After finishing up with the last of his phone calls Gold made his way back down to his work room and to Regina. Every last one of her appointments had been transferred to the other girls. Regina had lost him his most valuable client and she was going to have to pay the price. He had a whole list of lowlife scumbags ready to be set upon the brunette tomorrow night, but first he was going to take his sadistic frustrations out on her.
The devil incarnate had Peter guard the door as he entered the room, he didn't like to be disturbed whilst he was 'working.' He dragged a thee legged stool from the corner of the room and place it in front of Regina, so he could sit down in front of her.
Regina was still aching and exhausted, and her stomach was rumbling but she was no longer falling in and out of consciousness. "Just get it over with Gold. I know you're going to kill me." She managed to croak out the words.
"That's very presumptuous of you Regina. I have no idea why you would think that." He spoke with a sickening smile on his face, as he picked up one of his knives that were set out on a small table next to the chair Regina was strapped in to. "I am just going to show you what happens when you let me down. I'm not going to kill you, but the men I have lined up for you tomorrow night probably will."
He finally saw the glimpse of terror in her eyes that had been missing earlier. He knew that the fate he had planned for her was what all his girls dreaded the most, to be passed around by more than a dozen men who would use the poor woman any way they saw fit. Whenever Gold had arranged for this particular punishment, in order to rid himself of one of his workers, it was because the girl was no longer of any use to him, so there were no rules on how she could be treated, which was why none of them ever survived the night.
She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped onto the arms of the chair, hoping that unconsciousness would visit her again so she didn't have to deal with any of this.
"Now, where shall we begin?" He picked up a scalpel and held it just under her left eye. "I don't suppose any of the men will care if you can see or not." The pleasure on his face was immeasurably when the brunette visibly panicked and pushed her head back as far as she could, but he pushed the tip of the scalpel just under the corner of her eye and she felt a stinging sensation.
A loud knock on the door had Gold pulling back. He shouted over his shoulder, "I have told you never to disturb me when I'm working!"
"It's important, Mr Gold." Peter shouts back rather weakly.
The old man gets up and makes his way to the door, opening it in a temper. Regina can feel a droplet of blood run from the corner of her eye and down the side of her nose, but she would be eternally grateful for the interruption. Whatever it was, she hoped it would mean Gold had to leave.
"It better had be or it will be your turn in the chair next." He snarled at Peter.
Neal was standing next to Peter, and he immediately hands over the phone in his hand.
"You're going to want to take this call." He says to his father.
He's angry at being disturbed but he knows they wouldn't disturb him unless it was important so he takes the phone. "Hello." He barks into the device.
"Hi, it's Emma Swan. I'd like to make an appointment." She assertively stated.
He glared at the two men in front of him. Yes, he liked to control the appointments but all his goons knew that when he was in this room they could set the appointments up and just tell him about it later. "Who are you interested in this time?" He asked with a controlled voice, he would of course take her money, but Peter and Neal would pay for their intrusion later.
"Regina." She assumed it was still okay for her to ask for the brunette as Gold hadn't said anything on their last call about Regina not wanting he client anymore.
Regina was straining to listen to the phone call. She couldn't hear who was on the other side but she desperately prayed that this phone call would take Gold away.
Gold slowly turned around and looked at the brunette. "And when will you be wanting her?" He asked into the phone.
Regina now understood that it was about her but she thought Gold had already passed all of her clients onto the other women.
"Is she free tonight?" The blonde queried. She knew it was very last minute but she'd missed the brunette and no amount of sex with other women was helping her. She had considered calling Tink but she knew in her heart it wasn't what she wanted, so she sent a text to tell the other blonde that she was just going to go to bed. It was a small lie but she didn't want to hurt the other woman's feelings.
Gold looked Regina up and down, she was in no state to be sent to a client. Not that he was concerned with her wellbeing, but he didn't want anyone of the punters to see the mess she was in. Apart from the small rivulet of blood from the corner of her eye and some bruising on the soles of her feet there were no other telling marks, but she could barely carry her own weight and she looked like a zombie.
"I'm afraid she isn't free tonight." He couldn't risk Emma seeing her in this state.
