The sky rumbled and Alea woke. She was alone and the room was dark - but not as dark as it bad been. A glance to her left and she read the time being projected 2 inches above a circular metal device on her bedside table. It was 5:58am, two minutes before she normally got up for school. She wouldn't be going to school today, though. Too many questions would be asked when people saw her bruises. She was never allowed back in to school after a beating until the marks had faded sufficiently. It meant the school complained intermittently about her attendance record, but her grades were more than enough for them to sweep the complaint aside as long as she promised to 'try and improve'. She was a star student: captain of the cheerleading team, captain of the netball team, class president and A* grades across the board. She would never admit it to anyone, but Alea loved school. It was a place where she could relax (even just a little bit) and interact with people who were her own age and who didn't carry concealed weapons. She loved how they adored her, how all the girls wanted to be like her and all the boys wanted to -
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.
The alarm interrupted her thoughts. She rolled onto her side and reached over, gasping at the sharp pain that shot down her ribs. Grimacing, she waved her hand over the metal circle and the noise cut off. Yeah...definitely not going to school today.
The rain pattered against the window and the sky rumbled once again. A summer storm. She closed her eyes, unsure of how long she had been sleeping. She didn't want to go back to sleep but she didn't want to move either. Her body was stiff and sore from the beating and her jaw ached. A dim flashing made her open her eyes again and glance back to her left. The LED light on her phone was blinking, signalling that she had a message. She must have missed that before. Bracing herself, she rolled over and picked it up, holding it abover her face to read the screen:
1 New Message: Thorn
Her heart beat quicked a little and she hated herself for it. He'd gotten her into this mess. He was older than her and he messed girls around and he would never take her seriously. But she still liked him. Damned hormones.
She slid the bar across and unlocked the phone. She was forbidden to have a passcode so that her father or his men could check she wasn't secretly communicating with the police or a rival cartel member. As if she would. One tap and the message was revealed:
00:37 Hey, you awake? X
How disappointing.
She typed back a reply and a second later her phone buzzed as Thorn responded.
06:01 Yes.
06:01 Yeesh talk about a late reply... ;)
She smirked and continued the conversation.
06:01 You deserve it
06:02 Fair...although you didn't have to come with x
06:02 Whatever.
06:02 Hahaha you know I'm right. Just don't want to admit it :P
06:02 Are you still in bed? X
06:02 Change of subject much? :P I am actually...and it's feeling cold...
Her heart beat quickened again and she bit her lip. A clear invitation...but would it be too obvious if she took it? Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard.
6:03 Was that a hint? It wasn't very subtle
06:03 It was subtle compaired to what I wanted to say
She bit harder into her lip and tried to steady her breathing. Be cool.
06:03 What did you want to say?
06:03 Come and fuck me.
She trembled. Thorn was good in bed. Very, very good. Of course, it helped that she had formed some kind of attraction to him. Damn it, if he was offering, she wasn't going to say no.
06:04 Say please
She sat up and realised she was still wearing yesterday's clothes. The top was ripped at the sleeves and hem so when she pulled it over her head she dumped it in the bin. She jeans were still okay...but it was hard getting them off when she was so stiff. A bit of ...exercise was what she needed to loosen her muscles. She had to be fast, if she took too long he would think she actually cared about what she looked like. She did, but she didn't want him to know that. Going to her drawers she pulled out a fresh pair of pajamas, a lacy top and shorts set from Victoria's Secret that showed more skin than they covered. Grabbing her brush from the nightstand, she pulled through her tangles and used her hands to rough it up a bit, giving herself the perfect 'sexy bedhead' look. A quick spritz of her deepest, most sensual perfume and she was ready. She walked to the door, trying not to limp and picking up her phone from the bed on the way out.
1 New Message: Thorn
06:04 Please.

His room was darker than hers had been. She pushed the door open and slipped inside, closing it firmly behind her. A glance around showed her his outline in the bed, lying on his back.
"You know I didn't think you'd take me up on my offer."
She moved forward, feet sinking into the thick carpet. His room was like hers only smaller: on the first level was a sitting area with a leather sofa, coffee table and TV mounted on the wall. Behind the sofa and to the right were three steps leading up to the sleeping area. A Superking bed with two bedside tables sat at the back, while a large desk and floor lamp occupied the front. The whole top section was divided from the first level by glass panelling at waist height.
"Offer?" She finally acknowledged, trailing her fingers along the edge of the sofa.
A pause, then: "Request."
She smiled, moving her hand to the metal bannister that marked the edge of the stairs.
"I needed some way of stretching out my muscles now, didn't I?"
He hummed nonsensically as she entered the bedroom area and walked across the floor and around the side of the bed. She knew he wasn't really listening to her reply. He reached for her almost as soon as she slipped under the covers. His mouth covered hers and for a moment she allowed him to kiss her.
"You liar. You told me your bed was cold." She scolded him, pulling away slightly.
"Mmn." Was his only reply. He didn't care for her banter anymore.

"Fuck." Thorn panted, collapsing onto his back next to her, "That was good."

It had been better than good. Her body trembled still, heart racing, head floating. She felt his hand on her face and looked up. He had turned to her, watching her reaction to him.

"Damn. Barst got you pretty good huh?"

She guessed he was referring to her face, which was no doubt bruised and a little swollen. She ignored his comment and stroked his chest gently, running her fingers over the dark blotches which had not been there the morning before.

"You too."

He shrugged, "I've had worse."

"Me too."

He gave her a wry smile. It wasn't a lie.