The House

Dash ran up, Derrick following him more slowly. "Sunny!" he cried in fear. "Are you hurt?" he asked, moving to put hands on me.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" I screamed, slapping his face, then hammering my fists against his chest.

"Ma'am! Stand down and back away from the officer or I will taze you!" one of the first officers yelled.

"Henley, stand down," Derrick called as Dash caught my hands and pulled me close. "They have history."

"I TOLD you someone was coming in my house! I TOLD you and you didn't believe me! You said I was just trying to get your attention! You complete fucking piece of shit!" I cried, then broke down sobbing as he pulled me close.

The other two officers hesitated, then went into the house. Derrick hung back at the doorway, his hand on his gun. "You ok, Sunny?" he asked softly. "We need to call in an ambulance or EMT?"

"I'm ok," I whispered. "They didn't... get to raping me yet."

"... have two in custody, both out cold, send ERV's," one of the officers that went in was saying into his radio. "Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?"

No. I couldn't. I couldn't say a ghost just saved me from being raped, probably saving my life too. I was going to have to lie.

"They came in and cornered me in the library, then got me in the corner. One grabbed me and the other jumped on me and they ripped my clothes off. I was fighting them and I managed to get my feet up between me and the one the other called Billy and shove him back with my legs. He hit his head on the shelf and when the other one was looking and calling to him, I yanked his arm down over my knee, then got up and pushed him as hard as I could at the wall before grabbing my phone and running away. I thought he would chase me, but he didn't."

"You're a very lucky girl, especially for a woman your size. Decklan, you know this lady, I'm assuming?"

"She's my girlfriend."

"I am NOT his girlfriend!" I yelled, pulling away from Dash. "He's an asshole! And this is his fault for not believing me when I said someone was fucking with me and coming in my house! He accused me of trying to get attention from him!"

"Sunny! I couldn't have known and I said I was sorry! Even before this happened, I told you I believed you and offered to stay here and keep you safe! Or let you come to my place!"

"I am not going to date you, Dash! I don't want to and I won't! You're a pushy, overbearing ASSHOLE who won't take no for an answer!"

"Alright. Decklan, we have this from here," the other officer spoke up. "Gilliland, why don't you two go ahead and head out."

"I'm not leaving her, she needs me!" Dash growled. "Sunny, don't be mad, please? Let me stay for you through this at least! Come on, let's get you up to your room to get dressed, your lips are turning blue."

I was shivering still and starting to go into a numb sort of shock as he led me up to my room to my bed, then tried to find clothes for me.

"Here you go," he murmured gently, kneeling to help me put my underwear on.

"I need a shower," I whispered.

"We do need to get a statement first, Sunny," he told me softly, rubbing my calf.

"I need a shower. I'll be quick. I'm freezing and... I need to get their hands off me."

"Ok, baby, come on," he half whispered, helping me stand and gathering up my clothes to lead me to the bathroom.

He stayed there as I got in with the steaming water and stood under it just getting warm before scrubbing my body down. I had sore spots, places there would be bruises soon.

"You ok in there, Sunny?"

"I want to go home," I whispered, breaking down. "I want my mom!"

Jerking open the curtain, he shut the water off and wrapped me in a towel to pull me out of the clawfoot tub. "Easy baby," he whispered, sitting on the toilet seat and holding me in his lap as he dried me off. "Let's get you dry and warm and dressed. I have you. There we are. You're going to be just fine, baby, I'm going to take care of you. Ok, let's get you dressed. Feet up for me baby. Good girl. Again now. Perfect. Sit up and let's get this hoodie on you... there we go. Better? Lift your feet up here and let's put some socks on. Do you have slippers somewhere?"

"No," I whispered, slumped against him and staring at the wall in despair.

"We'll get you some, these floors have to be cold. Alright now baby, let's go get that statement done and get you snugged into bed," he murmured, picking me up and carrying me back to my room to wrap me in a blanket before taking me downstairs. "She's ready for the statement," he called to one of the officers.

"Took long enough," the officer grumped.

"Easy, Randolph, she's had a shit day, a shit week and a shit month," Dash admonished the man. "She needed a shower after what those men did to her."

"They were both carted off in an ambulance. I swear the skinny one had a new bump on the front of his head that wasn't there the first time. Like he woke up and knocked himself out on the floor again. Crazy fucking tweakers."

"Statement? So I can get her to bed before the adrenaline crash takes her out."

