Girl Obsessed: A Dark Romance Read online

  Girl Obsessed

  A Dark Romance

  Zee Shine Storm

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Girl Obsessed © 2021 by Zee Shine Storm

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  April 2021 Edition.

  Blurb

  An obsessed teenage girl posing as an assistant.

  A respected, best-selling author in his thirties.

  An affair that rocks the world.

  I fell in love with his mind.

  The way he weaved words like magic and enslaved every part of my soul.

  My life had been tortured and meaningless until the day I stumbled upon one of his novels and found myself devouring it. And when I found out who he was, passion unlike anything else tore through me, making me come alive for the first time in years.

  Suddenly, his words on paper weren't enough.

  I wanted to know more. I wanted to know his real name, what he liked for breakfast, how he looked when he slept, what his favourite scent was. Everything. I wanted to know everything.

  My obsession would cost me. I knew that. But I couldn't stop.

  There was a thin line between reality and madness.

  And I was very close to crossing it with him.

  Warning: This book is meant for mature readers. Contains sensitive and heavy themes such as attempted rape, assault, mentions of suicide, body-shaming, obsessive love, cheating and dubious consent.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Playlist

  Other Books by Zee Shine Storm

  Author’s Note

  Dear Reader,

  I am used to writing tamer, contemporary romances. This is my first attempt to delve into darker, heavier themes in romance and explore certain triggering content. However, on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to darkness, I personally would rate this a 5. If you’re a newbie when it comes to dark romance, this book would probably be safe for you to explore. Suicidal topics are quite triggering for those suffering from such inclinations so in no way am I trying to make light of such issues. The cheating and dub con in this novel aren’t things that directly affect the heroine but I can’t explain any further without spoiling the plot.

  If you like age gap, bookish, stalkerish and questionable vibes when it comes to romance novels with a HEA, this could turn out to be an enjoyable read for you.

  Thank you for picking this one up.

  Lots of laughter,

  Zee.

  Dedication

  To the one who inspired this.

  Never stop writing because your words are definitely like magic to me.

  Chapter 1

  Wynter

  I lay in bed and watched the storm raging outside through the window, enthralled by its wild beauty and the power it exerted. Sometimes I felt like standing in the middle of it and letting all my rage out as well. Other times, I was glad to be safe and warm inside. But it was always, always fascinating to me. It called out to the fire locked within me, making me feel like I could be just as beautiful, just as powerful. I enjoyed the illusion as long as the storm lasted.

  I should be studying for my finals but I couldn't focus. Mom wasn't back from work yet and Joshua, her boyfriend, was about to come home. I got up to check if the door was locked properly before climbing back in bed and trying to focus on Math. Several times, I flinched and my heart skipped a beat when I thought I heard a noise that wasn't brought on by the storm.

  Chewing on my nails, I picked up my phone to text Mom again and ask her what was taking her so long.

  Drinks with work buddies, hon, she replied. Be home soon.

  I swallowed as I read the message and tried to call her but there was no answer.

  Please come home, Mom. I'm really scared.

  No reply. The thunder roared again and when the noise faded, I heard the rumbling of a truck coming up our driveway and ran to check the door again, holding the phone to my ear and still waiting for my mother to pick up. Closing my eyes, I crawled into bed under the covers and curled up in a ball. I wasn't religious by any standards but in that moment, I prayed to whatever higher power there was to watch over me until my mom came home.

  I sucked in a breath when I heard the doorknob rattle, frantically typing out another message.

  Please, Mom. I just feel so scared. Can you call me back?

  "Wynter?" Joshua's voice carried through the closed door, making me freeze. "Hey, Wynnie. You in there? Open up. I want to see you."

  I started to breathe quickly and heavily, not daring to move as the doorknob rattled again, biting hard on my bottom lip and praying even harder.

  Please don't let him come in here. Please. Make him stop.

  "Wynter, open the damned door." He banged on it harder and I jumped. "I know you can hear me. I can't believe my darling daughter is eighteen already. Let Daddy come inside and take a good look at you."

  Tears leaked out of the corner of my eyes while I peered at my blank phone screen. More loud banging from his side caused me to throw the covers away and push up the window, squinting as the cold rain water sprayed inside. A second later, I had hauled myself out in a bid to escape, scraping my knees on the hard ground below.

  Without even checking to see if Joshua had made it into the room, I took off at a run across my backyard and then climbed the low fence to jump on to the other side. Cars whizzed past and honked as I ran blindly across the street, ignoring the pain in my knees. I just needed to get as far away from Joshua as possible.

