The Degradation of Shelby Ann by Emma Cole
Chapter Fifteen
Shelby
Mama took off as soon as the final pictures were done. She'd about had a coronary when Rafe showed up.
"Congrats, little sis, it's official," he greeted me with a kiss on my cheek and an affectionate grin I couldn't help but return.
I wanted to catch up with him, ask where he'd been, but we were ushered into our places and never got the chance. As soon as the last pose was captured, Mama made her excuses and Rafe volunteered to drive her home. She tried to get out of it, yet one stern glance from Winston Sr. had her mouth snapping shut. I didn't understand what the issue was, but I knew Rafe would make sure she got home. I just hoped she didn't give him any trouble on the way; he really was a sweet man.
So he and Mama left while the rest of the party went to the reception. It went marginally better than the engagement party had, but anything had to be an improvement over that mess. I mostly stayed at our table except for a few dances with Dirk and the cake cutting, and I was happy enough to do so. Besides, it acted as the perfect barrier for most of the guests. Those that did approach only gave well wishes and congratulations, mostly to Dirk and his father, but with Dirk back at my side and barely letting go of my hand, I was okay with not being in the limelight.
Thankfully, there were plans for us to head off for our honeymoon and leave the guests to enjoy the rest of the evening. The itinerary was for a short week-long tour of a few destinations in Europe, then back home so Dirk could oversee a big shipping contract. I didn't care where we went, more than happy just to be away from the house and the people that lived there.
* * *
I'd forgotten two large additions in my giddiness to escape the pall from the last few months. Carter and Milo. Their very presence put a damper on it all, but so did my period and the nasty cramps that accompanied it.
And that was how I spent the majority of my honeymoon, grumpy and grimacing… and not getting any. No, Dirk and I might have shared a bed, but that was all we shared. And when my flow stopped? He waited another day before he perfunctorily consummated our marriage and promptly went to sleep. I was so annoyed I took care of myself in the jacuzzi tub, then stayed in the bubbles until they dissolved and I pruned up.
Our last day was enjoyable at least. We didn't do anything too special, but we went on a private tour of the English countryside. I couldn't say where we were, but it was beautiful. It was our last stop before we caught a flight from Heathrow to head back home. After the chance to somewhat decompress, I had determined that I'd make the best of things, doing what I could to make my days fulfilling. I was officially no longer under Nina's tutelage and had plans for all the time her absence would free up.
* * *
"What do you mean 'she's staying on'? You promised I was done with that woman!" My complaints weren't swaying my husband a bit. I could see my plans going poof, one by one, in a cloud of disappointment.
"Shelby, darling, this isn't my decision. Father wants her here for a transition period to help you as more of an administrative assistant. There are several areas where your influence could be useful for the family and the business, so he'd like those contacts cemented under supervision to make sure there aren't any… mistakes." His frown led me to believe a different word had been used, but I chose to ignore it. It wasn't worth it.
Actually, none of it was worth it to me right then. The shackles had tightened instead of falling off, and I was scrambling to come up with a new game plan. No way was I putting up with Nina any longer than necessary.
"Fine, Dirk, I'll fall in line, but I'm not making it a permanent position. I can't stand that woman, and her feelings are entirely mutual.”
"We'll revisit the situation in a month or two. Until then, please do as you're told."
Just like you always do, darling.
I hushed the interloper and put Nina from my mind as I made a noise of agreement that Dirk raised a brow at. But it didn't stop him from loosening his tie and wandering into his bedroom—where he left the door wide open. My intent gaze followed my husband, as did my feet, until I was in his room and meeting his smoldering stare with one of my own.
As his dress shirt parted, one button at a time, his toned abs came into view. I pushed the door shut with my heel and reached for the zipper pull at my back. I'd be making sure I got off that time.
* * *
Six Weeks Later
Finally! I’d gotten free from Nina and went out on my own with only Carter as an escort. We’d just arrived back home, and I couldn’t wait to tell Dirk how my afternoon had gone. Carter followed me, as usual, a familiar shadow that I barely noticed anymore. He’d never brought up my wedding day again, and neither had I. As far as I was concerned, it hadn’t happened.
As we neared our rooms, I was about to dismiss Carter for the day, when I heard my husband’s voice filter through the door.
“You know where to go. I suggest you hurry and get ready before I get there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shocked but curious after hearing that little tidbit, I silently backed down the hall away from our door as I tried to make sense of what I’d heard. Even though my voice was screaming in my head, the white noise was successfully drowning her out. There was only one thing that registered in my mind. What the hell is Nina doing in his room? My gaze met Carter’s carefully blank one. He knows what’s going on.
