Slave
Chapter Twenty Five

"Hey, I thought you weren't tired." Damon said quietly, watching as Olivia sat up. "What's wrong?" He asked, worry instantly flashing across his face as noticed the tears on her face, instantly wiping them away.

"I'm fine." Olivia said smiling weakly as she wiped the last of her tears away, noticing that Damon's costume was now gone and replaced by a pair of pajama pants and a wife-beater.

"You're not, otherwise you wouldn't be crying." He replied softly, taking her into his arms as he asked, "So what's the matter?"

"Well, Tim came in a few minutes ago and-."

"Tim?" Damon growled, "What the hell did he do that has you crying?"

"Nothing, he just brought me my feather duster." She said nodding towards the item on her dresser, "And made me think about some things."

"Some things like what?"

"Well, he looked at the bruises on my neck and asked me why I let you do that to me." She started quietly, "And why I put up with you in general."

"Is that all?" He asked, tracing over the marks on her neck, hurt sweeping over him, knowing that her bruises were his doing.

"Yeah," Olivia replied, choosing not to mention Tim's determination to find out what was really going on as well as his offer to help in any way he could. "That's all."

"Alright," Damon sighed. "I guess I'll let you rest and see you in the morning."

"What?" Olivia said quietly, shock clearly shown on her face as she pulled out of Damon's arms to look at him. "I thought I was going to hang out with you for while? I thought you wanted me over there?"

"I do! I mean I did...I mean, not if you don't feel like coming over and with you crying and everything..."

"I'm fine, really." She said giving him a reassuring smile. "Besides, I don't want to be by myself right now."

"Alright, you've got it." He said scooping her into his arms, causing her to giggle as he lifted her across the room, shutting the lights off as he took her into the hallway. "Surprise," He said happily as he opened his bedroom door, revealing his dimly lit room covered with balloons and a cake sitting on his bed.

"Wow, you go all out for your birthday all day and all night." Olivia replied smiling as he shut the door behind them, still holding her in his arms.

"Well, yeah, but this isn't for me. Happy birthday to you," He said smiling, leaning closer to her ear as he approached the bed. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Olivia; happy birthday to you."

Damon sat her down gently on the bed and curiously, Olivia looked down at the cake and read the words 'Happy Belated Birthday Olivia, From Damon' written on it.

"For me?" She asked in shock, the obvious words written on the cake apparently not registering.

"Yeah, I told you I'd do something for you since we missed your birthday." He said smiling as he watched the gleaming light from the candles dance over her body.

"Thanks Damon." Olivia said quietly, smiling as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Hey, why are you crying again?" He asked, reaching across the cake to wipe her eyes.

"Nothing, just...this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for my birthday."

"Well I'm glad I could make you happy. So, you gonna make a wish or what?"

"Alright." Olivia said, smiling as she closed her eyes and in a few seconds, blew out the candles.

"What did you wish for?"

"It's a secret." Olivia shrugged, smiling as she did. "So can I have some?"

"Of course," Damon replied as he began cutting the cake. "By the way..." He continued, smiling mischievously, as he glanced at Olivia.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't have a chance to tell you, but you look great." He said quietly, as he watched the material loosely hug her curves.

"Thanks Damon." She replied quietly, smiling as she looked at the cake. "What kind of cake is this anyways?"

"Red-velvet with chocolate frosting," He said as he sat a saucer down with a generous slice on it down on the bed before placing the cake tray on a nearby nightstand. "Is that okay?" He asked, sliding back onto of the many pillows covering the headboard.

"Yeah, that's great!" She replied excitedly eyeing the saucer, now in Damon's hand as she moved to lie on the pillows beside him.

"Alright," Damon chuckled as he used the fork to cut a piece of the cake then held it up to Olivia. "Open up."

"Okay." She replied as she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. "Mmm, that is good." She replied, licking her lips as she finished the bite of cake.

"Good." Damon replied, "Want some more?"

Olivia nodded her head in response and opened her mouth once again only to be met with the entire slice of cake smeared in her face. "Damon!" She shrieked in shock as he continued to smear the cake across her neck and chest until he was left with nothing but frosting on his fingers, which he proceeded to lick off.

