THE HARRINGTON CONTRACT

Sophia’s POV The gunshot was loud enough to shake me. I ducked behind the wall pressing my hand over my mouth. Charles was standing there with a gun in his hand. A man lay motionless on the ground in front of him. My hands were trembling. Charles and his body guards stared at the body with no emotions. “No one steals from the Harrington company.” He said, handing the gun over to the man standing beside him. “Take care of it.” He looked at the man’s body one last time, shook his head and walked away. I expected someone to panic, but nobody did. The guards simply moved. One called for the cleaners, another covered the body, someone else walked back into the house like nothing happened. Then I heard one of the housekeepers ask, “Should I clean up now or wait till they are done?” I stared at her. I had seen her cleaning the mansion before. She didn’t even look frightened or scared. In fact she sounded bored, like it was a task she regularly engaged in. The thought of this being normal around here made my heart skip a beat. I quietly slipped back into my room before anyone noticed me. I tried to forget what I’d seen. “Sophia, I’m heading out now. Take care of the house and your brother. I’d be back by midnight so don’t stay up.” I looked up from the kitchen counter and watched my father grab his jacket from the back of the chair. “Okay.” He barely looked at me. The front door opened, and the cold evening air slipped into the house before he stepped out. My father didn’t ask about our breakfast, he didn’t ask about my brother. He had been this way since my mom passed. I barely knew who I called my father anymore. I sighed and turned back towards the kitchen. It had been two months since my mom passed away, but sometimes it still felt fresh, felt like yesterday. Everything in the house reminded me of her. The old curtains she sewn herself from thrifted fabric, the flower vase she bought for their wedding. I still hadn’t gotten used to it. I don’t think I would ever get used to it. Before she passed, we always had conversations about my education. She did everything she could to send me and my little brother to school. Worked multiple jobs and made my father promise that he would take care of us on her death bed. She wanted us to finish school. She wanted us to have a better future than she did. Then I heard a knock on our front door. “Sophia!” I turned back and saw Grace, my best friend knocking on our door. In excitement I hurriedly walked towards the front door to let her in. Grace had been my best friend for a really long time. She was the shoulder I leaned on, she was always there for me. Although I don’t know much about Grace’s background or her family because she never entertained conversations on that but I loved her despite how little I knew about her. “You look terrible,” Grace said, stepping inside. I raised an eyebrow. “Nice to see you too.” “I’m serious Sophia, have you been sleeping?” “A little.” She gave me a look that told me she didn’t believe me. “You need to get out of this house.” I sighed. “Grace, I don’t feel like going anywhere.” “That’s exactly why I’m not asking, you’re coming with me tonight.” “Coming with you where?” I asked. “You’ll find out.” “Grace.” She grabbed my wrist and started pulling me towards the hallway. “You’re not about to spend another night in that oversized sweatshirt.” She rolled her eyes. We stood in front of the room my brother and I shared. “Go change.” Grace said as she gave me a slight push towards the room door. “Into what?” “Anything that doesn’t look like you gave up on life.” “You’re so dramatic.” I rolled my eyes. “Go change.” She repeated. “Fine.” I walked into the room and closed the door behind me. My brother was sitting on his bed, completely absorbed in whatever he was doing on his phone. “Get out.” He looked up. “Why?” “Because I need to change.” “It’s my room too.” “And I’m your sister so get out!” He stared at me for a second before sighing dramatically and stomping his foot on his way out. A few minutes later, I stepped into the sitting room wearing a red dress. Grace looked at me, then she looked at my dress. Then back at me. “Absolutely not.” “What?” “Go back.” “Why? I love this dress.” “You look like a joke.” My brother laughed from the couch. “I told you that dress was bad.” I glared at him. “Nobody asked you twat.” Grace shook her head again.“Go back, this is horrible.” I rolled my eyes before walking back into the room. I searched through my clothes for a few minutes before finally settling on a black dress. I changed quickly and walked back into the sitting room. They both looked up at me from the couch they were sitting on, eating the chips that had been sitting on the table unattended for two days. “Much better.” I looked down at myself. “Really?” “Yes.” “Then why didn’t you just let me wear the red one?” “Because it was ugly.” My brother laughed from the couch. “She’s right.” “You two are so annoying ughhh.” Grace laughed and stood up. “Now let’s go.” “Go where?” She looked at me like I had just asked the dumbest question in the world. “The party.” I blinked. “Party?” “Yes. A house party.” “Oh. So that’s why you’re all dressed up.” Grace laughed. “Exactly.” “How are we getting there?” “My boyfriend is driving us.” “Your boyfriend?” “Yes, my boyfriend.” “I thought you said you were going with me.” “I am.” She smiled innocently. “But he’s coming too.” I sighed. “Great, now I’m going to be the third wheel.” “Stop complaining.” She laughed and pulled me outside. Her boyfriend was waiting by the car. I had never seen him before, I only always heard Grace talk about it. That was all she spoke about when she visited. “Hey, Grace said, practically running towards him and leaving me behind. I stood a few feet away and watched them hug and kiss. They forgot I existed for a moment before Grace signaled for me to get into the car. I got into the back seat and they sat in the front. Almost immediately after we got into the car, they were giggling and dancing to the song over the radio. I felt left out so I pulled out my headphones and looked outside the window. After about fifteen minutes, we finally arrived at the house. The music was already loud enough to hear from the outside. There were people everywhere, some standing outside while others going in and out of the house. I took my headphones off and looked at Grace. “This is a lot of people.” She