Shelly casually glanced at her phone when it buzzed. She was taking a break before getting together with her new fiancé and his family. Sometimes all the lovey dovely made her feel claustrophobic. Ray was probably wondering where she was.

“I found you, open the attachment, Mark”

Shelly froze. The text was from her ex-boyfriend. The man she ran away from over a year ago. She packed her bags, and moved to a different state, to a town where no one knew her. Holding her breath, she tapped the attachment and braced herself for the worst. The image loaded, and she gasped. It was a still from a video she had hoped to erase from her memory. Three men were fucking her, Mark, his twin brother, and his dad. It was the night that broke her, the night she realized the depth of Mark’s depravity and her submissiveness.

The room grew hot around her, the walls closing in. In the picture, her eyes shone with a twisted mix of pleasure and pain. She ran away from her past and hoped to keep it buried. Before she left, she destroyed all the sex videos from their tumultuous relationship. At least she thought she did. Mark must have hidden backup copies. She felt the heat of a blush creep up her neck remembering all the nasty, dirty things he made her do.

And it wasn’t only Mark and his family she had sex with. No, there were others, men and women, that he had brought into their bedroom. He had recorded every moment, every sound she had made, every time she begged to be fucked harder. Shelly felt her stomach lurch as she thought about the videos. He had a digital noose around her neck.

Her eyes searched the bustling pre-Christmas coffee shop, looking for him. Was he watching her right now? Enjoying her reaction? She felt bile rise in her throat. Gathering her things, she bolted for the door, pushing an elderly man out of the way and not bothering to say sorry. The cold, winter air hit her face, snapping her out of her trance. She had hidden her past from her fiancé and now Mark threatened to ruin her new life.

Shelly’s heart hammered as she sprinted down the slippery sidewalk. The wind was biting, but she barely felt it. She jumped into her BMW and pushed the start button. Her phone beeped with another text.

“Where are you going in such a rush, sweet buns?”

Her head swiveled around frantically searching for Mark. He was nowhere in sight. She texted back.

“leave me alone

“one last video, then I will leave you alone forever”

The thought of fucking Mark again made her sick.

” or, I can send your boyfriend a copy of your videos”

Mark’s text message was a warning he could end her newfound happiness. She felt the world spinning around her, the weight of his blackmail pressing down on her chest like a vice. The car sat idling, forgotten, as she stared at the phone screen, contemplating the horror of her fiancé seeing her sex videos. The thought of Ray’s loving face distorted by disgust and betrayal was unbearable. The knock on her window made her scream. Mark stood there, smiling caustically, his eyes cold as the outside temperature.

Her body froze in fear. Panic painted her features as he walked around the front of her car and opened the passenger door. He looked around the luxury car and then at her. “You don’t have to be a bitch, Shell. All I want is one more fuck, for old times’ sake. Then it’s over. Your future hubby doesn’t have to know about your sordid past,” he taunted.

Shelly’s mind searched for an escape, but there wasn’t one. “How can I trust you?” she demanded, Her hands trembled. She was trapped and he knew it.

Mark leaned over and laid his hand on her thigh. “You don’t have to trust me,” he leered. “You have to split your fucking legs and be my dirty little slut one last time.” He tightened his grip until she flinched. “You broke my heart, Shell. Now you got to pay the price.”

His touch was repulsive, sending sharp reminders swirling in her brain. His eyes were undressing her, his mind already contemplating what he wanted to do to her. Her chest heaved as she considered her options. The fear of losing her fiancé, the thought of Ray seeing those videos, was a knife twisting in her gut. She knew Mark would follow through on his blackmail, he was that kind of monster. He enjoyed watching the world burn. But could she let him abuse her again?

Letting out a deep, shaky breath, she made a decision. “Fine,” she spat out, keeping her voice cold and hard. “I’ll fuck you on last time, and then you leave me alone for good.”

Mark’s smile grew wider, showing his perfectly capped teeth. “Good girl,” he said, sliding his hand up to her crotch. “Open your legs, bitch!”

Shelly’s eyes flashed, but she obeyed, fighting back would make him mad. His hand moved under her skirt, pushing aside her panties. He chuckled darkly. “See, you still want it. You’re soaked. You love being my whore.”

He slid his finger into her, and she bit her bottom lip to stop a moan from slipping from her lips. Her body was trained to respond to his touch, from years of emotional and sexual manipulation even when her mind recoiled.

“Come on, move your hips,” he snarled.

