Not What It Seems Ch. 05

Author's Note: I just wanted to say thank you so, so much to those of you who have been waiting patiently for the next chapter in this story. I really didn't mean for it to take this long, but my muse couldn't decide what to do, and then couldn't stay focused because of a few other ideas that popped up along the way.

If you read Sold you'll see what I meant in the notes about it being a mini spoiler 😏

To those of you who might have noticed the new tags, your answers are below 😁

Either way, I hope you guys enjoy, and please see the note at the bottom for more info.

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All the way home Valen felt great...physically. Mentally though, she was in a dangerously deep, easy to manipulate mindset. So deep, in fact, that she had convinced to leave her happy marriage of five years -- relationship of seven -- for the man she was slowly coming to believe should have had her from the beginning. He even had her regretting turning him down in the kitchen some years back. In the state Robert had her mind when she left, all she had to do was go home, get some clothes, and go back to the man who knew how to give her what she needed. The man who had been smart enough to force her to see what she herself couldn't. That she was nothing more than a cock hungry slut that needed to be used right. And he could give her that, whereas Jeremy never could.

Plus, the way she saw it, she was about to set Jeremy free so he could find someone who could stay loyal and bring more to the table than she ever did. He deserved that after all he had done for her. This was the right thing to do. She knew once the shock wore off Jeremy would be grateful that she had left him and freed him from the burdens of being her husband. With how little she thought of herself, even without Robert's manipulating her, it was easy for her to believe this uneven relationship would be better without her. Jeremy should have known what he was getting into, considering the grooming and abuse he had taken her away from.

Unknown to Valen, Jeremy was fully aware that something was going on with his wife and had begun to take steps to fix the mess they both had made of things. He wasn't sure of the gravity of the situation, having not confronted her just yet, but he had recognized her old self-destructive patterns starting up the instant she lied about the hickey he found on her breast. That was when he knew it was time to put a stop to everything. He just had to wait for the right moment to present itself. Luckily for Jeremy, the opportunity presented itself at hopefully just the right time.

He had been taking a breather from the paperwork when he saw her text about running errands. It had been almost an hour after she sent it, but one of the errands was grocery shopping so he checked her location real quick. It wasn't a habit to track her, he just wanted to see if he had time to ask her to grab something he wanted from the store. However, instead of being at any of the places she should have been, her location was pinpointing her at his middle brother's house.

It was time to start his plan to save his marriage.

He told his business partner that Valen had sent him an S.O.S. and left their job site without further explanation, planning on making it up to the guy later as he drove to Robert's. He wasn't going there to take any action, not right now, he just needed to see her there for himself.

In a normal situation he wouldn't care where his wife was. She could always go where she wanted, when she wanted...but Valen had never taken a trip to see Robert. Not once in the seven years she and Jeremy had been together. She would visit his other siblings, friends she had made through her husband, even his parents, any day of the week; never Robert. He knew what it meant, no matter how much he wanted to deny he did. That was why he needed to see it instead of just trusting a phone app.

His jaw was clenched in anger, his knuckles whitened by their grip on the steering wheel, as he stared at the road while debating his next move.

A few different scenarios ran through his head, but none of them would be stress free on his pregnant wife. She may be in the second trimester -- the technical safe zone -- but he knew stress wasn't good for pregnancies, no matter how far along. Unfortunately, none of the hypothetical conversations in his head gave him any satisfaction. He needed something that would allow him to strike his brother, but no option he could think of right now gave him the opportunity he wanted while still being stress free on his wife.

Driving by his brother's house -- not slowing or stopping -- and seeing his wife's car sitting in the driveway, he made up his mind and headed home to get ready. He didn't know how long he would have to get ready, but he could make anything work for her.

Later, when Valen parked in their driveway -- too early to have run any errands -- Jeremy wasn't anywhere near ready for what he was going to have to do, but he wasn't letting her go. Right now, all that mattered was saving her. Not only from herself, but from what his brother could do to her over time if able to keep her by his side.

