As you might have been able to tell by how long this update took, this chapter was difficult to write. Sky is my first evil OC, and I am so glad that you all have shown an interest in getting to know him. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, though it is pretty twisted.

Your reviews keep me writing. Thank you.

Nothing But A Lie

Chapter 7

He had somehow known his entire life that he was…different from the rest of his family. He was the only one out of his siblings who had problems with other kids in school, specifically people picking on him and calling him names. Ugly, fat, weird, gross…he'd heard it all. It was the worst when he was in middle school and had gone through what his mother so teasingly called his "chubby phase". Boys and girls alike were relentless in junior high.

Even when he'd gotten into high school and grown taller, somewhat evening out his weight, he still struggled with acne and a mouth full of braces. His gawkiness seemed never ending, and going up against his beautiful, perfect siblings and parents, it was a constant reminder of what he was not. He never seemed to fit in with his family, or feel like he belonged anywhere.

Sky's athletic ability, which he'd gained from hard work and endless practice, was the only thing that had been going for him. He was a starter on the varsity basketball team as a sophomore, a pretty impressive accomplishment for such a big school. Still, it wasn't enough to attract much attention from his parents, or even girls, his awkwardness and underwhelming looks not at all likeable.

He'd had a huge, obvious crush on Blake Jameson throughout high school, a girl on the cheerleading team. She was petite and blonde; her eyes pale green and condescending, yet he had been enchanted for years. Everyone knew of his liking for the girl, as he was often teased for it, by her and especially by the other boys who reminded him every chance they got that he would never have someone like her.

How he'd wanted jam his pocketknife into their goddamned muscular guts.

The very worst moment of high school was during his junior year, when Blake had asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance one day during lunch. Of course, he shouldn't have hoped that she was being genuine. Of course he shouldn't have said yes right away with eagerness, only to have her laugh in his face and yell for nearly everyone in the cafeteria to hear, "Oh my God! You actually thought I was serious? That is so sad!" A chorus of laughter from everyone nearby followed.

It was one of the most humiliating moments of his entire life, and yet…he had still wanted her so badly. He remembered feeling like he had to have her. Throughout the rest of that day, he'd had the strangest urge to find her after school and make her go home with him. He'd daydreamed about locking her in his bedroom and having her there, waiting for him whenever he wanted.

Of course, he'd known that was impossible. He would have to content himself with being alone…probably forever. That wasn't the case now.

Now, as he sat at the head of the table, in a conference room full of people, a smug smirk could not be wiped off his face. Christine, gorgeous, perfect, delicious Christine had come for him last night. Had come because of him, and she hadn't even struggled. He wanted nothing more than to strut into his next high school reunion with his lean muscled body that he'd worked hard for, and her on his arm. How he wanted to rub it in all of their faces that he had a young, sweet, beautiful blonde angel that they would never have, or would never be. He would have loved to show Blake Jameson how he'd gotten something much, much better than she ever was.

Too bad the next reunion wasn't for another two years.

Licking his lips, Sky could have sworn that he still tasted her sweetness on his tongue. He had gained enough experience in college—once his braces were removed and his face had cleared, it wasn't near as hard to get girls—and in his one long-term relationship on how to please a woman.

He'd told Christine to be still, but she'd squirmed, her hips swaying despite his restraining hands on her thighs, her back arching. Of course he hadn't minded that. It was hot. The sound of her sighs, her moans, and her overwhelmed, pleasured sobs, all coming from her perfect voice…it was almost way too much, almost enough to make him come a second time in his pants like some inexperienced teenage boy, rather than a grown man.

"Mr. Payne? The new rates for two bedroom…?"

The general manager broke him from his thoughts, and he attempted to actively engage with his staff for the rest of the meeting, unable to shed the secret smile from his lips. He couldn't wait to get home and see her again.

Christine could not get clean.

