The Write Stuff (14 page)

He
tilted the beer up and took a long pull. Most of the beer went down his chest rather than into his mouth. Swiping a hand across his lips, he tossed the empty beer bottle into his room and pulled harder on my wrist. "Come on, sweetheart. You don't know what you're missing." My hand scraped along the wall as I fought to keep him from getting me into his room. I opened my mouth and let out a piercing scream that echoed down the hallway.

With a final jerk
, he pulled me into his meaty arms, wrapping them around my neck. I tried screaming again, but his grimy hand covered my mouth. He held me tightly against him, anticipating a fight.

This couldn
't be happening. It was every woman's nightmare, but I never thought it would happen to me. If he got me into his room, nothing would ever be the same again. My screams could no longer be heard, coming out as a muffled grunt against his hand. My teeth cut into the inside of my lip, filling my mouth with the iron taste of blood. I welcomed the pain as it cut through my panic like a knife, clarifying my senses.

His rancid breath
blew into my face and I felt his free hand snake around my waist, creeping up toward my breast. The idea of his nasty paw touching me made tears spring to my eyes. I would not let that happen.

Finally recalling some of my brothers
' training, I let all the fight leave my body. It went against everything inside me to let myself go slack in his arms, making his job easier. His surprise and approval were evident. "I knew you wanted to party," he growled in my ear, bringing his face exactly where I wanted it. Knowing I only had one shot, I reared my head back into his face with all the force I could muster. The blow smacked soundly into his nose as a ringing filled my ears. He released his hold immediately, stumbling back into the wall with blood streaming down his face. I raced down the hallway, screaming as loud as I could while I fumbled to get the key card into my door.

A woman and a burly gentleman opened the door to my left at the sound of my screaming
. It wasn't hard for them to figure out what had happened when they spotted my tattered appearance and the blood gushing from the nose of my assailant.

The large man stepped from his room, standing between
my attacker and me. "What the fuck is going on? Are you messing with this little lady?" he growled, taking a threatening step toward the drunk, who was now cradling his broken nose while fighting to stay on his feet.

"
Hey, man, I ain't looking for any trouble."

"
You may not have been looking, but you sure found it." He reached my attacker and forced his hand around the scumbag's throat, pinning him to the wall. "Sally, call the front desk and tell them to get the cops. I got this perv."

She stepped closer
and wrapped an arm around me. I thought by the way her body shook she must have been frightened—until I realized the shaking was coming from me.

"
Is this your room?" She reached for the key card that I still gripped in my fingers.

I nodded as my eyes filled with tears. The shakes that
had overtaken me increased to the nth degree as I comprehended what had just happened. Or worse yet, what could have happened. The adrenaline that had raced through my veins burned away and I sagged weakly against my door. The kind woman gently extracted the key card from my fingers. Opening the door for me, she helped me into my room.

I looked back at my open door
, terrified the guy would suddenly follow us in. "Don't you worry, honey. My Jim isn't going to let that prick near you again," she said, leading me to the only chair in the room. The hallway filled with the sounds of raised voices, but I couldn't seem to focus on them. I sat huddled in the chair with my knees tucked under my chin. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I rocked back and forth, trying to still my quivering body.

Chapter Thirteen

The next ho
ur passed with hotel security, police officers and paramedics crowding into my room. I was checked over thoroughly and asked repeatedly if I needed to go to the hospital. Other than the bruises on my wrist, a torn shirt and my bloody lip, I assured them I was fine.

In the midst of the chaos
, Alec showed up. I had no idea how he had heard, but his presence gave me some relief. He stood stoically against the wall near where I sat, waiting quietly as I finished giving my statement to the police. His jaw was set and any of his normal playfulness was nowhere to be found.

I kept my eyes locke
d on his as I gave my statement, providing all the details I could remember. Describing the incident caused my voice to shake as I recounted how the drunken doughboy had tried to drag me into his room. I noticed Alec's hands ball into fists that he lightly rapped against the wall while he listened.

My two rescuers
, Jim and Sally, also gave their statements and eventually my hotel room began to clear out. The paramedics were the first to leave, followed by the two police officers and then hotel security. The officers took pictures of my face and neck before handing me their cards, telling me to call if I needed anything. After they had documented my injuries, they followed hotel security out to check the surveillance cameras. The hotel manager was the last to leave after apologizing profusely, though it wasn't her fault. She assured me that my room would be comped and that anything I needed from room service would also be covered by the hotel. I nodded numbly, barely processing her words.

After giving me her
card, she left my room, leaving Alec and me alone. The room felt like it doubled in size once everyone left. Neither of us moved for a moment, and I couldn't help wonder what he was thinking. Was I nothing but a walking disaster in his eyes? I tried to recall if he had seen me in any kind of setting where I wasn't the center of attention. The majority of it was me acting like a fool, but this time the situation had been beyond my control.