More than likely he’s known, but yes, dumbass, I suggest you go see for yourself so you can’t deny it anymore.
Marching forward and avoiding Carter’s gaze, I hesitated at the door. My gut, and pretty much everything else, told me that my suspicions were true, so instead of chancing alerting them to my presence, I toed my pumps off and hooked them with my fingers to bring along before quietly turning the lever to creep into the sitting room of our suite. A muffled groan came from the partially ajar door leading to my husband's room. My body flushed hot and cold as my hands began to shake, prompting me to set my shoes down, but it didn't stop me from needing to see.
The view was enough to crack my heart— Nina on her knees, Dirk's fingers gripping her no-nonsense bun as he choked her on his dick. I dared not move; instead, I drove the betrayal further into my soul as I watched him roughly pull her up, thick saliva trailing from her lips to his shiny wet length. With a snap of his finger, she turned like a well-trained dog to lean over the footboard with a wide stance as she hiked her dress up and lowered her panties—panties I recognized. I had the same set. "Leave them there," he demanded when they reached partway down her thighs. She complied, then her hands went to the globes of her ass to spread them wide, exposing everything to his gaze and mine.
I'd expected Dirk to press into Nina's bare and blatantly wet snatch, but instead I stared in appalled horror as he let his own spit drip from his lips onto her back entrance. Using the tip of his dick, he smeared it around before leaning his weight on her lower back with his other hand and shoving himself roughly into her exit. Nina's muffled shriek came from where her face was buried in the coverlet, but other than the slapping of skin on skin, that was the only sound she made while Dirk pounded into her.
With a hand over my mouth to stop any bit of my heartache from spilling out, I ran back to retrieve my shoes and slammed the door to the hall before heading directly for my own room. Soft exclamations came from the direction of Dirk's bedroom as I fled the scene of my wrecked marriage.
"Shelby, darling, is that you?" Dirk's voice rang out.
Calm and collected like he wasn't balls deep in that bitch. I didn't bother to reply as I continued into my dressing room to pull an overnight bag from a shelf. I'd just dumped the first armful of clothing in when the betrayer and the harlot appeared at the open doorway of my closet.
"Shelby, what are you doing?" The confused concern in his tone was so sincere I almost believed it.
Instead of answering him, I set my sights on Nina. "Is there something I can do for you, Nina?" My own tone was decidedly less sincere.
"Yes, I came by to go over your progress with Mr. Hamilton and to go over your schedule for next week."
Two cool cucumbers, aren't they?
For once, I didn't bother to shush or argue with the voice. I knew the smirk, paired with the disgust in my eyes, made it clear that they hadn't escaped with their little tryst, but just to make sure... "Do those lessons include 'How to be sodomized by your employer,' or were you going straight for 'Homewrecking Whore'?" Her snooty ass default expression faltered for a moment. I had to give it to the bitch; she had a mean poker face. Dirk, on the other hand…
"Shelby, you'll watch your mouth! I don't know what's gotten into you—"
"Fucking can it, Dirk. Did you even wash the shit off your dick before you tucked it away? Even if I hadn't caught you fucking my chaperone in the ass, do you think I wouldn't have noticed the scent of sex in your room?” I snapped my fingers as I tsked at him. “Oh wait, that's right, I'm not to go in there without your express permission. Fuck you, you cheating asshole," I screamed at him, voice breaking at the end. I'd badly wanted to hide how much I was hurt, but as I railed at him, my anger peaked, and I couldn't hold on to my composure.
At a gesture from Dirk, Nina left, and a moment later, I heard the door to my room close behind her. Suddenly, I was scared to be enclosed in the same space with my husband. He hated outbursts.
Grow a backbone, girly! He just fucked that woman in your house.
Right. He did.And the anger helped to burn away the fear. I was better than this. I deserved better than this.
"I'm leaving. You-you just— how could you?" I shook my head when he came at me, hands out to show he wasn’t a threat. "Don't you dare touch me. I'll clear the rest of my things out later, but right now I just need to go." I grabbed my partially packed bag and rushed past him to set it on the bed so I could zip it. And yell for help from Carter if it came down to it. Not that I was sure he’d go against Dirk.
Dirk followed me with a sigh, and when I chanced to look his way, his features had hardened into a mask of anger and disapproval. "You're not going anywhere. You're my wife! I should have kept my indiscretions away from our personal rooms, but don’t test me, Shelby. You’re mine."