At first, she had merely lied on her side on the bed, staring at the wall and sobbing violently, even though it only made her head pound more. Then, after there were no more tears left to shed, she'd ventured to the bathroom and ran the shower as hot as it could go. Whimpering, she had used the burning water and her body wash to viciously scrub every inch of her skin. Even when she was raw and red, she washed some more, barely able to breathe with the amount of steam in the bathroom. She must have been in the shower for a whole hour, and it still wasn't enough.

She still felt dirty.

There was no way to wash away the shame, the confusion, the disgust. She could not wash away him no matter how hard she tried, and the realization was so frightening that she very nearly screamed. But only one person would hear. And that person was the very reason for all of her suffering.

When she finally gave up and got out, she wiped the foggy mirror with a towel, staring at her naked, traitorous body in the glass, the skin pink and tender. Why, God? It was the question that had echoed in her mind over and over. How could this happen to her? She had been faithful, devoted to her religion her entire life, even after her parents died, and this was how she was being repaid? By having her life stolen, her innocence taken? Are you even there, God? Are Mama and Papa even watching over me anymore?

With everything that had happened, everything that has yet to happen that no doubt would, she was not so sure anymore.

Her head still ached and her stomach rolled with nausea, and she dressed quickly and made her way into the kitchen for ibuprofen and something to eat. Sky still hadn't returned, and she was thankful for that. Her skin prickled whenever she thought about having to see him again, especially after…last night.

It was difficult not to be assaulted with memories, though blurry they were from the alcohol she'd consumed. It was hard not to remember how…good she had felt. Good and awful. It was all so confusing. So scary.

Unable to dwell on those thoughts for long for fear of making herself sick, Christine shook them away and opened the pantry. She found some crackers and chewed on a few, keeping it safe, washing them down with low calorie orange juice. Sky always bought healthy stuff like that, either low-calorie or non-fat, or organic. It was weird. Didn't men usually scarf down whatever food they wanted? She missed going into her fridge for ice cream or a fizzy coke whenever she wanted. The sweetest thing Sky bought was chocolate flavored protein powder, and she thought it tasted icky.

Icky…she felt icky. No matter how hard she tried…in the back of her mind, it was there, and it would not disappear. It felt good. You liked it.

No, it couldn't be. She'd hated it. She hated being exposed to anyone at all, let alone the very man she despised. She hated being held in place by his groping hands. She hated the sounds she'd made, the feelings her body had experienced that she couldn't control.

So why couldn't she stop thinking about it?

Groaning inwardly with shame, Christine put away the crackers and juice and made sure she had everything ready for school the next day. It was something to look forward to, at least, even though with Sky's ring she knew she didn't have much of a prayer of escaping. But…she had to think that she would find a way. She would not be able to live if she knew there was no hope of getting away from him.

Sitting on the couch, she pulled out the folders and notebooks in her small, pale pink backpack. Luckily, she had been smart enough to print out her class schedule as soon as she had been all signed up for the semester. Otherwise, she would have had to ask Sky to get it for her, and she hated asking him for things, hated the beaming smile he would flash whenever she relied on him in any way.

Looking the schedule over, she was most excited for her voice lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Professor Chan. Christine had had her all last year, and she really noticed improvement in her vocals. Plus, the woman was gentle and funny, and just really fun to be around. Maybe even someone she'd grown close to, someone she could trust…

The front door opened, and Christine tried not to grimace as Sky came in, wearing his usual work attire: navy slacks, pale blue button down, sleeves rolled up at the elbows. It was so frustrating seeing how…normal he seemed. He wasn't ugly. He was fit, clean. His breath never smelled. He wore more than enough cologne. Why on Earth did he need to kidnap girls nearly half his age? It's not like he would have trouble finding women that would willingly date him.

Seeing the exact smile she couldn't stand filled her with rage…and then her cheeks heated with memories of the previous night. Still, she smiled as sweetly as she could. "Hi, Sky."

He tried not to laugh. She really was a horrible actress. But hey, at least she was trying. "Hey, baby. Missed you." He sat next to her, leaning over to kiss her hair, damp with the shower she must have taken. "What are you up to?"

