Chapter 1 Ch. 1: Friends No More

“Ella, hurry up or you’re going to be late for school!” This is the second time my mother has yelled upstairs for me, but I just sit here, on the edge of my bed, staring at the wall. I tell myself that it’s going to be a good day, but who am I kidding? I haven’t had a good day at school in two years. Only six more months left of my senior year, and then it will be all over. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet, and that’s the most messed up part. I’m eighteen years old, about to graduate high school, and I have a full scholarship to pretty much any college I want to go. My name is Ella Baxter and I’m a nerd who has no friends, I never break any rules, and I have a deep need to please everyone, but myself. I haven’t always been this way, but circumstances bring on change, and for me, it was not for the better. I used to have a lot of friends; two of them being my best friends, Amy and Bree. We were inseparable throughout middle school and junior high. It wasn’t until the beginning of sophomore year when I had to distance myself from everyone in my life except for my family. “Honey! Are you coming down or not?” Once again, my mother’s voice reaches me. Sighing, I reach down, grabbing my backpack, and head down before mom has a coronary. I paste a smile on my face as I round the corner to the kitchen, where my younger sister and brother sit with a bowl of cereal. Eli, my nine year old brother has his bowl tipped back as he slurps the milk out. Meanwhile, my fifteen year old sister, Elise, is dripping milk on the table every time she spoons the cereal into her mouth because her eyes are glue to her cellphone. This is an everyday occurrence in the Baxter household. I roll my eyes and lean down, giving my dad a kiss on his cheek, “Good morning, daddy.”“Morning, sweetie, did you oversleep again?” His concern for my wellbeing is written all over his face. I’ve always been his little girl, and it shows in the way he babies me over everything. I don’t complain though, because I need all the love and attention that I can get these days. “No, daddy.” I don’t add anything else but I do smile at him. I could have lied and made something up, but again, I’m a goodie goodie; I would never lie to my parents. He only hesitates a moment before going back to his newspaper. Taking my seat beside my dad, my mother sets my two slices of peanut butter toast and a banana down in front of me. Unlike my siblings, I’m not a fan of cold cereal. I prefer something more substantial in my stomach before starting a grueling day at school. “This is the third day in a row that I had to holler for you to come down more than once, Ella,” Mom takes her place across from me, on my father’s other side, as she sips her black coffee, “Please don’t make it a habit, my throat is starting to hurt.” My father chuckles behind his paper, earning himself a slap on the arm from his wife, “Behave, Ethan!” I’ve been around my parents enough to know how they are. They are both in their early forties, and still have their good looks. Unfortunately, they also still have a high sex drive, so I can only imagine what my dad’s chuckle was insinuating. Being around them every day, you get used to it. Besides, I think it’s so cute that, even after all these years, they are still madly in love with one another. I hope I find a love like theirs in my lifetime. “Oh! Before I forget,” Mom turns back to me, “I have a PTA meeting at Eli’s school this evening. I’ll have a casserole in the oven, but will need you to make sure your brother and sister eat.”“Sure, no problem.” My mom is always volunteering here and there, and she is the head of the PTA, so she is always busy with that. “Will you be home for supper, dad?”“I’m not sure, honey. I have a meeting with a client, and it may run late. Just put a plate in the warmer for me if I don’t make it in time.” I nod. My dad is a partner at his Law Firm, so it’s no surprise when he doesn’t make it home on time. Sometimes my mom will bring dinner to him and his client if the meeting runs over. Finishing up the last of my breakfast, I take my plate to the dishwasher and then scoop my bag up, “The train is leaving!” I call out to Eli and Elise. Driving them to school every morning is our little morning ritual. It’s the only time that we get with each other these days. Elise is always busy with her friends, now that she’s a freshman, and Eli locks himself in his room and plays video games all evening. As soon as we get into the car, Elise cranks up the radio, and our morning karaoke session begins. Ed Sheeran’s song, Shivers, my sister’s favorite song, is playing, and she squeals. She starts to dance as she belts out the words, and I can’t help but to laugh as I watch her strawberry blonde curls bounce around. Her blue eyes sparkle when they find mine, and she gives me a big smile. Unlike some sisters, we actually get along very well, but it’s times like this that I envy her innocence. I hope she never has to experience a day of what my life is like, because I’m afraid it may break her. ~~~~~~~~~~~ The second bell that starts the first class of the day is about to ring as I slam my locker closed. With my laptop bag slung across my body, I quickly make my way to my first class before anybody can stop me. Mr. Miller, our math teacher, sits at his desk, shuffling through papers while we all file into the room. I breathe a sigh of relief once my butt touches my chair, knowing that for the next ninety minutes, I’ll have some semblance of peace. Unfortunately, Mr. Miller had us working  on our next assignment, which kept me busy through the whole class, and before I know it, the bell rings. Packing my laptop away, I turn to leave and accidentally bump into someone, I curse under my breath when I see who it is. “Watch where you’re going, nerd!” Kaylee Simpson glares at me as though I had done it on purpose. “I’m really sorry, Kaylee, it was an accident.” “I’m really sorry, Kaylee, it was an accident.” She mimics and then shoves past me, “How about you accidentally jump off a bridge?” Her friend, Callie, snickers at her lame attempt to insult me as they walk out. Bumping into the captain of the school’s dance team first thing in the morning pretty much tells me exactly what kind of day I’m going to have. Kaylee doesn’t even know why she hates me so much. We used to be acquaintances, not really running in the same crowd, but still talking between classes and outside of school. Now she treats me like the dirt under her feet. Like everybody else, she dropped me like last season’s fashion line two years ago. One Friday night we were talking at a friend’s party, and then come Monday morning, Kaylee and most of the senior class started to ignore me. It had only taken about a week, and then the rest of the school abandoned me as well. That’s when it all started; it’s when Jace Palmer decided to make my life hell. ~~~~~~~~~~ As