Husband With Benefits-Chapter 557: Right Hook (2)

Happy and feeling triumphant with the insult she had dealt, she was about to walk away, when Pierce lunged forward, catching her hand in a tight grip.

He pulled her forcefully, maneuvering her so that her back was pressed against the wall, trapping her between the cold, hard surface and his looming presence as he placed both his hands on each side of her head.. Autumn’s heart pounded, fear coursing through her. She did not like to feel trapped and Pierce was too close...

"Autumn, listen to me," Pierce’s voice was low, almost hissing near her ear.. "We are a good match. We’ve always been. You know it."

"I know nothing, Pierce! Now let me go..."

She tried to push him away but he remained unmovable. The fear inside her made her tremble and she felt her stomach lurch as she broke out into a cold sweat. She saw the change in his eyes, that rush of power that he was feeling over her helplessness and suddenly another face superimposed itself on him, making her feel paralysed.

She heard Pierce’s voice,as if it were coming from a distance,"Think about it. We had plans, a future together. Everything was perfect until you let Gabriel Frost come between us."

’Gabriel didn’t come between us. You destroyed us with your selfishness and cowardice. You never really cared about me, only about what you could gain from me.’ She wanted to scream the words but couldn’t muster enough courage to speak up. She knew what this was. She was about to have a full blown anxiety attack.

She tried to ignore him, as the feeling of being trapped overpowered her and closed her eyes, telling herself to breathe deeply, to not give in to this feeling.

"Autumn," Pierce’s voice pierced through the haze of her panic, "Look at me. We belong together."

In that moment, a fierce resolve gripped her. She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze with a newfound defiance. "No, Pierce," she said, her voice trembling but determined. "You and I are over. Completely over."

Pierce’s expression darkened. "You don’t mean that. You’re just angry."

"I’m not angry," she replied, her voice gaining strength. "I’m done. I’m done with you. And now let me go."

***

Gabe turned the corner, only to come to a stop when he noticed Pierce and Autumn talking to each other. Without a word, he stepped back and turned around, only to be stopped by Jack who stood behind him, staring shamelessly at the people instead of turning around to give them some privacy.

"Lets go, Jack."

"That is your wife."

"I know, Jack. I have eyes in my head." Gabriel commented to Jack who only continued with his commentary on the ongoing scene as he watched..."He’s holding her hand now, and not in a good way.

"Jack, come on."

"Come on, Gabe. It looks like she could use some help."

Gabriel clenched his fists. "Stay out of it, Jack. It’s between them."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And that doesn’t bother you?"

Gabriel glanced back at Autumn, noticing the fear on her face. It did bother him—more than he cared to admit. He wanted to go and save her but he knew the girl was strong. He didn’t need to interfere.

The moment he caged her, he almost lost his own temper and was about to march ahead when Jack stood before him," I thought you were not going to interfere."

However, before he could push Jack out of the way, he saw Autumn and a small smile graced his face.

"Turn around, Jack. You missed something interesting."

Perplexed, Jack turned around and winced when he saw the next move..."Remind me to not get on Mrs Frost’s bad side..."

***

Pierce’s grip tightened, his face contorting with anger. "You think you can just walk away from me?"

"Watch me," she retorted.

In a single motion, her right fist flew up, connecting with Pierce’s jaw with a satisfying crack. The shock and pain in his eyes were immensely gratifying, making her feel free.

As he stumbled back, she raised her knee and aimed it at his midsection. As he bent over in pain, Autumn turned around and walked away, finally away from his grip.

It was when she turned to walk away, her eyes met Gabe’s and widened. Uh oh... Blushing, she tried to explain herself but the man smiled, " Miss Savoy. Please come with me."

Following behind Gabriel, she tried to think of the many excuses that she could come up with for the scene that had just taken place outside. Even though it had not been primarily her fault, she still felt irresponsible.

However, all her excuses were a waste when they entered his office and instead of scolding her, he took her hand gently in his. She looked at his concerned face and then her hand, which was already red and starting to swell. And winced. She’d never really realized that punching someone would be so painful.

"That was an impressive right hook."

"I..."

When she found herself at a loss for words, he gently pushed her into a chair and walked away, disappearing behind a small alcove and reappearing with a small ice pack, wrapped in a cloth. He took her hand in his again and casually tied the cloth around her knuckles," This will bring down the swelling. Also, next time you feel the need to punch, go ahead and do it from here. This way you will hurt yourself less."

As he showed her the technique, Autumn blinked. Instead of scolding her for creating a scene, he was telling her the correct way to do it. And then she remembered that he was a boxer too. She’d seen him.

"Will you teach me?"

Gabe looked into her eyes at that. "You want to learn self defence?"

"Yes. Will you teach me to properly punch someone or more?"

As Gabe remained silent, she felt a bit vulnerable for asking and was about to shrug it off, when he nodded." Of course. While we do have self defence courses for employees, I don’t think you’ll find it of much help here. I’ll teach you."