Was he kidding? "Indiscretion? Are you drunk? You cheated on me, you bastard! In what world would I stay here?" I couldn’t believe he thought he was going to pull that crap. What he was going to get was a prenup right upside his head.
He actually appeared frustrated in the face of my incredulity. "In my world, Shelby. You signed on for this. You accepted me as I am. Now you want to go back on that?"
I seriously had to be in an alternate universe. "I didn't sign on for my husband to fuck other women. It's definitely not something I can accept! What is wrong with you?"
"Do you not listen to anything? Wives aren't for that! Yes, I should have been more discreet, and for that I apologize. But you don't get to walk out on your commitment. You're my fuckingwife!"
My mind reeled. How did I turn into the bad guy here?He was in the wrong, not me, but only silence greeted me in my head. "Apparently, there's a serious lack of communication if you ever thought I'd be okay with you having a side piece. I get that your family is fucked up, and I’ve been dealing with being excluded from the business side of things, but that's not on me. You decided to dip your dick in that whore, and I won't have it!" He flinched with each expletive, his cheeks darkened with fury.
"Watch your mouth, Shelby! And you can't leave me. I won't allow it!" He’d advanced on me until the backs of my knees hit the bed, and I lost my balance to sprawl awkwardly across my open bag. My heart raced in fear when he loomed over me, hands balled into fists at his sides as his chest heaved in and out. "I love you. Tell me how to fix this," he demanded.
Fix it? How do you fix a cheating spouse? But I genuinely began to believe he didn't see anything wrong with his actions, and while I was still petrified, confusion warred with the anger and betrayal. I didn't even know where to begin explaining something I took as being so fundamental to a relationship, to a marriage— faithfulness.
"Shelby," he barked, pulling me from my racing thoughts and maelstrom of emotions.
"You're scaring me, Dirk. Back up, please." One of us had to be the adult, and for once it was up to me. He frowned harder but took several steps away until I felt comfortable enough to scoot over and sit up on the side of the bed. Quietly, so as not to rile him up further, I asked, "Do you really not understand that what you did is wrong? Or is this a game you're playing?" Even if it pissed him off, I couldn't help the last part.
"I already said I was wrong to bring her to our rooms." He either didn't get it or he was a great actor. Unfortunately, I didn't know what to believe, and all I really wanted to do was get away from him.
And where will you go? You have nothing without him.
I really don’t have time for you right now. But, again, I couldn't argue with her. There really was nowhere, but how could I stay?
"Dirk, you face fucked another woman, a woman I'm supposed to learn from because I'm not good enough for your uppity circles. And not only that, she was hired as my chaperone to make sure nothing hinky happened before we were married! Did you make her my assistant just so you could put your dick in her ass? Because today is only what I caught you at; who knows how many other times there were? And don’t think I believe your bullshit lie about Rafe and underwear. I saw what she was wearing. To be extremely clear, I find that behavior unacceptable in my husband. I'm disgusted with you, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get over something like that." I shook my head helplessly and straightened the contents of my partially packed bag, wishing that for once I'd buried my head in the sand and not snooped.
"I understand that my...proclivities aren't something you can accept, but I respected you by not forcing them on you. I have needs that a wife shouldn't be exposed to, but now you demand that I not have an outlet for them. What would you have me do, Shelby?" He actually sounded broken up that I wouldn't let him fuck Nina, and things started to click in a horrifying way.
"Are you saying your prudish hang ups in bed are because it's not considered proper?" I asked, incredulous that this insane reasoning was behind all the aborted intimacies and subsequent lackluster sex.
That was the comment that brought out the monster in full force. "I tried to let you be the wife and use whores for my other needs, but since you can't mind your place, you can find out for yourself what I was kind enough to spare you from,” he spat at me scathingly.
Kind enough? "It's cheating, you bastard!"
The crack of skin on skin and the following sting that quickly turned into a burning heat on my cheek registered before the realization that he'd slapped me did. I glared at Dirk while holding a hand to the side of my face.
"Shut up, and take your dress off." My head barely moved in a shake of refusal before he reached out and forcefully shoved me over the end of the bed, smothering my face in sheets, just like he had Nina’s.
I tried to rise up, done with being abused, done with him.
Scream for help, you idiot. At least use Carter as a distraction and get the fuck out of here. I told you, he’s a creeper!