next door neighbors, Jace and I grew up playing together. Our parents are very good friends and were always bringing our families together for summer barbeques, holidays, birthdays, anything…you name it…our families celebrated together. Jace knows everything about me, and I, him, since we were best friends; wherever Jace was, I was right there with him. That is until we entered our sophomore year in high school. It was as though he had developed amnesia and didn’t remember that we were best friends. I remember as if it were only yesterday. It was the third Friday after the school year had started, and we had hung with a group of friends after school let out for the weekend. We were excited and talking about the party we were all going to that night. As always, Jace had driven us over to the party. I was having a good time even though I wasn’t drinking any of the alcohol that was available to us, but Jace was. Not that it was unusual for him to be drinking, because I was always the DD for him afterwards. At one point, I spotted Jace standing in a corner talking to some girl named Madison, that had just moved to town. Her and her brother were fraternal twins, but complete opposites. Her brother, Mason, was more on the wild side, and a bit cocky, whereas she was more reserved. It looked like Jace was enjoying the conversation, so I wandered around, stopping a few times to chit chat. When Mason had stopped me, he handed me a bottle of water, and I remember thinking to myself that it was very kind of him to notice that I wasn’t drinking. The night went on, and Mason stuck to my side, flirting with me the whole time. Kaylee had come over, and we talked for a good thirty minutes before she moved on to talk to others. When I looked around the room, Jace was nowhere to be seen. The party was slowly dwindling down when Mason asked if I needed a ride home. I had thanked him and told him that Jace was my ride, but then he informed me that Jace already left the party with his sister. That hadn’t sat well with me, because it wasn’t like him to just up and leave without telling me. I began searching the house for him, because I just couldn't believe that he had left me stranded. When I couldn’t find him, I looked outside for his car, but it was gone, the spot where he parked was empty. I tried calling his cell phone, but it kept going straight to voicemail. I was officially pissed off with my best friend, and he was going to get an earful when I talked to him the next day. I had no choice but to take Mason up on his offer to drive me home. After giving Mason my address, I buckled myself into the passenger seat and tried texting Jace, but he never replied back. Messaging him on social media had the same outcome, although, with those messages, I could see that he was reading them, but ignoring me completely. I started to become worried, and when I lifted my head to say something to Mason about Jace ignoring me, I noticed that he wasn’t heading to my house. Instead, he was pulling into a secluded area where teenagers go to make-out or just get laid. There were a few other cars in the clearing as we pulled in and he parked his car. I had tried to tell him that I wanted to go home, that I didn’t want to be there with him. He tried to sweet talk me into staying, and eventually told me that he would only take me home if I gave him a kiss. What’s one little kiss going to do, right? I gave in and leaned over to give him a quick kiss, but he grabbed me and hauled me over the middle counsel, and crashed his mouth against mine. I started to object when he took the opportunity to shove his tongue into my mouth. He was stealing the kind of kiss that I was saving for someone special. My fists started pounding against his chest, trying to get him to stop. With all of my thrashing around, I somehow got him between the legs with one of my limbs, causing him to grunt and pull back. Climbing back to the passenger side, I had demanded that he take me back home right away. After glaring at me for a moment, and then a few curse words, he started his car, and took me home. When we pulled up in front of my house, I could see that Jace’s bedroom light was on. I grabbed the door handle and went to open it, but Mason locked it before I was able to. He tried apologizing for his actions, explaining that he really liked me and wanted me to give him a chance. It wasn’t until I agreed to think about it, that he unlocked the door so I could get out. I was trying to hurry because I wanted to try calling Jace again, but then I notice that his bedroom light was now off, and flooded in darkness. Sighing, I went inside and went to bed myself. I never did get to talk to Jace the next day, or the day after that, and by the end of my first class on Monday morning, I was officially ostracized.

Chapter 2 Ch. 2: Obey Me

I spend my school days trying to avoid Jace. Luckily, I only have one class with him, and that is last period Study Hall. Most of the time I skip it because I’m so far ahead in my schoolwork that the teachers don’t bother me about leaving. Today was like any other day, I quickly make my way through the halls, avoiding the areas that I know Jace tends to be in. Sometimes I get lucky and make it, and sometimes I don’t. Watching where I’m going, while zigzagging through the halls, and staying aware of my surroundings, I suddenly feel a tight grip around my arm. I’m yanked into the now empty Art room, and tossed against the wall. The lock clicks, and then I’m staring into a pair of green eyes as the person turns my way. Jace has a smirk on his face as he looks me up and down. He normally slams me against lockers, trips me, and even steals my things, tossing them around with his friends, playing keep-away, like they were kids. This is a new low for him, though. “What do you want, Jace?” I tried to sound annoyed, but then my voice cracks at the end, giving me away. “Where have you been hiding all day, Ella?” He crosses his arms in front of his chest and looks down at me. I stand about eight inches shorter than him, so I’m always having to look up. I roll my eyes at him, “I wasn’t hiding. I just want to get to my classes on time.” Next thing I know, Jace’s broad chest is right in front of my face, “Did you just fucking roll your eyes at me?” He sneers down at me, making my heart start to race. Damn, I should have known better than to give him an eyeroll! He warned me last time what would happen, but would he really do it? I glance around the room, trying to find another way that I could possibly escape, and that’s when I see his two best friends standing only a few feet away, wearing identical smirks. Toby and Brandon are two of the school’s popular guys, and two of the biggest jerks as well. Jace started hanging with them shortly after he dumped me; what he sees in them, I will never understand. Now, he has become one of them. “I’m sorry, Jace. I didn’t mean to.” I dip my head when I see him bring his arm up, thinking he’s going to strike me. Instead he grabs my nape and walks me over to the nearest desk. “I told you that you would be punished if you ever rolled your eyes at me, didn’t I?” He bends me over the desk until my cheek is pressed down against it, “Answer me, Ella. Did I not warn you?”