Thrasher (17 page)

I threw my hands into the air and shouted. “Feelings! John, there are no feelings for you. I told you I’d never fall for another security guard. It’s not happening.”

He tried to lean in closer to me, but I pushed him off.

“Enough, I’m done. I am so over this. You're fired, John.”

He faltered for a moment before lighting me up. “You are such a fucking tease, Brie. I should have never taken this damned job.” He stomped out of my house, and before I knew it, his truck roared as he took off down the road.

I slammed my front door, slid down the wood, and settled on the hardwood floor. “Great, now I’m going to have to find another security guard.” My head rested back against the door, and I closed my eyes.
What if I just don’t hire one and let my father think John is still working for me?
I smiled to myself as if I’d just discovered the eighth wonder of the world. “Great idea, Brie.”

The next day I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. There was just something about the fact that I wasn’t being watched by anyone that made me feel more free. Granted, I knew it wouldn’t last long, and I’d better enjoy it while I could.

I rushed through my lesson plan during the last period of the day, hoping to speed up time, but no such luck. Fifty minutes dragged on, and when the bell finally rang, freeing me of students, one of the teachers who’d put together our Friday night outing swung by my classroom.

“Brie, what time are you heading to McDinton’s? There are a few of us carpooling, and I wanted to see if you’d like us to swing by your house to pick you up.”

I thought to myself for a moment, tossing the idea around in my head.
If they pick me up, and I meet someone, I won’t have to leave my car at the bar. But if I don’t meet anyone, I’ll be on their schedule.
I smiled politely. “I think I’ll drive myself. Thanks, though.”

****

McDinton’s was packed as tight as humanly possible, bursting with people. I’d finally made it over to my friends at the outside patio and had taken a seat next to my co-workers when a gruff voice whispered in my ear.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

I quickly averted my attention toward the voice and came face to face with a set of dark-chocolate-brown eyes. My breath instantly hitched. This man, whoever he was, was quite possibly one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen in my life. His hair was cut short, yet long enough to grip between my fingers, his body lean. I was used to Duke and John, but this man was still perfect. You could tell his physique was that of an avid runner, trim and toned in all the right places. I was just close enough to him that I could smell the scent of his delicious cologne, and it made my senses run wild.

I leaned in closer to him and replied, “I’d love a drink. I’ll take a dirty martini.”

A devilish grin took hold of his lips as he motioned for the bartender then ordered my drink of choice along with a beer for himself. His hand slipped out toward mine as he introduced himself. “I’m Blake. It’s a pleasure to meet you…” He paused, apparently for my response, and I gave him my hand.

“Brianna, but you can call me Brie.”

I spent the entire night going back and forth between my co-workers and the hot commodity who was continuously buying me drinks. As my teacher-friends began to trickle out for the night, one of the girls tried to get me to leave with them.

“Brie, we are all heading out. Why don’t you walk to your car with us, and we’ll follow you home?” she asked.

I’d already had one-too-many drinks and was loosening up, flirting with and kissing all over Blake. I slipped an arm around his neck and nuzzled into him, responding to her question. “I think I’ll hang out a bit longer. I’m not ready to go home just yet.”

Blake pulled me in closer, directly up against his firm body. “I’ll make sure she gets home okay,” he said in a sultry tone.

She rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. Have it your way.” Then she turned on her heels and left with the rest of the group.

Blake and I stayed for at least another hour while he fed me dirty martinis the entire time. Once the tab had been paid for, he helped me off the barstool, and we made our way toward the exit. My body was barely able to function because of the amount of alcohol I’d consumed throughout the night.

Blake gave his ticket to the valet attendant, and in no time he pulled up in front of us and handed Blake the keys to a black convertible Aston Martin. I staggered to the other side and slid into the car before Blake took off.

“My house isn’t far. I’ll give you my address, and you can plug it into your GPS,” I said before my head fell back against the seat, and exhaustion and drunkenness took over.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The sound of a garage door opening woke me up, and I looked over at Blake. “Where are we?” I asked, wondering why he hadn’t taken me home.

“This is my place,” he said grinning. “I figured I’d bring you here, and then I’d drop you off at your car tomorrow.”

Not wanting to do anything but take an aspirin and get into bed, I went with it. He helped me into the house and laid me down on the couch. He sat on the edge of the couch, pulled my heels off, and began massaging my feet. He worked his way up my legs.

The massage felt amazing, each muscle in my body releasing as he rubbed it with his strong hands. I moaned in appreciation as he focused on each part of my legs, slowly making his way higher up my thighs.

Before I could stop him, Blake began working his hands up my dress. Had I not been so drunk, I might have enjoyed it, but my head was pounding like a bass drum, and I was in no shape to perform tonight.

I reached out for his hands and gripped them as I tried to maneuver them out from under my dress. “Not tonight. I just don’t feel well. My head is killing me.”

But Blake insisted and began tugging at the hem of my dress, trying to slide it up my thighs. I did my best to sober up as quickly as possible, so I could control the situation, but it just wasn’t working. Each time I tried to stop him from continuing, my body felt more and more out of it.

“Blake, please get off me!” I shouted, my words slurred, but he wouldn’t listen.

He forced his strong legs between mine and spread me open with his knees, ripping my dress clear up the middle, exposing my body.

I struggled to get out from under him, but it was like I was a bowl of Jello, unable to move.

My vision was beginning to blur just as Blake pulled his shirt over his head, leaned down against me, and ground himself against my exposed middle section.

“You don’t get to lead someone on all night and not pay for it at the end of the evening.”