Regina's heart not only sank but completely crumbled. She had no idea it was Emma on the other end of the phone but if a client was calling specifically for her then it meant that she could be of some use to Gold and he wouldn't continue with what he was doing to her. Hearing him say that she wasn't available told Regina that Gold was beyond accepting requests for her, he really was done with her.
"Oh," she replied dejectedly. "What about tomorrow?" She couldn't give up on seeing the brunette again.
"Would that be for the hour or the full night, as usual?"
Regina's eyes shot open. It must be Emma on the phone! Emma still wanted her. She felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She really hoped it would be for their usual night together, it would mean she still had some value and she would be safe for the night.
"The full night, if possible." She could kick herself for cancelling it in the first place, what if the brunette wasn't available for the full night. Before making the call she had told herself that if she was going to continue having these nights with Regina she would make the most of them. No more worrying about being a creepy client because she knew she was too deep into the brunette to resist her feelings, so she might as well enjoy it.
"Hmm, I don't know. Other arrangements have already been made." He could hear the want in Emma's voice when she asked for the full night, and he was going to milk it for everything it was worth.
Regina's beating heart was becoming more erratic. She knew Gold liked to play games but surely he wouldn't waste a money making opportunity.
"I can pay you double." Emma suggested without missing a beat.
Very desperate indeed, he thought to himself. "I would be letting a lot of people down if I agreed to this," he pushed even further.
"Triple. If you can set up our normal arrangement for tomorrow I will pay you triple. Thirty grand to upset a few guys is pretty acceptable." The blonde said more sternly, she didn't care about anyone else, and she had no idea he was bluffing, she just wanted to have Regina back on their Thursday nights.
"Well, I suppose I can accommodate you on this occasion. Shall I reinstate the arrangement to continue for every Thursday?"
"Yes. Thank you. Every Thursday."
"Very well. Goodbye, Miss Swan." With that he disconnected the call and handed the phone back to Neal.
Regina wanted to smile and to cry in relief, but she wasn't going to do that in front of Gold.
"Well, well, it looks like you've been give a reprieve. It seems that for whatever reason, Miss Swan still wants you. I hope you have learnt your lesson from all of this," he leans in close, his nose almost touching hers as he grits out the words. "If you mess this up again, no amount of money will save you. Do you understand me?"
She nods her head frantically. "Yes, Mr Gold." Her voice still weak.
"Take her to her room, make sure she washes and has something to eat. We can't have paying clients thinking we don't take care of her." He orders Peter, as he and Neal walk away.
After being dumped unceremoniously on her bed by Peter, she took her towel off the shelf on the wall and wrapped it around herself so she could make her way to the shower. She slowly and painfully walked down the corridor to the communal showers.
Halfway down the corridor she heard Kathryn shout her name, followed by quick footsteps and two arms being wrapped around her.
"Oh Regina. I never thought I would see you again." Happy tears slowly make their way down the blondes face. "Oh my God, you're bleeding." She pulls back from the brunette, her hands on her shoulders as she looks her over. "What has he done to you? You look awful." Her tears now turning into sad ones at her friends condition.
"Shower." She croaks out.
Without any further ado the blonde wraps an arm around the brunettes waist and helps her walk to the showers. The blonde turns on one of the showers and keeps her hand under the spray until she deems it warm enough, then she helps her friend to get inside. Regina turns her face to the falling water and begins gulping down mouthfuls, relieving some of the soreness in her throat. Kathryn watches as her heart breaks for her friend. When she could see that Regina was struggling to wash herself she quickly stripped down and stepped in to help her.
When they were finished Kathryn quickly used Regina's towel to dry herself before slipping her clothes back on and then wrapping the brunette in the towel and helping her back to their room. She helped the weak woman to get dressed, when Peter walked in with a tray of mismatched leftovers from dinner.
"Gold said you had better eat it all. He doesn't want you showing him up by looking the way you do."
Kathryn took the tray off him and really wanted to hit him with it but instead she thanked him and promised him she would make sure Regina ate everything. Regina just wanted to sleep but she was so hungry she dug into the tray of rice and potatoes and whatever else was thrown in. Kathryn went to get her some more water and was doing her best to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill once again, she had to keep herself together for Regina's sake. Once the brunette had finished eating and drinking the blonde took the tray off her and helped her get under the covers.
The brunette mumbled something as her eyes began to close.