“Y-Yes, you did Jace, but…”“No buts, Ella. If I don’t keep my word than you will never obey me.” He motions for his two friends to come closer, “Hold her arms, and make sure she stays in place.”“Please, Jace…you don’t have to do this!” I beg, “I promise to obey you from now on…I swear!” His hand comes down to caress my hair, “Oh Ella, I know you will obey me, because I’m going to show you what happens when naughty girls don’t listen.” His voice is calm as he speaks to me, but then he shoves my head into the desk even more as he moves away to stand behind me. I can’t see or hear what Jace is doing behind me, but I can see Toby, who is holding my left arm and shoulder down, nod at whatever his friend is communicating to him. A tear drips from my right eye as I remain bent in this humiliating position while I wait for him to begin. I’m not sure  how much it’s going to hurt, but I do know that it isn’t going to feel good either. I feel the sting of his hand before I even realize it was coming down. I go up on my toes to try and get away from him, but a hand presses into my lower back, keeping me from moving. The spot where is hand met my backside burns already, and that was only the first one. “Count them out, Ella.” Jace commands, but I’m still too stunned to say anything. My head gets jerked back by my hair, and he leans in so close to my face that I can see the little golden flecks within the green of his eyes. Something passes as our eyes meet, but it was less than a second, and his eyes harden once more, “I said count!”“O-One.” He holds onto my hair for a few seconds longer before going back behind me. Bringing his hand down once more, I make sure I count each one. I falter on the fifth one because it was harder than the rest, but I quickly call it out. By the tenth smack, my butt is on fire and tingling, as numbness threatens to take over. “Why Jace? Why do you hate me so much?” Tears are now falling down full force as I ask the one question that I have never gotten an answer to, “WHY?” I scream when he ignores me and brings his hand down once more. “I don’t answer to you, Ella,” His breathing is heavy from spanking me so hard, “Just know that you did this, all by yourself!” His hand comes down in rapid succession, taking whatever aggression he has, out on my poor backside. When I start to scream, a hand covers my mouth, muffling the sound. All of a sudden, everything stops, and I’m released, but I don’t move; I can’t move. I hear the click of the lock, and then the door closes. Still I don’t move. I feel the burn that his hand left behind, but there is something else I feel as well. I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way after he did what he did. It feels both wrong and good at the same time. Is it normal to feel tingles deep inside? I now feel a need that I’ve only felt a couple of times before; a need that I have had to take care of myself. A moan slips from my lips as I go to stand, which turns into a grunt when my punished backside bumps up against something. Whipping my head around, Jace is still standing behind me. I can’t read his face, and at this moment, I don’t want to. I just want to go home and hide under my covers until I no longer feel the humiliation that Jace and his friends just put me through. I don’t want to be punished again, though, so I ask before I just leave. “May I go now?” I can’t find it in me to look up at his face any longer, so I bow my head. “No, I’m not done with you yet, Ella.” His voice is calm now, even though there isn’t an ounce of emotion to it, “Unbutton your shorts and bend over the desk again.” His words catch my attention and my head whips up, “W-What?”“You heard me, Ella. I’m not going to say it again.”“But you can’t…” He cuts me off with a grunt, “You obviously haven’t learned your lesson! Maybe a few more hand prints will do the trick.” He spins me back around, and pushes between my shoulder blades until my chest is flat on the desk, “Don’t fucking move until I say!” The way he orders me to stay scares the crap out of me, so I decide to obey, even though I’m freaking out at what he’s going to do, “Please, don’t do this, Jace! I’m sorry…whatever I did in the past, I’m so sorry!” I can’t stop the tears from flowing once more. I cry out when he yanks my jean shorts down just past my cheeks. Cool air from the air conditioner makes me break out in goosebumps, but it also feels good on my heated backside. I can hear Jace hunting for something in his bag just before I hear the sound of a cap popping open. My eyes widen with what I believe he is getting ready to do, and I try jumping up, but he’s there to block me. “You really don’t listen, do you? I. Said. Don’t. Fucking. Move!” He shoves me back down, and this time, he keeps his hand between my shoulder blades. I feel a cold substance dribble on each cheek, “I shouldn’t even be doing this, “He starts to rub whatever he dripped on me, into my skin, helping to take the heat away, “but I got you good. Next time, obey me, and it will never be this bad.” His hands feel good as they massage the gel-like substance into my skin. He’s being very careful as he switches back and forth from cheek to cheek. His hand then goes lower to where my sit spot is, and keeps massaging. I don’t even think about what he may be able to see, all I can concentrate on is the feel of his big hands on me. I think I may have moaned, because he pauses a moment before I feel his fingers opening my cheeks. “Did you get off on my punishing you, Ella…or are my hands making you all wet?” I’m too embarrassed to say anything, so I just shake my head back and forth. His finger dips between my folds and passes through the slickness a few times before Jace removes it. I hear him groan and then a wet popping sound comes from behind me, where he is standing. “Mm…who knew your slutty pussy would taste this good?” Suddenly, his hand comes down on my already numb butt, “Don’t ever lie to me again. You got turned on by me spanking you!” He smirks. I’m too scared to move; too afraid that my now really wet area will make a sound when I move, and it’s the last thing I want him to hear. Thankfully, he takes the initiative and pulls up first, my panties, and then my shorts. I take it as my cue to stand up and button my shorts up, but I refuse to look at him. I can only imagine what I look like after crying while wearing mascara, but he doesn’t care, he turns me towards him, and gripping my chin, he forces my head up. “Damn, Ella. If I didn’t despise you so much, I’d say you look fucking beautiful with your mascara running down your wet face.” He gazes at me, taking in everything he can before a sadness crosses his handsome features, “I really wish things didn’t change between us, Ella. You could have experienced so much with me,” The hardness that I’m used to seeing takes hold once more, “Too bad I slutty girls don’t interest me.” He shoves my head away, and snatching his bag off the desk beside us, he heads towards the door, stopping before he opens it. Looking back over his shoulder, he looks me up and down, before meeting my eyes, “Obey me next time, and don’t ever hide from me, Ella, or next time you will be bared and then punished. You wouldn’t want my friends to see you like that, now would you?” He actually waits for my answer, so I hurry up and give it, “N-No, I don’t.”