Unable to stand the silence any longer
, I finally forced my limbs to unlock and I dragged myself to my feet. "I'm going to take a shower," I mumbled. His eyes met mine and he took a half step away from the wall before hesitating.

Enter
ing the bathroom, I leaned against the door for a moment before forcing myself to walk toward the shower. With the water at its hottest setting, I let the bathroom fill with steam as I pulled my clothes off, tossing my torn shirt into the small wastebasket. An unexpected sob clawed its way up my throat.

The water muffled the sobs and tears that f
ollowed as I let them wash away. Feeling the drunken asshole's touch still lingering on my skin, I scrubbed my body vigorously with a washcloth. By the time I stopped because I heard the bathroom door open, I had rubbed myself raw in several places. "Alec?" When he didn't answer, I peeked around the shower curtain to find my favorite pair of sweats and a hoodie folded on the counter. A small smile of gratitude tugged at the corners of my mouth before being replaced by a yawn.

I had no more tears left to cry, but I felt dead tired. T
wisting off the shower, I stepped over the side of the tub to the bath mat to dry off. The evening's events had drained my energy supply, and all I wanted to do was crawl under the blankets and sleep. My stomach ached lightly, reminding me of my previous plan to order room service. The thought of eating now held no appeal.

Once I was dressed
, I pulled my hair up into a loose knot on top of my head. Wiping my hand across the mirror, I studied my reflection, surprised to see the signs of the attack on my face. The guy hadn't wailed on me, but he might as well have. My bottom lip was swollen from being pushed against my teeth. Upon closer inspection, I could see a large cut inside my lip. Faint bruises had materialized on my cheeks from where his fingers gripped my face. My neck was also bruised, along with my collarbone.

The most startling feature was
my almost lifeless eyes that usually danced with laughter. Mom always commented that the sparkle in my eyes was her favorite thing she had given me. At the moment the sparkle had been replaced by a dull, haunting nothingness.

Studying them critically, I felt like I
'd somehow lost a part of myself tonight. For the first time in my life, I realized that I'd been pretty much kept in a bubble of safety. I'd had my share of injuries during the years, like the broken arm I got when Zach decided to pull me down our sloped driveway on roller skates. Another time Tony challenged me to a tree-climbing contest, leading to six stitches. At least I had beaten him to the top. I was able to scale the tree like a spider monkey, but during my celebration I forgot I was supposed to be hanging on. As it turned out, falling through branches was nowhere near as fun as climbing them. Despite those couple of instances, my life had been surprisingly free of any blemishes. I had never gotten into any fights. Mom and Dad were never the types of parents who spanked me or my brothers. I had even managed to escape high school relatively drama free. Honestly, I had probably transitioned into adulthood almost too easily.

My eyes were like windows into the mixed
-up feelings swirling through me. I needed to put what happened tonight behind me and move on.

Turning from the mirror, I left the bathroom
, uncertain if Alec would still be waiting. I found him sitting in the chair I had vacated, talking on my cell phone. A tray with two covered plates of food sat on the foot of the bed. My stomach, which had rejected the idea of food just moments before, let out a low rumble.

Alec
ended the call and looked up at me. "Olivia," he said, setting my phone on the table.

I nearly groaned.
"You called, Olivia?" I wasn't sure how I felt about him taking the liberty of calling her. She was sure to call my parents, and I wanted to tell them about the incident on my own terms, after I had fully digested it in my head.

He stood up and scooted the chair closer to the foot of the bed
where the tray of food sat. "I didn't call her. Your phone was going crazy, so I decided to answer it. I told her you'd call her back in the morning. I think she was on the verge of catching a plane if I wouldn't have answered."

"
What? How did she find out?"

"
I'm not sure specifically." He lifted the lids off the covered plates. "I ordered burgers. I hope that's okay." He patted the edge of the bed so I could sit across from him. "I only found out because I ran into Jennifer downstairs and she told me you had gone up to the room for the night. I came up to see if you were okay. Olivia said someone who also has a room on this floor came up while all the commotion was happening with the cops and hotel security and somehow found out you were involved and posted something on Facebook. That's how she found out."

"
Damn it," I groaned. "It's on Facebook?" So much for privacy.

I sa
nk down on the bed and absently picked up a fry to nibble on. I couldn't help feeling embarrassed everyone knew. "What did Olivia say?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

Alec
looked up from slathering his burger with ketchup and mustard. "She's concerned, just like the rest of us. I think between the two of us, she and I could have given that asshole the beating he deserves."

