An Error in Judgment Ch. 05

Dylan grabbed Courtney by the shoulders, shaking her awake. "Courtney, wake up!" He said, the urgency in his voice causing him to nearly yell at her as he kept desperately trying to wake her up. She shook fitfully, caught in a nightmare. She struggled as Dylan held onto her. As she continued to fight against him, a cry caught in her throat.

"Courtney! Open your eyes! It's me!" Dylan begged as he touched her face gently, pulling her close to him.

Suddenly, she broke into tears as Dylan held her close. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was safe. She was in her own home, in her own bed, with her own husband.

"It happened again, didn't it?" Courtney asked, ashamed. She buried her head against Dylan's shoulder.

"Yeah." He sighed. "It's okay. We'll get through it." Dylan ran his hand over Courtney's hair, smoothing it as he hugged her.

"I know." Courtney said, her voice muffled by Dylan's shoulder. "I just want the flashbacks to stop." She pulled back and looked at Dylan, her green eyes still full of tears. She turned away, laying back down on her left side. She stared at the clock. It was just after 4am. She tried to turn her mind off, but it was not working.

It had only been a few weeks since the incident at the office. But what had scared Courtney more than everything that had happened was the fact that the nightmare truly wasn't over.

Michael wasn't dead.

He had passed out from shock and from blood loss, but the wound wasn't fatal. Paramedics had found a pulse, revived him, and rushed him to the hospital, where he was able to make a full recovery.

The news gave Courtney an overwhelming feeling of fear, along with the tiny feeling of relief that she wouldn't have to live the rest of her life with the knowledge she had killed someone.

He was currently being held for evaluation. It seemed very likely that he was going to be able to avoid going to jail. At most, it looked like he would be remanded to therapy and time served. Courtney had met several times with her Attorney to discuss the case, and had repeatedly expressed her displeasure with this development.

She had been granted an emergency restraining order. But that piece of paper didn't make Courtney feel any more at ease. Knowing that he was being kept under close watch while institutionalized made her feel a little better, but she still worried about what would happen when he got out.

Courtney knew that Michael would come after her. There was no doubt in her mind. Michael was a psychopath, a master of manipulation. He would be able to convince whoever he needed to he was no longer a threat, that his issues were resolved, and he would be done with therapy. He'd be unmonitored, and she was willing to bet that the first chance he had, he would find her.

Eventually Courtney settled back into a fitful sleep, only to be jolted awake by the sound of the alarm clock. She blindly fumbled for the snooze button, slapping it before rolling over and pulling the covers over her head. It seemed only seconds had passed before the alarm blared again, and Courtney reluctantly dragged herself out of bed.

She was thankful to be settling back into her normal routine. Work gave her the distraction she so desperately needed. Rick had given her a few other projects to keep her mind occupied since they had been slow in the office. She had also decided to begin studying for some additional certifications. Anything to keep her mind busy was a positive thing.

A few times, Courtney caught her thoughts wandering back to David. He was her first boyfriend. He was a control freak, abusive and extremely violent. He threatened to kill her any time she tried to leave. For almost a year and a half, she lived in the painful cycle of a violent relationship. He taught her what fear was. If she ever said no, it became yes, if he had to beat her into compliance. She thought she would die before she got out.

Eventually, she got up the courage to leave, and he nearly did kill her. A concussion, bruised ribs and sprained wrist later, he was in jail for the weekend and she was single. Once everything that he had done to her came out, her closest friends and family were in shock. But David made a deal and walked, spending three days in jail and two years on probation.

Until she left her hometown behind, he followed her every move, keeping his distance just enough that she couldn't do anything about it. The restraining order she had was as worthless as the paper it was printed on. Courtney knew it was an excuse, albeit a lousy one, but she blamed him for being afraid to run away from Michael.

Michael made her uneasy from the moment that she first met him. The fear continued to grow every time that he would try to get her to open up about personal things when he would call for a business transaction. When he was able to pick up that he made her nervous about something he had said, he continued to push, knowing she wouldn't snap back at him. He knew she had a secret that could be exploited. He knew that underneath the cheerful smile and sunny demeanor hid a broken, scared girl that could be easily controlled through fear and intimidation. And he couldn't wait to get his hands on her. Each interaction, he was setting her up, putting his plan together for the final push that would bring her to him. It worked flawlessly.

