I Slept With a Stranger to Forget Him

Chapter 7 He Saved Me from My r****t

When Vivian woke, she found herself in a dimly lit room. It was spacious, but the size hardly mattered; her clothes were gone, and her limbs were bound spread-eagle above her.

Color drained from her face the moment she saw who stood before her, and terror hit so hard her entire body went cold as her breathing turned ragged.

"Victor! What are you doing?"

Though well past fifty, Victor had aged gracefully. Dressed in a suit with prayer beads looped around one hand, he slowly ran his palm up her thigh.

"N-No... don't..."

His touch slithered over her skin like a serpent, cold enough to make her shake. Vivian thrashed violently against the restraints.

"How are you just like your mother?" he mused. "So spirited."

"What?"

His words hit her like a thunderclap. Vivian jolted upright in shock, only to gasp when something cold touched her lower stomach. A prayer bead slid slowly downward.

"You animal... What did you do to my mother?"

"Your mother?" Victor chuckled. "She was remarkable. Took twenty of them." He clicked his tongue, almost wistful. "If she hadn't escaped, I would've liked to try other things. A pity, really."

Fear turned instantly to hatred. Vivian lifted her head and glared at the man between her legs, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You're the one who killed my mother!"

Victor laughed, the lines at the corners of his eyes twisting into something vicious as he rolled the beads through his fingers like a treasured toy. "Killed her? Hardly. Fiona brought your mother to me, and when she escaped, Fiona ran her down. None of it was my doing."

Vivian's mind went blank. Blood roared in her ears. If hatred alone could kill, Victor would already be dead. But the murderous fury in her eyes only seemed to excite him more.

He suddenly paused, his expression sharpening. "Hm? Still a virgin?"

Delight flared across his face.

Vivian trembled from head to toe, her heart dropping into her stomach. In that instant, she made her choice.

A hand clamped around the backs of her knees as his body pressed in. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit down hard on her tongue.

Bang! Bang! The door exploded open at the last possible second, followed by the c***k of gunfire.

Vivian's eyes snapped open. She turned weakly toward the sound and saw Lucien and Adrian charging in one after the other.

Only after the danger had passed did she finally break down sobbing. Panic flashed across Adrian's face. "Vivian! Vivian, it's okay. I'm here."

She ignored him completely. The moment her ropes were cut, she threw herself into Lucien's arms.

"Mr. Graves...Mr. Graves..."

She had been terrified, terrified of being violated, terrified of dying, and most of all terrified that Lucien would despise her for what had nearly happened.

But he did not.

His hands trembled as he stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around her. Then he turned slowly toward Victor, who lay on the floor clutching his abdomen and screaming in pain.

Vivian had seen many sides of Lucien before. He could be playful, wild, shameless, and dangerous, but she had never seen him like this.

His eyes burned with murderous cold, his face twisted with savage fury, like a man driven past reason. His fists rained down in a merciless storm, blow after blow without pause.

Victor had already been shot, and years of indulgence had left his body frail. He lost consciousness within moments.

"Mr. Graves, stop!"

Chaotic footsteps thundered closer outside, accompanied by Fiona's shrill screams echoing down the hall.

Vivian did not dare waste another second. She had seen Lancaster's bodyguards before, and they carried weapons at all times. If Lucien kept going, neither of them would make it out alive.

"Mr. Graves, please...we have to go!"

But Lucien only stood there, jaw clenched, staring at Victor.

Desperate, Vivian wrapped her slender arms around him. "Lucien... please. Take me away."

He remained silent for a long moment before finally turning and pulling her into his arms. "I'll help you get revenge."

She nodded against his chest. "I know..."

The red convertible tore down the road with Lucien driving like a man possessed.

Vivian stared at his clenched jaw, and a sharp sense of grievance welled up inside her. "Take me."

Pouting, Vivian looked back at him. "Mr. Graves... when I thought he was going to..." Her voice shook. "All I could think was that I'd saved myself this long and still hadn't given my first time to you."

She sniffled, then added in a small voice, "Lucien... this has happened so many times already. Don't tell me you can't do it."

His expression darkened at once.

"Vivian."

"Yes."

She knew perfectly well she was provoking him. But she truly did not want to wait any longer. If there was any chance of regret later, she would rather have no regrets at all.

With that thought, she bit her lip and climbed into his lap again. Having learned from last time, she lined herself up quickly, only for tears to spring to her eyes once more.

"Why are you crying now?"

"Because..." She sniffled. "I'm still scared it'll hurt..."

Lucien studied her for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

"Vivian, think carefully. If you choose me, you choose me for life. There's no walking away halfway, and no changing your mind. Once you're mine, you're mine forever."

Vivian nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I'll belong to Mr. Graves forever."

At that, something inside Lucien softened completely. He rolled her beneath him and touched her with slow, patient care until her whole body trembled and her cheeks burned crimson.

For the first time in her life, she wanted someone with desperate, aching intensity, as if desire itself had gone to her head.

"Mr. Graves..." she whimpered softly. "I want you..."

Lucien's eyes darkened at the sight of her, so bold and yet so shy all at once. She nearly drove him mad.

"Don't look at me like that," he muttered hoarsely, afraid he might lose control if she kept staring at him that way.

He drew a slow breath, adjusted himself, and gathered her tightly into his arms.