I hesitated. The man stood. “I said spread your legs.”
I listened, hoping he would sit back down.
He didn’t. He prowled closer, looming over me and staring down.
“Open your top and touch yourself.”
I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t. I would just give him all his money back and then I was going to quit.
I heard a bunch of shouting out front and the sound of glass shattering.
I stiffened and prepared to stand up to flee, but the stranger took advantage of my preoccupation.
He pounced on me, pinning me on the bed and making me cry out.
“No touching!” I insisted.
He laughed.
“Ty!” I screamed.
But Ty wasn’t there.
The man leaned down. “You’re nothing but a little tease,” he spat.
Something about his words bothered me. They struck a chord deep within. “Get. Off.” I growled.
He put a hand over my mouth, silencing me. I began to panic. I tried to buck him off. That was a huge mistake because all my struggling seemed to arouse him. The bulge in his pants grew and grew until it was all I could stare at.
Tears filled my eyes and I shook my head no.
He shook his head yes.
“Don’t scream,” he ordered low. “Or I’ll make it hurt.”
Oh. My. God.
He pulled his hand away to part the corset covering my chest. I belted out an ear-piercing scream and struggled anew.
“You stupid bitch,” he roared and backhanded me across the face.
I saw stars. Then I felt the air brush against my naked chest.
“Harlow!” someone roared, and then the stranger was gone and this sick thudding sound filled my ears.
I scrambled off the bed, staring across the room.
Cam was beating the man, ramming his fist into his face over and over again.
“Cam!” I cried. His fist stopped in midair and he dropped the man to the floor. His eyes took in my rumpled appearance and partially exposed chest.
He crossed the room in two great strides, pulling the corset around me and then tucking me against his chest. I couldn’t help but cry. I was humiliated. I was hurt. I was violated.
There was a groan and Cam stiffened. He tried to pull away, but I clutched at him. “It’s okay,” he murmured, his arms coming around me once more.
I glanced up just as the stranger pulled back a curtain that was behind his chair to reveal an emergency exit. He shoved open the door and raced out into the night.
Cam moved to go after him.
“No!” I cried. “Let him go.” I wouldn’t be able to take it if Cam got hurt trying to protect me.
“Fuck!” he yelled to no one in particular.
He looked down at my face, touched where the skin burned and stung, and he cussed again when I winced. “Come on,” he said, taking my hand and towing me out behind the bar. He grabbed his black leather jacket and held it out. I slipped my arms inside. It smelled like the beach, like him.
He zipped it up around my body, covering me and then he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I wanted to cry all over again. Then he filled a plastic baggy with ice from the ice machine, wrapped it in his T-shirt, and then ever so easily held it to my face.
“Where else did he hurt you?”
More shattering glass had me looking out into the bar where I suddenly understood why Ty had disappeared. A massive bar fight had broken out. Beer bottles were flying, people were punching and yelling, and one guy was wielding a chair.
The bouncers were pulling people apart and flinging them toward the door. I heard Roxie scream and I called out her name, rushing toward the fight.
“No you don’t,” Cam said, pulling me back.
“Roxie,” I told him.
“She’s fine.” He pointed.
She was in the center of it all, but Adam stood beside her, and anyone that came close got disposed of rather easily.
“What’s going on?”
“Craig,” Cam spat, like that explained it all.
“I thought the police cleared him.”
“Well, he was awful pissed off, showing up and yelling at Roxie for having him arrested by the cops. He lunged for her. Someone intercepted him. The result was a massive bar fight, a huge mess, and you being left alone in the VIP room with a fucking attempted rapist.”
His words left me cold. Like I had ice water running through my veins. I glanced back toward Roxie, who was making her way across the empty stage with Adam at her back, shielding her body with his. When she disappeared backstage, Adam reappeared and gave a signal to the DJ.
The music cut off and the DJ came over the speakers. “The Mad Hatter is now closed. Get the hell out before the cops get here to haul you away.”
For the most part, the fighting stopped. What little continued, the bouncers took care of in short notice and tossed the men out into the parking lot. I wondered where my attacker was, if he was still out there lurking.
As the crowd thinned, I noticed a guy, with longish dark hair and a sleeve of tattoos up his right arm, sprawled across the floor. Adam stood over his body, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring down.
Police sirens sounded in the distance and I was grateful they were almost here.
Before the cops arrived on the scene, Adam drew back his large booted foot and kicked the man in the ribs. He groaned.
I figured it was Craig.
Adam seemed to sense us staring and he looked at me, his gaze sharpening. “What the hell happened to you?”
I opened my mouth to tell him I was fine, but Cam spoke over me. “Fucking pervert tried to rape her.”
Adam’s body jerked like he was shot. I tried not to listen to the words that flung out of his mouth like swords. I wondered where he learned words like that.
The police arrived, escorted Craig to the back of a cop car, and interviewed all the people who were still lingering and had information.
Roxie looked like a Mack truck ran her over by the time she told the cops about how Craig had burst in there tonight and tried to start a fight and do her physical harm. She was pressing charges and if those didn’t stick, she was getting a restraining order. I hoped Craig was looking at jail time.
Roxie didn’t seem as relieved as me, but I figured once the shock wore off she would be.
Then it was my turn to talk to the police. I couldn’t give them a very good description of the man who attacked me because I never actually saw his face clearly. All I saw were flashes of a strong jaw, stubble, and lips that might have been nice if they weren’t spewing out sick words. As I talked, I realized… there was something about him that was vaguely familiar. Something that I didn’t catch right away because I’d been so scared and freaked out.