“Yeah, well, we will see about that. Go home and clean yourself up. You look pathetic.” I’m finally left alone to gather myself together. Moving over to the big sink where the students wash their hands after handling art supplies, I look at myself in the mirror above it, and gasp. I look horrific! Bending over, I quickly wash all the makeup from my face, removing all evidence that Jace made me cry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank God I don’t have to drive my sister and brother home today, because I don’t know if I can keep it together being around anyone right now. As I pull into our driveway, I see Jace climbing out of his new jeep that he got for his eighteenth birthday. He smirks at me and then pushes the finger he used on me into his mouth and started sucking on it. I turn and run up the walkway, and into my house. I don’t stop running until I get to my room, slamming the door closed. I lean against it, panting as I catch my breath, but running all the way up here isn’t the only reason why I’m panting. Jace Palmer is what has me trying to get my heart rate down. What he did to me in that empty classroom was humiliating and shameful, but deep down, I liked it. I liked it even more when his hands rubbed the gel into my heated skin that he caused with his own hand. To make matters worse, his finger almost had me coming all over! He never would have let me live that down. I’m already worried what he will tell tweedled dee and tweedled dum about what happened after they left the room. Damn him! Why does he have this effect on me? I never had feelings for him until after he started bullying me. I have been crushing on my bully for two years, and now, he’s just made it worse. Knowing what his hands feel like when they touch my bare skin, will be burned into my soul forever. What did I ever do to deserve this, and why did he keep calling me slutty? He knew I was still a virgin when we were still friends, and then he went and scared everybody away, so even if I wanted to, there is no one in my age group that I could have lost it to. I’m so frustrated! I wish I had someone to talk to, it would be so nice to be able to talk to my two best friends, but he even scared them off! I mean, they don’t hate and treat me badly like everyone else, if anything they pity me. I can see it in their eyes every time we cross paths, but they are unwilling to anger Jace by talking to me. I don’t understand how he can make a whole school scared of him. Sighing, I head to my bathroom en suite as I start pulling off my clothes. A bath is what I need right now; a bath and some music, because thanks to the bully next door, I have something that needs attention. I’m just about to step into the tub when I hear my phone ping with a text message. I go back to my room and grab my cell from the bed where I tossed it when I came in. My heart skips a beat when a name that I haven’t seen in two years, pops up. I open the text and read it, furrowing my brows. JP: Do Not Touch Yourself! Another text pops up. JP: I mean it, Ella! If you touch that pussy, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED! “What the hell?” I say to myself. I happen to glance up, and there is Jace, standing at his bedroom window, staring straight into mine with an anguished look on his face. It takes me a moment, but then I realize that I’m standing here, completely naked. “OH MY GOD!!” Ripping the comforter off my bed, I wrap it around myself and then stalk over to the window and pull my curtains closed. Sweet Jesus! I can’t believe he saw me naked! He’s never going to let me live it down, and he will make me the laughing stock at school! Slamming my bathroom door, I drop my comforter and climb into the steaming water. I lower myself slowly, not wanting to hurt my bottom any more than it already is. Once I’m all the way in, I sigh. The heat from the water relaxes my body as I close my eyes and my thoughts automatically take me back to the classroom, and the spanking that Jace delivered. “Well, if anything, he is a man of his word.” I say out loud. My thoughts are beginning to make my body react, and the last thing I need is for Jace to find out that I did what he commanded me not to do. I don’t think I can handle another punishment so soon after this first one, but where does he get off telling me what I can and can’t do? He doesn’t even like me, so what does it matter? Screw this, it is my body, and I am in charge of what I do to it! With that being said, I slowly start sliding my hand over my thigh, moving it up to where I’m desperately needing it. Just when I’m about to slide it between my thighs, a voice enters my head, his voice. “UGH!” Frustrated, I pull my hand away and pull myself up and out of the tub. I now need to find something to occupy my time. “Chicken shit,” I mumble to myself as I dry my body off. Forgetting about my sore bottom, I run the towel over it roughly, cursing as the burn comes back full force. Yep, definitely made the right decision.

Chapter 3 Ch. 3: Our Little Secret

Over the last couple of weeks, things have been back to normal, well my normal anyway. Jace is back to shoving me against lockers as he walks by, or trying to trip me when he passes me in the halls. His two friends shoulder bump me, but that’s the extent to what they do to me; the rest is all Jace. I’m standing at my locker with the door open, reading a text from my mom, when suddenly the door slams shut. It startles me, and I jump back. Kaylee is leaning against the locker next to mine with her arms crossed and a huge smirk on her face. I roll my eyes and go to reopen my locker, but she stops me by slamming her hand against my door. I sigh heavily, “What do you want, Kaylee?”“A little respect, for one!” she glares at me. “I haven’t done anything to you. Believe me, I try to avoid you like the plague.” I say smugly. “See! That right there…it’s disrespectful!” She points her long, pointed finger nail at me. “You have to earn respect, Kaylee. You lost my respect when you decided to start treating me like crap for no reason.” I’m just so tired of being scared about who will do what to me. I need to start standing up for myself, “So, again, what do you want? I have a class to get to.” She huffs, and then gets right up in my face, “Talk to me like that again, and see where that gets you!” I don’t have time for this, so I put on the biggest fake smile for her, “Geesh, I’m so sorry, Kaylee. