Hope (6 page)

A few hours later Damon walked out Don’s office. He grabbed
her hand and began pulling her out of the room. She went willingly.

****

Shelley watched the couple go. She couldn’t believe the
innocent girl was shacking up with a guy like Damon. Even she wouldn’t touch the
man.

“She’s too innocent for this place,” Trevor said, shuffling
a pack of cards.

“No innocent at any age deserves to be in this world.”
Shelley downed Penny’s drink and then made her way to Don’s office.

The older man was sat at his desk with his head in his
hands.

“I should have sent her away,” he said.

She closed the office door and flicked the lock in place.
When she turned back to the man in question, he stared back at her waiting.

“You couldn’t send her back. Grimes
is
the worst of all. He runs his area with greed and an iron fist. Look what
happened to the last woman you sent back,” she said.

One of Grimes’s women had escaped into Don’s area. He had sent
her back, and she later turned up on the border between them. She’d been raped,
beaten, and starved. Shelley knew from that moment on, Don would never send a
woman back to her death.

“Did you see her? She’s innocent and walking this world
alone. Damon told me she had a family. The girl moved into the apartment block
where he’s staying. He stopped her being hurt last night.” Don ran his fingers
through his hair.

She would need to cut his locks very soon. Shelley knew she
was the only person he trusted coming close to him with a pair of scissors.

“What will you do?” she asked. “Grimes
is
well known for starting trouble when he finds his people in other areas.”

“I’ll deal with it when it comes. Do you really think I
should have sent her back?”

“I don’t think you should send her back, Don. However, if I
had to choose between you or her, you’d win every time.”

He opened his arms to her. She went to him willingly. Very
few people knew about their relationship. Don didn’t advertise it, and Shelley
kept it to herself. If they found out that the leader of an area was in love,
she’d become too valuable. They had heard of people hunting for the families of
the leaders. Tristan Kendrick, the leader of Area Four, had been driven insane
when Grimes snatched his family. They’d turned up on the beach dead. The gossip
going around the rumour mill was that Tristan was crazy and plotting to destroy
all other areas. Again, this was only a rumour, and she didn’t know if any of
it was true.

She didn’t know how much was true. Don had made sure she
never ventured far from his side.

His arms surrounded her. His breath was hot against her
stomach.

Within moments, his fingers began stroking a path from her
back down to her ass. The mini skirt she wore was easily moved out of the way.

He stared up at her with his cheek resting on her stomach.
She saw the desire in his eyes. They’d been disturbed when Damon demanded to be
seen. No one knew whom Don was fucking. They knew it was a woman or maybe a
different woman every time. None of them knew it was always her. On the day
he’d taken her, Don had sworn to her that no other women would ever fill his
heart or his bed. In a world filled with hate, Shelley knew a good man when he
was in front of her.

Don put her on the desk, opening her legs wide. She moaned
as his hand palmed her pussy. His fingers slid down her slit.

“You’re always so wet for me,” he said.

She reached between them, unbuckling his belt and grabbing
his cock in her fist. He growled while she pumped his shaft.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard.”

Shelley knew what he’d do to her. She couldn’t wait. His
cock was long, thick, and hard. The tip leaked his pre-cum on her hand. Letting
his cock go, she licked his sperm off her hand. His eyes darkened to the shade
of charcoal.

Without waiting further, he pressed the tip of his cock to
her pussy and slammed inside.

She covered her mouth to try to contain her screams.

Don saw her struggling and moved her hand out of the way. He
covered her mouth with his own and then slammed inside her.

He stretched her walls with his thrusts. The power behind
his fucking took her breath away. He knew how to work her pussy and bring her
to a screaming orgasm.

“No one is allowed to hear you, Shelley.”

She pushed up to meet his thrusts.

When her screams died down, he released her mouth to rip the
bra from her body. Her tits sprang free, and within seconds his mouth was
sucking her nipples.

Don fucked her hard on his desk forcing her to take all of
him. She felt him swell, and the cry that broke from his lips was lovely to
hear. Like every time before, he pulled out of her pussy and spurted his seed
over her belly.

They’d been caught out once before when he climaxed inside
her. Pulling out wasn’t the safest method, but it was all they had.

Shelley shut her memories off from another time. He fingered
her slit until she shuddered with her release, silently on his desk.

“I love you,” he said.

She held him close. “I love you, too.”

There was a time when the words were enough. Shelley knew it
was starting to hurt too much, being silent about their feelings.

Chapter Five

Damon walked back home thinking about the job that Don had given
him. Several of their farmers had been attacked and the produce stolen. Don
didn’t know who was responsible, but he wanted the bastards caught. The thieves
had crossed a line last week when one of their dearest friends and farmers was brutally
killed for protecting his supply of carrots.

It was so stupid. If they went to Don, he’d be more than
happy to increase the supply of food. The weather was unpredictable, and they
had an entire preserving facility that took half of the produce and preserved
it in case of a shortage.

Three years ago, they’d suffered nothing but heavy rain. The
rain had flooded all of their fields killing off many of the crops. They’d
survived the winter and summer on preserved food. Every year, Don made sure
there was enough food to eat and plenty put by in case of a bad season.

