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I was a little surprised, having expected him to be much older, much stuffier, and a lot less handsome. I nodded as he came closer.

  “I’m Mark Stevens.” He extended his hand to me, eyeing me up and casting a sly smile.

  “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.” I shook his hand back.

  “Shall we?” He allowed me to walk in front of him as we entered the hotel. He helped me take off my coat and checked it in as I stood there on display while he assessed every inch of my body. “I feel like I hit the jackpot. You’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered, feeling a little uncomfortable.

  He wrapped his arm around my waist as we entered the elaborate ballroom filled with all the stiff politicians and their even stuffier wives.

  “What do you want to drink?” he asked.

  “I’ll have a glass of chardonnay, please.”

  He nodded, leaving me standing all alone while some of the women non-discretely looked my way, exchanging whispers with each other. I laughed to myself, imaging what they were saying. I was no stranger to the stares and whispers behind my back; it came with the territory of the job. Most of those women were double my age, and dressed a lot more modestly than I because their age and body wouldn’t allow for them to dress any differently, so I was happy to give their miserable asses something to talk about. I took the redheaded woman with the bouffant hair off guard when I waved and flashed her a smile, causing her face to match her hair as she immediately looked away.

  “Here you go.” Senator Stevens handed me a glass of wine.

  “Thank you, Senator.”

  “Please, call me Mark. No need to be formal, Bree, especially when we’re planning on getting to know each other much better later on.” He smiled, exposing his perfectly straight teeth, and I felt the sudden need to take a sip of my drink.

  I took a deep breath, trying to put any thoughts of later on out of my mind. His free hand moved down my waist, just a few inches shy of touching my ass. He guided me through the crowd, stopping when we reached a group of men talking amongst themselves while their wives stood idly by gossiping to each other. All eyes were on me once again, the men seeming pleased at what they saw, the women threatened. Senator Stevens introduced me to his colleagues and the game began. My story was, I was an old friend of the senator’s from back home who he had just reconnected with. I decided I’d make myself an elementary school teacher when asked about my profession by one of the men, not sure if I was coming across as believable and not really caring if I wasn’t.

  The evening passed, and I was fitting in a little better, even striking up some conversation with the women. I listened to them complain about their kids, their cleaning ladies, their husbands…nothing was off the list for them. I looked around, catching a glimpse of Senator Stevens downing another glass of scotch, hoping he would pass out by the time we made it back to the hotel room. I cringed just thinking about it. With each drink he put away, the more touchy-feely he became, raising the eyebrows of some of his colleagues.

  “Is he going to be okay?” one of the women asked as the evening came to a close.

  “Oh, yeah. I’m sure he’ll just sleep it off.” I played it off, hoping my words to be true.

  “Eat your heart out, gentlemen. This beautiful lady is all mine tonight.” Senator Stevens pulled me closer, aiming to kiss my cheek but getting my ear instead. My face heated with discomfort.

  “Are you going to be okay?” one of the other men who I had been introduced to earlier in the night asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine.” I got my coat and we headed up to the hotel room, and the whole time I was praying that he’d fall asleep before anything could happen between us. It wasn’t my fault if he passed out before services could be rendered.

  Once the door closed behind us my heart started beating faster. He sat on the bed and removed his tie, motioning for me to come closer. My stomach dropped. It was the first time I had ever felt wary of a client. There was something underneath the surface of his polished exterior that wasn’t sitting well with me. Adding total inebriation to the mix didn’t help matters. I cautiously inched closer until I was standing right in front of him. He stared up at me with glassy eyes, placing his hands on my ass and pulling me into him until I was lying next to him on the bed. The knot in my stomach tightened when he pressed his forehead to mine, his breath reeking of the endless amount of alcohol he had consumed all night.

  “I’m glad to see you’re not like that other little dick tease I was wasting my time with.”

  I creased my eyebrows.

  “What—who?” My voice was barely audible.

