ONE
Ethan grabbed Olivia’s arm and shoved her into the empty conference room. He closed the door behind him with a firm snap, shutting out the sounds of the party. They'd come to a campaign fundraiser in a five star hotel. Olivia thought she would be safe from Ethan's temper tonight – there were so many people around - but she should have known better. He was always watching her, looking for her to trip up so he could unload his anger. It didn’t take much to set him off. Sometimes she knew what she did wrong but most of the time she had no clue. He was crazy, and he was obsessed with her.
Olivia swiped blonde tendrils out of her eyes as she watched him warily. Ethan’s gaze followed the graceful movement of her hand. She stilled when she saw the heat flare in his eyes, along with something dangerous. It was the dangerous part that made her life a misery. She pressed her lips together. There was no use saying anything. Ethan had to do the talking. She would do the listening. That’s how it always worked. Well, not always. Not at first.
He'd been gentle and a little awkward when they first met. It was hard to believe that Ethan turned into this monster.
It was his awkwardness that drew her like a moth to the good ol’ flame. She had no clue she’d get burned so bad. It was her own fault for being a compassionate person. He’d used her insecurities against her. Who didn’t feel like a fool in difficult situations? Very few people knew of the almost paralyzing stage fright she dealt with. Ballerinas weren’t supposed to get sick before every performance. She thought maybe Ethan would be someone who understood. She thought maybe she’d found a kindred spirit beneath his outer geek. He seemed like a nice guy who genuinely cared for her. She wanted to make him feel good about himself and help him grow. What an idiot she’d been.
While she was accustomed to sophisticated men who tried to sweep her off her feet, there was something that drew her to the quiet computer genius. If only she'd run away at the first sign of trouble. Within weeks he became crazy possessive. Every time she turned around he was there, watching her. While she was flattered by his attention, he moved into her life so quickly and forcefully, she didn't know how to extract herself. He was greedy. Demanding. Her sister, Rissa, always said she was too naïve and trusting when it came to men. She wanted a man to love her beyond her talent and fame, and she thought Ethan could be the one. She should have dated more. She shouldn’t have focused solely on her ballet career. Maybe if her eyes were open she would have questioned all the red flags.
“What are you thinking?”
Ethan's question snapped her back to the present and her gaze flew to his face. She could see he wasn't happy with her. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“I was thinking about you,” she admitted ironically. His brow lifted in silent question, demanding her to elaborate. “I was thinking about when we first met.”
He nodded and his expression softened somewhat. “I think of those days often as well. You were very beautiful – the best dancer on the west coast. I never liked ballet before I saw a poster of you. And that was it. My mind was made up and I knew you had to be mine. And now you are, just as I planned.”
His words were no comfort. She was trapped with no way to escape yet she kept fighting and hoping. Ethan was slowly crushing the hope out of her. He claimed he loved her. He said no one cared about her the way he did. He controlled every detail in her life. He told her how to dress and how to style her hair; she always wore it up. He didn’t like others to see how long her hair was. She was surprised he didn’t make her cover it altogether. The clothes he chose for her were awful. Always expensive, but they weren’t tasteful and made her feel stupid. The perfumes she wore were terrible too. She preferred light flowery fragrances but he made her wear heavy musky perfumes. She wasn't allowed to leave the house without his permission and never alone. He told her what to eat, when to exercise. She wasn't allowed to dance or talk to anyone, not even her sister. Marissa probably thought she hated her.
Slowly his gaze traveled the length of her. Tonight she wore a silver gown. The dress revealed as much of her figure as it concealed. She wasn’t comfortable in the tacky, overly sexy dress. She never would have chosen it for herself. She was surprised when Ethan insisted she wear it that night because he was so jealous of other men. He didn’t want anyone looking at her and yet he liked showing her off to his colleagues – as if she was his prize. It was appalling. She’d gone from being a principal dancer people paid big money to see perform. Tickets would sell out. But that life was over. Now she was a trophy on this monster’s arm.
“I saw you talking to the senator’s aide,” he said in a deceptively calm voice that made Olivia cringe.
Here it was, the reason he’d dragged her out of the party. She knew he was angry but she forced her expression to remain neutral. He fed off her emotions. When she was scared or mad he usually hurt her more. She felt like she was continually walking on a tightrope, hoping to please him yet knowing it was impossible.
“He stood with you for a long time. What did you say to him to make him laugh?” His cold eyes watched her closely.
Olivia stiffened as he took a step closer. She didn’t want to be within arms’ reach. “I didn’t say anything to him. I was only being polite. I know you wouldn’t want me to bring unnecessary attention to myself by being rude.” In fact, she’d been bored to tears during most of the party but Ethan wanted her there. He was nothing more than a hacker geek who made people believe he was a computer genius. Sure, he was now a billionaire who lent money to governments, but it was money he'd stolen. It made her sick to see the mayor cozying up to Ethan. He liked to “boost” the economy with his bribes and not-so subtle gifts. What those government officials didn’t realize is that he was still hacking and continued to steal and ruin people’s lives, and he owned them. He owned them just like he owned her.
She feared for the young aide. He hadn’t done anything wrong and she had enjoyed chatting with the guy. They hadn’t talked about anything noteworthy. She’d caught his admiring glances and had been careful to remain distant and discouraging. Even so, she knew she was risking Ethan’s anger by talking to the aide. So why hadn’t she simply made her excuses and walked away? Maybe it was the defiant streak Ethan claimed would be her undoing – or in this case, the aide’s undoing. Tomorrow he would probably find his bank account empty and all of his insurance policies canceled. “We talked about the weather. It was nothing, Ethan.”
He gripped her chin so tightly she winced. “Liar! You wanted him to want you,” he growled. When she jerked out of his
bruising grasp he let his hand drop to her waist. Slowly his palm traced the curve of her hip before sliding around to grab her butt. “You wanted him to touch you like this, didn't you?” he whispered harshly even though his expression remained bland.
“No!” Olivia’s eyes widened with apprehension as she noticed the signs of his escalating temper. The signs were always subtle but she’d quickly learned to recognize them. His shoulders tightened; his fists clenched the thin material of her dress. A muscle worked in his jaw as a smooth careless smile spread across his lips. He was slipping out of control and she needed a way to diffuse his anger quickly.
“I’m sorry, Ethan. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have talked to him. He’s nobody.”