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“Hello, officer,” Hope said pleasantly as she buttoned up her cardigan. Shielding her face from the glare of his light, she asked casually, “How can we help you?”
Flustered, the young cop struggled for words. Perhaps he was used to encountering fumbling teenagers. Or it might have been that the stunningly flushed woman sitting atop a sweaty man with a deflating penis was addressing him as if she were asking him to pass a prayer book during a Sunday sermon.
“How…how did that just happen?” Xavier asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.
“Never underestimate the power of boobs,” Hope said. “Quickly, get us the hell out of here. You did well with the hotel clerk, but I think I take the win for talking us out of things this week.”
“The decade.”
It had all happened too fast for him to follow. One second the cop was there, and Xavier was scrambling to pull up his pants as Hope slid off him. The next, the three of them were standing outside the car. Before Xavier had time to realise what was going on, it was all over. The cop had given them a stern warning and headed back to his patrol car, though Xavier had detected an amused grin on his face as the cop drove away. He’d bet there’d be a good laugh about this at the station when he told the story later. Xavier still couldn’t quite fathom how they had been let off so lightly, although the boob argument did hold some water.
After checking the GPS to ensure they were headed in the right direction, he recapped the day’s highlights. “Well, not bad for a day’s work,” he said. “Two laws broken in North Carolina and evading our first arrest. Not a bad effort, indeed.”
Hope nodded, and it wasn’t until he turned his head to glance at her that he saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.
Adrenalin shot spiders of fear under his skin as he hurried to pull the car over and drew her into his arms. She covered her face and sniffed.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Hope, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did I miss another stop sign? What? What happened?”
“The cop,” she whispered, “I…we could have been arrested.”
“Well, yeah, but we weren’t. Thanks to you, we’re fine.”
“They could have found me, taken me back.”
“Who? Who could have found you?”
She shook her head, shuddering.
“Hope, hey, it’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen to you while I’m around, I’m right here. Everything’s going to be fine.” The fear spiders continued to crawl over his exposed skin.
“Oh, God, Xavier, I’m so sorry. I can’t—” She gulped a few more breaths and put her face back in her hands as he rubbed his hand over her spine. Confusion warred with concern. Both were making his heart rate spike like a twenty-mile beach run.
They’d gone too far. Hope obviously had limits, and he had to respect them. He waited until the worst of the convulsions stopped and she slumped back against the seat, one arm flung across her eyes.
“Better?” he asked gently.
“Yes…I think…thank you. I guess that’s what a panic attack looks like. Can we just… can we just go back to the hotel, Xavier? Please?” she mumbled forlornly from behind her arm.
His gut told him this was serious. It also told him that it was not the time to push for answers. His mouth twisted as he put the car into drive and pulled out carefully.
Xavier felt himself clicking into lifesaver mode. Something was wrong here. She might resent it or think she didn’t need it, but Xavier was sure he’d be able to help Hope. All he had to do was figure out a way to get her to open up to him. As soon as she was feeling better, they would talk.
He’d make sure of it.
Chapter Four: Atlanta, Georgia
The term sadomasochistic abuse is defined so broadly, that it could possibly be applied to a person handcuffing another in a clown suit. Sexual intercourse between unmarried couples is illegal. All sex toys are banned.
Hope scrolled through their text messages as she got ready. So far, Xav had let her little freak out the other night slide, but she could tell his patience was wearing thin. On the four-hour drive to Atlanta, he’d started to ask personal questions, and she’d repeatedly changed the subject to something more frivolous. She had some explaining to do, and she was lucky he hadn’t pushed, but she was determined to put it off for as long as possible, knowing she couldn’t forever.
Step one, distraction.
She checked her outfit in the floor to ceiling mirror—one of the main reasons she’d chosen this hotel. It could definitely count as a distraction.
Her hotel-issue robe covered it all so her surprise would be safe until she decided to do the big reveal. Before she tied the belt, she took a glimpse of herself in costume. Not suitable for an office Christmas party, but it should work to take Xavier’s mind off her issues.
Step two, self-medication.