"Yes?" He replied innocently licking his fingers.

Olivia shook her head in response, smiling as she locked eyes with Damon before crawling on top on him and gently kissing him.

"Mmm, that is good." Damon moaned.

Olivia smiled mischievously then continuing the kiss, she reached to the nightstand and grabbed a hunk of the cake then quickly moved and smashed it into his face. "I'm glad you like it."

Clearly seeing the shock and mischief on his face, Olivia quickly climbed from on top of him.

"Now Damon, remember, you started it!" She cried out as he grabbed her and tossed her back on the bed.

"I know." He replied, smiling as he began to slowly lick the mixture of cake and frosting off of her cheek, down her neck, and over her breasts.

"Damon..." She groaned quietly, feeling his hands caress her hips and slowly creep up her nightie. "That feels good."

"Good." He groaned back in response, biting her neck harder as he continued to eat the cake off of her; his hands enjoying the absence of her underclothing as they roamed under her nightie. "Somebody was anxious, weren’t they?"

"Well...I figured that...this'd be better than... having you rip any... any more of my clothes." Olivia managed in-between pants as she tugged at Damon's wife-beater then watched as he removed it.

"Hmm, what's the fun in that?" Damon asked playfully moving further down her neck until he reached the thin material of her nightie, then with a smirk, bit it and ripped it apart.

"Damon!" Olivia shrieked, clinging to the shreds of her garment to try to cover herself.

"Yes?" He replied, innocently batting his eyes before her.

"That wasn't necessary." Olivia grumbled. "You're a clown, you know that?"

"I might have heard that a time or two." He smirked as he lifted her now nude body and held her against him.

Olivia sighed against him and closed her eyes as Damon continued nibbling at the chocolate smears on her body.

"Damon?" She started quietly.

"Yeah?" He responded, not stopping his actions.

"I wanna stay like this tonight, okay?" She asked; her eyes still closed as she lay against him.

"You can stay like that as long as you want." He replied, eyes drifting over her body.

"No, not like this," Olivia started, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her nudity. "Actually, I'd like a t-shirt or something to throw on, if you don't mind."

"I'll just end up getting rid of that shirt too." He whispered as he nibbled on her ear, instantly sending chills throughout her body.

"No, that's what I'm trying to say, I don't...I don't want to have sex tonight."

"What?" He asked, her words causing him to instantly sit up to face her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's just-."

"Then what's the matter?"

"I just... I want to spend the night with you." She said, taking a moment to breathe deeply before continuing. Her head still resting against him, eyes still shut though she could feel him looking at her. "I mean, you can drag me to your room to have sex or shove me against a wall to kiss me whenever you want but because of this....situation, we never have a chance to just talk or be together like this."

"Oh..." Damon replied as he buried his face into her hair.

"Just for tonight....I want to be with you without the rushing, the hiding...or the abuse." Olivia said quietly. "Please? That can be your birthday gift for me, one night with you."

"Alright baby girl." Damon said quietly in her ear, holding her tightly before releasing her and getting off of the bed.

Olivia watched quietly as Damon made his way into the bathroom and in a few short minutes returned with the cake and frosting now removed from his face and a cloth in his hand.

"Here you go." He said quietly as he tossed the cloth to Olivia. "Do you want a beater, a t-shirt, jersey, or do you want me to go and get a set of your pajamas?"

"Anything is fine." She replied quietly, holding a pillow in front of her body. Even though she knew Damon had already seen her in her birthday suit, she still wasn't comfortable lying around naked.

"Alright," He replied as he opened a drawer and pulled out a baggy t-shirt then crossed back to the bed and handed it to her.

"Thanks." Olivia said quietly as she took the t-shirt and pulled it over her head. "Damon, are you mad at me?" She asked quietly; almost afraid of what his answer would be.

"No, of course not," He replied quietly, smiling as he took a seat on the bed next to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, although I am a little upset…"

"Sorry." She mumbled as she hugged a pillow, her back now to Damon.