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She gives me a squinty glare at my sarcasm, “I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of Jace throwing a party at his house tomorrow night, and that you are not invited.”“What makes you think that I would even want to go to one of his parties?”“Well, I just know how both your parents are close friends and they will probably expect you to go.” She copies my stance. “Whatever, no worries. I definitely will not be there.” I decide to walk away before I get even more annoyed with the barbie wanna be. I hear her snicker as I pass her, but she doesn’t stop me. Why would she even think that I would expect to be invited? “Hey, Ella…wait up!” My sister calls out as she jogs up to me, “What class do you have next?”“History, why do you ask?”“Oh, just wondering. Are you doing anything this afternoon?”“Not as of right now, unless mom asks, why?”“Well, I was wondering if you could take me to the mall and help me pick an outfit out.”“Of course, I will! I love shopping with you.” I bring her in for a side hug as we walk down the hall. “Thank you! I better get going, my class is all the way downstairs.” She chuckles. I shake my head in amusement as my sister bounces away. “Your little sister is turning into a hottie.” My body freezes at the sound of his voice. Spinning around, I come face to face with my bully. “Please stay away from her.” I plead. His hand presses against the middle of his chest, and he gives a fake gasp, “You hurt my feelings, Ella. I would never do anything to hurt an innocent girl like Elise.” He leans in, so the other students passing by don’t hear what he’s about to say, “She isn’t you. I’d never do to her all the things I want to do to you. I wouldn’t want to hurt her like I want to hurt you.” Even though his words are hurtful, they send a tingle through me, making my core throb. I suck in a breath and take a little step back. When I glance up at his face, there is a look that has replaced the hardness that is usually there. Almost like a look that promises me that he will be doing exactly what he just said. We are only a few inches away from each other, the smell of his cologne tickles my nose. I know the scent well, because it’s still the same one that he started wearing when we were friends. It’s the one that I bought him; he’s never changed it after all this time. I don’t dare say anything or try to move away. I wait for him to depart first, and when he gives me a sneer and stomps away, I blow the breath out that I hadn’t realized I was holding in. “Oh my God, that is so cute on you! I think you should definitely go with that one.” I’ve been sitting down, flipping through an out of date fashion magazine while my sister tries on outfit after outfit. I really don’t mind, it’s not like I have anything else going on in my life. Living vicariously through Elise at least helps me keep up on life outside of home and school. “You think so?” She turns in front of the full-length mirror, trying to decide, “I still think I should go with the green dress.” My mouth drops open, “You mean the one wear your butt cheeks are peeking out of the bottom?”“Don’t exaggerate, Ella.”“Who are you going out on a date with anyway?” I slap her hand away as she tries to fold the already small crop top, up so it sits right under her breasts. “Oh, I don’t have a date.” I’m totally confused now, “So what was this important shopping trip for?” Her eyes widen as she looks over at me, “Um, hello! It’s Jace’s very first party at his house! Aren’t you going?” She leaves me speechless to where I just stand here gawking at her until she shakes me a bit. “Earth to Ella! Did you hear me?”“Uh, yeah, um…but no, I’m not going.” I tilt my head at her, “Why are you going? You never even talk to him.” She shrugs, “He personally invited me this morning.” Cocking her hip and placing her hand upon it, she scrutinizes me, “You’re seriously not going? I mean, you two used to be inseparable and now I never see you guys talk. Is there something going on that you haven’t told men about?” Elise has no idea of the hell that our next door neighbor puts me through on a daily basis. He makes sure to be on his best behavior when she or any other family member is around. I don’t want her knowing, but I also don’t want her going to that party. Nothing good can come from him inviting my little sister; he’s up to something. Putting one of my famous fake smiles on, I rub her arm, “There is nothing to tell. Friends grow apart, and parties are not my thing.” An idea comes to me, “Hey, why don’t you ditch the party and we can go hit up the next town, maybe check out that new hangout that everybody seems to be crazy about?” She scoffs at me, “Seriously? Mom and Dad finally give me permission to go to a high school party, and you think I will pass it up?” Her head shakes, “Uh huh, not doing it.” Feeling defeated, I go back to the chair I was sitting in, “In that case, wear this outfit. I don’t want any of those buttholes from school trying to feel you up, and they will try.”“Fine. I will listen to my big sister’s advice.” She goes to enter the dressing room but then turns back to me, “I love you, Ella. If there is anything that you need to talk about, I’m here for you. All of your secrets are safe with me.” I smile, “Thank you, Elise. Right back at you.” She nods her head and sadly smiles back before closing the dressing room door. I need to talk to Jace before that party. I need to know what his plans are with my baby sister. Maybe if I tell her what he’s been doing to me for the past two years, then she won’t go. Biting my thumb nail, I contemplate on doing just that. In the end, though, I just can’t do it. I can’t tell her how much of a pussy her big sister is because she can’t stand up to the boy next door. I’ve just finished supper with my family when I excuse myself. I hurry to my room and glance out my window to see if Jace is home. His black jeep is parked in the driveway, so I pick up my cell and type out a quick text. ME: Can we talk? Hitting send, I wait. I get nothing back for at least ten minutes, and just when I think he’s going to ignore me, my phone pings. J P: Why would I want to talk to you? ME: Please, it’s important! JP: What’s in it for me? Seriously? What a douche bag! I sit back, biting my lower lip while I think about what to say. My phone pings again. JP: I don’t have all night, Ella. Some of us have a life you know! ME: Ok…I’m thinking! JP: Did you just yell at me? Oh shoot! What was I thinking?! ME: No, I promise! JP: Yelling & lying to me, tsk tsk, You’re in for it tomorrow. ME: Please, Jace…I’m sorry! JP: Oh, you’re going to be sorry! Now, what did you want? ME: Can we meet up