"Oh no you don't,” he gritted out, making me yelp as his fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of my neck. When I didn’t make a move to pull against his grip, he let my head go, cool air immediately hitting my ass as the skirt of my dress was flipped up. With his hand planted firmly in the middle of my back, holding me down once more, Dirk delivered his ultimatum. "If you move, I'll have Carter come in here to hold you down." No way in hell I can let anyone else see me like this. Much to the satisfaction of my soon-to-be ex-husband, my body went limp. "There you go,” he crooned eerily as he stroked my buttock and hip like he’d pet the flank of a jittery horse, but his tone became harsher with each word he spoke. “It'll be over soon, and then we can go back to the way it was. You'll understand then and won't give me these ridiculous demands!" The first of many slaps came down on my ass, and my suspicions were confirmed with each screamed obscenity or accusation and every punishing blow..
He is fucking insane.
Get out, Shelby, get out right now!
But I couldn’t. The monster that had overtaken my husband had no intention of letting me go until it was finished with me. I'd been swatted by Mama when I was a kid and being particularly misbehaved, and later on, the slaps became harder and more frequent, but the beating I received that afternoon was one of the worst experiences I'd ever endured. If I had known what was to come, maybe I'd have done things differently, or maybe it wouldn't have mattered, but that was the day my degradation began with no end in sight.
"Spread your legs. My hand hurts."
His hand hurts? My ass is on fire.But there was no snark or warning forthcoming. Despite wanting to do the exact opposite, I still complied, the threat of Carter coming in fresh in my mind. I couldn’t bear for him, or anyone else for that matter, to see me this way. In my gut, I knew he’d have already been in here if he were going to help me. He knew what was happening; he always had if the warnings from my wedding were any indication. It hurt like the dickens, but I hadn't let out more than a few muffled complaints into the bed, and I was determined to handle the situation and then leave. For good.
When Dirk had demanded my legs spread, I'd assumed he was going to have sex with me and be done with it, and with my face turned to the side so I could breathe better, I angrily watched as he unbuckled his belt and then unfastened his pants. He folded them, draping them across the chair against the wall, but he brought the belt back with him. The agony that erupted between my legs ruined whatever resolve I had to stay quiet and still. My throat burned with the force of my scream as I pulled my legs up to scurry across the bed to escape my deranged spouse.
"Get back over here, you harpy! You demanded I stop using whores, so you’ll take their place. Now, Shelby." Tears dripped steadily from my chin as I made myself into a ball, hopefully a smaller target to hit. "I'm giving you until the count of three to get back into position before I take the choice from you," he calmly said, as if he wasn’t about to hurt me worse.
"Please, Dirk, just stop. I'm sorry," I hiccuped out between gasps, not even caring that I wasn’t in the wrong. I just wanted it all to stop.
"Winston, Shelby. Dirk is for my wife, and that's not what you wanted to be, remember?" Eyes bright and manic with a flush in his cheeks, the monster he'd hidden so well peeked around whatever composure my husband had gathered, eager to be uncaged once more. At my refusal to comply, he started to count. "One." I cringed farther back into the headboard. "Two." My bedraggled hair slid around my shoulders as I shook my head with my eyes squeezed shut. "Fine. Three."
Run!
My lunge across the bed was abruptly aborted by a hand clamping around my ankle. My shrieks echoed off the walls as the belt swung, landing indiscriminately on every exposed piece of flesh as I twisted to escape, Winston’s brutal pulls ripping my clothing most of the way off of me. I wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but I eventually curled back into a ball, sobbing and waiting for it to end.
The cracking strikes eventually ceased, leaving their burning marks behind. The only sounds in the room were Winston's panting breaths and my constant whimpers.
"Are you ready to get back in position now?" His calm was back while I felt broken into a thousand pieces. He couldn't mean to make me take more.
"Please. No more." He didn't answer. Instead, he pulled the ankle he still gripped, dragging me down the bed. I didn't fight him, but I wasn't going to help him either. I wasn't even sure how well I could move. My muscles felt rigid, my skin swollen and tight.
A sharp pain reverberated through my body as it scraped over the edge of the footboard, eliciting a moan he ignored while he manipulated my legs to spread as far as they'd go. I gave a half-hearted attempt to struggle when I felt the first bit of restricting fabric around one ankle, at least until he delivered a swift slap to my ass. There was no resistance to the second binding holding me open to await his cruelty, and through all that followed, no one came to save me. Even the voice was silent, or at least drowned out under my screams and all-encompassing agony.