"Yeah yeah, hold your horses. Delaney, come in here!"

I gave them my statement all over again, sticking with the same lie. As I curled up there waiting, I wondered if he was close. If he was watching everything. He'd saved me. I guess if you had to live in a haunted house, it was better to have a good, protective ghost than one of the ones that slammed doors and stacked chairs.

When Dash stood, I realized it was over and most people were leaving. Dash held me in his arms, squeezing me tight. "Sunny... I need to go clock out and do paperwork. I want you to stay at my place tonight. I'll sleep on the couch, no arguments, no questions asked."

"No," I whispered.

"Baby... then at least let me come back here and be close? Keep you safe?"

"You didn't last time."

"Sunny! Even if I had stayed close and protected you on my time off, I still would have been on shift when this happened."

"You could have believed me, not made me second guess myself. I could have put extra locks on the doors to keep them out."

"They came in the living room window, the lock is broken on it. I'll fix it in the morning. Derrick! Derrick, do me a favor, man? Clock me out and tell the Captain I'll do my paperwork tomorrow?"

Derrick hesitated, looking at me warily. "You sure? Sunny, that cool with you? You want him here?"

I didn't know. I was terrified now, but did I need Dash? Simon was here. I shook my head. "I don't want anyone here, I just want to go to bed."

"Sunny, I'll sleep on the couch. Just until I can fix the lock in the morning, ok?"

I sighed and my head dropped back against him. "I don't care. But don't come to my room."

He let out a breath, happy now.

Derrick shook his head, but turned and left. Dash locked the door behind him, then carried me up to my room and laid me in bed. "Want me to stay till you fall asleep?"

"No thanks."

"Need anything? Water? Milk? Toast?"

"No thanks. There's a blanket and pillow in the room across the hall."

"Ok baby, I'll be right downstairs, ok?"

I nodded, still staring at the wall.

For a wonder, he left without another word. I turned and looked around. "Thank you," I whispered.

Fingers brushed my temple and smoothed my hair back.

It was comforting and I closed my eyes and fell asleep, not disturbed at all about it. Whoever he was, he was protecting me and only meant me well. I knew that.

I woke to a loud knocking at the bedroom door, banging hard like they had been knocking and kept getting louder when I hadn't answered.

It was Dash because of course it was.

"Hey! Are you doing ok? Do you need anything?"

"No!"

"Sunny, please forgive me. Could we please talk? Let me take you to breakfast and we can just talk?"

"Why can't you understand no? Let it go, Dash! Stop coming around, stop texting, just stop! Leave me alone!"

"Sunny! I just want to talk, please? Let me take you to breakfast? Just breakfast and we can talk. You can tell me your plans for this place and we can just lay off everything else and have a nice breakfast."

I sighed. "Dash..."

"Just an apology breakfast."

Rolling my eyes, I turned and walked away, stomping to my dresser. He stepped in and shut the door warily, then followed me as I looked for clothes to wear.

"So you slept alright last night?"

"Would've slept better if I could've slept in," I grumped.

"Sorry. You know it's after 10, right?"

"So? I don't have a schedule, I sleep when I like," I grumped, changing into a hoodie and pulling on some jeans before sitting to pull on socks. He was watching me with wide eyes when I turned around and as soon as I looked at him, he blushed.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"For what? If I'd cared I would have shut the door on you. Let's go, get this over with so I can come home. I have shit to do today."

He went downstairs and I followed, shoving my phone in my back pocket. "I notice you don't carry a purse," he offered, opening my front door for me.

"Nope. Everything I need is in my phone case."

"I like that you don't wear make-up and stuff. You're a classic beauty and you are effortless. That's cool," he smiled, opening the truck door for me.

I said nothing as I got in staring ahead like he didn't exist.

He got in and looked over at me as he started the truck. "Do you need to run somewhere? Pick anything up?"

"I'll call an Uber later if I do."

"I have a truck, I don't mind. It's easy for me and I have the day off. So what do you want to eat? There's a neat little bistro that has really good pastries and coffee. Wanna try it?"

"That's fine," I told him, staring out the window.

"Awesome. So tell me your plans for your place. You really letting renters in?"

"Yeah... actually, do you have a way to tell me what someone did if they have a misdemeanor on their record?"

"One of them has a record?"

"Yeah, but he told me what it was. I wanted to make sure."

