was struggling, but he was strong enough to maintain his hold on her fairly easily and he had no intention of letting go anytime soon. Elle had been called a whore many, many times in her life. It had never affected her the way it did when he called her a whore, though. His opinion of her meant the world to her, after all. In fact, his opinion was almost as important to her as her father's. Luckily, she was highly intoxicated and focused on the pain in her face and arms. While she understood what he was asking, his exact wording was lost on her. She tried to slide down the wall. When that didn't work, she straightened and attempted to jerk her body from side to side. His grip was unyielding. There was a pained expression on her face and tears were starting to leak out of the corner of her eyes. "I DO NOT KNOW!" she screamed. "ARE YOU THAT MUCH OF AN IDIOT?" Deep down, she knew that she was going to regret answering him in that fashion, but she couldn't think clearly enough to come up with an actual answer. How many times had she fucked around on him? How many of those times was she willing to admit to? Nate wouldn’t normally say something so hateful, but he was angry. Actually, that didn’t even seem to be an appropriate description. He was fucking pissed and every word that came from her mouth just seemed to spark his temper first. “Apparently, for not seeing what a whore you were before now!” he retorted. His hands tightened on her arms as he spoke and he gave her another slight shake. He was close to hitting her again. Needless to say, her tears went unnoticed at this point. He was too angry. “Why did you even agree to be with me if all you were going to do was fuck around on me?” he asked her. It was a valid question in his mind. When he had asked for more, it had seemed as though his feelings for her had been reciprocated. The idea that he’d been played for a fool pissed him the fuck off. The pained expression that was already on her face deepened when he called her a whore. It hadn't sunk in the first time he'd said it, but this time, she was a little more focused on his words. He was right. She was a whore. It was why she cheated on him. It was why she was never satisfied. She cried out when he shook her again. Her head connected with the wall behind her once more and her vision swam. More tears fell onto her cheeks, and she shook her head in protest as she slid down the wall in an attempt to free herself. When that failed, she didn't bother straightening back up again. Her fists were still pressed roughly into his chest, but she'd stopped pushing at him. There was no point in it, after all. She wasn't strong enough to fight her way free. "Because... because I love you!" The words were said in desperation. Though she was searching for the right response... the response that would calm his anger... It was the truth. She'd agreed to be with him because she loved him... because he was the only man that had ever loved her. "Because... because I want to be with you. It was an accident... I didn't mean to..." Her words were still heavily slurred. It was obvious that she hadn't sobered up at all since she'd come home. It was also obvious that she was grasping at straws. At this point, she was willing to say anything if it meant he would let her go. Call him crazy, but Nate was having a tough time believing her. It was hard to believe she loved him when she acted like this. When she’d obviously fucked another man. When she couldn’t even tell him how many times she’d cheated on him. He forgot his reason for holding onto her so tightly for a moment as he responded. One hand dropped from her arm to gesture back at the images on the television screen as he shook his head. “You have a fucking funny way of showing it!” he retorted. Fucking someone else on camera? That definitely didn’t show that she loved him. Her words didn’t really calm his anger, because he didn’t believe her. How could he? Her actions didn’t remotely suggest that she really loved him. “IT WAS AN ACCIDENT?” he roared at she continued. “YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO? YOU ACCIDENTALLY FELL ON ANOTHER MAN’S DICK HOW MANY TIMES? FUCKING SOMEONE ELSE ISN’T AN ACCIDENT, ELEANOR! If you’re going to act like a whore, at least own up to your actions. THAT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE FUCKING RAPE TO ME. YOU WERE PERFECTLY WILLING! DON’T INSULT ME BY CLAIMING YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO FUCK THE GUY.” Elle hadn't so much as glanced at the television since she'd walked into the apartment. That changed when he gestured toward it, though. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing. At first, she thought it was porn. When it finally sunk in, though, her eyes went wide with surprised. That wasn't... it couldn't be... she hadn't... she wasn't that stupid... she didn't remember doing that. Shock. Confusion. Shock. Confusion. The emotions washed over her features in waves. "I.. I.. that's not me," she protested almost weakly "I.. I didn't.. I wouldn't... I don't remember..." Though she was trying to defend herself, she knew that it was a waste of time. Whether she remembered it or not, that was most definitely her. She couldn't even try to deny it. Her gaze moved back to his when he began to scream at her. There was that word again... whore. She was a whore. That's all she was ever going to be. From this point on, that's all he would see when he looked at her. Something inside of her died when she realized that. Nathaniel had loved her... he'd really loved her, and she'd screwed it up. She couldn't fix this. She couldn't lie her way out of it. She'd fucked another man. It would've been easy for her to allow the hurt and confusion to consume her, but she fell back on something better... anger. "GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. He'd released one of her arms, and she used that to her advantage when she threw all of her weight into his chest. When his other hand was knocked free, she lunged toward the television. It probably would've been