79

"Carlos," I breathed his name slightly scared and watched him frozen as he walked further and further into my office, only to stop when I got to my desk.

I glanced outside, where it was pitch black, and yet I felt it would be safer for me there now than in here.

I wished I could just run and not look back, but at the same time, a small part of me was thinking about how stupid my fear seemed. It was Carlos, after all, not some crazy psychopath...

How I curse that little part of me to this day, because of its existence in my mind, I closed the door after all and took slow steps across the wooden floor to lean against the wall behind Carlos.

He was still standing with his back to me and was just putting the empty bottle on the table, which I watched closely for he was swaying slightly and I was a little panicked at the thought that he was about to fall over.

If only he had fallen over...

"Is everything alright? Shall I get you a glass of water?" I asked quietly and suddenly got a shock when he suddenly turned around and eyed me with an anger that made my heart race.

It was only then that I understood what true fear meant. It wasn't the panic of the unknown that made you despair, but the certainty that something terrible was about to happen...

"You want to know if everything's alright?" he sneered, taking a step closer to me, causing me to lean even closer against the wall behind me. My heart leapt at the sight of him and I wanted nothing more than to get out into the darkness, but it was too late.

"Nothing's okay, Isalie!" he continued and I looked into his dark eyes pleadingly to somehow get him to stop scaring me so much, but he didn't stop. It got even worse.

He stopped right in front of me, looking down at me expressionlessly and suddenly grabbed my chin, making me gasp and wince violently at the gesture.

"You're hurting me," I whimpered, my voice shaking as his fingernails dug painfully into my skin, but he didn't care in the least.

"You hurt me too!" he replied emotionlessly, looking at me so condescendingly as if I wasn't worth anything and so I felt trapped in his tight grip. "I do everything like a little puppy, but that's probably not enough for the spoiled German! She'd rather have the cock of the damn Torres!"

He spat those words at me with such hatred that my stomach turned painfully and I could barely think straight. Basically I only felt panic and exactly this fear, my throat tightened more and more. It was only a matter of time before I would just pass out, at least that's what it felt like. Comparable to a panic attack, which however never wanted to end.

"Carlos, bitte-"

My whole body started to tremble when suddenly, without warning, he leaned even closer against me and his lips met mine in demand. I tasted the alcohol, smelled that mixture of sweat and perfume and almost threw up with excitement, but giving up was not an option! I'd followed too many heroes in their books to just throw in the towel and endure something so disgusting.

So while he grabbed my waist with his hands, I started to push him away from me with all my strength on his chest, which unfortunately seemed harder than I thought. He didn't break away from me. No piece. Instead, he sucked on my lips like a disgusting insect and moaned excitedly as he ran his hand unashamedly over my buttocks.

"You bastard," I hissed, overwhelmed, and started thrashing wildly, but faster than I could have reacted, he grabbed my hands and pinned them against the wall over me, making me feel even more defenseless than I was anyway.

"Don't be like that," he whispered in my ear and then came back with his face right in front of mine, causing his warm breath to hit my skin and triggering uncomfortable goosebumps that spread all over my body. "We're both adults, what's the matter?"

He cupped both my wrists in his hand to grin triumphantly at me while his free hand now wandered down to my hip.

"I beg you," I begged in my trembling voice, feeling the first tears of despair in my eyes, while shame reddened my cheeks and my head began to pound from being overwhelmed.

"Don't be so uptight," he breathed at my request and, as he said it, started lifting my dress again and again until I felt his hand on my bare thigh and tried to defend myself by trying to free my hands , but again he leaned against my body so tightly that I was unable to move.

"Just think of it as a business. I helped you and asked less rent than this apartment is worth. Now I should get a reward for it."

I closed my eyes, felt his fingers, heart pounding, moving further and further up my thighs, leaving a burning sensation on my skin. It was the worst thing I had experienced up to that day and I already knew that I would certainly never forget it.

His touch burned into my mind... his scent had become part of my subconscious and when his fingers suddenly brushed my panties I held the air deep in my lungs and just hoped to die. Better an end with horror than horror without end....

"You won't regret it," he made me a promise that he probably believed in himself, but I knew better. I regretted at that moment every decision I had made in my life up to this point, because they had led me here.

He was just about to push my panties aside when I lifted my leg, equally filled with shame and panic, so that my knee met the hardness between his legs and he groaned in pain.

"Damn!" he cursed loudly and luckily let go of me to keep his hands curled over his crotch and back away from me a few steps.

I could hardly move from the excitement. Pondering what to do next, he glanced at the thick glass-encased scented candle on my desk as he slowly stood upright again, his wicked glares threatening to annihilate me.

"You little slut," he hissed between his teeth and I knew I would either fight back or he would take from me whatever he felt I had to give him.

Full of energy, I took a quick step forward with bated breath and was about to reach for the candle when he pulled me backwards by my hair, causing me to squint and start to cry bitterly.

"Who do you think you-"

Before he could even finish, I put my hand in his face and scraped my fingernails against his skin with all the strength I had in this hopeless situation, so that he immediately turned me around in disbelief and punched me like that my face missed that I began to stagger, caught off guard by the force.

I saw black for a moment. I even lost my bearings in the process and only heard a muffled beeping, so that I cried in pain and brought my hands to my cheek, which was throbbing and hot from the blow.

By now I was scared to death and was certain that I would never see daylight again, never taste the sea again, and never see Emilio again, who suddenly, although I barely knew him, was to be one of the last thoughts of my life.

But then something changed about this terrifying atmosphere...

Trembling and scared, I looked at Carlos, who was standing in front of me, wide-eyed and absent-minded. There was no longer an expression on his face, as if he had suffered a shock and I was about to reach for the candle again without thinking, but he grabbed my neck and looked at me intently.

"Not a word to anyone!" he warned me, squeezing harder and harder until I was low on oxygen in my lungs and started nodding in panic.

"I'm not telling anyone!" I croaked out of breath and gasped for breath when he suddenly let go of me and gave me another admonishing look.

Then he disappeared, just as quickly as he had come, and only when I heard the door slam shut did I sink to my trembling knees and cry out in pain, the tortured sounds I made echoing in my mind .

My whole body ached and although I was so powerless and weak, I managed to grab my phone and map from the table to call the only person who could get me out of this situation.

He just had to be my light in this world full of darkness!