She fucked up. He wasn't denying that. But on their wedding day, he took every vow spoken as seriously as any husband or wife should. To him, this was just the "for better, for worse" part they had to work through. It wasn't like he could be too mad at her; he was the one that started this after all. He had begged for her to satisfy this one fantasy of his, and now she had fallen down a dark hole he had fought like hell to pull her out of. As hot as a fake affair that only she and Jeremy knew the details of would have been, the fake affair becoming real left a sick ache in his gut.

Not just because it meant his wife had chosen to have an actual affair, but also because Robert could never deserve her. He didn't have a gentle bone in his body, and Valen deserved someone who could properly love and respect her. Someone who wouldn't just use her for his own gain without a care about the effect that might have on her.

Jeremy hadn't thought he would have to mentally prepare himself for this outcome, seeing as she had so many negative feelings towards Robert outside the bedroom. But given her history, Jeremy really should have considered it a small possibility.

Robert wasn't violent like her father had been, but both men were the same manner of demeaning and belittling. Both had a controlling demeanor and had coached her on what to say or do while taking what they wanted from her -- or in her father's case, coaching her for his friends.

He wouldn't be surprised if Robert ended up letting others have at her too, once he grew bored of her. And he would get bored of her. He would ride the high of stealing the woman who couldn't stand him and, when that faded away, she would be discarded like garbage. She didn't deserve that, no matter how bad she fucked up.

Though Jeremy had only witnessed the extent of her father's depravity for himself one time, with everything she had told him, he knew enough to understand where a lot of her sexual needs came from. While he had a feeling her past coping behaviors had been dragged back up by his brother's behavior -- and possibly his own if he was honest with himself -- a small part of him worried that she wouldn't be able to see it that way. If her past was pulling her back down, then her underlying self-hate probably would be a hell of a beast to contend with. Luckily for him, this wouldn't be his first rodeo if that did end up being the case.

As much as he hated thinking about his wife's past, he was glad he knew every detail. It gave him all the insight he needed to be able to do what had to be done.

He had learned every horrible detail of her past and grooming when he was getting to know the woman he loved. From all the time he spent sitting with her, working their way through many conversations to try and help her figure out how to not feel weird or ashamed by the things she needed. Or, to help her understand why certain things affected her the way they did. Unfortunately, it was having to watch her work through her trauma that made it difficult for him to essentially manhandle, or even borderline abuse her the way she needed. He hadn't realized how much she needed it until now.

Some things he could do for her -- extra pressure when he held her down, satisfying her breath play, even using her body to jack off instead of his hand if she was up for it -- but genuinely hurting her? He loved seeing the way she smiled when he did leave an accidental bruise with his hands, but the guilt twisted him up every day the bruise was visible.

When Robert left bruises, Jeremy was torn. He hated another man leaving bruises on his wife. But the way she enjoyed herself while they were being left on her skin wasn't something Jeremy could look away from.

His cuck kink loved how she writhed and cried out while being utterly dominated by another man. Loved watching her pussy be forced to accept the thicker girth that was molding her stretched walls for its use. He wanted to know if his wife felt as good to Robert as she did to her husband, or if Robert even paused to appreciate the hungry way her pussy would suck at his cock as she milked her lover dry. Did he enjoy the way she gagged when he tried to make her deep throat his lengthy cock? Did he like the sound of her cries when they were tinged with pained ecstasy?

While it had never bothered him to see her enjoy the pain Robert put her through, because he knew she wouldn't let things continue if it was bothering her, his issue kept coming back to the bruises Robert left in the process. They only became a genuine problem for him when they got back from the trip she had asked for. A trip she said she needed because things were getting to be too much for her. Yet it had been after that trip he found the first off camera bruise. He was pretty sure that had been the first time she officially cheated on him, yet he still said nothing when Robert came back into his home to fuck his wife on camera a few days later.