Courtney sighed as she parked in front of the courthouse. It was a breezy spring morning. Courtney was thankful that she elected for dress pants over a skirt. She buttoned her suit jacket and pulled her leather coat on as she stepped out of the car and headed for the door.

The hearing started on time. She sat next to her attorney, Dylan, Rick, and Courtney's best friend Hailey, who had driven over two hours to be there. "I was there for you with David, I'm going to be there for you now." Hailey said, effectively ending any objection Courtney had.

When Michael was escorted into the courtroom, Courtney jumped. She instantly began shaking. Dylan protectively wrapped an arm around her as Michael glanced in their direction.

As the hearing began, it was the typical review of the facts, the charges and the current status of the defendant. At that point, questioning began, and Courtney was called to give her statement. As she approached the stand, she could feel Michael's gaze burning through her. She did her best to ignore him. When the defense attorney asked her to confirm who her attacker was, she looked straight at Michael. Their eyes met and she felt faint. Even though his face was blank, his eyes were full of fury. He could have killed her on the spot.

After her testimony, they called Dylan and Rick for their statements. Courtney could barely listen as they recounted the details of what Michael did to her. Then, the defense spoke. Michael said nothing. When the defense finished, they were dismissed while they all eagerly waited for the Judge to make a decision. Courtney needed a break, so she stepped out into the hallway.

Fighting tears, she looked at the ceiling, staring at the light blue paint as it cracked where it met the plaster. "I hate this." She whispered, blinking back the tears that were stinging at her eyes as she paced anxiously.

Soon, the judge returned from his review of the details that had been presented. Courtney sat on the edge of her seat, fidgeting as the judge addressed the room.

"In light of the information that I have been provided," he began, "I will recommend that the Order of Protection be extended for a period of one year. The defendant shall have no contact with the plaintiff. The defendant will be sentenced to time served, and remanded to probation for a period of two years." He paused, looking down at his notes.

Courtney's heart sank. He was getting away with everything. "No...not again." She whispered as the tears burned at her eyes. Hailey looked over at Courtney painfully. She reached over and grabbed Courtney's hand.

"Additionally," the judge continued, "The defendant shall be mandated to attend a second mental health evaluation and intensive counseling for a minimum period of three months, or until he is no longer considered to be a threat." He paused, looking at Courtney's attorney and at Michael's attorney as if waiting for an objection before banging his gavel once. "You are dismissed. Mr. Stevenson, you are free to go."

"All Rise!" the Bailiff's voice rang through the room as the judge turned and walked out, back to his chambers.

"Courtney, I'm so sorry." The attorney looked at her sorrowfully. "Unfortunately, we see this happen far too often."

"It's not your fault." Courtney replied, reaching for her coat. "It happened last time too." She instantly felt faint. The room spun and she grabbed the chair in front of her to keep from falling over. Dylan and Rick instantly grabbed her to hold her up. "Courtney?" Dylan said, quietly, "Courtney, are you okay?"

"No." Courtney replied. Her voice was hollow. "I need to get out of here."

Within a few moments, they had left the courthouse. They stood outside, the chill from the breeze lost to the sun that was beating down on them. Hailey shook her head as she stood beside Courtney. "I can't believe this happened again," Courtney started. "You know he's going to come after me."

Dylan and Rick looked at her with concern. Hailey cleared her throat and nodded her head stiffly to her left. "Don't turn around, Courtney," she said softly as Michael walked down the sidewalk behind them. He saw them standing there, and smiled wickedly, eyeing Courtney as he walked by. "It's okay. He's gone." She said, putting her arm around her shaking best friend.

"Sick son of a bitch." Dylan growled quietly. "I should have shot him that night."

Courtney's green eyes flashed painfully as she looked at Dylan. "I'm sorry." He apologized, reaching out for her.

"Let's get out of here, before anything else happens." Rick suggested.

A few months later, Dylan had gone out of town for an extended weekend hunting trip. Courtney was home alone. Hailey had volunteered to come keep her company and have a girl's weekend, but Courtney declined, saying that she just needed some quiet time to unwind after a long week at the office.

