Chapter 1

"Bye Ella! I'm going to lock up and head out!" I yelled as I took off my apron and haphazardly shoved it inside my bad.

" Alright, Jewel! I'll see you tomorrow." Elle yelled back from the kitchen.

Ella was my boss/ best friend/ older sister. Five years ago she opened up "Ellie's Coffee Shop" and I happened to be passing by that day and asked if she was hiring. I was called the next day and offered a job as a barista and ever since elle and I have been best friends. I told her everything when it came to my life and she would constantly tell me tales of her spontaneous love life. Elle was seven years older than e at thirty-two. And to save you from doing the math, I am twenty-five and happily dating my childhood best friend who I happen to share an apartment with.

"Jewel!" Elle yelled out to me and I heard her heels clicking against the hardwood flooring. Even when it was dark outside and no one was in shop she still wore heels, saving they "emphasised her calves".

"Yeah." I said as I pulled the hair tie out of my hair and ruffled my curls. Leaning down to pick up my umbrella, I saw Elle smiling and holding a bag out to me. Raising my eyebrows I asked her what it was.

"Just take it!" She said pushing the bag toward me. Her hazel eyes held mischief in them and questioning her intentions I grabbed the bad from her and peered inside it.

"ELLE!" I yelled staring down at the bright pink Lingerie that sat inside the bag. "Why are you giving me this?!"

"My last boyfriend loved it when I wore bright pink lingerie on our anniversary. Truest me when I say this, Josh won't be able to keep his hands off you! And I've noticed you these past few days, sweetie you need a nice long lovema-"

I blushed bright red from her words. "OKAY! I get it! But josh doesn't care about this stuff. He is different from other guys. He really does love me and doesn't expect me to please him with my body every night. He says he only needs me, nothing else."

I said smiling remembering the first time he asked me out. It was four years ago.

(Flashback)

"Jewel. I have to ask you something" Josh mumbled as we sat down to eat lunch at his apartment. He had invited me over to boast about his freedom and new job. "Hmm" I said, placing some of the pasta we made on my plate. I looked up and saw a light tint of tint on his cheeks. He only ever blushed when he was nervous. "We've known each other for a long time now right?" he said not meeting my eyes. "Oh course, we grew up together." I said smiling at his nervousness. "Yeah, we did." He mumbles. "But that's not what I wanted to ask. I really like, like you jewel. And I wanted to ask if you know, wanted to maybe, sometime go out with me. Like on a date?"

(Flashback over)

I smiled at the memory but Elle had her eyes closed to tiny slits and was staring at me with a calculating look.

"Jewel, bebe, he says that but does he feel that?" Elle asked, crossing her arms and leaning back against a bar stool. "Goodbye Elle" I said dismissing the conversation and opening the door.

"Alright! Alright! I guess you really did find The One but I just don't want to see you get hurt. I know guys. And they happen to think with their southern region." she said but instead of answering back I just waved and opened my umbrella above my head.

It had begun to slightly drizzle and the moon was hidden behind the rain clouds in the sky tonight. The night always held a eerie calm to it but I found that welcoming. I preferred a quiet secluded space than a social and loud space. This contradicted my job as a barista but with Elle by my side she had taught me how to block out annoyed and unnecessary noise. If you know what I mean.

Josh's apartment was fairly close to Elle's and I usually just walked home because I knew Josh would be busy with his job and paperwork. He was an associate at a big time law firm which I could never remember the name of and since he was a first year associate his workload was as high as Mt.Everest!

He would always come home a little after me but today was special, I had a surprise planned of myself. I had vought candles and wine for tonight. Josh always forgot our anniversary but that didn't bother me because I understood he had a lot on his plate.

Thinking about all this I didn't notice a black car zoom past me over a puddle and within seconds of realising what was going to happen I was drench head to toe with dirty rain water.

"HEY!" I yelled but the car had already turned a corner. I huffed and made my way up the stairs to the third floor of the apartment complex. I wiped my hair off my face and dug into my bag to find my keys. I pushed the door open when I found the right key and noticed the lights were on. I guess Josh was already home.

I took my shoes off but I stilled when I heard a very distinct noise coming from the kitchen. Hoping and praying that my guess would be wrong I walked to the back of the apartment but with every step the sound of skin on skin grew louder.