for a minute? It’s about my sister. JP: Fine. Come over, but hurry, I have to be somewhere. ME: Ok, thanks. He doesn’t bother to respond back, so I quickly jump from my bed and hurry downstairs. There isn’t anybody around as I head straight for the door, and I’m thankful for thank, because then I’d have to tell them where I’m going. The last thing I need is my mom telling me to invite Jace over. She used to think of him as a second son, and was sad when he stopped coming over. As I step out the door, I stop for a moment. I’m about to enter my bully’s home, what am I thinking? I glance over and see that their garage door is open and that Mrs. Palmer’s car is parked in it. I sigh in relief, I should be safe with his mom home, so I quicken my steps so he doesn’t get angry at me for taking too long. I press the doorbell and wait. My heartbeat quickens when the door opens and I see Jace standing there, shirtless. He’s holding a shirt in his hand, so I must have caught him as he was finishing up getting dressed. He glances up and down the street and then nods for me to come in. Is he embarrassed to have me in his house? My eyes are still on his bare chest when his hardened voice gets my attention, “What the fuck do you need to talk to me about?” I almost frown when he slides his shirt over his head, but cover it up right away. “Um, my sister told me that you invited her to your party.”“Yeah, so.”“What do you plan on doing to her?”“I don’t think that is any of your business. Your sister is a big girl.” He smirks and winks at me as he bites his lower lip. He wants me to know that his intentions are bad without actually coming out and saying so. “Please, Jace. You can do whatever you want to me, but please, leave Elise alone. She’s innocent. She doesn’t even know what you do to me every day.” I plead with both my words and my eyes, but all it does is make him smirk more. “And what is it that I do to you every day, Ella?”“You know what you do, Jace.” I whisper and dip my eyes to the floor. “Look at me when we are talking!” He growls, waiting until I’m looking straight in his eyes, “Now, tell me what I do to you.”“Jace I…” What does he want me to say? He knows exactly what he does to me day in and day out. All of a sudden, I’m pinned up against the front door with his hand on my throat. He’s not cutting off all my air, but he’s making it harder for me to breathe. My hands instantly go to his one hand at my neck, and I try to pull it off, but it doesn’t budge. He steps up close to where I can feel his breath on my face when he talks. “What’s the matter, Ella? Are you afraid that I will hurt you?”“Please…” I gasp. He dips his head into the crook of my shoulder and inhales deeply, “Mm, you smell so good. I would love nothing more than to tie you down and taste every inch of you,” he pulls back, “but then, I guess you’re used to having guys taste you, aren’t you?” I stare at him in confusion, “No, I…”“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” His eyes peruse my body before they meet my own once more, “Maybe it’s time that I get my turn, though. Huh, Ella, what do you say to that?” His hand loosens a little bit, “I will make sure your baby sister is safe while at my party as long as you promise to obey me in everything.”“YES! I p-promise!”“I mean it Ella. You do everything I say, no matter what, no matter when, no matter where. If you go back on your promise, not only will you be severely punished, but I will punish Elise as well, and then let my friends have their fun with her.” He grins evilly, “Toby and Brandon have been dying to tag team her since the first day of school. Lucky for you, I’ve protected her from them, and every other male in this school.” Oh my God, he has gone completely crazy! The Jace I knew is long gone, and in his place is this sick pervert that loves to power trip. What do I say to his offer? If I don’t agree, then who knows what will happen to Elise at his party, but if I agree…? I know I shouldn’t, I should run far away and never look back, but when he stares deep into my eyes, it doesn’t matter what kind of monster he is, my body and my heart will still want him. My heart remembers and still loves the friend and the boy that he used to be, but my body is screaming for the monster he’s turned into. His words and the way he hurts me sometimes, fills me with a need that only he can fulfill. Before I realize what I’m doing, I’m nodding, “Okay Jace, it’s a deal.” His smirk drops from his face. He must have thought I would turn him down. He scoffs, “Are you that much of a horny slut that you would allow someone to do whatever they want to you?” A look of disgust crosses his face and he drops his hand from my neck. “No, but I will do whatever it takes to protect my sister. Even if it means selling my soul to the devil himself.” I’m leaning against the door with my hand against my throat. “Maybe I should take you to my room and teach you how not to talk to me,” He steps back into my space and with one hand beside my head, I feel his other hand snake between my thighs, “Or just teach you right hear.”“Jace, your mom may see!” I squeal and try to shove his hand away. “Shut it, Ella! Mom isn’t home, we are all alone. Don’t ever try shoving my hand away when I touch you.” He glares down at me as he starts pulling away again, “You’re already breaking your promise. The party should be real fun…” I grab his wrist, “No, I’m sorry! I just thought your mom was home.” I then put my hands to my sides, allowing him to feel me up once more. His hand doesn’t go back to where it was before, though. Instead, he brings it up and softly runs circles around my nipple through my shirt. I feel it stiffen, and it takes all I have not to moan. He brings his face closer to mine, staring into my eyes the whole time. “Don’t tell anyone about our little arrangement. It’s our little secret, Ella.” He waits until I nod my head in understanding, and just when I think he’s going to kiss me, he bites down on my lower lip at the same time he pinches my nipple between his fingers. I bite my tongue, so I don’t give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream, “Oh, I think I’ve found myself a little pain slut.” I whimper, “We are going to have lots of fun together, Ella. I want you in the Art room during last period tomorrow.”“O-Okay Jace.” I’m trying to concentrate on everything he is saying, but my nipple is still caught between his fingers. He glances down at his hand and then slowly lets go. I feel all the blood flow back into my nipple, and I have to close my eyes and bite my tongue once again because of the pain that comes with the release. Stepping away from me once more, he opens the door, indicating that I need to leave. I step over the threshold, but his voice stops me and I look over my shoulder at him. “Remember, Art room...last period. Oh, and don’t forget, this is our little secret.” He closes the door before I can respond back.