"What was that, hunny?" The blonde hadn't been able to make out the murmuring.
"Emma wants me." She said a bit louder, with a faint trace of a smile on her lips.
Kathryn couldn't help but smile. She'd had a feeling that there was more to Emma and Regina than just a client paying an escort for sex but she hadn't been able to talk to Regina since she'd had her appointment with Emma.
"I know she does." Everything was starting to make sense, why Regina kisses Emma and why the blonde couldn't get hard for her. "Get some sleep and everything will feel better in the morning." She had no idea if it would but things definitely couldn't get any worse for the brunette.
Regina drifted into a deep sleep, her mental and physical exhaustion taking over. Kathryn went to take the tray to the kitchen and refill Regina's cup with water. When she came back she placed the cup on their shared rickety table between their beds and set about getting ready for a night of work. She was so happy that Regina was back with her, she would talk to the brunette in the morning when the fragile woman would hopefully be feeling better.
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Emma was disappointed that she wasn't able to see Regina that night, but she was glad that Gold had managed to set it up for the following night. She wasn't going to fight her feelings for the brunette, she would just hide them and carry on as normal, Regina didn't need to know how she felt. They could just continue with the incredible sex and Emma would make the most of the 'girlfriend experience' that she was paying for. The blonde fell asleep a lot easier that night knowing that things would be going back to normal.
When she naturally woke up the next morning she had no idea what to do with herself. It was international week in Europe so the club games were on hold until next week. So with no training to attend and no media gigs, she actually had a few days off to herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had this many free days.
After a lazy breakfast at her leisure, she decided to hit her home gym, exercise was an everyday part of her life and she wouldn't stop just because she didn't having any soccer training. After her workout she decided she had nothing better to do so she went to do a few laps in her underutilised indoor pool. By the time she was finished, the morning was gone and it would be just under eight hours until Regina would be there. She kept thinking she wanted to do something nice for the brunette to make up for pissing her off last week. Fucking Milah and almost fucking Kathryn had shown the blonde that it wasn't just sex with Regina, it was more than that. She was going to jump into the girlfriend experience with both feet and to hell with the consequences.
Mind made up, she began scouring the internet for recipes, something special she could make for them to enjoy as they sat and chatted, instead of jumping straight into bed. When she decided on what she was going to cook she placed an order for the ingredients she needed, with a local high end, organic deli market who delivered the same day. Emma was by no means a master chef in the kitchen but she could follow basic instructions. She had considered simply ordering from a local restaurant but she really wanted to make this special, even if her cooking wasn't as good as a restaurants, Regina might appreciate that she tried.
Later that evening when she was beginning to prepare their dinner, she started worrying that maybe Regina had already eaten or maybe she would refuse the offer of food. She would cross that bridge when she came to it, she thought. She was paying thirty grand for this night and she wasn't going to let her worries ruin it for her. Her habit of overthinking often ruined things before she'd even given herself a chance.
The wine was in the fridge, along with the chocolate mousse she had made, the lasagne was layered in the baking tray and ready to be put in the oven at a moments notice. The antipasti platter was laid out on the dining table that Emma had set, and a vase of red roses was placed in the middle. She knew it was completely cliché but when Emma Swan set her mind to something she went full out. She kept checking her watch as 9pm slowly approached. The anticipation had been killing her and now that it was almost here, she was a ball of excitement and nerves.
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Regina had slept straight through the night, not even stirring when Kathryn had finally been able to crawl into bed sometime in the early hours of the morning. The blonde woke up midmorning but let the sleeping brunette keep resting until it was time for lunch. She had never seen Regina eat as quickly as she had the night before so she knew the woman hadn't eaten in days.
Gently shaking Regina's shoulder as she called her name, she roused the sleepy woman and told her it was time for lunch. "You can come straight back here for some more sleep once you've eaten," she tried to convince the weary woman.
"What time is it?" Her voice sounded a little better but it was still a bit hoarse.
Kathryn passed her the untouched cup of water from the table, which the brunette gladly swigged from. It's just gone one, let's get you dressed and fed, then you can always come back here, okay?"
The brunette put the now empty cup on the table and nodded her head in acquiescence.
The brunette felt so much better after having a good nights sleep and now a full belly, Kathryn had given her friend half of her own lunch when there was no sign of the hungry woman's appetite being sated.
