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TRIGGER WARNING

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Lila

She was sobbing thirty seconds in and shaking her head.

It couldn't be… he wouldn't! But then she remembered that night in the apartment, the way Dane had been shaking, and squeezed his eyes closed—he'd been so certain, so convinced of the things his father was capable of. Horrible things. Manipulative things. Things that no sane person wanted to do—but he was capable of finding a way.

It had to be that. He had to have forced Dane, somehow. That had to be it.

Right?

He'd told her that his father would force people into situations they didn't want to be in. Told her that he humiliated and confronted people with their fears or anxieties. Used their loved one against them and made them do things to keep the most important people and things in their lives save.

But that wasn't this.

Dane sat in a very large chair, leather and thick, sized and shaped for someone as big as him. Plenty big enough, as it happened. Because the woman straddled his thighs and wasn't pressed into the chair. There was enough room for them to move and stroke and…

Lila wanted to throw up.

He wasn't tied. There was no one with a gun on him that she could see. No voices telling him what to do. And he didn't have that look of pure rage he got when he was forced into something he didn't want.

He looked a little sad. But—fuck.

A strange noise erupted from her throat when her husband—unbound, uncompelled—placed his hand at the base of the woman's spine.

"No." She knew what he was going to do, because he'd done it to her so many times.

She sobbed and swore, aching as she watched him slide that hand up the woman's back in a move that had always made Lila shiver with a delicious anticipation. She felt it—felt his hand on that woman's skin because she knew! She knew the exact texture of his palm, the warmth his skin, and the tingling rush it left in the wake of his touch.

No.

No.

He couldn't be doing this.

In that moment it was as if all her memories shifted—every time he'd stroked her that way, every tender memory she had of his warm touch got twisted and turned around and became something it hadn't been before.

It lost the intimacy and… it stopped being sacred.

"No," she breathed. "Please, Dane…"

She couldn't hear him, but his lips made half-formed words, his eyes hooded and sometimes closed—with pleasure? Or something else?

Was he talking to that woman? Giving instructions or… oh fuck, was he telling her how beautiful she was?

He stroked her hair back so gently, and kissed her neck. He let his hands slide all over her body—and she relaxed into him, moving on him—oh fuck, oh no, were they…

Lila sobbed as Dane's hand slowly slid forward and down between her legs and he curled over her while she gave herself over him, back arching, her hands going back and over her head to tangle in his hair.

He leaned his forehead on the nape of her neck as she began to writhe and gasp, and his lips moved—over and over again, between kisses.

The cameraman zoomed up so she was treated with a side-on closeup of her husband laying his tongue on the back of another woman's neck, just as that woman dropped her head back and began to make high pitched noises, then shivering and shaking as Dane expertly played her body like a musical instrument.

Lila felt sick. Literally ill. She swallowed bile, but forced herself to keep watching, because she knew if she stopped she'd never find the courage to come back.

Her heart was tearing.

No one should have to see this.

No one should have to watch the love of their life bring someone else to an orgasm.

But it didn't break her. It wouldn't have. If that was where it ended, she would have been sick, and she would have been angry, but… but she would have forgiven him.

But when the woman—who Lila couldn't help but notice had similar features to her own—finally came down from the heights, she rolled and sighed, and told Dane it was his turn. And with a smile, she hopped off his long thighs and turned around and…

Oh fuck.

No.

Please.

Lila stood there, shocked, unable to move as Dane—after sitting up and staring at her—put a hand to that spot where her neck met her shoulder, then let himself lay back, his head dropped to the top of the chair as the woman… as she… rode him.

Whoever was filming shifted so they were facing Dane, but still from the side. And the way his head rolled back, the tendons on his neck stood proud… the way he began to breathe…

"No. Please."

Lila couldn't take her eyes off of him. It had to be a trick. It had to be… something. He couldn't be… surely he wasn't…

Then she saw it, the flush he got, the sound that he always made when he was close and she had to wipe away tears because she had to see—she had to be certain this wasn't…

"No!" she cried when Dane began to twitch and groan, and the woman took his mouth and he just… he just…

No. No. No. No. No, no, no, no!

He came in a shuddering, jerking gasp that had always given her such a thrill.

Dane had had an orgasm.

He wasn't faking it. She knew. She knew. She knew to her soul that that was real and something inside her snapped clean in two.

Dane had…

Dane was…

Her husband had cheated on her.

She dropped the phone and ran to the bathroom, slamming her hip into the doorframe on the way in and crying out, but still running because she was only just going to make in time before her body rebelled and with an almighty heave, she lost what felt like everything she'd eaten for two days. Sobbing and screaming curses at him, she heaved over, and over, and over.

But minutes later, it still wouldn't stop.

Every time she coughed and tried to breathe, thought she was done, she'd see that image of him, arched back, mouth open and his large hand tightening on that woman. That stranger…

Even when her stomach was empty her body wanted to keep trying to get rid of something. But it couldn't. She was throwing up bitter bile before, eventually, swallowing over and over, she finally stopped heaving and slumped against the toilet, her entire body tingling and limp.

It couldn't be.

But…

There hadn't been anyone forcing him to do that. How could you force someone to have an orgasm? You couldn't. That was the answer.

And he wasn't faking.

It circled in her head like an echo that shot bullets.

Not faking… not faking… not faking…

Dane had warned her. He'd told her that his father was capable of the most incredible manipulation and abuse. But she'd always thought he meant that people did things they didn't want to do. He'd warned her not to believe anything she saw or heard until she heard the story from him. He'd told her that his father coerced people into all kinds of horrible things… But she didn't think…

No. She was certain; You couldn't force someone to have an orgasm against their will.

Still swallowing convulsively, Lila pushed to her feet and forced herself back to the bedroom, to pick up the phone, swiping the image off the screen.

Then, with shaking fingers she found John's number and dialed, praying that he would answer, just to keep her mind off those images.

When he did, she spoke through her teeth.

No tears.

"John?"

"Yes."

"I have another file that needs review."

"Okay. Video?"

"Yes. And I need… I need you to be brutally honest with this one. If there's nothing fake or doctored about it, I need to know that. Today."

There was a hesitation on the other end, then the sound of scruff rubbing against the phone. "Okay. I think I can do that. You just want to make sure it's legitimate."

"I want to… I need too know that it hasn't been changed or faked in any way."

"okay, send it through."

"Um, it's pretty raw, John. I just want to warn you."

John sighed. "You'd be surprised what I've dealt with, Lila, it's okay."

She nodded, then realized there was nothing else to say. "I guess I'll send it now. Can you… can you hurry?"

"Yes. I'll go as fast as I can."

"Thank you, John. Really. You've been a true friend."

"You're welcome, Lila. Dane told me to—"

"I'd rather not talk about Dane, right now, if you don't mind, John."

"Oh, of course. Is there—"

"Just get mt eh video back, okay?"

"Okay will do. I'll talk to you later today."

She forwarded the message to him and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait.

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STOP: Please read the author note below for information on how to save money, AND read the end of Dane & Lila's Story!!!