"He have a name?" he asked, pulling out his phone.

"Kevin Coleman."

He hit something and put the phone to his ear, then asked someone to run a check on Kevin Coleman. "Get back to me as soon as you can," he told them, pulling into the parking lot of the bistro.

We sat at a booth, across from each other and I ordered coffee immediately. Dash grinned at me like he was amused that I needed caffeine to function.

"So tell me about more of your plans. Still going to bake?"

"Maybe, I have to look into codes."

"If you sell online and at farmers markets and shows and stuff, it shouldn't be an issue. If you want to open a bakery, you'll have to be inspected and have everything just so. It wouldn't be hard, though."

"What if I wanted to have a bed and breakfast? Buy all the land around me and demolish all those shitty houses, make it nice and an experience?"

"That sounds awesome, I bet you could make it a nice neighborhood again if you did that. You have that kind of money to throw around?"

"It was just sort of wishful thinking," I lied to him with a shrug.

"So what else?"

"Nothing else."

"It looked like you were going to renovate some."

"Bathrooms and a baker's kitchen," I shrugged again. "Maybe once I have an income coming in from borders."

"How many?"

"Dunno."

"They all going to be men?"

"Depends on who I get a good feeling from."

"Even this Kevin guy?"

"I get a good vibe from him, but I don't want to be wrong."

"Alright, understandable. So, baking. Like what kinds of things?"

"Pies probably. Maybe some other stuff. We'll see what sells and what I enjoy doing."

"Makes sense. Maybe I can taste test for you," he smiled, his charming smile. "I like peach pie."

"I was thinking more like cream pies and merangues."

"Even better! I like key lime. You know, I can help you move things if you want. I saw all that furniture in that front room and I'm guessing it's going in the rooms upstairs."

"I have it covered."

"Well I can help whoever is helping you then. I don't mind at all."

"I know you don't, but I do. I'm not encouraging you, Dash. Understand that there is not going to be anything between us, no matter what you do. I don't like you that way, I don't really like you at all."

"I just wanted to hang out some, be friends. Kind of start over, you know?"

"What is your hangup, Dash? I'm not that great, I've been a bitch to you, told you I don't like you, you've been a dick to me and yet you're still pressing the issue. It is NOT going to happen."

"And that's fine, I get it. Just friends. You need a friend right now and I understand that and I want to be there for you even if it's not more than friends. Let me, please?

The waitress brought our coffee and took our order and I decided to ignore his comment.

"I took the day off in case you needed help picking things up or need to go shopping."

"You didn't need to do that."

"After last night, I figured you wanted to get out of the house. I can stop at the hardware store and get the lock to fix that window too and fix it. It needs to be done and I know how. I can also..." He cut off as his phone rang. He glanced at it, then answered. "Hello?" He listened intently for a moment, then spoke again. "How long ago?..... Is that all?..... When does it fall off?..... Did you read her statement?..... Alright, thanks Derrick, I owe you..... Yeah, I'm with her now, he's a potential tenant..... I don't know, maybe. We'll see. Alright man, thanks again for covering today, I'll talk to you later." He hung up and looked across at me. "Looks like he's getting the charges dropped, he hired a lawyer to go over the case and get it reviewed. Something about roleplaying and it not being real. It never happened but her dad had him arrested for statutory and it went on his record. The judge overturned it immediately when he read her statement from the time of the incident and his as well. It's supposed to drop from his record any time, as soon as whatever clerk gets around to it in their to-do pile. I guess your hunch was right, he has nothing else on his record, he's squeaky clean otherwise. Not even a ticket. You know he's like 36, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I have all his info and ran a background check on him. He's kind of a quiet geek type. The other kid is young and I think he mostly just doesn't want to be at home, make it without going back to his parents. He's a good kid, also geeky but less socially inept."

"You think you'll get more?"

"I haven't advertised yet, I happened upon those two. Riley was my grocery delivery boy. I might not, depending on how much it bothers me to have people around."

"You know there'll be people around all the time if you open a bed and breakfast and a bakery?"

"But they won't live there, they'll all leave."

"Fair point."

He continued with the small talk through breakfast and walked me out to the truck, still talking and smiling.

"So, you need to run any errands beside the lock?"

"Not today," I told him, not sure I wanted him to fix my window no matter how normal he was being.

He was quick at the hardware store and he grinned at me as we got back in the truck. "I need to grab my tools real quick, won't be a minute, K?"