At the time, another clue that something was off was the way she expressed her enjoyment of Robert's bruises. Before, she merely enjoyed knowing someone had just gotten that carried away. After...her touches started lingering on them, sometimes even pressing down until she bit her lip and pressed her thighs together. It was obvious that her need to feel owned was being satisfied by the marks themselves, rather than just knowing she drove someone so wild they lost control with her.

That had been the turning point for Jeremy. If she "belonged" to anyone, it was him.

Jeremy didn't see her as something to be owned, but Robert sure as hell didn't deserve to have her. Robert would never love her or care for her the way Jeremy could and would. He sure as hell wouldn't murder her if he had to. And, knowing his brother had some disturbing hobbies of his own, Jeremy didn't want to think about what could happen to her if he didn't step in.

Would he ever be able to save her if she spent much more time with Robert, while stuck in that old mindset Jeremy had worked so hard to pull her from? Or would her father's old handy work help Robert push her even further back into depravity?

Speaking of fathers, what kind of home would their baby grow up in? Would Robert even let her keep the baby? His brother liked making kids and spreading his seed as far and wide as he could, but he would never want to raise any of them. It was a miracle to Jeremy that Robert wasn't drowning in child support debt.

Jeremy abandoned his thoughts when he realized his wife had yet to come inside. After a glance out the window of his in-home office to confirm he could still see the tail end of her car still sitting in their driveway, he left the office and made his way to the front door, wondering what was taking her so long. She didn't know he was home, unless she opened the garage door and saw his Jeep, so the delay in her coming inside couldn't be that she was avoiding a confrontation. His curiosity was answered when he stepped outside and saw the thousand-yard stare on her tear-streaked face through her windshield.

It was a stare he had only seen once before when he finally saved her from her father. It belonged to a broken mind, lost in a sea of confusion, fear, and self-hate.

It happened a few weeks after she moved in with Jeremy to get away from the things happening at home. They had only been together a couple of months at that point, but the first time Jeremy found a bruise on her he had promised her it would be the last. They picked a day where Darrin would be at work, and wouldn't know she had called out of work to move out everything important to her...not that there was much.

About a week later her father lured her over, demanding she come get the rest of her stuff he claimed to have packed up and wanted out of his home. He gave her his schedule for the day and told her he wanted her to come get it while he was at work so he could finally have his house to himself and wouldn't have to look at her in the process. In reality, he had parked his car elsewhere and was lying in wait for her with one of his friends.

Knocking her out from behind, Darrin saw to it that by the time Valen blinked her eyes open her wrists were tied together with some rope that was part of a length of rope that disappeared over the edge of the bed, leading down to where it was tied to the bedframe. Only her legs were able to move, but nestled down between them was her father's friend, Ted, who had never been quiet about his desire to keep her to himself. His mouth was moving over the swell of one breast while the hand he wasn't bracing himself with was molding the other into his palm.

She couldn't properly call out or say anything, because just as when he paid to be able to fuck her, Ted had put a breathable ball gag in her mouth. She whimpered behind the gag when his fingers pinched and rolled her already peaked nipples, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to her clit.

"My girl's finally awake." The words sounded relieved, but more from impatience than concern. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to consummate our relationship without you." He nuzzled between her breasts with a pleased sigh. "I'm sorry it had to happen this way baby, but I promise I'll make it up to you."

Valen shook her head and tried to squirm away from his touch, but he softly 'shhh'd her while his hand abandoned her tit to gently but firmly grip her chin.

"Don't be like that Valie." He cooed softly. "Have I ever been cruel to you? Haven't I always gotten you off?" He let go of her chin to stroke her cheek. "Now that we're together I'll take care of everything else, too." He saw the confusion in her eyes and smiled as he kissed over her collar bone. "Your dad finally agreed to let me buy you sweetheart. Only downside is that he gets to watch me lay my claim on you, but you're worth it." He nuzzled between her breasts with a pleased sigh. "So...so...worth it."

