“That’s theguests’way out,” she spits out in a snarky tone. “The servants’ entrance is via the back.”
As my eyes shift to the left in anticipation of witnessing Lennox’s brisk arrival to save me, I reply, “I-I am not a servant. I-I am here as a guest.”
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“I-I’m not a servant. I am here as a guest.” My reply is nowhere near as strong as hoped when I realize Lennox is still by the bar, watching our exchange instead of helping me to end it.
I know what he’s doing. He’s preached multiple times the past couple of months that I need to start defending myself, but it doesn’t weaken my anger in the slightest. I wouldn’t be in this situation if he had agreed for us to order pizza and veg out, and the knowledge fills me with so much anger, I grow the backbone I’ve been accused of not having multiple times the past six years. “And if you don’t get your hands off me, I’ll remove them…forcefully.”
The blonde hoping to make a mockery out of me hides her balk well. Her grip on my elbow only loosens a fraction, but it’s enough to inform me her next set of words have no steam associated with them. “I’d like to see you try.”
When she yanks me to within an inch of her face to finalize her dressing down with more cruel, undermining words, in the corner of my eye, I spot Lennox slipping off a barstool. Although happy he’sfinallyconsidering a brazing rescue, my frustration that he left it so late is too perverse to reel back in.
With my mind shut down and the maneuvers taught during one of my father’s many toolbox meetings, I shut down my assailant’s attack. A squeak that sets off car alarms in a three-block radius rips from the blonde’s throat when I pop my knee into her groin. She stammers back with wide, glistening eyes before shooting her hands down to protect her vagina from another vicious blow.
I never thought I’d have to defend myself from a girl, so I went with a tried-and-tested method for subduing male assailants.
I kneed her in the vagina.
In. Her. Vagina.
“Oh my god, I-I’m so sor—”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” Lennox interrupts before he uses the same elbow the blonde clawed her nails into to steer me away from her. “She got what she deserved.”
“A knee to the vagina is something someone deserves?”
“It is when you’re a cunt,” Lennox replies before he races me outside and loads me into the passenger seat of a fancy sports car.
“You were totally right, mate. Your girl is a hoot!” Flynn Maxwell says from his watch on the front patio stairs. After he tosses Lennox a set of keys, he adds with a chuckle, “Calice is also a cunt.”
When I peer at him in shock, he nudges his head to the hideous floral drapes covering the front windows of his mega-mansion. My mouth falls open when I realize the lady I kneed is his ex-girlfriend, and although this isn’t the first question I should ask, since I’d rather the focus be on anyone but me, I run with it. “Why would he invite his ex to his party?”
I rocket my eyes from Flynn to Lennox when he murmurs, “Because he knew she’d act like a jealous bitch when she saw you together, which gave you the perfect opportunity to stand up for yourself.”
“Huh?” I mutter, truly lost. He’s speaking as if my confrontation with Calice was a setup. That can’t be true. I avoid all forms of conflict. Although I will admit, it’s nice having a reason for his exodus when we arrived. I thought he didn’t want to be seen with me, but now that doesn’t appear to be the case. “You wanted me to—”
“Give a woman a pap smear with your knee?” He chuckles when I sock him in the stomach. “No. But I did want to give you the opportunity to prove that when push comes to shove, you can stand up for yourself. With Flynn happy to use Calice as a guinea pig, we ran with it.”
“But…” I pause, genuinely unsure what to say. Even knowing the woman I hurt is a serial bully makes my guilt nowhere near as bad, I’m still not convinced violence is the way to go. I should have tried some more words first.
When Lennox pulls his borrowed ride into a stream of traffic that seems thick no matter the time, my trance-like silence lifts. “What would have happened if I didn’t respond? She would have dragged me over the coals in front of everyone, and I would have had to live under a bridge for the rest of my life.”
“You not standing up for yourself was never considered,” Lennox answers, his voice free of its earlier humor. “Because I’ve known for years that you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. Tonight’s incident showcased that without a doubt. I don’t see anyone attempting to mess with you now, Cocoa. Not if they don’t want their vaginas caved in by your knee.” My heart melts into a gooey mess when he leans across the cab to squeeze my thigh. “I’m proud of you, Sum.”
The frantic beat of his heart felt through his brief contact exposes he was nervous about my confrontation, but since he wanted to prove I can defend myself, he held back his instinct to protect me.
It makes me swoon for him in a way not suitable for friends, but mercifully, the humid Florida weather could excuse a nun for getting a little sticky between the legs.
9
Summer
“You good?”
Through the moan of a relaxed woman, I slowly rock my head back and forth. Lennox’s massage, while he rubbed aloe vera into my neck and shoulders, has me feeling like I’m floating on a cloud. All my knots are kneaded out, leaving only one giant one between my legs. “I feel great.”
I’m not lying. Things have been fantastic for Lennox and me the past week. By being forced to face one of my biggest fears head-on, the many others surrounding me don’t seem nowhere near as daunting. I’m trying new things every day, and with each adventure, my confidence flourishes.
