Healing Hands (3 page)

Sophie stood under the warm water letting it wash away the rest of the dried blood from her hair
line, she was still in shock that a man had slept the night on her bed she hardly knew, yet it didn't
disturb her at all, there was something lovely about her guardian angel he had eyes you could not
only drown in but that seemed to command trust immediately, she had never felt safer than she
did at this moment.
Drying herself she raked through her drawers for some matching underwear, thanks to Jasper she
had a substantial array of sexy lace underwear and the largest selection of designer clothes she
could ever desire, she made sure she took all her favourites with her when she fled it would have
been a shame to leave them behind. The most revealing and fetish style underwear she didn’t of
course bring with her too many painful memories attached to those and she vowed that she would
never degrade herself for a man that way again no matter how much he begged. She settled on
her favourite pink set that gave her unrequired uplift, when she was a teenager she hated her
breasts as the boys always spoke to them rather than her face, she knew despite her above
average intellect men would always prefer a fondle than a conversation. Tugging on her best jeans
and a snug v neck navy sweater she combed through her hair and roughly braided it to the side
pulled on her vans and trotted downstairs following the aroma of coffee.
As she entered the kitchen Marcus took in her snug jumper that clung perfectly on her tight body
the bottom of the v showed enough of her delectable cleavage that his hard work of calming his
arousal was all but lost and the effect was making him twitch on the stool, her jeans showed off
her toned legs and perfect behind and her hair pulled back showed off her glorious bone structure
and edible neck, a pair of inquisitive stunning green eyes smiled sweetly at him she seemed aware
of his approving perusal and came to sit on the stool next to him where her coffee awaited.
“I need to thank you for all your help this past week you have done way more than necessary
please allow me to repay you somehow maybe I could cook something for you one evening?”
Marcus was thrilled she wanted to spend more time with him he knew she was not the type to be
swept off her feet this was a girl who needed slow careful baby steps to develop the relationship
he was hoping for with her.
“I am back on day shifts from Monday so my evenings are free, but it is possible you could repay
me with a huge favour, I would end up owing you until eternity if you agreed” Sophie was intrigued
“fire away doc”
“my sister Beatrice is getting married next weekend July 20th and they gave me a plus one invite I
have nobody to take and rather than sit through endless digs at my persistently single status, you
would shut them up and impress them at the same time, what do you think?”
A wedding was probably the last thing she needed at the moment, seeing people happy and in
love made her very aware of how her innocence had been taken and she would never be able to
find that fairy tale after she had been scarred so badly, still she really did owe this man for saving
her a very tricky hospital trip not once but twice. “OK doc when and where?”
The wedding was going to take place at a stately home in knutsford Cheshire, the ceremony would
be at 3pm then a dinner and dance in the evening they would need to stay over but his parents
had booked out a hotel and he could ask for two rooms, it sounded amazing although Sophie was
worried about spending a whole weekend with a man she barely knew but she loved the idea of it
at the same time. Marcus took her hand and looked serious for a moment.
“I have to confess something before we go that may be mentioned to you and I wouldn't want you
to feel awkward and unprepared,” he paused took a breath “ I was married to my sisters best
friend Livvy up until 5 years ago, we were very young very much together from the age of 14 and
we married as soon as we could both aged 19” he paused again and seemed to struggle to
continue Sophie in the meantime had started to hold her breath waiting for him to tell her they
were in trial separation and still had feelings for her but what came out was unexpected.
“she was taken from me “ he stopped again and looked at her with a tormented expression, “we
had a row during her birthday party she accused me of flirting with a fellow student which I of
course wasn’t, she stormed off straight to my brother and in an attempt to make me jealous she
kissed him, my brother and I had a strange relationship we were very close but he was a troubled
teen and had some bad times, according to him I was the golden boy and he always resented me
so of course he took the opportunity she gave him and thoroughly enjoyed the kiss. My temper
just blew and we started fighting while we were distracted Livvy panicked and raced off in my
sports car and wrapped it round a tree” Sophie found it hard to resist reaching out to comfort him
as his anguish was palpable she stroked his hand “we heard her roar away and I jumped in
Duncans car to follow her knowing she was well over the limit but I was too late by the time I got
to her she was dead”
Sophie was horrified he obviously held himself responsible “Marcus you had no way of stopping
that everyone rows she chose to run off you can't blame yourself” she held on to his trembling
hand and stroked it rhythmically. Marcus was taken aback by the contact and surprised at the
depth of emotion she had in her eyes “it was my fault I should never have let him get to me like
that” he was in a flood of emotion at this point, Sophie stood up went round to him and held him
gently he lay his head in the crook of her neck relishing the much needed intimacy, he looked into
her eyes then and she gasped her lips parted and he couldn't stop himself he thrust his mouth on
to hers and they began to kiss tenderly their tongues delicately tasting each other, Sophie pulled
away gasping for breath “Jesus Christ” she stepped back grabbing the breakfast bar to steady
herself, she was slightly mollified when she noticed he was just as badly effected. He shook himself
off “wow that was unexpected” he downed his drink and stood up, he stepped closer to her and
brushed his fingertips along her cheek and then lips, he wanted to grab her throw her over his
shoulder and carry her up to bed but that would have to wait, and after his revelation he didn't
think now was the right time to get amorous, she was receptive to him of that he was sure but he
knew she was special and required restraint on his part if he was to break down her barriers.