"Just…looking over my class schedule." Her skin crawled as he rested a hand on her leg, though the fabric of her capris covered them. Assaulted by his scent, she tried not to wrinkle her nose.

He pretended to look it over with her, though he'd already memorized it perfectly. "I'll be dropping you off every morning and waiting for you by the time you're done."

Her heartbeat quickened. "Oh…I can just take the bus, Sky. You don't have to do that." Her voice shook. He lips were brushing her cheek.

Sky scoffed. "I don't think so, baby." His mouth was on hers, gentle but insistent, and she whimpered. He tried to deepen the kiss, and her fingers dug into the paper she was holding, probably leaving permanent creases. Of course, he noticed her stiffness, her still lips, and his fingers tangled in her hair.

"You know better than to not respond, Christine," he threatened, kissing her harder. She had no choice but to kiss him back, her lips curled in disgust all the while.

Of course, Sky felt it, and that wouldn't do for him. Not at all. He gripped her hair tighter, feeling her gasp sharply at the pain. He ignored it, pulling back slightly to stare into her frightened, wide eyes. "I don't think you're being very respectful to me right now, do you?"

"I c-can't-"

"Yes you can," he growled. "Remember last night? How you responded to me so sweetly?" Yeah, but maybe it was because you got me drunk first. His hungry mouth was on her neck, and she only sat there, fighting back tears of anger and hate and fear. "You're going to have to keep that up, Christine, if you really want to go back to school. You need to convince me."

She was unsure of what possessed her to do it. His threat maybe, or perhaps it was the rage that was bubbling up inside of her that desperately needed to be released in some way. But instead of pushing him off or hitting him like she really wanted to, she did something much different. Her fingers dug into his thick, dark hair, grabbing and pulling his head out of her neck. She barely caught a glimpse of his brown eyes, wide and startled, before she crushed her lips to his.

Feigning enthusiasm, she kissed him hard, hating every moment of it but glad to have some was to take out her anger. Though it only served to please the very person causing it. Which only made her…angrier.

Thrilled, Sky pulled her onto his lap until she straddled him, and thrust his hips up to meet hers. He was extremely—although pleasantly—surprised how violent little Christine could be with her kiss. He groaned in pained-pleasure when she tugged on his hair, switching from pulling him away and pulling him closer every few seconds. Her tongue tangled with his, clumsy, yet hot. She was…so hot. And knowing that he was the only man who got to experience this from such an angel was titillating. He was rock hard in his pants, and he clutched her hips, moving them to grind against him.

This was not how she had seen the afternoon going. She should have known that after last night Sky would be coming back for more. But just how much more did he want?

Christine broke their kiss, gasping and looking anywhere but at him, and made to get off his lap. Of course, his insistent hands held her in place. "Where do you think you're going?" he rasped, moving his lips back to her neck.

"I…I thought…"

"You thought what?" he scoffed. "I made you come so hard last night, baby. Remember?"

She shivered in disgust. Is that what he called it? She wanted to retch.

"You're going to do the same for me. That is, if you want to go to class tomorrow."

All of the color drained from her face, her head going dizzy and her body going numb. She swallowed hard, refraining from bursting into tears like she wanted to. She could never do what she wanted to anymore. Now she had to do whatever he wanted.

"What do you want me to do?" she whispered.

Sky pulled back to see her face, resigned with a hint of fear, and he offered her a gentle smile. "Nothing too scary, I promise." He stroked her hair and kissed her softly, picking her up and carrying her toward the bedroom.

He set her down on the bed and closed the door, and she could feel her quick pulse thudding in her neck. Sky closed the blinds on the only window in the bedroom, blocking out the early afternoon light. The room was dark now, and Sky came to sit next to her.

"I want you to touch me," he said quietly, taking one of her small, soft hands into his and placing it on the bulge in his pants. He heard her sharp inhale, pretended it to be one of pleasure rather than fear, pretended that she was thrilled to touch him.