smarter to head for the exit, but at the moment, she was more concerned with making that image disappear. It disgusted her, after all. Rather than trying to eject the disk, she knocked the player out of the entertainment center. The cords disconnected as it crashed to the floor, but that wasn't enough. She stomped the device, as though this was somehow its fault. It might not seem like it now, but Nate was very much in love with the girl he was holding onto. That was why he was so angry, after all. That was why seeing her with someone else on that video hurt so badly. No matter what she had done, he loved her so desperately enough that he would forgive her, even if that didn’t seem clear at the moment. He swore loudly when she managed to pulled away from him. He was surprised enough by the impact that he stumbled a little. That only seemed to annoy him further. “You dumb bitch!” he yelled as she made a beeline for his dvd player. First, she’d stomped on his heart and now she was destroying his things. That the player was easily replaceable hardly mattered. Lunging across the room, he backhanded her. “You dumb fucking bitch. Do you thing breaking my dvd player changes the fact that you fucked that asshole? Are you even sorry you did it?” Probably not, he thought in his anger. After all, she wasn’t acting remorseful. She hadn’t even apologized. All she’d done was curse at him and make excuses. Never mind that he’d screamed at her. Never mind the bruises that were brought to life by his hand. This wasn’t about him. This was about her. She didn’t even seem to care that she’d gotten caught fucking around on him. If only he could care as little as she seemed to. She stomped the machine a second time. Unfortunately, it did more damage to her foot than the electronic device. Before she could react to the sudden throbbing in her heel and ankle, though, his hand connected with her face a third time. The force of this blow knocked her off of her feet, causing her back to connect roughly with the entertainment center. Her bottom lip split open, and blood began to dribble down her chin as she cried out in pain. She tried to steady herself by holding onto the large piece of furniture, but her grip faltered. She cried out again as she crashed down onto the shelf that held the television. Her arms instinctively came up to block any additional hits. Strangely enough, her anger faded almost as quickly as it had appeared More tears fell onto her cheeks, and she tried to lower her weight into the floor so that she could crawl away from him. ”I’ll take that as a no, then.” A brief look of hurt crossed Nate’s features as she didn’t answer his question. He knew she didn’t answer because she wasn’t sorry. She didn’t love him. There was a good chance she never had. Had she been fucking around on him this whole time? His gut clenched at the thought. As much as he was angry, he was also absolutely heartbroken that she would do this to him. He loved her after all. He wouldn’t be nearly this pissed off if he didn’t. “Get up,” he ordered as she sank to the floor. He was trying to let the anger take over again. Angry felt so much better than miserable and he wasn’t thinking of the consequences of letting the anger control his actions at the moment. Regardless of what he thought, she hadn't intentionally ignored his question. She was incredibly sorry for what she'd done. She simply wasn't capable of vocalizing that regret. The way he'd hit her definitely hadn't helped in that department. Her face felt as though it was on fire. Her ribs were throbbing from the way they'd connected with the shelves on the entertainment center. Blood was dripping from the cut on her bottom lip, and she could feel it swelling to twice its normal size. When he made no move to stop her, she dropped down onto her knees and began to crawl away from him. His order for her to get up went unnoticed. She was focused only on the desire to put as much space between them as possible. Who could blame her for that, though? She was in so much pain it was almost impossible for her to think rationally. He was sure she didn't love him, but that was easily the furthest thing from the truth. Even after everything he'd just done to her, she still loved him. She'd just made a mistake. ”Get up,” he repeated when she ignored him the first time. He stalked toward her and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her roughly to her feet. He wasn’t focused on how that was likely to hurt her or how much he already had. He was too busy being pissed off that she was ignoring his questions. A moment later, he was practically throwing her back against the couch. “Have a seat,” he said sternly, almost as if he were lecturing an errant child. He shook his head and sighed. “Why are you here, Eleanor?” he asked her calmly. It was getting harder to maintain his anger as he looked at her. “You obviously don’t love me, so why are you here?” Hearing him come after her, she scrambled to get through the bedroom door. She wasn't quite fast enough, though, and he caught her by the wrist before she could get to safety. "No... Nate... No..." she protested. He didn't listen, of course, and her words faded into a scream when he snatched her to her feet. A moment later, he threw her onto the couch. The piece of furniture slid several inches when she landed, and her arms moved up to block any blow that might follow. "Please..." she breathed pathetically as more tears fell onto her cheeks. When he didn't hit her, she took a chance and stole a quick glance at him. He didn't seem as angry as before, but that didn't comfort her in the slightest. After all, she knew that he was capable of schooling his expression when he wanted to. Her features twisted into a look of complete horror when he began to question her. Her father... they'd been getting along so well. If he... if he saw that video... everything would be ruined. At first, she could only stare and shake her head, but when he accused her of not loving him, a flurry of words began to pour from her. "No, Nate. I do.. I do love you. I know.. I