"No! It's not your fault." He said quietly, smiling as he placed his arms around her. "Everything you said made sense, I'm just upset I didn't think that way first." He sighed. "I'm the one that should be sorry."

"Fine, either both of us or neither of us are sorry." Olivia sighed as she leaned into him.

"That sounds good to me." He murmured into her ear causing her to smile. "So, how has this Halloween been?"

"Surprisingly, one of my best by far," She answered truthfully.

"Surprisingly?" He questioned/

"Yeah, but only for the obvious reason," Olivia shrugged referring to her situation. "Aside from that, I'd definitely say it's been one of the best."

"And what do you usually do for Halloween?" He asked as he gently drew circles along her sides with his fingers.

"Uh, eat candy or watch the Halloween specials...junk like that."

"Oh? Well we can do that now." Damon smiled, lifting her up and placing her against the pillows in front of the headboard.

"I don't want to go back downstairs just to watch TV." Olivia said, watching as Damon crawled across the bed to the nightstand. "People are probably still down there."

"Go downstairs?"

"Yeah, I thought you said watch the Halloween specials." Olivia said, staring at him skeptically.

"I did." He mumbled as he continued rummaging through the nightstand. "Here we go!" He said excitedly, holding a remote out into open space.

"Uh, what are you doing Damon?" Olivia asked skeptically.

"Just watch." He said as he moved back beside her and pressed a button on the remote.

Suddenly, the ceiling opened up and a huge television monitor with speakers attached to the sides came down before them.

Olivia stared at the machine in shock, her awe struck face causing Damon to smile.

"I didn't know you had a TV up here!" She started out in shock. "And certainly not one that does that!"

Damon loved impressing her, so seeing her response to the television made him laugh.

"So," Damon started out, pressing another button in the remote that caused the lights to go out. "What do you want to watch?"

"Halloween cartoons!" Olivia replied excitedly as Damon pulled the covers around their bodies.

"Whatever you say," He chuckled as he flipped through a few channels until he came across cartoons.

"Thanks Damon." Olivia sighed as she wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against him as she watched the TV.

"No problem." He said quietly, gently rubbing his hand up and down her back. "So, you feel like talking?"

"Um sure, what about?" She asked skeptically.

"Anything...everything…" He started, pulling her body closer to his body as they continued watching the TV. "You were right, nights like this are the only times we can, well, be together....and I want to be able to really know you."

"I'd like that; I want to get to know you better too." She replied smiling. "So, what do you want to know first?"

"Well, let's start out with your name."

"My name is Olivia Jonee' Cartier."

"Cartier, really?"

"Yeah, why? Is something wrong with that?"

"No, not at all," He replied. "It's just that well...never mind. Olivia Jonee’ Cartier, that's pretty."

"Thank you, what about you? What's your name?"

"Damon Alexander Young."

"Alexander?"

"Yup, I got that name from my mom." He shrugged.

"Really?"

"Yeah, her name was Alexandra."

"Was?" Olivia asked hesitantly, turning to face him.

"Yeah, she died a while back." Damon said quietly, keeping his eyes focused on the TV even though he knew Olivia was now looking at him.

"I'm so sorry Damon." Olivia replied quietly hugging him tightly to show that she cared.

"It's no problem, she's been gone for a while....but thanks." He said hugging her back. "So, is it my turn?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell are you?"

"Huh?"

"Are you black, mixed, what?"

At this Olivia began laughing then responded saying, "Well, what do you think I am?"

"I don't know, I mean your skin looks like caramel." He started as he gently rubbed her cheek. "But you're kind of light, and your hair is really curly so that made me wonder if you were something besides black."

Olivia shook her head at his analysis and replied, "My mom is black and my dad is mixed; my grandma on his side is white."

"Okay, alright." He said nodding his head.

"And you? I take it you're all black?"

"Yup." He nodded again. "So, family tree?"

"Mom, dad, me; that's it. Not that I claim them anymore." Olivia sighed as she closed her eyes. "And what about your family?"