  “What the fuck is her name? Kylee?” he slurred. “I told that old hag Margo she needs to be fired.”

  I was now paralyzed in fear. There was a reason that Kylee wasn’t working with him anymore and Margo knew it, but instead of dropping him as a client she had sent me right into his trap. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I murmured.

  “Relax,” he whispered, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I like things to get a little rough, and that little bitch couldn’t handle it. She went crying to that shriveled-up old prune. But you, you’re different. I sensed it the minute you walked out of the cab. You like to get freaky. Don’t you, baby?” Pinning my arms over my head, he rolled on top of me, forcing his tongue down my throat as I struggled to breathe.

  I jerked my head to the side and he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him, releasing one of my arms in the process.

  “Don’t fight me, bitch!” he demanded.

  I lifted my free arm, pummeling him in the side of his face. Unfortunately it wasn’t hard enough to do anything except make him even angrier.

  “You little fuckin’ whore! You think you can tease me all night and then when it comes down to earning your money you’re gonna get out of it. You thought wrong.”

  I twisted and turned, struggling to break free, stunned for a brief second when the back of his hand struck my face.

  “Get off me!” I shrieked, raising my knee, hitting the intended target perfectly. I shot up from the bed while he keeled over in agony, trying to catch his breath from the blow I had just delivered.

  The door was only a few feet away, but it seemed like miles. Just as the doorknob was in reach I was jolted back, my scalp screaming in pain as he yanked my hair, turning me around and forming a vise-like grip on my wrists.

  “You filthy little slut!” He slammed me against the wall, pinning my arms. Sweat dripped from his brow as he moved his face closer to mine. “I knew you’d like it rough. So how do you like this?” He balled up his fist and delivering a hard blow to my face.

  I fell to the floor, trying to chase away the pain permeating up my right cheekbone all the way to my eye. My shoulder snapped, and I screamed in agony when he heaved me from the floor like a ragdoll.

  “You should have just done as I said instead of trying to get cute. Didn’t that other little whore who you work with warn you?”

  The room was spinning, and the vision in my right eye was becoming blurred. My legs were weak as I stood there in a daze.

  “Look at me!” he shouted, gripping my chin and turning my head.

  I refused to give in to his wishes. I knew what was most likely going to happen, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.

  “Look at me!” he roared once again, that time striking me on the other side of my face.

  “Why? To stroke your ego and make you think that I actually want to have sex with you?” I forced the words out through my pain. “Go ahead and do what you have to do. It will make a good newspaper story when I report it to the police tomorrow.”

  “You dumb bitch. Who do you think they’ll believe? A distinguished senator or a whore like you? You’re nothing but a glorified prostitute.”

  “A glorified prostitute who you had to pay to have sex with because no one else wants to,” I replied. “What’s the matter, Senator—are you trying to make up for something else by
beating up on women? Is your dick too small? Is that why you have to pay for sex?”

  “You don’t know when to shut your fuckin’ mouth, do you, bitch?” He hurled me onto the bed.

  With both my eyes nearly swollen shut, I still managed to catch a glimpse of my purse lying next to me. Reaching inside, I felt around for my can of Mace, cringing at the sound of his metal belt buckle dropping to the floor along with his pants. I positioned the can in my hand, hoping I was aiming in the right direction when I pressed my finger on the trigger.

  I knew I had succeeded when he yelped in pain, “You fuckin’ bitch!” He immediately backed away, and I knew it was my only chance. I was running on pure adrenaline, not caring about the discomfort I was in. My only mission was to make it out of that room while he was temporarily blinded. I grabbed my purse, hightailing it out the door as he continued to scream obscenities. Unable to see two feet in front of me through my swollen eyes, I ran down the hallway as fast as I could, trying desperately to find the elevator or stairwell.

  “Let go of me! Let go of me!” I screamed when I pummeled into a large figure that appeared to be a man.

  “Miss, are you okay? Miss!”