know I messed up.. I know I.. I'm so sorry. Please don't.. I love you so much. I didn't mean to.. I don't even remember.. I'm a whore.. a stupid, worthless whore, but.. I love you.. I love you so much.. I don't know what I would do without you.. I'm so sorry.. I am so so so so sorry.. please don't leave me.. please.. I'll do anything.. just.. I love you.." Nate’s first impulse when she started to argue with him was to call her a liar. Nothing in her actions suggested that she loved him. Nothing in what he saw on the screen suggested that fucking that guy had been an “accident.” As she continued to beg, though, his anger continued to fade, though. As stupid as it was, he wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe she loved him. “Why did you do it?” he questioned her softly as he moved closer to the couch. After a moment, he was crouched in front of her. His hands gripped the couch on either side of her legs and he looked up at her, trying to catch her gaze with his. “If you love me so much, why did you... how could you cheat on me?” No matter how he’d tried to bury the emotion beneath his anger, Nate was hurt. He was visibly hurt by what she’d done. That emotion was now in full display in his expression. It was a reasonable question, he thought. He wanted to understand how she could love him and betray him the way she had. She said she didn’t remember, but that wasn’t going to satisfy his need to know why. He’d thought she was happy with him, but women who were happy didn’t go out and fuck someone else. On camera or otherwise. Her head began to shake when he questioned her. She didn't know why she'd cheated on him. She couldn't even remember doing it. Deep down, though, she knew that wasn't an acceptable explanation for her actions. She flinched when he closed the distance between them, but she brought her gaze back to his when she realized that he hadn't crouched in front of her with the intention of hitting her. "I don't know," she admitted weakly. "I don't remember. I was drunk and stupid and... I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. If I could... I would undo it... I would change it... I would do something. I hate that I hurt you. I hate that I betrayed your trust. I don't want anyone else. I haven't since I met you. I was just... incredibly stupid." The expression on her face was sincere as she apologized again, and she tentatively allowed one of her shaky hands to rest on top of his. "I made a mistake. If you can forgive me, I swear it will never happen again, baby. I swear I'll never do anything like that again. I'm so sorry. I love you so much. You're the only man I've ever loved... the only man that's ever loved me. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness... I know I don't deserve you but... you're my everything. I can't live without you, baby." Elle didn't know why she'd behaved the way that she had. She just knew that she didn't like being responsible for the expression that was currently on his face. When she said that she would never let it happen again, she meant it. She knew that he had no reason to believe her, though, and more tears spilled over onto her bruised cheeks. How could she convince him? How could she prove that she would never do it again? "I was stupid, and I made a mistake," she murmured as her tongue snaked out to moisten her dry and swollen lips. A small amount of blood was still beading on the cut there, but she paid that no attention. "I'm so sorry, Nathaniel. I'm so very sorry." It likely made him an idiot, but Nate believed her apology was sincere. He wasn’t thrilled that she couldn’t give him a better explanation than simply being drunk, but he believed she meant it when she told him she was sorry. Maybe it was just because he wanted to believe it, but he felt the last of his anger drain away and he lifted a hand to her face, brushing his thumb gently over her cheek. “I’m sorry I... I just love you so much, Elle,” her murmured his own apology. She was bruised and bloodied. Nate was going to feel horrible in the morning, but he was already feeling guilty just seeing the condition he was in now. “I just couldn’t... seing you with him.. I lost it, baby.” In Nate’s mind, everything he was saying was true. He’d only gotten so upset because he loved her so much. His thumb brushed gently over her cheek again and without thinking about the blood on her lips, he leaned forward and very gently brushed his lips over hers. “I love you, Elle,” he chanted softly. “I love you so much.” "I'm sorry, baby," she continued to apologize. "I'm so very sorry." It might have been difficult for him to believe that her apology was sincere, but she truly meant what she was saying. She'd made a mistake, but she loved him, and he was the only man she wanted. Deep down, she knew that he deserved a better explanation for her actions, but she couldn't give him one. She didn't know why she cheated. She only knew that he'd never given her a reason to. After all, he was everything she could ever want in a man. She flinched when he brought his hand to her cheek. It quickly became obvious that he wasn't trying to hurt her, though, and she relaxed a little bit. Unfortunately, her face was already quite swollen and a winced moved over her features when he touched her. "I'm sorry," she answered. "I know... I'm so sorry." More tears fell onto her cheeks when he told her that he loved her. That was... she'd been certain that she'd lost him... that'd she'd never hear those words again. If he still loved her, though, that meant she had a chance to make this right. "I love you, too," she murmured. "I know you... I love you, too." It was probably stupid of her to accept his apology, but the alternative was losing him. She didn't want that. In spite of everything that had just happened, she didn't think she could stand to lose him. Her eyes closed when his lips brushed lightly over hers, and she returned his gentle kiss. It hurt, but she decided that was a small price to pay. "I love you, Nathaniel," she breathed. "I'm so sorry, baby. I love you so much." |