Don was sending security around to all farms. They would
stay until the thieves were caught.

“You’re very quiet,” Penny said.

“I’m thinking,” he said.

Penny grew silent by his side.

He knew she was scared. Her first night of work was tonight.
Damon wondered how the men would take to her. Her blonde hair and natural
beauty would be much appreciated. He hoped none of the other women grew
jealous. The last thing he needed was to break apart a fight between the girl
he was protecting and the women he’d been looking after for years.

Several of
those women you’ve fucked as well.

Do you want
them giving Penny the details of how you like to fuck hard and fast?

“Are you worried about tonight?” he asked.

“Yeah and no.”

“Which one is it?” He took her arm as a band of men walked
out of a shop. They stared at her like she was a chunk of meat to be eaten.

She went with him without hesitation. He fingered the knife in
his pocket as he walked to the apartment block.

They walked up the stairs together. Damon kept her close by
his side. He didn’t want any surprises.

She’s not
your responsibility.

Who else is
going to look after her?

He shook his head, fighting off his inner words.

They made it to his apartment door without any problem. Damon
opened the door and then pushed each lock into place.

Penny went and sat on his sofa. He followed behind her.

“I’m worried because it is something new, and that always
terrifies me. I’m going to be working in a sex club, and there are going to be
men there.”

“I’ll be there, Penny. No one will hurt you. Don takes care
of the women in his care. How do you think I got these?” he asked, holding up
his hand.

“See, I know that should make me feel relieved, but it
scares me. You still had to do that to a guy who was breaking the rules.” She
pointed at his hand.

Damon saw her point and lowered his hand.

“That doesn’t happen very often,” he said.

“I know. It still scares me.”

He stared past her out of the window. There was nothing for
him to say that could reassure her.

“I’m excited because it is a job. I don’t have to worry
about selling my body or about other people who will hurt me. Don told me I
wasn’t good enough for selling. Shelley seemed nice,” she said.

Damon snorted. “Don’t get on her bad side. She’s almost as
deadly as I am when a guy hurts one of her girls.”

Penny chuckled. “I guess she’s like a mother to the women.”

“In a way she is. She’ll never force them to do something
they don’t want. They all look up to her, which is good. Don doesn’t have to
worry about the respect of his people.”

A smile broke across her lips.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked.

She shook her head.
“Nothing.”

“These bruises were just a bad night, Penny. You have
nothing to be afraid of.” He patted her hand before moving toward his kitchen
area. “I need to go out and get some supplies. I’m going to leave you here
until I get back.”

Damon saw the alarm flit across her face. He put his hands
up in front of him. “Calm down.”

He moved toward her.

“You can’t leave me here alone. What if those men come
back?” she asked.

Closing his eyes, he rubbed his temple. Grabbing her hand,
he moved her toward his bedroom. “Come here.”

She followed him, and he felt her resistance.

“Look, I know I told you that being alone was the worst
thing for you. Going with me is not a good idea,” he said.

“Why not?”

“I forgot to get my bag of food from Don. He always makes
sure his workers are well fed before distributing it out to the rest of the
area. It is how he works.”

“I thought the area was his people,” she said.

Damon growled at how little she knew about the world. “When
I get back I’ll tell you more about it, but I’ve got to go. Anyway, I’m
starving, and I bet you are, too.”

She nodded her head, and her hand rubbed her stomach.

“If I take you with me, the goods I have won’t be worth
shit. The owner will offer a trade, the food for a night with you.”

Her eyes went wide as she stared at him. She shook her head
in denial.

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”
He moved to the head of
the bed. Damon gave the plank of wood several knocks, and then the door to his
hide hole was opened. He pulled out a small knife and handed it to her. “I want
you to climb in there.”

“What if there are spiders?” she asked.

He frowned. “Stop being a coward.”

“I’m not being a coward. Spiders bite, you know?” she asked.

“So they’ll bite you. Climb in, and then when I get back you
can come out. If anyone breaks in, don’t show yourself. Let them ransack the
place. If they come in here and look like they’re going to come for you, then
use it. Got it?”

She stared at the hole and then at him.

“Are you sure I wouldn’t be better off coming with you?”

“Do you want to trade your body for some food?”

Penny took his hand and climbed into the hole. “God, I hate
this world.”

“Don’t
we
all.”

He put the wood back in place.

“Are you okay?”

“Besides being freaked out, I’m good.”

Damon chuckled. “Take care. I’ll be back soon.”

He left the bedroom, grabbed another weapon from his storage,
and left his apartment. He pointed the gun outside, slowly making his way out
of the building.

 
He acknowledged the
people he passed with a nod of his head. The food store was at the back of the
old supermarket, in the basement. He opened the floors and walked down. Only
people who were in the know could find the place.

The food store was run by Martin. He was a large man with
dark skin and black eyes. His muscles rivalled Damon’s. He had a lot of respect
for Martin as the other guy had helped him out of a few scrapes in the past.

A couple of other men were at the store looking over the plastic
containers and fresh produce. Plastic hadn’t been destroyed, and it didn’t
degrade like other materials. Most of the food that could be preserved went
into plastic containers. Damon didn’t know if this was good or not. The food
was better than what the people had done before, taking that fucking blasted
pill.