I could feel the tears beginning to flow from the corners of my eyes as I begged him to get off me. “Please don’t do this,” I cried out.

But Blake slapped my face, which left a stinging sensation lingering behind. “You did this. You started this, and I’m going to finish it.”

His hand slipped between my legs, and I tried my hardest to force my thighs together to stop him, but his knees pressed harder against the inside of my thighs, forcing them open. I could now hear the sobs that were racking my body as I knew what was about to happen.

He reached for my hand and placed it on the bulge in his pants. “You feel that? Keep begging me to stop, and it’ll keep getting bigger.”

I shook my head and continued to fight back, but he was just too strong.

The sound of his zipper being tugged down filled my ears, and I knew that was it. There was nothing I could do to stop him. My body was limp, and he had full control.

Blake leaned down, his hot breath washing over my ear. “Feisty little bitch, aren’t you? At least those drugs are finally kicking in.”

I sobbed, screaming as loud as my body would allow, praying for someone to hear me. “Help! Please, somebody help me!” I screamed, but this time Blake punched my mouth, and instantly I could taste the blood from my busted lip.

His hands ripped my panties, and he laid his body against mine as his face hovered inches away. “No one’s going to hear your screams, except for me.” His breath washed over my face.

All of the sudden, the sound of glass shattering filled the room, and a black shadow flew over the couch and tackled Blake to the ground.

I tried to sit up to see what it was, but I couldn’t move. I was lying there, clothes ripped, face bruised and bleeding. It took everything I had to turn my head so I could look over at what I now noticed was a man on top of Blake, continuously punching his face as if he was boxing for the championship title.

Another muffled voice was at my side, and someone pulled a blanket over my exposed body. I glanced up at him and instantly recognized Tripp. He was smiling down at me like an angel sent from heaven.

He kissed my forehead. “Hey, babe. Everything’s going to be alright. You’re safe now.” Tripp wrapped the blanket all the way around me and lifted me into his arms. He held me tightly against his chest. The sobs were still escaping from deep within, but in my heart, I knew I was safe.

On our way out the front door, I heard Tripp’s muffled words tell one of the other guys, “Deal with Duke. He’s going to kill that motherfucker if we don’t stop him.”

Instantly, my heart stopped. Duke had saved me from Blake. He’d come back to rescue me after everything we’d been through.

Tripp’s heavy footsteps stomped across the drive and stopped at an SUV. He opened the door and climbed inside the back seat with me still on his lap. “Go straight to the hospital now!” he shouted.

I tried to sit up in his lap, but I was still too weak. “Duke. Please wait for Duke,” I begged, crying into Tripp’s chest.

His hand gently caressed my head. “He’ll be right behind us. We’ve got to get you to the hospital now. These are his orders. I promise it won’t be long.”

The tears wouldn’t stop. I needed Duke to get me through this; he was my rock, and I was crumbling without him. Tripp continued to comfort me the entire way to the hospital, holding me tightly as the driver, one of Duke’s guys, drove like a bat-out-of-hell through town and toward the hospital.

The red and white lights of the emergency room were the first thing I noticed as we pulled up to the hospital. In a matter of seconds, I was placed on a stretcher and flying down a sterile hospital corridor. For the next hour, the nurses and doctors treated me in a private room, not allowing anyone in until the police could get there to question me.

I remembered hearing Duke’s voice from outside of the door, shouting as he tried to get into the room.

“I have to see her!” he’d yelled. “I need to know if she’s okay!”

I’d begged the nurse to let him in, but she wouldn’t, assuring me it wouldn’t be much longer.

The police came in after the nurses and doctors left and began questioning me. They took pictures and did what they were required to do after an incident like this occurred.

“Ma’am, are you positive there was no sexual intercourse? You were drugged. Is there any chance you may have been passed out?”

The tears filled my eyes as I remembered Blake hovering over my body, inches from being inside of me. “I’m positive. I may have been out of it, but I was awake the entire time. Had Duke not gotten there when he did, it would have been too late.”

We went back and forth for what seemed like forever, and finally they concluded the questioning.

“We’ll be in touch. If you remember anything else, please give us a call immediately.” The officer placed his card on the table next to me before turning to exit the room.

As soon as the door closed behind the two of them, it was forced open again, the quickness startling me, causing me to jump with fear as my hands began to tremble.

Duke stood for a moment, a heart-broken look in his eyes, before he crossed the room in three giant steps and wrapped his arms around my entire body.

I leaned into him, and the sobs were back. I couldn’t stop them from escaping my tiny body.

Duke held me tight against him, rubbing my back. “Shh, everything is okay. You’re okay, I’m here, and I’m not letting you out of my sight. I promise.”

He kept kissing my head as I tried to calm myself down so I wouldn’t hyperventilate from crying so hard. After a few moments, the sobs began to subside, and it was now a steady flow of tears streaming down my cheeks. Duke squeezed me tighter against him, and I winced in pain, my body sore from trying to fight off Blake, but I didn’t want him to let me go. I needed him to hold me as long as possible.

He slowly released me and looked into my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you okay?” he asked sympathetically.

I nodded my head. “I’m okay. Just please don’t let me go,” I choked out, trying to keep myself from crying.

Not wasting any time, he climbed into the hospital bed with me and wrapped me in his arms. My head rested against his chest.

“Try to get some sleep. It’s been a long night.”

He kissed the top of my head again, and I closed my eyes, praying that I would be able to fall asleep.

A few moments later, the door crept open, and I heard boots against tile floor.