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We stepped into the balmy night air as the vehicle pulled to the curb. Julia had ordered a car to take us to the Met since we didn’t want to be crammed in the back of a taxi. I couldn’t help but notice the scent of Teakwood when the back door opened, and we slid into the buttery leather seats. My mind immediately went back to the ride from Club Max to my hotel that night six months ago. Hypnotic eyes that revealed nothing of the mystery that was Courtland King. The way he looked at me like he wanted to devour me set my panties on fire, licking the flames and scorching the very depths of my body. My nipples pebbled at the memory. I was brought back to cognizance by vague sounds surrounding me. Shaking myself, I glanced at my friend, who was watching me intensely as she carried on a conversation with someone on the phone. She ended the call as we rolled up in front of the massive columns outlining the museum.
I felt like Cinderella as we entered the building. The gown Julia had so generously given me cascaded past my ankles like billowing clouds. The neckline plunged between my breasts, and the slit exposed the supple skin of my upper thigh. I kept my makeup airy and wore my hair in a chignon with a few wisps dangling behind my ears. My earrings were simple cultured pearls.
We didn’t make it very far inside the ballroom before flutes of champagne were thrust into our hands. As soon as my lips tasted the first sip, I knew this was the good stuff. A maître d’ led us to our assigned table that boasted the tallest centerpieces I had ever laid eyes on, but they were eclipsed by the other guests sitting at the table. Ben had come into town to surprise Julia, and a man I didn’t recognize was sitting across from him. Both men stood and pulled our chairs out as we approached them.
“Ladies, don’t you both look ravishing tonight.” Ben flashed a wicked grin. His throaty voice caught me off guard, sounding so much like his brother’s, but I managed a smile through the emotion his words evoked. He brushed Julia’s cheek with a chaste kiss before turning back to me. “Molly, this is Don. He’s an old friend of mine. I hope you don’t mind my asking him to join us tonight.” There was something familiar about him I couldn’t place. I cocked my head, narrowing my eyes.
“I’m sorry, but have we met?” Curiosity gnawed at me as I searched for some recognition.
He cleared his throat and met my eyes. “I’m afraid not. I would never forget a woman as beautiful as you.” Heat flushed my skin, and an unsettling chill rose up my spine. His voice was oddly familiar, and when his hand brushed against the small of my back as I took my seat, my blood turned to ice. Maybe it was my imagination that the touch felt so intimate, and Julia must have sensed my discomfort. “Um, Molly, let’s go to the ladies’ room. Excuse us, gentlemen.”
“Of course.” The two men spoke over each other as we made our way through the room. Before the door fully closed, she turned to me.
“What the hell, Molly? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you alright?”
I stood by the vanity, hands clenched into fists, and tried to explain. “I’m sorry, Julia. It’s just, I don’t know. I just have this feeling that I’ve met Don before.” Her eyes softened when she detected the hitch in my words. Tears threatened to fall, and my hands shook as I glimpsed my reflection in the mirror. “When he touched my back, it felt wrong. I can’t explain it. Maybe I’m misreading the situation. I’m okay. Let’s just forget about it and enjoy the evening.” She didn’t look like she believed me, but she let it go.
When we returned to the table, another bottle of champagne was sitting in a chilled bucket with ice. Ben and Don, once again, stood. As I absently flipped through the menu, my mind was in overdrive. Trying to ignore the troubling feeling I had every time he looked my way, I offered my best smile and wished the time away. After we ate, the band opened up the dance floor. Ben and Julia immediately set off for the hardwood hand in hand while I sat fidgeting with my champagne glass. My nerves were getting the best of me, and I couldn’t hide the tremble when I raised my glass.
“Do I make you nervous, Molly?” His voice was low, almost too low to hear clearly. I glanced up and noticed he was staring at my mouth.
“No, why do you ask?” My words sounded far away, and his eyes slid from my mouth to my eyes, narrowing in and burning into mine, searching for sincerity.
“Well, for one, you’re shaking like a leaf, and you’ve barely said two words tonight.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just this.” I motioned between the two of us. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out socially.”
“Oh.” His surprise sounded genuine.
“Bad breakup,” I explained.
He arched an eyebrow and smirked. “I see. So, I’m your first?”
His question made me laugh. “Well, technically, you’re not my first. Suddenly, the music switched to a slower beat, and I looked up to see Julia waving us over.
“It looks like we’re being summoned.” The mirth in his eyes relaxed me a little, and I offered my hand when he stood leading us to the dance floor.
We made it through two songs before Ben indicated it was time to switch partners. I looked at Julia, who shrugged and broke the hold Don had on me. Just as we were reaching for one another, the beat picked up, and we were caught up in an epic line dance. Stumbling our way through the ridiculous country song and laughing hysterically, Julia helped me forget my troubles and enjoy life, at least for now.
It was almost midnight when the band ended their set and packed up for the night. Julia had already warned me she was going with Ben to his hotel and offered the car. Checking the App on my phone, I let the driver know I was ready to leave. The map showed it would be here in under ten minutes, so I said my goodbyes to Ben and Julia and headed toward the entrance.
Just before I made it to the door, I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I turned my head, Don was standing behind me. “It was very nice to meet you, Molly. Let me wait with you. It isn’t safe for you to be out here alone.”
While I was relieved not to be alone, alarm bells rang as recognition dawned on me. Those words, I had heard them before. I felt my body stiffen as my eyes shot up to his face. “It’s you.”
He didn’t waste time wrapping one arm around my waist while the other hand cupped my mouth. In the span of just a few seconds, he dragged me onto the far side of the building, away from the lights and noises of road traffic, his grip tightening over my mouth, making it hard to breathe. Please, dear God, don’t let me have an attack. His words, a cold knife slicing into every fiber of my being, dripped with disdain. “King interrupted our party last time. It won’t happen tonight.”
Panic set in, and as I struggled in his grasp, whimpers tried to escape my throat but were drowned out by his menacing words. “Shh, don’t make a sound, and I won’t have to hurt you.” His eyes were wild, and at that moment, I was truly afraid I’d never see Courtland again.
I shook my head, trying to think of a way out of this. I had taken plenty of self-defense classes over the years, but he had me at a disadvantage, and I couldn’t get the leverage needed to break his hold. He spun me toward him and pushed my back against the granite wall of the building, the cold stone biting into my flesh, and held my hands above my head as hot tears tracked down my face.
I continued to struggle until I felt the sharp blow of his hand across my cheek, disorienting me. With one swift move, he pulled my dress down to expose my naked breasts, tearing the silky fabric, and thrust his erection into my belly, pinning me in place with his thighs to ensure my movement was restricted. His mouth dipped down and tugged one nipple into his mouth while I kept my eyes closed tight. Whatever he was going to do, I couldn’t witness it.
Would he rape me? Hurt me? Kill me? My mind was running a sprint with no finish line in sight when headlights came into view. Someone was pulling into the side street where this torturous act was being committed.
“Aw fuck.” Don pushed away from the wall, releasing me, and as I collapsed to the ground, he turned and briskly walked away. When he reached the corner, he called back over his shoulder. “Next time, sweet girl.”
My breaths were coming out in a riot of chaos. I heard raised voices coming from behind me and suddenly was being wrapped in the warming comfort of a jacket, an inhaler pushed into my trembling hands. “Did you see where he went?” Julia’s voice was frantic as she shouted from my side, her gentle arms engulfing my sobbing frame. My breathing was finally under control after three rescue puffs, but I was still leaning against the wall when Ben returned to where the two of us were huddled together.