For Christine, the next moments were a blur of silent tears and unspoken protests, of numbness and light-headedness and the never-ending shame. Sky had unzipped his pants and freed himself, red, swollen, hard…and she could not look for more than a second. He taught her how to touch him, until he eventually found his pleasure, and when she saw the thick liquid that coated her fingers afterward, she ran into the bathroom to vomit.

"Come on…answer me…" The man grumbled into his phone, each additional sound of the dial setting him on edge. It had been the fifth time he tried calling, and he realized he should have known how difficult it would be to reach him on such short notice, even on a Sunday afternoon. Either he was busy doing…who knows what, or he was simply ignoring his old teacher and friend. Still, the man called over and over, needing to reach him desperately.

When he finally answered with an irritated, "What?", the Iranian man sighed in relief. Of course he'd just been ignoring him this whole time.

"Well, hello to you too, Doctor Gabriel," he said, grinning.

"Yes, yes, what is it you want, Khan?" Even sighing sarcastically, the voice was unnaturally pleasant sounding. As it had always been. He would expect nothing less.

Nadir Khan leaned back in his desk chair, saying conversationally, "I heard you just finished your doctor of musical arts." Silence. "Congratulations! That's…wonderful. I'm proud of you, man."

A pause. "Well…I finally decided to put all that inheritance to…practical use," the voice grumbled. "Listen, are you going to get to the point, old man? Or do I need to mute you for fifteen minutes while you jabber on about nothing?"

"Alright, I get it," Nadir chuckled. "I'll just come right out with it, then. Did you by chance get your all level certification?"

"…Yes."

"Good. Then I want you to come work for the university."

A scoff. "Hasn't the semester already begun?"

"It starts tomorrow, actually…but I kind of need someone immediately, rather than having to cancel classes until we find someone. One of our head vocal professors unfortunately passed away a few days ago, and the board decided to hire someone new and put it on me to find that person. I couldn't think of anyone better qualified than you."

"Yes, because a grotesque masked man fresh out of graduate school with no previous experience and poor social skills would be the most qualified to teach your college students."

"What else would you do with that degree? Teach high school? Look," Nadir pleaded. "I'm desperate here. You're the smartest, most talented student I ever had. You won't have to interview or anything; the board trusts my judgment that much. And you can use the lesson plans left from the previous professor until you come up with your own. Please?"

A long, irritated sigh. "How many classes will I be responsible for?"

Nadir took his question as a good sign, and he pumped his fist in the air silently, grinning. He named off the classes quickly, reading from his computer. "We were able to get most of the vocal lessons covered by other professors, but there's still one student we just wouldn't be able to move without changing her entire schedule. So you will have to meet with her twice a week for private lessons. But other than that and your classes, that's all you will be responsible for."

"Sounds simple enough. Salary?"

Nadir barked out a quick laugh, naming it.

"Christ, Khan, I could find a job that makes twice that, easily."

Nadir rolled his eyes. Maybe…but sure as hell not in your degree field. He didn't say that. "It's a small university, okay? Just…please, try it out, and if you hate it, I'll look for a replacement right away. Please?" He waited, but there was still silence. "When are you ever going to get an opportunity like this, doing what you are meant to do?"

"Oh, calm down, old man!" the voice snapped, irritated. A huff and a very, very long pause followed. When he finally spoke again, Nadir was leaning forward in his chair in anticipation. "I suppose…there is no harm in trying it out."

"Really?" Nadir cheered. "Oh, thank you! I'll email you all the information you need right now, and call or text if you have any questions at all. I, uh, look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Erik."

"I do not need your lies, Khan. Just send it over." Click.

"But…" Ah, he had already hung up. Nadir let out a long sigh, half in relief, half in annoyance for his dramatic friend. No…he should not think of him as being dramatic. He'd been through so much, and was just now getting his life together at thirty years old. He was finally going to have a career like a regular person…though he was anything but.

Nadir Khan was proud of him, of course. But he knew him very well. And he also knew that he would have to keep a close eye on Erik…just in case.