Control Me(54)

Her eyes pooled with tears; she looked down, wringing her hands together nervously. Looking back up at me, she responded with, “I didn’t. He almost got rid of me.”

“What the fuck are you saying, babe?” I turned in my chair and held her hands. “How? I mean what did…?”

“I refused him,” she interrupted. “But he was relentless in pursuing me, showing up at almost every shoot or fashion show I was in and sending me flowers all the time. I ignored him, and that pissed him off. After a week where I hadn’t heard a thing, I thought he had given up, but I was wrong. I was so wrong, Max. He…he…” She gulped and took a deep breath, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Stay calm.

“It’s okay, babe. Take your time. Tell me,” I soothed her. It was killing me to remain calm. I wanted to get up out of my confined seat and punch a wall or kick something. I had to remain calm for her; she was clearly distressed. If she tells me Turner raped her, I’m heading down to his jail cell to kick his fucking ass in person. “Keep going, babe; I’m listening and I’ll try to remain calm, okay?” I tipped her head up and kissed her gently on the lips, urging her on.

“He didn’t rape me, but he attacked and assaulted me in my dressing room one night after the awards ceremony I was co-hosting. I can’t remember it very well because I’ve blocked most of it out. I tried so hard to fight him off, Max, truly I did, but he was so strong. I fought him off, which made him angrier. The more I fought him, the more he kicked me and attacked me. I don’t know what happened after I passed out, but Mia found me battered and bruised in my dressing room and she called the ambulance. I was in hospital for weeks. Not only did I have broken ribs and a fractured ankle, it turned out I had severe internal bleeding in my abdomen.”

Stay calm.

“But, I thought you said he didn’t rape you. Why did you have internal bleeding?”

“He kicked me, several times. Hard. Over and over and over again.” The tears were streaming down her face now. “I thought I was going to die. I swear I stopped breathing at one stage. Well, I think I did. Like I said before, I can’t remember it all now; it’s all a blur. My therapist says the trauma of it all has caused me to block parts of it out. You know that saying ‘I saw stars’.” I nodded at her, too shocked to speak. “Well, I saw the fucking galaxy.”

“Come here, babe.” Jada hung her head as more tears fell. I cradled her in my arms as she cried into my neck. I kissed the top of her head and just held her for a few moments. I hoped she could feel I was offering her comfort, support and love. I’d never mentioned the word love to her, but neither had she. We had time.

“You make me feel so safe, Max. I know we didn’t start off our relationship very well, but I really do want to make this work, and I’m not sure you may want to after I tell you the rest of my story.”

I didn’t get to answer her; we were interrupted with the pilot saying we were getting prepared to land in Adelaide. “It’s okay, Princess; you can tell me the rest when we get home. I’ll go see Marco and you can relax at home, or I can take you to your parents’ house if you don’t want to be alone. How many people know about this, Jada?”

“Mia is the only one who knows. She was at the awards night with me and I didn’t want anyone else to know. It was my fault, Max; my fault he did it. I should never have gone to dinner with him. I should never have trusted him.”

“Stop, Jada. It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” I said, murmuring against her ear. “He is fully to blame; you were the innocent in this, and I will fix it. I can’t take back your pain or the hurt you suffered, but he will pay.”

I will make sure that fucker gets what’s coming to him. Reassuringly, I smiled and wrapped my arms around Jada. “I’ll keep you safe, Jada, that I promise you,” I whispered and gave her a comforting and tender kiss.

She can tell me the rest later.

***

JADA

That night at home in the penthouse was the first night Max and I didn’t have sex. I was worried and yes, maybe a bit paranoid. Did my story about Tate Turner put him off? Did I repel him now? He’d barely touched me since we’d returned from Darwin. When we arrived back in the Barossa, Max dropped me off at the penthouse and went to meet with Marco. When he came home, I was already in bed. I was expecting him to wake me up and initiate sex; he didn’t.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told him yet. It was too soon in our relationship. He did say he understood, but he may have just said that. Oh, God, I wasn’t thinking straight. I need to snap out of it. Of course, Max understands. He was gentle, compassionate, and understanding. I’m just being silly and paranoid. It’s the one thing I’m working on so hard with my therapist, the paranoia.