“ I need to get back home I need a fresh change of clothes and people will be wondering where I
have got to, I will phone you later with details for next weekend ” he had slipped back into formal
mode panicking that he had been too forward and had scared her off but she was looking at him as
if he was a miracle, “Marcus I know you need to go that was bad timing but I hope that will happen
again one day” she leant forward kissed his cheek and went back upstairs to lie down and recover,
the door shut quietly as he left she hugged herself , maybe she wasn't ruined for life after all
because at that moment she would have done anything he asked and longed to feel him all over
and inside her, “ a miracle “ she thought and closed her eyes as the tears came, happy ones for a
change.
Marcus was shaken but he knew that there was a connection between them he couldn't deny even
stronger than he had felt even with Livvy, this saddened him a little but cheered him too he drove
home excited about the future for the first time in years.

The following week dragged on for Sophie she rode a couple of times remembering Marcus day
shifts meant he wouldn't be about, they had spoken every day on the phone and even a few flirty
texts had passed between them, she felt like a teenager with her first boyfriend. They had
arranged details for Saturday but Sophie was nervous about meeting his family as they would
probably assume they were a couple or maybe Marcus had told them she was just a friend, any
way it bothered her that she may not be approved of or welcomed with open arms. The huge
dilemma that kept her awake most nights and was also triggering an increase in her night terrors
was the fact that Marcus had trusted her enough to confide in her about his late wife and she
knew if there was to be any chance of a relationship with him she would have to share her story
too, how much of it to share was her conundrum, she hadn't told him her surname purposefully
as it may give her away there was quite a lot of press at the time of the split, it would have to come
out eventually her name would come up at some point unless she faked her identity and that was
a ridiculous idea even for her. The extent her old injuries and the scars of abuse would be visible
the first time she appeared naked before him if she ever did of course and as a doctor he would
not be fobbed off with any tale he would want the facts, she was aware he must have seen a few
of her scars when he was nursing her wound but not the deeper ones on her back and revealing
how they came about could repulse him entirely, in fact the more she stressed about it the more
she realised a romance was almost out of the question.
Jasper was a deviant and enjoyed punishment sex but pain was definitely not pleasure for Sophie,
the intensity of his punishments increased over the months after he robbed her harshly of her
virginity the canes and whips were a regular part of his routine, at times Sophie begged and cried,
pleaded and screamed but this got Jasper more turned on so she shut herself off and withdrew
during his more imaginative sessions and her lack of emotion made him more and more vicious to
force a reaction from her and it became his favourite game. Sophie tried to put it to the back of her
mind until the weekend but she planned on telling Marcus before they got in any deeper.
By Thursday Sophie had decided she would tell him some of her past tomorrow as he was calling
after work for tea and to go over final arrangements, if their relationship had a hope of getting to
the next level she needed to set out her boundaries and make it clear what she could cope with
and also see whether he could handle her with all the baggage she carried. Deciding on an outfit
for the wedding was first priority now, a try on session was needed so she decided to ask for help
from Charlotte who was now a firm friend, Sophie had invited her around tonight for wine and
fashion show, Charlotte knew about Sophie’s trip with Marcus and was so excited and only too
happy to offer an opinion on her outfit, the evening turned out to be great fun Charlotte was great
fun and between them they settled on a Victoria Beckham designed deep blue tailored dress that
emphasised every curve along with a pair of obscenely high Jimmy Chu's. Once Charlotte had left
Sophie hung her outfit up ready and felt quite excited but she had to face Marcus tomorrow so she
curbed her excitement in case he decided she was too big of a risk for a respected Doctor.