  I was shivering by the time I reached the bookstore. The Nerd Stack it was called and my friend Noah's father owned it. His parents were out of town for a few days and so I slapped my palm desperately against the glass doors, unable to see inside because the light was off and everything was closed due to the storm.

  "Noah!" I cried, wishing he would open up. I realized I had left my phone on the bed back at home, exposed to the elements. "Noah! Please let me in."

  Rain pelted across my back and I hugged myself and pressed against the glass, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. It was starting to get dark, nobody was around on this street and it made me so uneasy.

  The light switched on inside and I sagged in relief as Noah's pale face appeared on the other side of the door.

  "Wyn?" he said loudly as he opened the door just wide enough for me to squeeze through which was pretty wide because I wasn't a slender person.

  "What'
re you doing here?" His bewildered expression took in my wet, disheveled state. "Jesus, are you okay?"

  I shook my head, unable to speak because I was still shivering so much and Noah took my hand and led me towards the back of the shop where their apartment was.

  "Come on. Oh hell, look at you." He sat me down on a chair in his living room and went upstairs while I waited. When he returned, he was carrying a towel, some clothes and a blanket with him. "Here." He handed them to me gently. "I'll go make you something hot to drink. Don't worry, I won't look."

  He strode out again in the direction of his kitchen and quickly, I stripped out of my wet clothes, rubbed myself dry and then put on the jeans and sweater he had given me. No underwear, of course. I bundled the wet clothes and took them over to the kitchen.

  "Can I dry these somewhere?" I asked as he made me something to drink with his back towards me.

  "Sure. Use the laundry room."

  I did, feeling the need to engage in something simple and keep myself busy because I didn't want to think about the disaster waiting for me back home. Mom was going to kill me. And Joshua...god...there was no cure for men like him.

  He'd moved in with us two years ago and at first, I'd really liked him because he was good to Mom. It had been just the three of us and things had been fine. But then, he started to get a little too familiar with me as the months passed.

  He would tell Mom to go on and sleep in their bedroom while he stayed back and watched movies with me. I thought it was no big deal in the beginning but he would go in the kitchen to get a drink and then come and sit really close to me on the couch.

  "Nice to have some daddy-daughter time, hmm?" he would say in my ear, the smell of cigarette and beer on his breath making me cringe.

  He wasn't ever going to be my daddy. My real dad had died when I was in grade school and he'd been so awesome. I missed him every single day and knew no other man could live up to him.

  Joshua did that for three nights and on the third night, he shocked me when I saw he had one hand inside his sweatpants, stroking himself as he sat close to me while pretending to watch TV. I'd felt so scared and sickened by what was happening, I'd made an excuse about forgetting to do my homework and gone and locked myself in my room before trying to come to terms with it.

  I'd wanted to tell Mom the next morning but he'd cornered me in the bathroom when she'd still been asleep and threatened me. Told me he'd slit her throat in her sleep if I said one word.

  Over time, he got bolder and would brush against me inappropriately when he found me alone at home and the leering glances he gave me told me he was just biding his time.

  "I'm not into little girls, you know," he told me back then. "I'm going to pop that cherry of yours when you're legal. Me. Daddy's going to be the one to do it, sweetheart. Just you wait till you're eighteen and ripe enough."

  He'd licked his lips like I was some kind of juicy steak and I had wanted to hit him so badly. But I found ways to not be home whenever Mom was out. I avoided him all the time and had a new lock made for my door to keep him out in case he got too eager some night. I thought he had given up when I thwarted his efforts and became an expert at avoiding him but he reminded me of his promise a few days ago when Mom threw me my eighteenth birthday party.

  "Soon," Joshua had growled at me and his smile had been pure evil as he squeezed the side of my breast in the pretense of hugging me while Mom took pictures. I had been in a state of panic since then.

  I didn't want him to hurt my mother but I couldn't put up with this anymore. What if he raped me one day? I had to tell someone.

  "Wynnie?" Noah called my name and I snapped out of my trance, turning to go back into the living room.

  He was waiting for me with two cups of coffee and a blanket which he draped around my shoulders with a concerned look.

  "Please tell me you're okay," Noah said to me and rubbed my arm while I huddled into the sofa.

  I sipped some of the coffee but it scalded my tongue so I put it aside.

  "Can I just hang out here for a while?" I asked him. "I don't want to talk about it. I just want a place to hide."

  I could tell he was burning to ask me questions but he took one look at my face and nodded.

  "Okay, I'm here if you want to talk," he assured me. "Do you need anything else? Need me to sit with you?"

  I shook my head. "No." Then I paused and said, "Umm...a book would be nice."