"Well, there's my dad." Damon started, pausing as he felt Olivia tense in his arms. "He married Mona's mom, Yvonne; they traveled in the same social crowd so she had her own money, a definite plus for dad. They eventually got divorced on good terms, joint-custody of Mona and everything. Then there was my mom, upper-middle class, they got married and stayed together for a while and had me; then Devin came along two months after I was born..." He said pausing as he watched the shock flash over Olivia's face. "My dad had messed around and got another lady, Lisa, pregnant while he was still with my mom and while she was still pregnant with me... Now, getting another lady pregnant wasn't on his agenda, it was certainly on Lisa's."

"Damon, you're not trying to justify his cheating, are you?"

"No! Of course not!" He replied defensively. "Give me a break here, it was my mom that got cheated on!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it came across." Olivia said quietly.

"I know you didn't; I didn't mean to snap, it's just that it's kind of a touchy subject." He replied, rubbing his hand through his braids as he sighed heavily, watching as Olivia nodded her head, indicating for him to go on. "I'm just letting you everything so that you can fully understand the story."

She nodded again.

"Alright, so like I was saying, no offense to Devin or anything, but his mom was definitely a gold digger. So, recapping real quick, there was Yvonne, who made good money on her own, my mom, who did decent, and then Lisa who was just making it by. Okay, now while my dad had...issues with the women in his life, he definitely cared about us kids so even though it was later proved that Lisa had sabotaged the condom that he'd used, he still claimed Lisa's unborn baby, Devin; as soon as the amniotic paternity test came back. So, Lisa, like my mom and Mona's mom, received the best prenatal care available, but that wasn't enough for Lisa. She'd threatened to terminate the pregnancy multiple times unless she got money whenever she wanted. Tiring of Lisa's games, he wanted to get full custody of Devin after he was born, two months after me, but Lisa wasn't going to let go of the best scam she could until she had to. So, when dad threatened her with the lawyers, she had to; she didn't even bother trying to fight."

"That's terrible." Olivia mumbled quietly, barely able to believe what she was hearing. "Poor Devin."

"He's alright, they still keep in touch and everything." Damon shrugged. "She sends gifts, he sends gifts, and they go out to eat sometime. Periodically he even sends her money, not that she needs it after all that she scammed from my dad."

"I guess that's good for him then." Olivia replied.

"Oh, don't worry, it gets better." Damon laughed bitterly. "Of course when the lawyers got involved, my mom found out everything about Lisa and Devin and that caused problems to say the least. My mom did fight for custody, she couldn't be paid off like Lisa. She fought the lawyers and wouldn't accept any bribes, but the emotional stress from the failed marriage, having a newborn, and constantly being in court, caused her to physically become sick." He said wiping a tear from his eye. "She died from a tumor the doctors said was caused by stress."

"Damon..." Olivia said, pausing to swallow a lump in her throat, not sure how to respond. "Damon, I'm so sorry."

Damon nodded his head in response ad held Olivia closer to him, her holding him in return.

"Do you remember anything about her?"

"Not much, but I have a few pictures of her and Demona says that she was really nice." He shrugged, reaching over to his nightstand, never releasing Olivia as he reached for a frame. "This is her." He said handing her the frame.

"She's beautiful." Olivia murmured quietly as she eyed the picture. In the frame, stood a picture of a woman in her late twenties, possibly early thirties with long brown hair and honey brown eyes, both set off by her mocha skin. Even in the picture, her eyes held an intensity that added to her beauty, all of her features in general fitting in together. Resting inside of her arms was a tiny sleeping baby; Damon. "Is this you?" Olivia asked as she held the frame closer to her face before handing it back to Damon.

"Yup," He sighed, taking the frame and placing it back on the nightstand.

"You were really cute." Olivia sighed as she snuggled back against his chest.

"Were? What do you mean were? So you don't think I'm cute now?" He asked teasingly, not receiving the response he'd been expecting.

"Hmm, nope!" Olivia shrugged.

