Chapter 178: The Power of Words

"Sometimes, when one person is absent, the whole world seems depopulated." – Allphonse de Lamartine

"It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else." – Erma Bombeck

"It is only too easy to compel a sensitive human being to feel guilty about anything." – Morton Irving Seiden

"For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change." – Ingrid Bengis


Blurry shapes surrounded Vaughn. He could feel electricity…a whip…he knew pain, but he couldn't make things out. It seemed everything was fuzzy around the edges, a hazy picture of the torture he knew all too well. A figure passed him in his pain induced delirium but he couldn't make out whom it was. Everything seemed ill defined, but he could hear the words…random phrases, distinct voices, laughter and screams.

"You're weak Mr. Vaughn…you're nothing…why would Sydney want you now? She never did…she never wanted you…" Sloane's smarmy voice said.

"It must just kill you to know I got there first…"

Pain…agony…electricity…

"Talented…soft skin…jasmine…"

"She liked it rough…enjoyed shackles…liked being tied up…"

"What we did together was not funny…"

"Pathetic! Trained operatives at SD-6, they could withstand SO much more…even your father lasted longer than this…"

Fire…burning…screaming…

"Where do we go nobody knows…"

"Back to the cell…pitiful face…"

"So weak…dead by morning…"

"Where do we go to draw the line…"

"She liked to scream – she'd scream my name as she came…liked it rough…made her scream like no other…"

Whipping…breaking…snapping…

"Her thighs wrapped so tightly around me…so wet and warm…"

"Perfect skin…intoxicating…intoxicating…strawberries, jasmine…arousal…I could make her so aroused…perhaps she would have joined in the fun torturing you…screams…she liked screams…could make her scream like no other…"

"Where do I go to fall from grace…"

"Scar on her thigh…Tel Aviv…"

Water…Music…terror…

"The pleasuring pain when she comes…how tight she squeezes her muscles and how hard her nails dug in my back…"

"Weak! I'm surprised you lasted this long!"

"She'll never want you!"

"God put a smile upon your face…"

"How sex and passion-drugged her eyes get when I thrust into her…the way her mouth goes slack for a split second before she screamed my name in a guttural and keening cry…"

Sydney's voice entered the fray, "So deep…love feeling you…OH GOD…I love running my hands up and down your chest…feeling your hot length pushing inside me…nothing between us…just skin to skin…you're my everything…"

Vaughn jerked awake, and winced instantly as his ribs contorted painfully. He coughed, trying to get his bearings again. He looked around the room, he knew he was in bed, and Sydney's face loomed above his an instant after he coughed.

"Vaughn?" Sydney asked, "Honey?" she touched his chest, "You're soaked!"

She looked over his form, he was shaking, trembling, and he looked slightly disoriented.

"Vaughn?" she asked again.

"Syd?"

"I'm right here baby…" she said moving closer, "Nightmare?"

He nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"It was just a dream," he said quietly, convincing himself.

"Yeah…what happened?"

"Just…torture…journal will have it…"

Sydney nodded, "Are you ok?"

He smiled shakily at her, "I…yeah…I…just…scary…"

She nodded again, running her hand up and down his chest.

He met her gaze, she saw fear and pain, discomfort and need.

"I…" he started, "I need you…"

Sydney smiled sweetly and nodded before she sat on his legs. She grabbed the bottom of his tee shirt and eased the wet garment over his head. She leaned him back and took off his boxers and then shed her clothes as well.

She just laid on him for a few minutes, waiting for his breathing to calm, his gaze to focus.

When it did, she reached down and stroked him a few times, getting him erect and ready. His eyes closed as he felt the sensation, so much different than what he had experienced, what he remembered from the hazy dream.

Sydney maneuvered him so that he was at her entrance and reached up to touch his face as she slowly lowered herself down on him. His head pressed back farther into the pillow as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rid his over imaginative brain of the horrid memories. He looked up at her, her face shining in the soft light that illuminated the room. She smiled down at him, watching his features relax and contort in pleasure.

"It's ok baby…" she said quietly as she slowly undulated herself up and down his shaft.

He looked up at her in awe and comfort, thankful that she was always willing to pull him out of the dark recesses of his mind.

He smiled slightly, and started to roll them over.

Sydney helped him do it, but concern was evident, "Be careful…you don't have to do this…" she reminded him.

"I want to…I need to," he said, finding a position that was suitable for his shoulder.

"You're going to hurt yourself again…"

Vaughn shook his head and began a gentle thrusting, having never left the confines of her warm depths.

He watched as her back and hips arched with his thrusts, her neck arching off the pillow every so often.

She felt so warm, so inviting, so safe and wet, silky satin and a hot grip that pulsed every time he pushed into her deeply. He could feel his own throbbing, mixing with hers, an insane heat bouncing off of their bodies in waves.

He could smell the distinct aroma of lavender…'she must have taken a bath,' he thought. As he watched her, other thoughts floated around in his head. 'Jasmine…strawberries…legs wrapped tightly around him.' He didn't analyze any of those in detail, but then his thigh brushed hers, and he felt a jagged and slightly rough, raised area that contrasted sharply with the rest of her smooth skin.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of images and sounds that started to creep in…'Sydney never wanted you…tightly wrapped around me…parting her lips as she came…so deep inside.'

He tried unsuccessfully to liberate himself from the incessant sounds, but no matter how much he shook his head or tried to will them out, they continued to play over and over in his mind.

'Thrusting deeply…wet and warm…liked it rough…never want you…'

'Of course she wants me…' he thought to himself, 'she's doing this willingly with me now…'

'Pathetic! Weak! Dead by morning…'

'Could a man with those qualities be on top, screwing his girlfriend? No,' was the answer he came up with.

But no matter how many times he answered the questions in his head, the voices stayed, 'Scar on her thigh…Tel Aviv…'

Vaughn was scared, but he was also getting angry…Sark and Sloane…they had no right…invading his thoughts in his most intimate act with Sydney…