Chapter 4 Ch. 4: The Contract

Grumbling, I throw the covers over my head to keep the sunlight coming through the window from shining onto my face. I know it’s too early to get up and face the day; my alarm hasn’t even gone off yet. Just when I’m on the cusp of falling back to sleep, though, the annoying sound of my alarm clock starts blaring throughout my room. I groan as I flip the covers off my head and smash my hand down on the annoying beast of a clock. Glancing at the bright red numbers serves as a reminder of the countdown to when I have to meet him. He commanded that I meet him last period today, and I’m a little scared as to what he will do to me. I know I have a punishment coming for yelling and lying to him yesterday, but maybe he forgot. Ugh, yeah right! I would call in sick, but that would only be delaying the inevitable, and he will take it as me hiding from him, which is a big no no. He would only take it out on my sister. Chills rush down my back remembering his threat that will follow for disobedience. Slowly, I head into the ensuite to shower and start my day. The spray of the hot water wakes me up immediately, and relaxes most of the tension in my body from the stress called Jace Palmer. I stay in the warm cocoon of the shower stall until the water runs cold, and forcing me to face the rest of the day. As I dry my body with the towel, I remember when I had done the same thing a few weeks back, only to feel the burn on my backside after Jace’s punishment. I flinch, remembering the pain, but my body also begins to tingle from the little bit of pleasure it gave me at the same time. I’ve yet to have a release, not willing to take the chance of him finding out, but I know I won’t be able to go too much longer before I give in. It’s beginning to get chillier out, now that Fall has come in full force, so I grab a pair of jeans and cozy sweater. I match my outfit with a pair of brown boots that reach to just below my knee, and then throw my long, chocolate locks up into a ponytail. I love Fall; all the colors and scents that come with the season, they’re all my favorites. I remember when Jace and I would volunteer to rake both yards just so we could have leaf fights and make huge piles of leaves to jump in and hide. Just remembering the boy with dirty blonde hair and green eyes; his smile lighting up his face when he was happy, saddens me. He was a good-looking boy back then, but now, he has grown into a very fine specimen of man. He must work out, because seeing him shirtless made me want to run my hands over every protruding muscle that made up his six pack abs. To be totally honest, the deep V that disappeared into the waist of his jeans was for sure, drool worthy for any woman. It’s just too bad that his attitude ruins all the other good qualities that make up Jace Palmer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The school day went both slowly and much too quickly for my liking. It seemed to have been dragging on, making my insides twist all over knowing that I had a date with the devil incarnate, and yet, the day went by faster than I would have liked. I’m now standing right outside the Art room door, trying to get up the nerve to go inside. The halls are pretty much empty now that the bell has already rang, indicating that classes have started. My heart is pounding a mile a minute, and my head is racing with thoughts as to what may happen behind this door. Reaching for the door knob, I start to turn it, but then it gets wrenched from my hand as it swings open. Jace grabs my outstretched wrist and pulls me into the room. The click of the lock echoes through the empty room. Expecting to see his two goons in the room as well, I’m surprised that he’s alone, and I don’t know if I should be relieved or even more nervous. “I’m surprised you didn’t chicken out.” Jace snickers as he walks towards me slowly. I take a step back with every step that moves him forward, “I told you that I would obey you.” I bump up against a desk, ending my retreat. He stops once he notices that I’m no longer moving. We are only about two feet from one another, but it’s still too close for comfort. My body can sense him, and it’s reaction is not helping my mental status. The room is silent as we just stand here staring at each other. I’m not sure if he’s waiting for me to say something first, so I open my mouth to talk, but he holds up his hand. “You will not speak unless I say, or I ask you a question. Do you understand?” His jaw is clenched tight, and I can see a slight five o’clock shadow around his jaw line. Gulping, I answer his question, “Yes, I understand.” “Good. Now let’s get some ground rules down before we begin.” He brings his hands behind his back and starts to pace back and forth in front of me, “As I said last night, this is our little secret. Absolutely no one will know about our agreement. You will obey everything I say, and if I have to repeat myself, you will be punished,” he stops his pacing and steps up, right in front of me, grabbing my chin with his fingers, “You belong to me now, for as long as I say. No one else will touch you without my permission. You will not fuck anybody else unless I tell you to. Do you understand, Ella?” I nod. “Use your words when you answer me.” “Y-Yes, I u-understand.” Studying me for a moment longer, he lets go of my chin and walks over to where he left his bag by the door. He rummages through it, pulling out a folder, and bringing it over to me after grabbing a pen from the teacher’s desk on his way by. “Sit down, Ella.” He commands. I turn and drag the chair out from the desk, sitting in it as instructed. Jace slides the folder in front of me and opens it. At the top of the first page, it reads ‘Non- Disclosure Agreement’. Having a lawyer as a father, I know exactly what this is. I glance up at him, and he smirks. “I need to cover my ass, don’t I? I want you to read it all and then sign it. Do you have any questions before reading it?” “Um, what do you plan on doing to me that involves having an NDA?” Skimming the front page, I noticed some abbreviations, “and what does CNC stand for?” “You will learn everything once you read it. As for CNC, it stands for Consensual/non-consensual. Meaning, you are giving me consent to do whatever I want to do to you without having to ask.” I’m taken aback by his explanation, “W-What if I don’t agree to that?” He shrugs, “Then the whole deal is off.” I furrow my brows and glance down at the papers, “How much will you hurt me?” I whisper. I’m startled a little when his voice is right by my ear. I never heard him move, “As much as I want to hurt you. Not all of it will be bad, though.” He inhales deeply before moving away from me, “You need to understand, Ella, I’ve learned a lot since you and I were friends. I wanted to be the kind of man that knew how to give a woman what she needed. Don’t be fooled by me being as young as I am, I’ve grown up, and I’m years ahead of all these other high school boys.” He pauses for just a moment, “I’ve also made important friends in high places.” “What if I don’t sign this at all, and then go to our parents and the police with your threats?” I’m trying anything I can think of to try and stop this absurdity, but in the end, I know it’s useless. “Go ahead and try me, Ella.” “Why?” I spin in the chair so I can face my bully, “Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you to make you turn your back on me?” An evil grin appears on his face, “That’s something you need to be asking yourself, Ella. Maybe after our agreement starts, you will remember what you did two years ago. Once I spread those sweet thighs of yours, you will most likely remember.” Unknowingly, a tear slips down my face and Jace uses his thumb to wipe it away, “Hold on to your tears, you’re going to need them very soon.” He turns me back around and places the pen in my hand, “Sign it, Ella.” I flip through the two papers, reading everything. Even though a heaviness