laughed. “You’ll be fine.” We got out of the car and walked towards the house. I immediately grabbed Grace's hand. “Don’t disappear on me.” “I’m not going anywhere.” We walked inside and the noise immediately became louder. People were dancing, laughing and talking over the music. I looked around, feeling slightly out of place. Grace leaned closer to me. “Come on. I want you to meet some people.” I followed her through the crowd, brushing my shoulders against strangers. We finally stopped in front of a group of guys who were gathered round a table, laughing and drinking. Grace immediately joined their conversation before turning to me. “Guys, this is my best friend, Sophia. Two of them greeted me, but the others barely acknowledged me before continuing their conversation. I stood beside Grace, smiling awkwardly. Grace leaned towards me. “I’ll get us something to drink.” I nodded. “Okay.” She disappeared into the crowd. A few minutes passed and Grace hadn’t returned yet. I contemplated going to look for her or just standing there waiting endlessly for her to come back with our drinks. I waited for another five minutes before giving up. I made my way towards the kitchen, hoping to find her there. The place was even more crowded than before, and I had to squeeze past people just to get through. I spotted one of the guys that greeted me from the group of dudes we saw. “Hey, have you seen Grace?” He thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No. Sorry.” “Okay, thanks.” I walked away, already regretting coming to this party. I stopped for a moment and scanned the room one more time, hoping I would somehow spot her. Then I saw her. Grace was walking towards the stairs with someone behind her. I looked closer. Her boyfriend. “Oh, shit.” I watched as they disappeared upstairs. I couldn’t believe she actually left me after promising me she wouldn’t. I stood there for a moment, fuming. This was supposed to be a night away from everything. Away from my mother’s death. Away from my father’s cold attitude, away from all the thoughts that had been eating me alive for the past two months. Instead, I was standing in a crowded house feeling more alone than I had felt all week. I made my way back to the kitchen and poured myself a drink. Then another. And another. By the time I had reached what I was pretty sure was my fifth drink, I had stopped caring about anything. “Hey.” I jolted at the voice behind me and turned around. It was the second guy Grace had introduced me to earlier. His eyes moved from my face to the drink in my hand. “Easy on those, you’re going to hurt yourself.” I looked down at the cup in my hand. “I’m fine.” He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look fine.” “Maybe I don’t feel fine.” He didn’t say anything for a moment. Instead he leaned against the counter beside me. “Bad night?” I let out a small laugh. “Something like that.” “Then why are you still here?” I glanced towards the crowded living room. “Because I thought it would help.” “Help with what?” I hesitated before answering. “My mother died recently.” His expression changed. “I’m sorry.” I shrugged. “It’s been two months, but everyone keeps telling me it will get easier.” I looked down at my drink. “And my dad hasn’t exactly made things easier either. He’s been different since she died. Distant, angry. Sometimes I don’t even recognize him anymore.” He nodded slowly. “I’m guessing that’s why you’re drinking.” “Maybe.” The music suddenly seemed louder than before. He leaned closer. “Do you want to get out of here?” I looked at him. “Where?” “Anywhere quieter, I can barely hear you.” I followed him away from the kitchen until the music became quieter. “Better?” He asked. I nodded. He leaned against the wall while I stood. My vision started getting blurry. We stood there in silence for a while before he spoke. “So you came here to escape?” “I actually came here with Grace but she abandoned me for her boyfriend.” I rolled my eyes. “That’s a bummer, you need better company. I mean me.” We both laughed and he stared at me. I felt a little shy and looked down. He gently lifted my chin with his fingers. “Are you shy?” I nodded and gave a brief smile. “Yeah.” He stepped closer, held my neck and kissed me. It first came as a shock then I kissed him back. The kiss was so passionate and hot. My heart was racing and so was his. I had felt his heart beating aggressively against his ribs when I pulled him closer for a deeper kiss. We stopped and he asked me if I wanted to head upstairs. I agreed and we occupied one of the rooms. As soon as we got into the room, he turned the key and took off his shirt. Almost like he had been starving. I got onto the bed and he jumped onto me.” We continued kissing for maybe fifteen minutes, I’m not sure. Then he took off my panties with his teeth and a little help from his hands. He kissed my tummy and got to my bikin area, I got nervous and pushed him back. “I’ve never done this before. Does it hurt?” “No, I'd be gentle.” I leaned back and relaxed. Maybe I was too tense, I thought. He started kissing me all over again from my tummy till he reached my c**t. He used his tongue to open up my lips and traced around it. He went down completely and nibbled on it a bit. It felt good, it felt so good. I couldn’t explain how I felt but gosh it was amazing. This went on for a while till he came up and we kissed. He lifted and placed me on his lap. He used his hand to move my waist back and forth on him and I complained I was hurting but he ignored me. I tried to take his hand off but he refused. I repeated to him to stop but he wasn’t listening. I got uncomfortable and a bit panicked. I attempted to stand up and he pulled me back and aggressively bit on my boob. I felt it, a sharp pain that tore through my tipsyness. He held my hands together and got on top of me. I started begging, I told him I wasn’t interested anymore. I told him I didn’t want to have s*x. I was yet ignored again. He continued to caress my boobs and went down on me. He stuck a finger in and smiled. “You’re wet, don’t act like you don’t want this.” I couldn’t fight back. I was tired, I was tipsy and I let it happen. I couldn’t help myself. I cried and begged him to stop but it felt like the more I cried for help, the more aggressive he got. Within minutes, he was inside me. He thrusted hard against me and I felt each thrust hit my cervix. I didn’t know when I blacked out.