"What the hell do you mean, nope? Get off of me then!" He said, lifting her up watching as she laughed. "Oh, so you're a comedian now?" He pouted, causing her to laugh more.

"Damon, we both know you are definitely not cute like you were then...now, you're sexy as hell. But hey, you if you don't want me over there with you, fine." Olivia shrugged, holding on to a pillow on the other side of the bed, smiling as she felt Damon's arms wrap around her from behind.

"That's more like it." He spoke into her neck, causing her to smile.

"So," Olivia started quietly again. "Allof you are half-siblings?"

"Yup."

"All of you get along?"

"Pretty much, we disagree about things sometimes, but what siblings don't? Mona doesn't get in fights with us often because she's so much older than us and she's a girl; the only time she really argues with us is if she's calling us on our bull. Me and Devin on the other hand, we're boys, and the same age so it's kind of a best friend, worst enemy kind of thing."

"Any hostility about your mothers?"

"No, none at all. You know as well as we do, you can't choose your parents."

"Yeah..." Olivia replied, sighing as she thought back to her parents.

"So, you turned eighteen in September, right?" Damon asked to change the subject, not willing to let her good mood go yet.

"Yeah, I did."

"Good."

"Good? Why?" Olivia asked, instantly regretting it as she felt his breath against her ear, his hands drawing her hips closer against his.

"I wanted to make sure you were legal." He said quietly against her ear.

"You're crazy." She whispered back quietly as he began kissing her neck.

"You still taste sweet." He said quietly as he pulled back. "So, any other burning questions?"

"Well," Olivia started, turning around to face him, "I want to know about Tim."

"What do you want to know?" Damon asked bitterly, his eyes darkening at the sound of his name.

"What's his story?"

"Well, Tim's about twenty-five I think and he's been working here for, um, about four years; he inherited the position from his dad."

"Twenty-five? Really?"

"Yeah, is that all?"

"No, I also want to know what he did to piss you off so bad."

"I really don't want to talk about him right now." Damon said flatly.

"Is it because of what he did to me?" She continued quietly.

"What?" Damon said, questioning her response, sitting up, shock instantly washing over his face.

"In my room." She continued, "Because it wasn't his fault; I mean I wasn't feeling good and I was too upset to sleep so I basically asked for it and asked for him to give it to me."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Damon growled angrily.

"What are you getting mad for now Damon?" Olivia asked as she sat up in frustration, watching as Damon once again became angry. "I don't see what the big deal is about me getting sleeping pills from Tim."

"Sleeping pills?" Damon started, the anger slowly draining from his face, "You were talking about the sleeping pills?"

"Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?" Olivia asked, skeptically staring back at Damon.

"I don't know." He sighed, laying back down and taking her into his arms. "Next subject," He murmured into her hair.

"Can you send someone to go shopping?"

"Hmm? Of course, what do you need?"

"Can I have some more clothes?"

"Sure, anything special in mind?"

"Some clothes that are a little warmer, it's getting cool."

"Yeah, we can do that."

"Maybe some things that aren't so revealing too?"

"Aw, but I like the view."

"You don't think other people might be enjoying it too?"

"That's a good point." Damon mused. "We'll find you some new things. You want anything else?"

"Anything like what?"

"Anything like...anything! Whatever you want."

"I don't think so, but I'll let you know if I think of something."

"Okay, so, next question?"

"Uh..." Olivia started, taking a moment to consider any other things she might have questions about. "Demona."

"What about her?"

"Why doesn't she live here too?"

"She's twenty-six."

"So? You're nineteen."

"Yeah, but she's got more going for her. She has her own place in LA and she co-owns her mom's company so even without dad, she's rich."

"LA huh? That's interesting." Olivia mused. "That brings me to my next question."

"Which is?"

"Where the hell am I?"

"What?"

"Where am I? What state am I in?"

"New York." He shrugged looking at her widened eyes.

"New York? As in New York, New York?"

"The Hamptons actually."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, wait, where are you from?"

"North Carolina."

"Damn; that's a good little while away."

"Yeah..." She started, trailing off as she thought to her trip to the house.