Alec had
venom in his voice. I'd never seen him angry. It wasn't directed at me, but was intimidating as hell nevertheless. "That's cool of you to say, but you don't need to fight my battles. Besides, that guy is sitting in jail probably wondering how he ended up there. I really think he believed I'd be up on his offer when he asked. My prospects might be low, but even my V-card has standards." I thought maybe my joke would lighten the mood, but it fell flat and sounded harsh, even to my ears. Maybe it was my mind's way of coping. It was better than the images of his disgusting hands on my body, or how close I'd come to losing the one thing that meant the most to me.

Alec
's hand tightened around the plastic cup he was holding, making it creak and crack. Neither of us spoke as we sat watching the water inside cascade down his fingers and to the floor.

"
Sorry. I know that sounded shitty. It's just—" I said, breaking the silence. I couldn't finish my thought because I really didn't know what to say. I jumped off the foot of the bed to retrieve a towel from the bathroom, but Alec had stood first, blocking my way. Unlike my incident earlier, there was nothing threatening about the way Alec stood in front of me. My eyes remained on his chest. I was too afraid of what I would see if I looked at his face. I thought I had already cried myself out, but tears collected in my eyes, spilling out and falling to the floor like the water from his cup.

Alec
dragged me into his arms. My face remained tightly pressed against his chest as a new wave of sobs left me. All the fear and shame I had been fighting to hide poured out. He tightened his hold on me as I began to shake. Sweeping me up off my feet, he carried me to the bed and without releasing his hold, lowered us both so that we lay together with me cradled in his arms. He was tender and compassionate. I couldn't help but wonder how one person could be so rough while another was so gentle.

I
felt awful for ruining Alec's evening. It wasn't like he had signed on for this, but it would have taken the Jaws of Life to pry me from his arms. For the first time since I'd stepped off the elevator earlier, I felt safe.

I
wasn't sure when I stopped crying because I fell asleep shortly after we lay down together. The last thing I remembered was Alec rubbing his hand smoothly over my back in soothing circles. At one point I thought I felt him pull the comforter up over me, which made me burrow even closer to him, afraid he would leave me.

I slept void of any
dreams in spite of what had happened, which I was thankful for. By the time I finally pried my eyes open, the room was dark, but I could tell it was morning because of the sun peeking around the edges of the curtains. Initially I thought I was alone in bed. I stretched my arms over my head, fighting the disappointment that flared through me. Of course, it was selfish to expect that Alec would have stayed with me all night. Especially since he had allowed me to soak his shirt without complaint.

I felt the bed dip
down beside me, making my eyes fly open.

Alec
peered at me with concern. "God, I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" He brushed a lock of hair off my forehead. His touch was comforting and familiar. If anything, last night had brought us closer.

I s
at up and dragged myself up against the headboard. Afraid of what I must have looked like, I smoothed a hand over my head. Medusa probably had nothing on me. "No, it's okay. I just thought you had left." My voice sounded raspy and dry.

"
I did for a little bit. I figured you could use a Starbucks." He handed over an insulated cup with a paper sleeve on it.

I raised the steaming cup
to my nose, inhaling appreciatively. "Bless you." I took a sip of my coffee, marveling that he had doctored it up to my preference. His attention to detail surprised me. "How did you remember how I take it?" I asked, taking another sip.

He chuckled.
"I think it's a hazard of being a bartender. I tend to remember what people order. My head is filled with hundreds of worthless drink orders."

"
That kind of memory should come in handy when you start medical school," I added.

"
Let's hope so. I'd hate to take an exam in human anatomy and totally blank on the right answer for the femur when all I can think of are the ingredients for a Sex on the Beach."

I laughed.
"I don't know. You get the right professor and they may appreciate that. Grading anatomy exams has to be tedious. They could probably use a drink. So, why a doctor?" I pulled my legs up and folded them under me.

"
Versus a tightrope walker like I thought I wanted to be?" He plopped down on the bed beside me with his own coffee.

A giggle bubbled up through me.
"Tightrope walker? You're teasing."

"
Much to my parents' horror, no. From the time I was six years old until I was twelve, I was convinced I wanted to be a tightrope walker in the circus."

"
You didn't want to be a lion tamer or maybe a clown?"

He looked at me with disbelief.
"A clown? You're kidding, right? Clowns are fucking messed up. Haven't you ever read
It
or seen the movie
Poltergeist
? Clowns are like demons. As a matter of fact, they're the only reason I changed my mind about being a tightrope walker. There was no way I could have balanced on a rope fifty feet in the air with those freaky bastards looking up at me." He shuddered at the thought.

My giggles turned to belly laughs. He was almost too cute for words.
"How can a big strapping guy like you be scared of sweet clowns who hand out balloons?"

His reaction to my statement made me laugh even harder.
"I'm not sure I even know you," he sputtered, scooting away from me like I was a special kind of crazy and he was afraid of catching it.