  The ringing in my ears became deafening and a cold sweat sheathed my body. My weakened knees finally gave out, buckling out from under me as I fell to the floor, slamming my head to total darkness.

  Chapter 19

  The shiny badge blinded me as I opened my eyes as best as I could. My head throbbed in unison with the faint beeping of machines in the background. Where was I, and why did my entire body ache? I tried to sit up and the shiny badge moved closer.

  “Hey, take it easy,” a woman’s voice gently warned. Who was she and why was she wearing a badge on her belt loop?

  “Where am I?” My hoarse voice was barely recognizable.

  “You’re in the hospital. I’m Detective Lyons.”

  “Detective?”

  “Yes. Do you remember anything from last night?”

  The bile burning the back of my throat began to rise as the memories rushed to the forefront of my mind. “It’s fine. I just need to go home.”

  “Not right now. You’re not in any shape. You didn’t have any ID on you. Can I get your name?”

  “Bree,” I whispered.

  “Okay, Bree, do you have a last name?”

  I shook my head, focusing my attention on the doctor entering my room.

  “Glad to see you’re up, young lady.” He shined the flashlight into my eyes. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Sore.”

  “You got roughed up pretty bad. The nurse will be in shortly to help you use the ladies’ room.”

  “I don’t need to use the ladies’ room. I just want to go home. Can you please unhook all of this stuff from me so I can leave?” I raised my arm, looking up at the IV pole to which I was attached.

  “We’d like to observe you for a few more hours to make sure there’s no head injury.”

  “No, really I’m fine,” I protested.

  “Well, we’re going to need to do a rape exam.”

  “I wasn’t raped!” I shouted.

  “Bree, how do you know for certain?” Detective Lyons chimed in. Her voice was calm and gentle.

  “Because I wasn’t. I think I would know that. I wouldn’t allow that to happen. Why do you think I look the way I do right now?”

  “Bree, who did this to you?” Detective Lyons asked.

  I shook my head, refusing to divulge any more information. As much as I despised Senator Stevens and wanted him to pay for what he did, I knew the media would have a field day, putting my face and profession all over the news, which would only disgust my family more.

  “Bree, why are you protecting this person? He could have killed you.”

  “I’m not protecting anyone. I just want to forget it happened. Please. I want to go home.”

  “If I allow you to leave now, someone needs to pick you up and be responsible for you. I’m not releasing you on your own. You’re on some pretty heavy-duty pain meds,” the doctor lectured.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Every inch of my body ached, but it didn’t hurt nearly as badly as the pain inside my heart. I was truly all alone.

  “Is there anyone we can call for you?” the doctor asked, reminding me of that truth once again.

  No, there’s not. I’m all alone because I chose a job that alienated me from everyone important in my life and landed me where I am now. I nodded, staring straight ahead, trying to focus through the tiny slits of my swollen eyes. “My phone is in my purse. Can you please find Hannah in my contacts? Call her and ask her to come and get me.” I hated putting that burden on her, but I was all out of options and I needed to get out of the hospital.

  “Very well, I’ll have the nurse take care of that, but I need to go over some medication instructions with you before you leave. You have a dislocated shoulder—that’s going to take a while to heal. You’re going to need to baby it. I’m going to send you home with a sling to prevent further injury. Make sure you wear it, and no lifting of any kind.”

  “Got it.” I was hoping that if I appeared to be cooperative, my release would go a lot smoother.

  “Okay, I’ll get your discharge papers together, provided you have someone who can be responsible for you.”

  I nodded, hoping Hannah would come through.

  “I’m going to leave this with you, Bree. If you change your mind, please do not hesitate to call me,” Detective Lyons said, placing her business card on the table next to me.

  “Sure.” My voice faltered, fighting off the sleepiness that was overcoming me.

  “I’ll let you get some rest. Please make sure you take care of yourself.”

  I nodded, closing my eyes and giving in to my exhaustion.