The lunch room was relatively empty so Kathryn decided to delicately broach the subject of Regina's situation over the last few days.
Regina whispered everything that had happened to her, her friend holding her hand and comforting her as she listened intently. "I'm still shocked that Emma has changed her mind." She added at the end of her woeful tale.
"I'm not." Kathryn simply stated.
"What do you mean?" Curiosity written across her face.
"Well, urm, she couldn't get it up for me." The blonde would never have divulged that information to anyone but her best friend.
Regina looked shocked, Emma never had a problem with anything like that, she was a complete stud. "I don't understand."
Kathryn tried it from another angle. "Do you kiss her, Regina?"
Her olive cheeks immediately burned red. She hadn't thought about that fact that Kathryn would find out that she breaks that rule with Emma.
"I'll take that as a yes. You like her don't you?" the blondes voice soft and full of understanding.
"I know it's stupid. I'm just some whore and she has the whole world at her feet but she treats me well. Sometimes when she looks at me, there's something there that I can't explain." She takes her hand from Kathryn's so she can wring both her hands together.
"I think she likes you too." A smile on her face a she makes the statement.
Regina narrows her eyes at her friend, not believing her.
"Seriously. I mean she really couldn't get it up and urm, she had an appointment with Milah the next night and I managed to find something out." Kathryn and Milah were by no means great friends but after her appointment with Emma, the brunette had sought out Kathryn, her ego having taken a bit of a battering after realising what Emma had needed to do to be able to finish.
"What did you find out?" Her curiosity more important than her jealousy at that moment.
"Well, apparently Emma had to look at your picture on her phone to actually be able to finish when she was with Milah."
The brunette was trying to let all of this information sink it. Was it possible? Did Emma feel something towards her? Her heart swelled with an odd sense of pride, it was a ridiculous situation, but she wanted to believe what she was being told.
"But why did she not leave me a tip, and why did she cancel out regular appointment?" She wasn't really asking Kathryn for answers, more like she was thinking out loud. But nonetheless Kathryn answered her.
"Like I said before, maybe she was in a rush that morning, you were sleeping so you don't know if she had only woken a few minutes before you. As for cancelling the appointments, I don't know but she's famous, she probably had some other commitment pop up or something. I don't know, but it's obvious to me that she likes you."
For the first time in days Regina gave a full smile. In the blink of an eye things were looking up, she couldn't trust that everything was going to be okay, but compared to how things were less than twenty four hours ago, she felt ecstatic. They went back to their room and Kathryn helped pick out Regina's outfit for the night, before the brunette took a nap, her body still trying to recuperate from the trauma it had suffered.
Neal was the one to collect her when the time came. Kathryn had borrowed Regina a pair of her black knee high boots, they had the smallest heels out of any of the shoes that the two woman had. They aggravated her already tender feet but they were better than anything else she had tried on. Over her red lacey underwear she wore a short, sleeveless red dress that was just a touch too tight for her. She was out to impress Emma, and this dress accentuated all of her curves, whilst revealing ample cleavage, so she would make-do with the slight tightness.
Her gait was slow and tentative and she did her best to minimise the pain in her feet as she walked down the corridor. Neal noticed this and shoved her to hurry up, all the while laughing, as she winced, but obediently walked faster.
The limousine pulled up in Emma's drive and Regina was about to get out when Neal turned around in his seat to give her a stern warning.
"You had better do whatever she says tonight. If she's want to stick it in your arse then you let her. There will always be a place for you in the basement if you fuck this up again, and next time my father won't be so forgiving. Now get the fuck out and do the only thing you're good at."
Regina stepped out of the car and fought every urge she had in her to slam the door shut. She hated that asshole and the way he spoke to her. She closed the door gently and walked up the steps to the front door. Taking one deep breath she knocked on the wood.
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To anyone who is still reading this story, thank you so much. I know it's been pretty dark and difficult to read in parts, but most of that stuff is over with now. There will still be some angst but for the most part, the story can now start to focus on Emma and Regina's journey together. I'm still not sure where this will be headed but I have a few ideas and I hope you can trust me to deliver a story you will enjoy.
A special thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment and offer feedback, it has been appreciated and very helpful. xxx