Her eyes searched the street, looking for anyone to save her, but all she saw was the cold indifference of snow. Her trembling hands gripped the steering wheel, and she willed herself not to cry. “Not here, Mark. Let’s go somewhere private,” she begged, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. “Someone might see us.”

“No,” Mark smirked, adding a second finger. “The idea of getting caught turns you on, don’t you remember, slut? Make yourself come.”

Shelly’s eyes watered with shame, but she did as he said, moving her hips slightly, her teeth grinding together. The last thing she wanted was to be discovered. The town was small, and everyone knew everyone. The horror of the situation made her obey. A traitorous moan escaped her throat when Mark touched her clit.

He laughed. “That’s my girl. You always were a vocal little whore.” His voice was like nails on a chalkboard. She wanted to scream, to tell him to get out, but she didn’t dare.

“You like it when I call you my slut, don’t you?” He whispered. His tongue licked her long neck.

The car rocked slightly from the rhythm of her hips. She focused on the streetlamp and the falling snow, willing herself not to look at him.

She felt the sickness return in her mind. The one that made her a willing participant. “Finger me, Mark,” she mumbled, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. “Do it hard.”

His eyes lit up with triumph. “You shouldn’t have left me. We had a good thing going on,” he whispered into her ear. “I bet Ray doesn’t fuck you as good as me.” Her head twisted to look at him. Mark knew her fiancé’s name. She wondered what else he knew about her new life.

“Come on, baby, show me how much you missed me,” Mark said, pushing his fingers into her harder and faster.

She squeezed her eyes shut. The tears were flowing freely now. She could feel her body responding, despite the horror of the situation. Her orgasm washed over her like a dark wave, and she hated herself for it. “Oh, fuck, I’m coming!” she squealed. “You fucking bastard!”

Mark’s laugh was triumphant. “See, baby? It’s like old times.” He withdrew his hand and licked her juices off his fingers. “I’ll be in touch,” he laughed at the unintended pun. He opened the door and stepped out. “Answer when I call. Don’t disappoint me, or I’ll make sure everyone in the shitty town knows the kind of whore you are.” He slammed the door and disappeared into the night.

Shelly sat there, trembling and disgusted with herself. She felt dirty, used, and violated all over again. She didn’t know how he found her, but she knew she couldn’t let him win. She had to find a way to end this nightmare. She wiped herself clean and threw the tissue out the window. Ray was waiting for her at his mom and dad’s home.

Shelly pulled herself together as she opened the front door of her future in-law’s home. The drive here gave her a chance to think. Mark had her trapped. She had to get those videos back somehow. She took a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face as she stepped into the warm embrace of the house. The smell of roast turkey and fixings filled the air. The sound of laughter and football on the TV provided a comforting, yet eerie backdrop to the turmoil inside her.

That night in bed with Ray, the feeling in the pit of her stomach from Mark’s unwanted touch left her stiff and needy. When the urges grew too strong to ignore, she crawled between the sheets searching for Ray’s cock. Her mouth found his hardness and she sucked him deep. “Mm,” she groaned in pleasure at the feel of a cock in her mouth. She needed this like a drowning person needs air.

“Whoa!” Ray enthused as Shelly went down on him. “I didn’t expect this!” he laughed. “Easy, babe, you’re sucking a little hard.” He tried to pull her off, but she clamped down with surprising strength. Her teeth scraped his foreskin, and he winced in pain. “Shelly, that’s enough,” he protested worried that she might accidentally bite him.

“Shut the fuck up!” Shelly snapped. Her angry voice sent a shiver down Ray’s spine. She had never been aggressive in bed. “I need to eat your cum!”

Her mouth sucked Ray’s cock, but her mind was thinking of Mark’s. She tried to drown out the memory of Mark’s long thick cock. But it was no use. Mark had infiltrated every part of her, even when he wasn’t physically present.

The size of Ray’s cock was a stark contrast to Mark’s. It felt alien in her mouth, small and insignificant. She took him deep, down to his balls, feeling a pang of regret that Ray didn’t make her gag. Mark had tainted her, leaving a dark stain on her soul that no amount of love could scrub clean.

She tried to push Mark out of her mind, if only for a few minutes, but she failed. With her eyes closed, she pictured Mark’s smug face and heard his twisted words. She felt like she was playing a part in a twisted play that had no end. She sucked harder, faster, swirling her tongue around Ray’s small appendage as her hands worked his balls. The taste was wrong, the feel of Ray’s cock in her mouth wasn’t enough to fill the void that Mark had left.

