One Wild Night

After Mia returned from Lucy's apartment earlier, she had met Jeff waiting for her in the living room with his laptop which they were to use to play the game of Scrabble.

Now as they played, a playful smirk tugged at her lips as she maneuvered the virtual tiles, forming a word that would earn her triple word score and likely leave Jeff scrambling, while Jeff's gaze lingered on the elegant way her delicate fingers moved.

"You have really pretty hands," Jeff said and Mia flashed him a smile.

"Thanks. You said the same thing the other day," Mia said as she leaned back in her chair, stretching as the satisfying snap of a triple word score echoed through the room.

"Triple word score, Jeff. Looks like you're about to go down." She declared, her voice laced with playful challenge.

Jeff chuckled, leaning forward to admire the word she had played.

"Don't be so cocky, Mia. It's too soon," he countered, his voice low and playful. "I still have a few hidden gems left up my sleeve."

"Sure. Give it your best shot," Mia said as she watched him, waiting to see how he would outplay her.

Jeff's brow furrowed in concentration as he watched the screen trying to strategize his next move.

"It's okay to give up, Jeff," Mia said with a sweet smile.

"Never. I never give up on anything. I've never given up on anything in my life and I'm not about to start now," Jeff said and she laughed.

"Well, I guess that's why I'm here to teach you that sometimes it's good to know when to give up. You know, save yourself the stress and save my time," Mia said and Jeff looked at her.

"And maybe I'm here to teach you that you should never give up, don't you think?" Jeff asked, his tone serious.

"Teach me then," Mia said, her tone challenging as she held his gaze and jerked her head to the laptop screen, "show me."

"What's in it for me if I do so?" He asked and she raised a brow.

"Then you would have thought me not to give up, isn't that the point?" She asked, and he looked at her for a moment before giving her a nod.

"Alright, let's go with that," he said as he returned his gaze to the laptop screen, giving it the whole of his attention.

When the doorbell rang, Mia rose to go get the door, leaving Jeff who was still brainstorming on all the possible ways he could beat Mia and prove to her that giving up wasn't always the best.

"Hey, Lucy!" Mia greeted with a warm smile when she opened the door and saw Lucy standing there.

"Hi, Mia! Good morning! How are you doing?" Lucy asked as she looked at Mia, trying not to let her face give away the sympathy she was feeling.

"I'm fine. Were you visiting Amy? She looked so devastated when I stopped by earlier to drop off the car key," Mia said and Lucy nodded.

"Yeah. I wanted to stop by and see how you're doing, and also to thank you once again for helping me look out for Amy the other night," Lucy said and Mia waved it off with a smile.

"That's nothing. I'm glad I could help," Mia said, and then they both fell into an awkward silence as Lucy looked at her not knowing what to say or do.

"Uhm, what about Jeff?" Lucy asked as she picked her brain, trying to find something to say.

"Jeff is okay," Mia said, looking at Lucy and wondering why it seemed like Lucy was struggling to hold a conversation with her.

"And you? How are you doing, Mia?" Lucy asked and Mia smiled.

"I'm fine. You asked already, and I told you I'm fine. Did Sonia send you over to check on me?" Mia asked and Lucy buried her face in her hands, making Mia laugh.

"Yes. She did. She is worried about you, and I am too," Lucy admitted.

"You don't have to worry. And she doesn't have to worry either, I'm okay. I was playing a game of scrabble with Jeff before you stopped ove…."

"YES! I did it!" Jeff screamed from inside making Mia's lips twitch as Lucy jumped in surprise.

"Do you want to come in?" Mia asked, since it seemed like Lucy wasn't done yet.

"Can I? Maybe just briefly. I promise not to take up too much of your time," Lucy said and Mia smiled.

"It's okay even if you do. Come in," Mia said, and Lucy walked in with her.

The moment Lucy walked into the living room, her lips curved in a smile when she was flooded by memories of her and Tom in this apartment.

Her first romantic dinner with Tom when he asked her to be his fake girlfriend and she asked him if they were going to have sex that night (chapter 98-100).

Thinking about that date gave her an idea of what to wear for her date with Tom tonight.

"Why are you blushing so furiously?" Mia asked when Lucy remained standing after she was seated.

Lucy smiled as she focused on Mia and Jeff who were staring at her, "I guess I forgot the fond memories this apartment holds for Tom and I," she said and Mia narrowed her eyes.

"You didn't do anything on the couch, right? Which was Tom's bedroom? Do we need to change the beds? And maybe the chairs?" Mia asked suspiciously, making both Lucy and Jeff laugh.

"Why would you change anything? Don't you stay at hotels? Do you change stuff there?" Jeff asked before Lucy could respond.

"I don't know the identity or faces of those who stayed there before me. I don't want to start imagining stuff about them in my head," Mia said and Lucy laughed softly.

"You don't have to worry about changing anything. I can assure you that nothing happened," Lucy said as she sat down.

"Hello, Jeff," Lucy greeted as Mia went to sit beside Jeff to see the word he had played.