It was about 7:30 on Saturday night. Courtney had just opened a bottle of wine, turned on the tv, and was waiting on her Chinese delivery to show up. She was talking to Dylan on the phone when the doorbell rang. "Hey, my dinner's here, so I'll talk to you later. Love you." She said, hanging up and tossing her phone on the table as she walked to the door.

Without thinking, she unlocked and opened the door, expecting to find the Chinese delivery driver standing there with her food.

Instead, there stood Michael. He looked at her intently. "Hello, Courtney." He smiled as he watched her reaction.

"Shit." Courtney panicked, stepping backwards away from the door, trying to close it quickly. But Michael was faster than she was and pushed the door backwards, pinning her behind it. He stepped into the living room, closing the door behind him.

Courtney scrambled for her phone, grabbing it and picking it up. Michael grabbed her wrist and stared at her darkly. He shook his head at her slowly. Courtney knew that if she tried to call for help, she was done for. "Why are you here, Michael?" she asked, defensively.

"You know why I'm here, Courtney." He replied, coldly. "We have some unfinished business to take care of."

Courtney's eyes widened in fear as he stepped closer. "There's that fear that I love so much." He sighed, reaching out and grasping her chin gently. She winced with the expectation that he was going to hurt her, but he didn't. He traced her jawline with his fingers as she turned her head away.

The doorbell rang again, and Michael scowled in disproval. "Get rid of them." He growled.

She opened the door, smiling and greeting the delivery driver, signing the card slip and sending him on his way. She closed the door and turned to place the paper bag onto the hall table. As she turned around, he grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You know what I came for." He said, darkly as he looked at her, digging his fingers in. "I want you. I'm going to have you. You're not going to stop me."

"Michael, please don't do this..." her voice trailed off as she looked at him. "You don't have to."

"Yes, I do." He replied softly, leaning closer to her. "I want to feel myself, buried deep inside of you, feel you writhing around me." His voice dropped as he whispered into her ear. "I need to hear you crying out as you unravel."

Courtney gasped and closed her eyes, turning her head away. "You know all I have to do is pick up my phone and you go back to jail, right?" she asked defiantly. "Give me one reason not to do that right now."

"Because you and I both know that you want this as much as I do." Michael taunted. The feeling of his breath on her neck gave her chills. He chuckled before continuing. "Also, because I know that you don't want to die tonight."

Courtney's eyes shot open at his statement, and she looked up at him in a panic. He smiled back at her wickedly. "Now I've got your attention." He replied coolly. "Those pretty green eyes..." he trailed off as he released his grip on her shoulders, watching her step back from him. "I told you, this wasn't over until I said it was over. Touch that phone, you'll be dead before they get here."

"Are you really going to kill me, Michael?" Courtney's voice had gone hollow as she stared at him. She had already resigned herself to admitting she was defeated. "You know that you've got the upper hand."

"As long as you do what I want, no." He said, stepping closer to her. "If you behave yourself, no one gets hurt, we'll enjoy ourselves, and no one needs to know."

"What do you want?" She asked quietly, looking down at the floor.

"You." He looked at her. "Just give in. Don't fight it. Don't struggle. Simple." His voice was rough as he brushed her hair back from her face.

Courtney shuddered at the contact. "You know how I feel about you, Michael." She objected. "You tried to kill me. I don't need to remind you of the history."

"You're right, you don't." He replied. "For the record, you tried to kill me. And you almost succeeded." He snarled at her angrily. He grabbed her hand, pulling it under his shirt where a scar was forming from where she had stabbed him. She winced and looked up at him painfully.

"You actually feel guilty!" he snapped, his voice bitter. "So tell me, Courtney. Is it guilt that you did it, or that you didn't finish the job?"

Courtney's eyes dropped as she pulled her hand back. "That it happened at all." She said quietly as she looked at the floor. "It got out of hand, Michael. I thought you were going to kill me."

"I was." Michael said, his voice somber. "But I didn't want it to come to that."

"Could have fooled me." Courtney replied anxiously. She was becoming very uneasy.