  He smiled a little at my answer and got to his feet. "We received a new shipment just this morning. I haven't opened the box yet." He walked over towards the shop and returned a few minutes later with a stack of new books.

  I inhaled deeply, the smell of pages and ink making me forget my troubles for just a tiny second. Outside, the storm raged on but I had new books to lose myself in and I was grateful for that small blessing.

  "Wow." I took the stack from him and went through it slowly. "These are so new."

  "Mmm. Don't damage any of it, please. My dad would kill me."

  "Noah. If I even accidentally did something so sacrilegious to these books, I would go and kill myself," I told him and he stared at me for a minute.

  I didn't tell him I was joking and he gave me a nervous smile.

  "I'll just unpack the rest and set it up on the shelves," he said gently. "Drink up. Coffee's getting cold. Call me if you need anything."

  I was already diving into the books, trying to choose which one to read. They were all from authors I had heard of but never read so I took my time deciding. One was a paranormal romance, one was a psychological thriller, and the other three consisted of romantic comedies and a religious science fiction novel. I was definitely not in the mood for romance or thrillers considering what my current predicament was so I was left with the science fiction book.

  Religious science fiction though? Was that even a genre? How did one mix the two? It piqued my curiosity so I read a couple of pages, gulping down most of my coffee and then forgetting all about the drink as I reached the end of the first chapter.

  My mind was reeling from what I had just read. The story was about a Christian man who eventually became an atheist because nothing in life proved to him that God existed. But then he had a near-death experience and was temporarily transported to another planet where religion was the way of life for its inhabitants and that made him question a lot of things. Reality, his sanity, the existence of God, the purpose of him being given a second chance to live and learn but in an unbelievably bizarre way.

  It was fascinating and gripping and when the man fell in love with one of the inhabitants and it was time for him to return to earth, back to his atheist existence, he refused to let go of the woman he wanted.

  I was falling...falling into the world created within these pages and had to make myself stop and check the cover for the writer’s name.

  J. R. Knight.

  I had heard of him. He was a best-selling author and quite popular with the adults but I didn't read the genre he specialized in so this was the first time I had come across one of his novels. It was mind blowingly well-written and had the power to get me interested in a subject I didn't usually care about.

  Also, it made me curious when I dwelled on the theories and philosophies discussed in the book but then the execution was so raw and unapologetic. I had been a reader for as long as I could remember and I knew when someone's words had the potential to influence and invoke emotions in thousands of people. This person knew how to use his words, his literary voice to achieve that effect.

  I settled back on the couch and wanted to read more but I started to feel sleepy. Shaking my head a few times, I blinked and tried to stay focused but it was really difficult. Even my limbs felt a little sluggish and I didn't understand why because I had had a full night's sleep yesterday. Maybe it had been the shock of escaping Joshua's clutches or maybe it was because of how cold I still felt so I allowed myself to take a tiny nap, hugging the book close to my chest.

  I stirred when I felt
cool air brushing across my breasts...my naked breasts, and my eyes flew open in shock. What in the actual hell?

  I was lying in someone's bed completely naked and there was a camera staring at me set up on a stand. With a gasp, I tried to sit up, my limbs still heavy and covered myself with my hands. Fuck.

  "Noah!" I shrieked, grabbing the clothes he had given me which were discarded on the floor and regarding him with dismay as he stood beside the door of his bedroom, watching me. "What the hell is going on?!"

  My heart hammered inside my chest as I put my clothes back on as quickly as possible.

  "I'm sorry, Wyn," he replied in a subdued tone. "They pay me huge amounts of money for it. The store isn't doing well. My parents are hardly coping with the bills. I'm really sorry."

  I felt cold all over again as I listened to him and looked back at the camera, feeling tears gathering in my eyes. No. Not Noah. Not my friend. I had trusted him.

  "Who are they?" I demanded to know as I controlled my trembling, shudders of revulsion running through my body. "What did you do to me?"

  He rubbed his hands over his face and started to sob. "Wynnie, please forgive me," he sniffled. "It was just a video. I acted like I was fucking you but I swear I didn't. Not really. It was only for a porn site. They pay for such videos. I needed money for college..."

  My ears were ringing from his words and I felt rage cloud my vision. Rage, humiliation and a whole bunch of other emotions that ravaged through me. I had come to him for help. And he'd...

  Thousands of people would see that. As the horrific realization sunk in, hot tears streamed down my face and I got up to hurl the camera against the wall.

  "I hate you, Noah!" I cried before striding over to him to punch him in the face. "You son of a bitch. Take the video down!"