Friday evening arrived Sophie had spent the day rewriting her CV it was time to make use of her
degree and prove to her mum that the sacrifices she made for her to get the best education were
not wasted, now her confidence was growing she felt ready to face a new challenge so next week
she would start job hunting. Marcus was due any minute she had worn her comfy clothes for
dinner tonight, she always felt vulnerable sharing emotions with anyone so she needed to feel
totally at ease, she had a couple of glasses of wine before he arrived. Marcus arrived freshly
showered and smelling delicious, he had also brought along another bottle of wine so by the time
they had eaten their meal Sophie had plenty of Dutch courage, as they sat relaxed on her sofa she
began her story “I want to share my story with you Doc, it’s only fair after you opened up to me
that you know exactly what you are getting into by befriending me” she took another large swig of
wine “I had a relationship up to 3 months ago with a very powerful millionaire called Jasper
Bonavia” Marcus face registered recognition and he instantly tensed up, Sophie tried to ignore hi
reaction and carried on” he swept me off my feet took care of me treated me like a princess and
eventually moved me into his apartment” Sophie told him how she was dragged into his special
room but the toned down the next events a little as she could see he was becoming less in control.
Marcus clenched his fists and struggled to keep his composure as he listened to her tell her story,
no details but enough to give him a clear picture of exactly what kind of monster had repeatedly
tortured abused and degraded this girl consistently for almost 2 years, he had so many questions
as he had read the story of her disappearance in the news, he also knew of her mother and
wondered how she hadn’t stepped in, how had he gotten away with it for so long without anyone
realising was beyond his comprehension. He looked at her visibly shaking a look of despair and
shame in her eyes it was almost enough to make him stand up and punch a wall, he had to reign it
in so she didn't for one minute that any of what she had shared with him would push him away.
She stopped talking when she came to the way she escaped it was obviously to painful she was
holding her arms around herself and looking at the floor, Marcus felt such sorrow for her and his
gut instincts were to pick her up and hold her until she felt whole, he held his hand out to her and
gently coaxed her to come to him “Sophie I want to look after you honey let me hold you tonight I
can't leave you alone like this not now” she nodded gratefully the tears started to flow he swept
her up like a broken child and carried her upstairs sat on the bed and held her until her sobs
subsided, “I need a shower “ she sobbed, he was aware victims of abuse showered obsessively to
erase the unclean feelings they had so he stood her up and helped her to the bathroom and then
closed the door softly listening to her sounds of anguish as she stood under the water for what
seemed like hours, he sat on the edge of the bed just in his trousers and waited for her to come
out, “Sophie are you OK?” she opened the door slowly his heart melted as she looked so broken
her ethereal pale face and red swollen eyes, she was trembling and looked nervous. “don't look so
scared sweetie tonight I am going to hold you all night nothing more, I want you to feel safe and to
show you how much I am honoured that you chose to open your soul to me, come here”
Sophie had come out expecting him to have left she looked at the gorgeous man in front of her
perfect torso tight abs, she licked her lips and was almost disappointed to realise yet another night
would be spent with her angel and still no passion, she knew this was the right thing though as sex
after those disclosures was the last thing on her mind she craved more just his compassion and
tenderness she was so grateful he was still here after her tale. She crawled under the covers and
Marcus climbed in behind her and he curled into her back and wrapped his strong arms around her
breathed in her wonderful aroma and the two of them soon drifted into a healing sleep.
Part way through the night Marcus was aware of whimpering noises and lifted his head to look at
Sophie she had curled up to the edge of the bed wringing her hands and murmuring little cries,
“no please no more please no” she was then thrashing about “Jasper no I can't breathe stop please”
Marcus was scared to wake her in case his presence scared her even more but she sat bolt upright
and screamed grabbing at her neck furiously. No more hesitation Marcus grabbed her arms
“Sophie stop its OK it’s me Marcus please you are safe now no one will hurt you” Sophie’s glazed
expression started to lift and she blinked at him “oh Marcus” she sobbed and threw herself into his
arms he pulled her into his body and rocked her until she stopped shaking, kissing and stroking her
hair whispering softly to her, he decided at that moment he was not going to let her sleep alone
ever again no way should she wake alone after a dream like that, eventually she calmed and fell
back into a sleep sobs still racking her body he looked down at her and snuggled back under the
covers pulling her closer despite the fact his body was alert to her proximity and behaving
inappropriately, it was hard to sleep as he could feel her soft breasts swelling and relaxing as she
breathed then her legs seemed to tuck in between his making her ass almost unbearably close to
his cock which grew steadily harder “this was going to be a long night he thought”
Sometime the next morning Sophie awoke to an empty bed she felt bereft that he had gone and
went downstairs to see if he was making coffee, instead she found a note