Valen shook her head, her eyes wide with fear as she tried to jostle him off her, only to have him push her body down further into the bed. To her embarrassment, her core ached at the show of force from the man who always took what he wanted from her. All the while trying to convince her that her body's natural reactions to stimulation was really her body trying to show her that she did like what she was trying to fight off. Little physical reactions, like her clit pulsing in response to his body weighing her down to keep her where she was, only helped with his gas lighting.

"None of that now Valie," he chided gently as he brushed his hand down her body.

"You're too damn soft on her," Darrin scoffed and took a pull from his beer, "I told you she needs a firm hand. You've seen it for yourself."

Ted turned an irritated glare on his friend. "And I just paid you for her, she's mine now. Which means it's time for her to learn things my way, and what she can expect with me. You're already getting to watch me claim my property, don't think you have any say in her training anymore."

There was a strange warmth coiling in her belly from the way Ted spoke of her. It scared her that she seemed to enjoy the way he spoke down to her father while speaking about her as if she were nothing more than an object. As if she wasn't trapped under his weight. What the hell was wrong with her? Why was it turning her on to be so dehumanized?

"You haven't left yet." Darrin pointed out in, challenging his friend with a smug smirk. "I can take back the deal."

"You won't though." Ted state matter-of-factly as he turned his eyes back to Valen, who had been watching the interaction with a mix of terror and confusion...and arousal. His words were directed at Darrin as his hands began exploring her body again. "No one else would pay what you asked because none of the others want her as bad as I do." One of his hands moved between her legs and used the embarrassingly plentiful proof of her arousal to lube his fingers before his coated digits slipped inside. "And none of them can make her compliant as fast as I can."

Valen's head pushed back into the pillow as his fingers explored her well-trained, already soaked pussy while his thumb rubbed circles over her clit. He smirked as she moaned through the gag; he favored this specific gag because it limited her ability to hide her moans from him, while making it too difficult for her to argue.

"Why are you fighting me so hard Valie? You're so wet already and I've barely started." Ted added a third digit, pumping them slowly while ensuring they rubbed over that place inside of her that felt different from the rest. "You could make this so much easier on yourself if you just let yourself relax for once."

"She's too damn stubborn. I told you, you should've let me force some booze down her throat or something."

"No." The tone was biting as he scissored his fingers inside of his prize, drawing more unwilling moans from her as her pussy squeezed around his digits. "Her body needs to stay clean so it has an easier time taking the pregnancy."

The words were a harsh cut through the daze she could feel herself slowly slipping into. Pregnancy!?

She rushed out a series of 'no's as clearly as she could behind the gag and tried to move her hips away, but his fingers hooked inside of her and made her go still with a surprised yelp. She focused on Ted and found him staring at her with the dark look he got when she pushed the wrong buttons. What little bit of fight she had melted away from fear of earning finger shaped bruises on her throat.

"Do you know how many times I begged and tried to bribe your dad to let me have you?" Ted asked, the question rhetorical due to the gag preventing Valen from responding properly, as he sat up and smoothed his dry palm over her flat stomach. "How many deals I offered to feel your naked walls massaging my cock instead of a rubber? How much I offered to be able to force you to carry my baby?" He moved his hand to her lower abdomen and looked at her with an even darker, excited gaze. "Tonight I finally get what I want. What else did you think I meant by laying my claim Val? Once I put my baby in you no one's going to want you, you'll have no choice but to accept this is the way things are now."

Valen shook her head, much slower, her eyes begging him as she whimpered softly behind the gag. Though, she didn't know if the whimpers were from fear...or the unexpected rush of arousal flooding her senses. Why was it turning her on to think of herself being forced to carry this man's child? Why was this entire scenario not scaring her more than she knew it should? She had always hated having her choices taken from her, but right now it seemed...inviting, and so much simpler, to let it happen.