Ray grabbed her head. “Now! Right now!” His cum filled her mouth. She didn’t swallow, she cherished his cum like it was a magic elixir. Praying the sick hunger that Mark had once again stirred up inside her would reside. She kept her eyes closed, swirling the rancid salty goo around her mouth before letting it slide down her throat. Ray’s cum was bitter, it didn’t taste like Mark’s, it didn’t taste like home.

With disoriented eyes, she looked up at Ray. He was smiling, oblivious to the turmoil raging inside her. “Fucking unbelievable!” he exclaimed. “Best blowjob in the world!” He messed up her short blond hair. “Do you want me to go down on you?” The affection in his heart made her feel guilty for wishing it was Mark instead of him filling her mouth with cum.

Shelly gave him her best attempt at a smile. “No. Go to sleep, I want to lick you for a bit.” She tried to ignore Mark’s haunting laughter racing in her mind. You’re a slut! it echoed. The bitter taste of Ray’s cum made her stomach roll. Mark’s was much sweeter and thicker.

At work the next day, Shelly felt the weight of Mark’s blackmail crushing her. Every time her phone buzzed; she jumped. Her colleagues noticed her jittery demeanor, but she brushed off their concerned glances with a forced smile and a lie about too much caffeine. The insurance office, usually a sanctuary of normalcy, now felt like a prison. She had to get those incriminating videos back. The thought of Mark sending them to Ray made her stomach retch.

At the end of the workday, she was mentally exhausted. The office had been a minefield of anxiety, each moment ticking by like an eternity. The last thing she wanted was for Mark to call her, but she also wanted him to. She pulled into the driveway of their condo. Ray’s car was parked in the garage and a second unfamiliar car sat at the curb. Her spider senses tingled. Mark’s car? She parked next to Ray and sat there, steeling herself. Maybe she was overthinking, and it was a friend of Ray’s. She grabbed her purse and exited the BMW.

“I’m home,” she called out from the back porch. She took off her winter coat and hung it on the hook. Next were her boots and scarf. The sound of male voices didn’t ease her fears.

“Hey, babe, we’re in the kitchen!” Ray yelled back. Shelly walked into the kitchen and froze. Mark was sitting at the table casually having a beer with Ray. The color drained from her face.

“Surprise!” Mark grinned, raising his bottle in a toast. “I received your message and thought I’d drop by and say hello to the future Mrs. Harris. Ray and I have been getting to know each other better.”

Ray gave her an awkward shrug. “Mark said you two went to the same college and dated. I didn’t know you reached out to him?” Ray said unable to hide his jealousy. “Mark knocked on the door and I felt obligated to invite him in.”

Shelly felt her knees buckle. Mark was only giving Ray the partial truth. “Yeah, we did,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I found him on Facebook and sent him a friendly message. But I didn’t expect you to surprise me, Mark?” She hoped her voice didn’t give away her fear.

Ray looked at her, his eyes questioning. “You two still stay in touch?”

Mark butted in. “No, this is all on me. Shell only sent me one message and I tracked her down. I wanted to see how my old flame was doing. And look at you,” he said, eyeing Shelly up and down. “You look fantastic! Much better than I remembered. And you,” he said turning to Ray, “are one lucky man to have such a beautiful woman at your side!”

Her heart was racing so fast she thought it might pop out of her chest. “Thanks for the compliment, Mark. A phone call or a return message would have been fine.” She hoped she didn’t sound too hostile.

Mark was unfazed, enjoying Shelly’s discomfort and Ray’s obvious tension. “I know, I know,” he smugly said with a wave of his hand. “But where’s the fun in that? Besides, I have a wedding present for you.” His smile was a twisted knot of malice as he held up a package wrapped in plain brown paper.

Her heart stopped. Fearing it might contain one of her sex videos. Her tongue went thick, and she had trouble speaking. “That ... that wasn’t necessary,” she stuttered.

Mark handed the box to Ray. “Rip it open, little guy. Go ahead. It’s my surprise gift for both of you.”

Shelly felt like she was watching her life unravel in slow motion. In her mind’s eye, all her past dark secrets would shatter her new life. She tried to keep her face neutral, but her eyes betrayed her, flicking to the box and then to Mark, who was watching her intently.

“If you insist,” Ray said, his curiosity piqued. He shook the box. “It’s not going to blow up, is it?” he laughed.

“You never know when things blow up,” Mark said, looking at Shelly. His eyes and words had a double meaning that hung heavy in the air.

Ray tore open the package dropping the wrapping paper on the floor. Inside was an Amazon gift certificate. “Um, thanks,” he said, flipping it over looking for the value.