"Faster!Yes! God!"

"You like that don't you"

JOSH!

He stood there in all his naked glory pushing himself inside the girl he held on top of the kitchen counter.The girl had her legs wrapped around his waist bouncing on top of him. Both of them were so engrossed in their disgusting act of lust that they didn't even notice me standing by the doorway.

Josh groaned and slouched against the girl as she screamed out in ecstasy.

"Who's that!"

The girl was looking at me and I felt the hot tears begin to run down my face. Josh looked over his shoulder and saw me standing there.

"SHIT!!" He said under his breath and turned to me holding a kitchen cloth in front of him pleading.

"I CAN EXPLAIN JEWEL"

I spun on my heels and ran down the hall back to the front door.

"JEWEL!! WAIT!!" I heard Josh calling out to me but I was too hurt to even look at him.

My childhood friend. Boyfriend. My love.

Elle was right. He only SAID those things. He was like all the other guys. I ran into the rain that had picked up and continued running intil I got far away from the apartment complex. Tears were running down my face as I ran between streets and through alleyways. I found myself sitting in the rain for so long. My sobs racked my body and I felt my inside crumbing to rubble.

HOW COULD HE?

THAT ASSHOLE! I GAVE HIM THE BEST YEARS OF MY FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE!!!!!!

"Hey beautiful why you crying?" I heard a voice ask me. I looked up and I saw a middle aged man roughly in his late thirties. Two other men stood around him and were looking at me while they likced their lips.

"Nothing. I'll just be on my way now." I said wiping the tears from my cheeks and brushing past the main guy. I quicken my pace even more until I was almost and pulled me back.

"Hey! We were talking to you. But I guess you don't like talking, do you?" He said running his hand on my cheek.

"P-please l-leave me a-alone." I said hiccupping as the tears returned. Please, I did not not want to be raped in the rain in the middle of the night.

"But we can't do that, now can we boys." He said laughing as the other two came to stand around me. I gulped and sent a prayer to God to please forgive me for anything I had done to harm anyone and to please find it in his heart to save me from these men.

"I think the lady made it quite clear that she wants to be left alone. Isn't that right boys?" I heard a velvety voice say from behind me. His voice held an untold secret and it's smooth and alluring effect sent a chill down my spine.

"Who the fuck are you?!" The man holding my hand asked, clearly pissed off.

"That does not concern you. Now if you were so kindly to let her go I would more than happily give you my business card if you were still interested in getting to know me." He said as I heard him walk up behind me. The two men around me moved to stand behind their leader and I felt him angle his umbrella so it covered both of us. His musky scent invaded my senses and the heat radiating opf him warmed my back.

"You acting smart with me?! We found her first. Now back off pretty boy." the older man said and pulled me forward toward him. But before he could pull me against him I saw an arm reach out and grab me around my shoulders. The mystery man turned me around and I saw the most beautifully sculpted man smiling down at me.

"Can you hold this love?" He said extending his hand out that held his black umbrella. I was held in a trance as I grabbed the umbrella causing his smirk to change into a deadly grin. In one fluid movement he had the fist of the older man held in his hand.

"I told you to let her go. You did not listen. Now I'll have to make you listen." All the kindness and alluring tone gone from his voice and only a deadly and violent sneer escaped from his lips. He punched the older man in his nose causing him to stagger back. The other two boys who lingered behind him began to run away as the mystery man grabbed the older man by the collar and landed another solid blow on his face.

The older man pushed away from him and moving his hands behind him, he pulled out a gun, pointing it straight at the mystery man. He smiled and his teeth were coated with blood that had ran down from his nose and mouth. He spit out some blood and laughting he said. "Not so big and tough no--"

BANG!!

Mystery man didn't even let him complete his sentence before he flipped the gun out of his hand and shoot him in the foot.

"FUCK!!!" The older man cursed falling to the ground. The rain had stopped but both men were soaking wet.

"Next time before pulling out a gun, learn how to use one." Mystery man said sweeping his black hair back from his forehead. He turned around and seeing the blood lust and anger in his eyes made me flinched back. He pulled out the magazine from the gun before dropping it down on the ground beside the groaning man. His eyes soften slightly as he walked toward me. My eyes were the size of saucers and sensing my fear mystery man said.

"Don't worry love. I won't hurt you."