Styx

Chapter One

Jolene

Do you promise we’ll be together forever, Avery Hatfield?

Absolutely, sweet Jolene McCoy. We’ll be the only Hatfield and McCoy to ever have a till-death-do-us-part marriage. I swear it, Jolene.

I knew better. I’d seen Avery with at least three other women since we’d been together, but I guess this was his talent. He could make women fall for him no matter the consequences. And I was head over heels. I knew this was a bad idea, but I was doing it anyway. Maybe I just wanted to finally experience sex. I knew I didn’t love Avery. Not like I should to be doing this. But here I was. In a cheap motel with a man my parents forbid me to date because they hated his family. The feud of the Hatfields and McCoys might have officially ended in 1891 and then again in a symbolic gesture in 2003, but there were some who still carried that grudge into the modern climate.

OK, I said, nodding and smiling at the man above me pressing me into the bed. I trust you.

Avery shoved inside me, taking my innocence in one hard thrust. I cried out in pain, but he didn’t stop.

It’ll get better, Jolene. Next time it’ll be good for you. But not this time, was the implied ending to that statement. If he’d said it, he would have been right. Avery kept fucking me. Hard. He didn’t kiss me or touch me other than to take his pleasure.

It took all of three minutes for him to get himself off and come inside me. I wanted to cry and probably would the second he left the room. I’d known it was a mistake from the start, but I’d kept moving ahead. I let him talk me into this, so it was my own fault.

That was so fuckin’ hot, he gasped out, his body weight heavy now that he’d completely collapsed on top of me. It was hard to breathe, but he wouldn’t move. Loved takin’ that virgin pussy. Comin’ in it.

Finally, he rolled off me and chuckled. You bled. Guess my cock was too big for ya, huh? Then he padded off to the bathroom.

What just happened? I mean, I hadn’t really expected he’d hold to his promises. His goal had been to have sex with me. But this was…

When he came back into the room, he was dressed in his dirty jeans and stained T-shirt. He grinned at me. Don’t stay too long. I only paid for this room for an hour so you got maybe forty minutes tops. You better get cleaned up and get outta here or they’ll charge you extra. When I just looked at him as he snagged his keys, he continued. I paid cash so you can’t charge it to my card. You’ll have to come up with the money on your own. He opened the door and started outside.

Wait! You brought me here. You’re my ride!

He laughed. Well, call a cab. Or an Uber. I got shit to do. See ya ’round, Jolene!

Avery!

He just shut the door in my face. I heard his beat-up truck start. He revved it a couple of times, making a bunch of noise since it didn’t have a muffler, then peeled out of the parking lot. I was alone, Avery’s cum still running down the inside of my leg.

OK. This had actually happened. It was far worse than I’d figured, but it was still manageable. Just… harder. And he’d probably tell all his buddies how he’d just popped my cherry. It would likely be all over town soon after. Which meant my parents would find out. Even if I bee-lined it home, I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew before I got there.

I was so fucked. Literally and figuratively.

As I cleaned myself up, I heard my phone chime. At first, I ignored it. I wanted to get dressed and get out of here as fast as I could. But it kept going off. Putting on my shirt, I glanced at the screen when another chime went off. Social media notification. Didn’t care. I wasn’t a popular girl in school, but I had a circle of friends I connected with outside of class.

But then it went off again. And again. And again. Over and over.

Then I got a text. Then several texts.

Just as I was finishing up and walking out the door, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen. My stepmother.

No fucking way.

Mom?

What the hell have you done? The question was screeched at an uncomfortable volume.

What are you --

Don’t play dumb with me! You know what you did with that Hatfield boy. Is it true?

You’re going to have to slow down. I don’t understand --

Of course you understand! It’s all over the internet! My friends at church saw what you did! It’s bad enough you had to film yourself having sex, but to do it with a Hatfield? Your father is livid!

I barely made it to the second-story railing along the walk before my knees gave out. What do you mean?

Stop lying! You sullied yourself with a Hatfield then put it up all over the internet!

Mom, I didn’t put anything on the internet. Why would I do that?

Because I forbid you to see that boy and you just love flaunting how I ain’t your real mom. I told you he was no good. But you knew better, didn’t you? You just had to prove you could do whatever you wanted since you turned eighteen. Rubbing it in mine and your father’s faces!

Mom-- This was spiraling out of control faster than I could keep up. I stopped just outside the motel room, leaning against the wall.

I can’t believe you did this! We’ll never be able to show our faces at church again. All our friends will shun us! I can’t believe you’d do this to us!

I don’t even know what’s happened! I yelled. Who told you about this? It literally just happened! And I didn’t film anything! What are you even talking about! The more my stepmother yelled at me, the more I yelled back.

Haven’t you been listening? Of course you haven’t, she scoffed. That Hatfield devil sent the video of you fornicating with him to everyone in town.

That’s impossible, Mom. He’s only been gone ten minutes, and he didn’t video us. Besides, he said he loved me. I stumbled down the walk to the steps. If I didn’t sit down, I was afraid I’d fall.

You always were stupid. Then my stepmother mimicked me, her voice going higher. Her words sent a chill down my spine. ‘Do you promise we’ll be together forever, Avery?’ Then her voice went deeper as she mimicked Avery. ‘Absolutely, sweet Jolene. We’ll be the only Hatfield and McCoy to ever have a till-death-do-us-part marriage. I swear it, Jolene.’ I gasped, but my stepmom wasn’t finished. Little fool! Now you’ve ruined yourself and our family’s reputation. I hope you’re happy.

This isn’t about you, Mom! And why is it my fault? I was sitting on the concrete steps as I argued with my mother. Tears threatened, but more than that, I was angry and hurt.

Because you were a stupid little whore! Just like your real mother. She snapped the hate-filled words at me. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard from her before.

I was the middle of seven children from three different women. I either got lost in the pack or singled out for something I’d done to earn her displeasure. Sometimes, it felt like both my parents hated me and my siblings could give two shits. Maybe it was why I’d allowed Avery Hatfield to get close to me in the first place. Now, they might hate me forever, but at least it got me some attention. Too bad it was the wrong kind.

Why are you calling me?

To tell you not to bother coming home, she said. You’ve made your bed. You can lay in it! The line went dead.

I whimpered. Had my stepmother just thrown me out of the house? Where was I going to go? How was I going to live? I had a job, but payday was still a week away, and Mom and Poppy made me give them most of my check for room and board since I’d turned eighteen.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get any worse, I was yanked to my feet by my hair. Hey! Let me go!

There’s the little slut! Someone laughed as they shoved me back toward the motel. Get her inside before someone sees us. I screamed, but they slapped a piece of duct tape over my mouth, dragging me back up the landing to the room I’d just vacated.

Avery said we only got half an hour. Better make it good, boys.

I gasped as I looked up at Avery’s brother and five of his cousins. They shoved me to the bed and yanked off my pants.