Mark’s smile never faltered. “It’s a little something from me to the both of you. Go online and pick out whatever you need. Up to one thousand dollars.”

“Cool,” Ray enthused at the sudden windfall.

Shelly sighed in relief; glad it wasn’t one of her porn videos. But she knew Mark wasn’t that generous. He had to be up to something. “Thank you, Mark,” she smiled at him. “That’s extremely unexpected and unnecessary.”

Mark leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving her. “I know it’s not much, but I wanted to show I have no hard feelings about how you ended our relationship.” He took another swig of his beer emptying the bottle. “Besides, I figured you could use it for something ... special. Like a little wedding night outfit or maybe some new toys for the bedroom,” he laughed and winked.

Ray looked back and forth between them, his expression getting more suspicious at their past relationship. “That’s a little personal,” he said.

“You’re right, little man” Mark laughed, “my apologies.” He stood up, towering at least six inches over Ray. “Do I get one last hug before I leave?” he asked looking at Shelly’s pale face.

Shelly forced herself to walk over and hug him. He was so much taller than Ray, so much stronger. She felt like a rag doll in his arms. He whispered into her ear, “You’re going to regret ever leaving me, slut.”

Her body went rigid, but somehow, she managed to keep the smile plastered on her face as Ray looked her way. Mark broke off the hug and shook Ray’s hand before punching him hard on the shoulder. “Take good care of my girl in the bedroom,” he joked, “and thanks for the light beer.”

The front door slammed shut and the kitchen grew eerily silent. Shelly’s eyes remained glued to where Mark had been standing, her body still trembling from his threat. Ray looked at her with more than a hint of anger. “What the hell was all that about? The guy is a total asshole! I can’t believe you were attracted to someone like him!”

Shelly turned to face Ray. She had to tell him the truth before Mark did. “Ray, I need to tell you something. About me and Mark. It’s messy.”

Ray’s eyes narrowed. “What happened between you two?” He stepped closer, his hand on her shoulder. “I promise not to judge.”

Shelly took a deep breath. “We had a ... complicated sexual relationship,” she began, her voice shaking. “Mark has a ... a dark side. He likes to ... record things. Intimate moments.” The words stuck in her throat like shards of glass. “I made sex tapes. Lots of them. With him and ... others.”

Ray’s eyes widened in shock. He stepped back, his hand dropping from her shoulder. “You can’t be serious?”

“I am,” she mumbled. “I’ve been hiding from him. I never meant for you to find out. But Mark has those tapes, and now he’s threatening to ruin us.

Ray’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘hiding’?”

Shelly knew she couldn’t lie to him anymore. She took a deep breath and told him everything, from the videos to the text message and the encounter in the car. She watched as the color drained from Ray’s face; his eyes wide with shock.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he shouted. “You were his whore? You fucked his brother and dad at the same time? Were you thinking of Mark when you were sucking my cock last night? You were! I can see it in your eyes!”

Shelly felt a tear slip down her cheek. “No, Ray, it’s not like that. He messed with my head. That was a dark part of my life, and I left it behind. I love you.”

Ray’s face was a storm of emotions. “You expect me to believe that?” His voice was laced with anger and betrayal. “You’ve been keeping this from me? What else are you hiding?”

Shelly knew she had to be honest, even if it meant losing him. “I’m not perfect,” she said, her voice cracking. “I was scared, Ray. Terrified of what he would do if he found me. Mark can be violent. I never wanted to put you in danger. But he’s here now, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

Ray’s eyes searched hers, looking for some semblance of truth. “What does he want?”

Shelly took a shaky breath. “He wants to fuck me one last time. And if I don’t...” she needed to let it all out. “He threatened to put the videos on the internet.”

Ray clenched his fist and pounded the table. “That fucking asshole! I’ll kill him!”

Shelly’s eyes grew wide with fear. “No, Ray, you can’t. He’s dangerous. He’s put bigger men than you in the hospital. We need to get those videos back without resorting to that.”

Ray took a deep breath, trying to calm down. From Shelly’s terrified face, he knew she was right. “Okay, okay,” he said, running a hand through his blond hair. “We’ll figure this out. We’ll go to the cops.”

Shelly shook her head. “No, Mark is smarter than that. He’ll just deny it all, and if he gets pissed off, he’ll release the videos.”

Ray’s jaw tensed. “We can’t let him get away with this. I won’t let him fuck you!” His eyes searched hers, waiting for her to object, but she remained silent.