"Hello. Ms Perry," Jeff greeted and Lucy's brow arched at the formality.

"Lucy is just fine," she said and Jeff nodded.

"I wasn't sure whether or not I should refer to you casually," Jeff explained and Mia shook her head.

"You're always such a gentleman, Jeff," Mia said and Jeff looked at her.

"Why do you sound like it's a bad thing?" He asked and she shook her head.

"It's not like it's a bad thing…."

"It's not a bad thing. It would have been presumptuous of me to assume that I am close enough to her to address her by her first name. It's basic manners," Jeff said and Lucy nodded.

"Then I guess I should apologize for being so mannerless as to refer to you as Jeff," Lucy said and Mia turned to Jeff with a raised brow, waiting for his response.

"Well, it's different. You are my employer's girlfriend…."

"Give it a rest, Jeff. The point is, she called you by your first name first, so you should have been a gentleman and addressed her by her first name as well so she doesn't have to feel bad and mannerless as she is feeling now. Right, Lucy?" Mia asked and Lucy laughed.

"There is no reason to make him feel bad. He was right and I was wrong," Lucy said easily.

"I apologize for that, Mister?" Lucy asked, since she didn't known Jeff's last name.

"Winfrey. But Jeff is good," Jeff said and Lucy nodded.

"So, I guess now I can call you Jeff, and you can call me Lucy, right?" She asked and he nodded.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your game. I just stopped by to see how Mia was doing," Lucy said and Jeff glanced at Mia, wondering if she had told Lucy about everything.

"Sonia asked her to check on me," Mia explained.

"Yes. And, I'm very sorry about Tyler's actions. I know you must feel very offended. He's usually not the type to be a blabbermouth," Lucy said apologetically.

"You don't have to apologize on his behalf. I'm not mad at him anymore, but I just really I don't get to see him anymore, that's all," Mia said honestly.

"That's fine. I promised not to take up too much of your time. I should leave now and let you continue your game. Will you let me know if you need anything?" Lucy asked and Mia smiled.

"What could I possibly need? I'm fine. Don't worry about me, and ask Sonia not to worry too. I'm okay as you can see," Mia said and Lucy nodded as she rose.

As Mia escorted her to the door, Lucy remembered what Tom had asked her to find out from Mia, and she hesitated.

"Go on," Mia said, sensing that Lucy wanted to say something to her.

"Tyler said you used to visit his colleague…."

"Who is his colleague?" Mia cut in, since she still didn't know exactly who Tyler was.

"A doctor back in Husla. You used to visit the doctor about three times a week," Lucy said and Mia nodded.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"The guys wanted to know if the doctor was working for you or your husband," Lucy said and Mia raised a brow.

"By guys you mean Tom and Harry?" Mia asked and Lucy nodded.

"I visited him because he was on my husband's payroll and so was the only person he allowed to treat me," Mia explained.

"And he didn't attempt to find out what was wrong? Or help you?" Lucy asked, her gaze full of pity.

"No, he didn't help. I'm sure he knew what was wrong. Don't look at me that way, Lucy. I really do not like it," Mia said and Lucy nodded.

"Alright. I'm sorry. I just feel really terrible thinking about what you must have experienced. Can I hug you?" Lucy asked and Mia shrugged.

"I guess. If it will make you feel better," Mia said and Lucy embraced her.

"Hang in there, Mia. I trust the guys to take care of all of it. And I hope you won't be mad if I ask this, have you gone for therapy yet?" Lucy asked as she pulled away and Mia's brows pulled together.

"I can't believe I'm saying this to someone else, and I'm sorry if it sounds offensive. But if you haven't, I could recommend my therapist. She is pretty good," Lucy said and Mia sighed.

"I tried a couple of therapists but I really couldn't open up about my problem so they couldn't exactly help me. I will consider it again after everything is taken care of," Mia said and Lucy nodded.

"That's fine. I should get going now. Thanks," Lucy said as she stepped out of the apartment and Mia shut the door behind her.

"So, you did play a good game," Mia said as she returned to the living room to continue her game with Jeff, but she saw him seated there with a serious expression on his face.

"Can we talk, Mia?" Jeff asked and she sat down.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked, guessing that he wanted to ask her more questions about her past.

"Why did you look like you were having a panic attack yesterday? And what did you talk to Harry about?" Jeff asked curiously.

Not seeing any reason to hide anything from him anymore, Mia went on to answer his questions honestly.

"What did Harry say? Does he have a plan?" Jeff asked, since Harry had not told him anything about the plan.

Jeff listened patiently as Mia told him what Harry had said and when she was done, he nodded, satisfied by Harry's plan.

"Can I ask how you got those scars?" He asked and she sighed since the scars were the least of what her husband had done even though the experience had always left her feeling like an animal.

"Inflicting pain gives him pleasure. I mean sexual pleasure. He suffers from sexual sadism disorder. So, he whips me most times or cuts into my back in order to get off," Mia said without meeting Jeff's gaze.

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