Page 52 of Empowered

He gently pushed me back down, to stop my assault. My hands flew upward, ready to fight him, nails ready to claw at him to make him suffer. With one hand, he grabbed both my wrists and pinned them over my head to the mattress—his grip squeezing so tightly that I’d have bruises to remember him by. Even in our rawest moments, we fought each other for control.

His other hand pushed my panties down. I kicked them off, freeing my legs from restraint. He worked his pants and boxers down enough to free the only part of him that was unapologetic for the pain it would cause me—the only pain that I wanted to experience right now. Without hesitating, he pushed his cock in until my swollen lips slapped against the base, causing us to groan and grunt in unison. All my aching thoughts ceased their torment on my brain. This feeling was the drug I needed to cure my depression.

His hand never left my wrists as he retracted and plunged into me over and over again. My knees fell apart, opening for him even more. I bridged my hips up slightly, forcing him to hit the sweet spot on my front inner wall. His head massaged that special area with each potent stroke. His pants huffed out in desperation as his speed quickened. With each pump into me, his expression mirrored the torture he felt inside. Torture from the need to feel more of me, to make this last. Torture over his decision to push me away.

My hips ground against him, matching his frenetic momentum. My need for release matched my need to draw this out. I never wanted this to be over. In the end, my body betrayed me, just like Shyam had betrayed me, slipping one foot over the edge of the cliff. Gravity took over, yanking me into the abyss. Violent screams left my body as I thrashed against the lightning that ripped inside of me, sending electricity coursing through veins. My body contorted off the mattress as if I had been electrocuted. The tensity of my muscles bearing down on his length sent Shyam thundering into the storm with me.

His body collapsed onto mine as we gasped for air without really finding the cleansing breaths we needed to center us.

When the high wore off, I remembered what had gotten us here. Wordlessly, I rolled over onto my side with my back facing him, curling back into the ball he had found me in. He spooned me from behind until my eyes closed and the room slipped into darkness one final time.

•••

“Ma’am, the car is ready for you,” Raj said from outside the bedroom door.

“I’ll be out soon,” I shouted so he wouldn’t offer to come inside to help me. I wanted to be alone.

I didn’t have any belongings here, except the snake pendant that I wore around my neck. It was pretty much all I had come to India with in the first place. I refused to take any of the clothes that Shyam had given me. I had one small carry-on bag with the bracelets Shyam bought for me at the market, which I was planning on giving to my mom as souvenirs. It would seem strange if I showed up empty handed if I were supposed to be willfully returning from a work trip. I had also tucked the letter of recommendation he had given me into a small pocket at the front of my bag. I hadn’t checked my email since I had been here, but I was sure an electronic copy was waiting in my inbox. Shyam had insisted that I take the cellphone he had given me too. I didn’t decline since I needed one in case of emergency on my way to Seattle.

I looked around the bedroom one last time. Soon after I left, the maids would clean up and remove any evidence of my time here. The next woman to grace this room would never know that I existed. My stomach churned at the thought of someone else sharing his bed.

To stop this destructive cascade of suspicion, I grabbed my bag and left the room without looking back.

I made way to the bottom of the stairs, where several staff members waited in a line. One of the men took my bag out to the car for me.

Nadia was the first to approach me. Instead of a polite goodbye or handshake, she grabbed me into a tight hug. “Goodbye, Nadia. You take care of yourself,” I said as I hugged her back.

“Goodbye, Mistress Amelia,” she said with tears in her eyes.

I held her face in my hands and smiled as I looked into her innocent eyes, “Stay out of trouble. No more spying on…people.” She glanced at Jai from the side and nodded in agreement.

Her sister was more polite and composed, offering me a handshake.

I moved down the line to Raj. He moved to bow to me, but I stopped him before he could. I pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for everything,” I whispered, fighting back more tears. Why did I have to be such a damn crier about anything emotional?

He cupped my face in his hand. “You are most welcome, my dear. Please take care of yourself and remember to eat well.”

I nodded. “I’ll try, but nothing can beat your food.”

He smiled in response, letting me go.

Jai was the last in the line. He knew the real reason I was being forced to leave but refused to tell me anything in solidarity with his brother. I was upset with him too, but I couldn’t hold it against him. Siblingsshouldstick together.

He wrapped me up in a tight hug and kissed the side of my head. “You take care of yourself, doll. I’ll miss you.”

I hugged him back, trying hard not to lose it in front of everyone. “I’ll miss you too.”

Lowering my voice so that only he could hear, I added, “Take care of him.”

“I always do.” He let me go and ruffled my hair like the big brother he had always been to me.

I turned to leave through the door, finally face to face with Shyam. He wore shades even though we were still inside of the house. I was sure they were mostly to hide his true emotions from me. His hands were in his pockets as he studied my face from the safety of his sunglasses.

Without saying anything, he walked to the car. I followed behind him. He opened the passenger side for me before moving to the driver’s seat. A blacked-out SUV was parked behind his car, ready with his security team to follow us to the private plane.

After we fastened our seatbelts, he drove out of the big gates of his estate. We rode in silence except for the sound of the car shifting gears. I didn’t know where to look in the awkwardness that blanketed us. I turned my head to stare out of the passenger window.

Lush, green farmlands surrounded the road. Men and women worked their fields, probably just going about their daily routine. Were any of them experiencing the same heartache that I was right now? Were they using their work to numb their pain? Did they succumb to tears at night when the work was done, and they were alone in their beds?

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