  ***

  “Bree, oh my goodness, what happened to you?” Hannah’s voice cracked with emotion as I awoke to her sitting by my bedside.

  “I’m so sorry I had to bother you with this, Hannah, but they wouldn’t discharge me unless I had someone to bring me home.”

  “Oh, it’s no bother at all, Bree. Who did this to you?” she inquired once again, that time on the verge of tears.

  I shook my head. “I-I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go home.”

  Her warm soft hand overlapped mine, squeezing it gently, silently offering her support and not pressuring me for an answer any further.

  “So, I see the cavalry has arrived to take you home,” the nurse announced as she walked into the room and to the side of my bed. “Hold your breath and count to three.”

  I followed her directive, gasping when she ripped off the tape that was covering the IV on my arm. She carefully removed all of my wires and helped to get me dressed. Just that little bit of movement caused me excruciating pain.

  “Do you have a coat?” she asked, as I sat there in my sleeveless dress that I had worn the night before.

  “No—I…” I shook my head, pretty certain I had left it in the hotel room.

  “She can wear mine,” Hannah offered.

  “Okay, here are her discharge papers and the directions for her medications,” the nurse explained to her.

  “You’re gonna be out of it for the next twenty-four hours. We had some pretty strong stuff pumping through that IV. Just take it easy, sleep as much as you can, and no driving,” she instructed me.

  “What about my bill? I don’t have insurance.” Panic erupted, just imagining how much the hospital visit was going to be.

  “It’s okay. Someone from the hospital will be contacting you to make arrangements. That’s not for you to worry about right now. You just need to concentrate on getting better.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me, it’s my job. Just promise me you’ll never let anyone do this to you again.”

  I nodded, fighting back the tears. My knees buckled and the room spun as Hannah got me out of bed and into a standing position. I grabbed her arm,
taking deep breaths, trying to find my balance and shake it off.

  “Okay, my dear, hop aboard. Hospital rules say I have to take you out in this,” the nurse instructed, placing a wheelchair alongside of me.

  I wasn’t fighting it. With the way I was feeling, there wasn’t any way I’d be able to walk out anyway. Hannah wrapped her coat around my shoulders and we were off. Everything was a blur—and not because my eyes were basically swollen shut, but because I was in a fog mentally. I kept my head down the entire time, fairly certain my face was pretty banged up. I was embarrassed enough; the last thing I wanted was to draw the attention to it by a random passerby on the way out.

  A wicked and welcoming blustery wind whipped through the air as we exited the hospital. I pulled Hannah’s coat around me tighter, instantly feeling my brain fog lifting as I inhaled every last bit of the bitter cold air that my nasal passages would allow. The nurse waited by my side until Hannah was able to flag down a cab, and then both of them helped me up, easing me into the back seat. I hated feeling so helpless. I never wanted to depend on anyone, and up until then, I’d never had to.

  Hannah got in the other side and took a seat next to me. “What’s your address?” she asked.

  I recognized just how out of it I was when it took me a moment to come up with the most basic of information. I rattled off our destination to the driver and we were on our way. Every bump and turn would send a jolt of pain through my body. I closed my eyes, trying to muddle through it and not appear as the weak little victim that I had suddenly become.

  I gave Hannah my key when we reached my apartment. The seconds it took her to open the door passed like hours. I just wanted to get into my own bed and sleep until the whole nightmare was over. Relief washed over me when the door flung open and I was finally inside. I was home. I wasn’t sure how much longer that place would be my home—there was no way I’d be able to continue to afford it without my current job—but for the time being, I wasn’t going to worry about that. The only thing on my mind at the moment was a long hot shower and my nice soft bed. Hannah walked over to the window, opening the blinds, allowing the morning sun to stream in. Oddly enough the welcoming light of a new day helped to lift my spirits ever so slightly. “I’m so sorry to have bothered you with this.” I turned to her, so grateful for her friendship or whatever it was the two of us had formed.