I shrugged. We got to his place and he came around and opened the door for me. I sighed, then got out and followed him in, a little irritated.

He got a tool box out of his garage and set it down, then went in his bedroom for something.

"Hey, Sunny?"

"What?"

"C'mere a second."

I rolled my eyes and went to the doorway and he was going through his dresser. "What?"

"C'mere," he mumbled, still looking for something.

I moved closer, looking over his shoulder at the drawer full of paperwork and small boxes. "Found it," he called, pulling out a box. Opening it, he showed me a small handgun. "I'd like to take you to the range, teach you to shoot."

"I know how, one of my mom's boyfriends taught me a long time ago, then another one and then another one."

"Oh! Well a little practice won't hurt. I want you to hold on to this till you get your own, ok?"

I shrugged, a little surprised.

"I'll put it over here till we practice a little and I'm sure you can handle it. I believe you, that you can, but you understand, right?"

"Sure," I told him, wondering why he was being so reasonable.

"It's not loaded right now and I don't have ammo for it here, but I can pick some up before we go to the range. Here, c'mere," he told me, leading me to the bed to sit down. Almost immediately, he pushed me down to the bed and kissed me, holding my arm and my face.

I tried to turn away, pushing on his shoulder. "Stop, Dash!"

"It's ok, babe, just give it a chance," he breathed, reaching down and shoving my pants down

"Stop!"

"Let me show you!" he breathed, holding me down and moving lower. He dove into my pussy, his mouth covering it completely and his longue licking wildly.

"Stop!" I growled angrily.

He growled, holding my hips and pressing his mouth and face in further, his mouth still working feverishly as he tried to shove his tongue inside me.

"Jesus, Dash! For fucks sake! That's NOT how you do it! That doesn't feel good at all. Stop going everywhere, nothing about that is good. Move higher, feel for that little bump. There! Stop spreading my pussy open so hard, you're trying to split me open and it hurts. It's not a little dick, you aren't giving me head. Suck it up lightly in your lips and press against it with your tongue, then move your tongue back and forth and around it. Don't suck so hard, you aren't giving me a hickey, just enough to pull it up a little. Now your tongue. There, like that. Now get the fuck off me and go find a fucking girlfriend to do this to."

He didn't stop, gripping my hips even tighter as I tried to pull his head away.

"Let go! This isn't going to work, I'm too pissed to get off."

Growling, he moved his hand around and slid two fingers into me, making me go rigid as he started fucking me with them as he kept working with his mouth.

"Dash! Stop!" I panted, worried now.

He growled again and eased his fingers out, then shoved a third in. "That what you want?" he demanded. "You my little pain whore? Lay there and take it, Sunny! Don't you fucking move or I'll beat your ass!"

A thrill shot through me, even as it pissed me off. I was trembling as I fell back, loving the pain and the pleasure warring with each other as his words played through my head.

"You want more, whore?" he demanded. "You want me to punish you?"

I moaned insensibly as I writhed on his bed. Roughly, he worked a fourth finger in, making me scream and try to twist away before he went at my clit again, making me whimper and pant.

"More?" he snarled, sucking hard on my pussy lips.

I shook my head, the pain already more than I could bear. It was deliriously thrilling, that line between pleasure and pain at war with each other. I was incredibly close as I writhed on the bed.

Stopping suddenly and sliding his fingers out, he moved up and kissed me again, then rammed his cock into me as I gasped.

"No! No, Dash, stop!"

"Fucking take it! You're my fucking whore, Sunny. You'll do as I tell you or I'll punish you! You want me to punish you? Beat your ass , then fuck you in the ass. Make you scream for me and beg me to stop? That's what you fucking want, you dirty fucking cunt! I'm going to fucking wreck you, bitch. You'll be begging me every day to punish you and make you come for me!"

I groaned, tossing my head as I panted, his thick cock driving me crazy as he talked to me. I loved the way he was talking to me! It was so hot and nothing got me off more.

"That's right, slut. You love my fucking cock, you worship my cock! I'm going to fuck your ass and you're going to beg me to do it again and again no matter how much it hurts! Look at me, bitch! You are MY fucking whore! Mine and mine alone and you better not forget it! Not ever! My dirty little slut! I OWN you! You'll be on your knees begging me to suck my cock when I get home, begging me to punish you every single fucking day!" he raged, ramming into me harder and harder.