grows in the pit of my stomach because of the things that he wants to do to me, some of them cause a tingle to ripple through my core. I lick my lips, knowing that I really have no choice but to sign the contract. Taking a deep breath, I put the pen to the signature line, and scribble my name, then drop the pen onto the desk. Just before he picks the papers up, I notice one of the names at the bottom of the papers. “You had my dad’s Law Firm draw these up?” My forehead begins to breakout in sweat. My father can’t know about this! Jace smirks, “What other Law Firm would I go to? Now, I have something else to hold over you. At any given time, I can make sure your dad sees your signature on his partner’s client’s contract.” He loops a piece of hair behind my ear, “No worries though, Luke promises to keep his mouth shut about all this, no matter how good of friends he is with Ethan.” I close my eyes and swallow hard, what have I gotten myself into? ~~~~~~~~~~ JACE POV I can’t believe she did it! She signed the fucking NDA. Either she must really love her sister or she’s a bigger slut than I thought. It’s got to be the former, though, because I’ve been keeping track of her ever since I ended our friendship, and I know she hasn’t been with any other guys. I might have gone a little overboard back then when I ended it, but she fucking hurt me. I had been in love with Ella Baxter for half of my young life, and I thought that we would eventually start dating in high school. Neither of us had spoken of it, but what was supposed to come next? The night of the party destroyed my whole world. I was planning on talking to Ella about us, and if she would like to be my girlfriend. I’m not exactly sure when my feelings had changed for my best friend, but sometime around fifth grade, I started seeing her as the opposite sex and liking her in a different way. We had shared everything together, and we knew everything about each other. I still know everything about her, because I make it my life’s mission to know. Getting back to the party, though, I was ready to take the next step, but then fucking Mason texted me and told me that Ella asked him to drive her home. Before I could ask Ella herself, Mason’s twin sister, Madison, started feeling sick and asked me to take her home right away. I had been talking to Madison most of the night, only sipping on the beer I had, because I was drawing up the courage to talk to Ella. By the time I got back to the party both Ella and Mason were gone. When I asked around, everyone said that they had left together a few minutes before I got back. I was so mad that Ella would do that to me; leave without telling me herself. We always made sure to stay in communication, so when her text popped up, I ignored it. Then on my way home she started leaving messages on my social media, but I ignored those as well. I will talk to her tomorrow, I had thought. I had heard a car pull up, long after she should have been home, and when I looked out the window, it was Mason’s car that was parked out front and she was taking her time in getting out. Closing my curtains, I then turn my light off and go to bed. Ella will be getting an ear full tomorrow. I never got the chance to talk to Ella because my mom called me in to work in her store due to her help calling in sick. Just before lunch, Madison walks in with her brother at her heels. After chatting me up for a bit, Madison goes in search of a new outfit while Mason stays behind. I’m not sure if it was his plan or what, but Mason leans in close to me and holds his hand out. I look at him, confused. “I’m actually glad I ran into you because it will save me a trip.” Opening his hand, he shows me a familiar diamond stud earring, “Ella must have dropped this in my car last night. Could you see that she gets it back, it looks expensive.” I clench my jaw, but take it from him anyway, “Yeah, sure. It was expensive, and a birthday gift." I would know, since I’m the one who bought them for her. “Man,” Mason grins and leans in even more, “Ella sure is a wild one! She was all over me, couldn’t get enough!” I raise my brow. “Oh, come on,” he playfully punches my arm, “I know you two are best friends, so I’m sure she called you after I dropped her off last night. It took me a while to get her to finally get out of my car.” He chuckles, “I won’t mind tapping that again.” My mother walks in from the back room just in time, because I was about ready to shove my fist down Mason’s throat. As soon as Mason and Madison left the store, I told my mom that I needed to leave. When I was sure that she would be okay at the store by herself, I left, but I didn’t go to Ella’s. No fucking way, that bitch was dead to me. Instead, I spent the rest of the weekend blackmailing pretty much the whole senior class into not talking to Ella Baxter. I told some that she was a backstabbing bitch and couldn’t be trusted. Since we had been best friends our whole lives, they all believed me. I told the girls that she likes to steal boyfriends, and anything else that I could make up about her in order for people not to like her. As for her two other best friends, Amy and Bree, I knew of a secret that included both of them and I promised that I would tell the world about it if they didn’t stay away from Ella. I honestly couldn’t believe that by the end of the week, the whole school had shunned the girl that I loved, and it was all my fault. I had become friends with some of the jocks and other popular kids, and next thing I know, I’m the most popular, and most feared guy in the school. I continued to play my part in Ella’s destruction, and became her bully. I felt as though it was the only way that I could continue to stay close to her. I made sure that others knew that she was off limits to them unless I said so. After a while, I started to become turned on by some of the cruelty I was showing her. I had read up on why I would be feeling that way, and that is when I learned of the kink world. I wanted to be part of it, and I wanted Ella to be part of it. I’ve continued to be her bully, because of the power it gives me and because I know what it’s starting to do to her, I’ve been noticing it little by little since sophomore year. I knew when she developed her crush on me, after the fact that I was now her bully. She doesn’t like to be treated the way I treat her, but it turns her on. Would I ever truly hurt her? You bet, but only in a way that will give her the pleasure that she needs. If I need to threaten her in order to get her to let me do bad things to her because I know she needs and wants it, so be it. I will do what it takes to get Ella Baxter to submit to me all on her own. The contract was only supposed to scare her. The fact that she has signed it, opens up so many new options for me. Oh, Ella, if only she knew just how much of a devil I really am. She made me this way, and now she needs to  suffer the consequences in the most delicious ways possible. When I lean down to take the contract, my mouth goes to her ear, flicking her lobe with my tongue, and then nipping it, “That’s a good girl, Ella. Shall we move on to your punishment now?” Her head whips around, “Why do I need to be punished if I’m a good girl?” The pout she makes is so adorable. I can’t wait to take advantage of that mouth, but that is for another time, another punishment. "Oh, did you forget about the ones you earned last night?” I run my hand around her ribcage and up, squeezing her left breast, “Or the fact that you just questioned me?” I pinch her nipple just so I can hear the delicious gasp that escapes her perfect lips. “N-No, Jace. I’m s-sorry.” I love my name on her lips, it's the only reason why I'm not making her call me Sir or Master. I’ve played around with BDSM, even took the required classes to become a Dominate, but I’ve never taken a submissive. That spot was always reserved for one person, and she’s about to start her first lesson on submitting to her Master.