Michael grabbed her by the wrist again, pulling her close. He looked down into her eyes as she struggled to pull back from him. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" He growled. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "The things that I want to do to you, Courtney." His voice dropped as he leaned in to her ear. His breath was hot on her neck as he whispered. "How badly I want to fuck you in every way possible."

Courtney drew a ragged breath as he kissed her neck slowly. She closed her eyes as he continued. He ran his hand up her back to her hair, grabbing a handful and tugging her head backwards. A soft gasp escaped her as he moved to her throat. "Don't deny me." He said quietly.

"Michael, please..." Courtney whispered. She was already beginning to fight the mental battle with herself again. She could feel the familiar feeling of arousal in the pit of her stomach. But she hated him. She despised him. He had tried to kill her. She had nearly killed him in self-defense. He walked away from charges and now here he was, with every reason to seek revenge on her. But he wasn't looking to kill her, at least not yet. He wanted sex.

"Please what?" He asked, his tone rough. He reached for the drawstring on her running pants, untying it and watching them fall to her ankles, revealing the light purple panties underneath. She looked up at him, her eyes wide. He knew what he was doing to her. "Please what, Courtney?" He repeated, eyeing her anxiously as his hands moved lower, grabbing her ass and pulling her body against him again.

"Just do it already." She whispered, her voice cracking. She couldn't take it. As much as she didn't want him to touch her, to even be near her, she couldn't resist what he was going to do. Michael laughed as he grabbed her by the chin, pulling her face up to look at him.

"Begging, Courtney?" he taunted. "This is an interesting change for you." He grinned wickedly as he kissed her forcefully. She whimpered as he forced his tongue into her mouth. "Upstairs. Now." He growled.

Courtney began shaking nervously as she started up the stairs with Michael close behind her. As she turned into her bedroom, she paused and looked at her bed. She closed her eyes to the memory of their last encounter in the room as Michael's hands touched her shoulders. "Strip." He whispered.

As she pulled her tank top up over her head, turning to face him, he groaned as he looked at her. She nervously looked at him, biting her lip as she unhooked her bra, tossing it aside and stepping out of her panties. She was completely naked in front of him, shaking anxiously.

Michael circled around her, tracing his fingers down her back, watching her shiver. "Beautiful. So pale, so soft." He said, admiring her as he looked her over. As he unzipped his jeans, he watched her expression change. She battled panic as he exposed his erection to her. "Get on the bed." He growled, his voice husky.

Courtney did as she was told. Michael climbed on the bed, pushing her over onto her back. He instantly covered her, kissing her forcefully once again. She whimpered quietly as she felt his hand moving lower. She did little to stifle the moan that escaped into his mouth as he slowly slid a finger into her. "Wet already, Courtney?" he asked, his voice changing into its usual dark tone as he slowly fingered her, feeling her hips jerk in response as he slipped a second finger inside of her. "How badly do you want me to take you?"

Courtney gasped as his fingers found her spot and she leaned her head back. "I don't know how you can do this to me." She whispered shakily. "For as much as I hate you."

"Because you like it." Michael replied. "You like being fucked." His voice had become dark as he pulled his fingers out of her, bringing them to her lips. "Lick them off." He demanded as she looked up at him nervously. Courtney hesitated, but slowly did as he ordered, licking her juices from his fingers.

Michael watched her intensely as she complied with his orders. When she had finished, he pulled his fingers away from her, he looked at her and grinned wickedly before laying on his back. "Suck me." Courtney looked at him nervously. "Don't hesitate, Courtney. Do it." He chided.

Reluctantly, she moved down, taking him into her mouth. He groaned as he felt her tongue working him over as she took him farther into her mouth. As he felt the head of his cock hit the back of her throat, he groaned again. "Use your hands" he demanded quietly. Courtney whimpered around him as he held the back of her head against him. He grabbed a fistful of hair, pulling her head to the side as he slowly pushed his cock farther into her mouth.

Soon, he was fucking her mouth while she tried to keep up, whimpering as he pushed further. He held her in place with both hands as he started to move faster. He groaned as he felt his release building. He pushed her head down as he came, hearing her whine and then the sounds of her desperately trying to swallow his load as it erupted into her mouth. When he finished, she continued working her tongue around it until she had cleaned it off before falling onto her back on the bed.