"How'd they get you here anyways?" Damon started skeptically. "I mean, if you don't mind talking about it."

"Well, I was taken in the middle of the night, right out of bed; somebody came in and tied me up. I screamed and struggled, but nobody came and eventually he put something over my mouth to shut me up. He gagged me with it and whatever it was had some sort of chemicals that made me dizzy and my eyes blurry."

"Chloroform probably." Damon muttered quietly.

"I watched him grab some of my things and shove them in a bag before picking me up and dragging me out of my room and forcing me into a car; hitting my head and giving me a pretty decent headache. Between the screaming I'd done, my head getting hit on the car, and fumes from the chemicals, I was a wreck. He said we'd been traveling a little over a day, so I figured we must have stopped a few times." Olivia shrugged. "Not that I remember."

"What did the guy that took you look like?"

"Um, dark skin, messy black hair, err, I don't really remember too much."

"Hmm, okay."

"You know who it was?"

"Sounds like Lucas; he takes Tim’s place whenever he goes on vacation."

"Oh..." Olivia murmured, her inability to remember more from when she was kidnapped frustrating her.

"So, do you have any more questions?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Shoot."

"Why me?" She asked quietly, closing her eyes as she held his arms around her.

"What?"

"Why do you choose to be with me? I mean, is…is it because it's a convenience since I'm here all the time?" She asked hesitantly. "I mean because if it is, I won't be mad at you or anything, I just want to know."

"Olivia, why would you say something like that?"

"I just want to know, why." She continued quietly. "I mean you're rich, you're clearly not bad looking, you have girls throwing themselves at you and well....I'm just...me. I'm nothing special, my life apparently has no value, and I just want to know, since you can have anybody you want...why me?"

"You're right." He said quietly into her ear, pulling her body closer to his. "I could have any of the girls throwing themselves at me; but I don't want any of them. Olivia, you're beautiful, you're beyond beautiful! You're smart, funny, sexy, and I love....I love being around you. Your life has value to me and you are special. Olivia, I could be with just about anyone I wanted to tonight, and I choose to be with you." He said as he turned her around and kissed her, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks as he did.

"Thank you Damon." Olivia said quietly after he broke their kiss, his forehead now resting against hers.

"I mean it, I'm really happy you're here with me."

"Me too." Olivia said as she put her arms around him and snuggled against his chest. "So, do you have any more questions?" Olivia asked, speaking against his chest as she closed her eyes, feeling him gently stroke her back.

"Yeah, why me?" He asked quietly, causing Olivia to laugh. "I'm serious."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I really want to know." He sighed. "You could be with Devin or probably even Tim; but you're not. I mean, if I were you I wouldn't be with me."

"And why not?"

"As bad as I've treated with you? No, definitely not."

"You honestly want to know why?"

"It would be nice."

"I feel safe with you." She replied quietly. "I mean, yeah, we didn't start off on the best terms, but that night in Devin's room-." She continued, feeling him tense in her arms. "You could have let them go on and you could've taken advantage of me as well; but you didn't. Instead, you got me out of there, despite what your friends wanted, and you catered to me and made sure I was okay. Damon, you're protective of me and although I don't like everything you do, I truly believe that you have my best interest and that you won't ever intentionally hurt me." She sighed, feeling him hug her tighter. "That and I've never felt so close to or so strongly about anyone in my life." She added quietly.

Damon smiled at her response and pulled back then softly pressed his lips against hers.

"I'm tired." Olivia mumbled quietly after he'd ended the kiss, snuggling into the warmth of his body. "But I don't want tonight to end yet."

"I know, but go ahead and rest."

"But Damon," Olivia started quietly but was interrupted by a yawn.

"No really, we can sleep in tomorrow anyways so we can talk in the morning, but you should still rest. I'm sure Mona will make tomorrow interesting anyways."

"Alright Damon," Olivia sighed, feeling him pull the covers further up their bodies.

"I'll make sure we get to do this more often."

"Promise?" Olivia asked weakly, already drifting off to sleep.

"I promise." He mumbled into her hair, slowly falling asleep himself.