“You bitch,” he growled, anger lacing his words. “You’re nothing but a cock-tease.”
Laughter bubbled up her throat. The man had to be joking. They’d barely spoken the first half of the night and she’d made it clear she was not pleased with the way he’d used her.
Unable to hold back, she snorted in the least lady-like sound she could make before almost doubling over in a fit of giggles.
He stared at her incredulously which only made her laugh harder. If he truly believed she’d led him on, he was insane or stupid.
Or his ego was seriously overinflated.
She’d place money on the latter.
When she finally got herself under control she noticed those around them had moved away. Suddenly uncomfortable, she scrambled for the best way to diffuse the tension between them. But she never got a chance.
“I think it best to end the evening now,” Edward said.
She would have agreed, but he was already making his way towards the path. She tried to keep up, but in three-inch stilettos it was hard to do on the uneven ground.
He was moving far quicker than she could and when her heel caught in a crack in the concrete path she was forced to stop and tug it free.
By the time she had rescued her shoe and arrived at the street, Edward had not only gotten to his car, he was burning rubber as he peeled away from the curb and sped down the street.
Mouth agape, she stared at the rapidly fading tail lights in astonishment.
He’d driven off without her.
If this evening hadn’t been a disaster before, it was now. Not only had he left her stranded, he’d taken her purse and phone with him.
“Oh my God, I’ll kill him.”
The breeze picked up her words and whisked them away. Goose bumps rose on her arms and a shiver skipped down her spine.
She swiveled her head and scanned the area.
Spotting what looked like a payphone about fifty meters down the road, she headed in that direction.
She’d have to call reverse charges. If the phone even worked. It was rare to find one un-vandalized in Sydney.
Worst case, she’d be forced to walk and hope an unoccupied taxi came along. If not, she’d be facing a good hour’s walk, possibly longer in the shoes she was wearing.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she walked to the phone box. The area was deserted and the street light above her was out.
To her relief she heard a dial tone when she picked up the receiver. She read the instructions beside the callbox and punched in the appropriate numbers.
When an operator answered, she gave the woman her name and the number she knew by heart, but never rang.
She tried not to fidget during the long seconds it took for the call to go through. She turned her back to the wall and kept watch on the street.
It only made sense to be cautious. A lone woman on an empty street late at night wasn’t ideal. There were still people near the lookout and on the path, but they didn’t make her feel anywhere near safe.
Clicking in her ear made her jump and she stifled the gasp that burst from her throat with her hand over her mouth.
“Vee?”
Hearing his voice brought tears to her eyes and she struggled to get words out around the lump in her throat.
“I n-need you t-to come g-get me.”
Her hand trembled where she held the receiver tight against her ear and her knees shook, threatening to give way under her.
