He crept closer, his eyes dead and black like a snake’s. “I was thinking … it’s awfully late to head back to Fall River on these dark, windy roads. It’s not safe, so I just got us a room a few blocks away. Let’s get a nice meal, relax over some wine, get to really know each other.” He gave a leering wink. “I’ll get you back bright and early tomorrow. It’s not like you’re going to need a change of clothes tonight.” His finger traced a path from her shoulder down her arm, and she batted it away.
Panic ratcheted up, and her lungs squeezed out every last drop of air. “No,” she managed to squeak.
His finger returned. “Oh, come on, Hailey. Ever since we started working together, you’ve been panting just thinking about riding me.” One side of his mouth took on a cruel curve. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve been hot for you too.”
She willed herself to breathe, willed her larynx to push out her words. “I need to get back.”
“No, you don’t. I set your schedule, so I know what’s on your plate. I’m your boss,notyour colleague, remember?” A voice others might call velvety was like something oozing out of a grease gun. “No one needs to know.”
He clamped his other hand on her thigh and edged it up, up, up. “Come on, baby. Let’s do this. You know you want it.”
She shoved it away with both hands, but the hand that had been toying with her arm snatched her bun and jerked her head to him, sending shock waves of pain across her scalp. His mouth crashed down on hers, all slimy tongue and gnashing teeth. The hand she’d shoved away shot beneath her jacket and clawed at her breast, tearing away a button. His grip was strong.
She punched, kicked, and thrashed, but he pulled her into him, and she couldn’t gain any purchase. He increased the pressure. While his mouth assaulted hers, he yanked her hand to his crotch and forced it on his erection. Growling deep in his chest, he started thrusting against her hand pressed beneath his. His tongue was so far down her throat she nearly gagged.
Desperate for air, she bit down on his tongue, and he pulled away with a yelp, swiping at his mouth. “Fuck! You made me bleed, you bitch!”
Chest heaving, adrenaline flooding her veins, she clung to her wits and gathered her backpack and her coat.“I said no!”
She grabbed for her phone. Missed. She fumbled for the door handle. Pulled, but nothing happened.
Oh God!
Panic stirred anew, scattering her thoughts in all directions. What if he’d thrown the child locks and she was trapped?
Over her shoulder, he wadded up a napkin and held it to his mouth, pulling it away long enough to snarl, “You’ve been leading me on this entire fucking time. Get the fuck out of my car! Find your own fucking way back! I am so done with you.”
The latch released, and she scrambled out of the car andrantoward the pizzeria. She slipped on the icy blacktop once, recovered, only to slide again and land hard on her wrist. A crunch sounded, and pain shot up her arm.
A man approached from the sidewalk. “Are you okay?”Twomen.Largemen. Her panic skyrocketed. Light spilling from the pizzeria lit their faces. They were older, maybe in their sixties, and their expressions were filled with concern.Not everyone’s a creep, she told herself, and her anxiety leveled out. From the corner of her eye, she saw the SUV peel out, its taillights glowing angry red as it sped onto the main road.
Cliff was gone. The thought both buoyed and terrified her. She wanted him gone, but if he was out of sight, she wouldn’t be able to see him coming.
An overpowering urge to weep took hold, but she gulped it down. Her voice, when she recovered it, came out reedy. “Yes. Is there someplace warm I can sit for a minute?”
They helped her up. One gentleman took her backpack while the other one draped her coat over her shoulders. Together, they walked her to a well-lit Thai restaurant and whispered something to the hostess. Hailey hobbled to the table farthest from the front and pulled breath after breath into her lungs.
Inhale, one, two. Hold, one, two. Exhale, one, two. Hold, one, two.
A porcelain cup of steaming tea appeared in front of her. She looked up to thank the server and was dismayed to find her rescuers gone. How much time had passed? When she reached for the cup with her left hand, she winced and reconsidered.
The server, a young Asian woman, peered at her. “You call someone? Maybe they come get you?”
Oh God, my phone!Hailey needed a plan. How would she get back to Fall River, back to her car, back to safety? Without her phone, did she even remember numbers?
“I’ll be okay,” she croaked. The waitress left, and she continued box breathing while she tried to defog her brain.
She took a bracing sip of the tea and realized someone had placed her backpack on the seat beside her. With her good hand, she unzipped a side pocket, and her hand closed around a phone. Her personal phone! The device she’d left in Cliff’s car was herworkphone.
The screen came to life when she swiped it, and she scrolled through her texts. Joy bubbled up inside her when Amy’s name flashed. They had traded texts the day before to exchange cell numbers.
Oh, thank God!
She pushed the call button for her new friend. Amy picked up on the second ring. “You must have ESP because I was just thinking of inviting you out for a glass of wine.”
Hailey let out a screechy laugh. “The wine might have to wait. How do you feel about driving to Ridgway to give me a ride back to Fall River? My 4Runner is at the Loose Moose.”
AnotherThank God!rattled around her brain. Cliff had never discovered where she was staying.
