His eyes narrow, as if he’s noticing my words, my refusal, for the first time. “You have no choice, Tessa.”
The hell I don’t. “Let me go, or I swear I’ll scream.”
“Will you now?” He’s suddenly crushing me to him, crushing his mouth to mine, biting my lower lip. The pain makes me cry out, but he swallows the sound, forces his tongue against mine. Invading me.
Just when I think I’ll pass out, he pushes me off him, then raises his hand and slaps me. Hard.
The world spins, black mixing with red and green. The back of my head impacts on something hard, and jabs of fire go through my back.
What…?
I blink, and find myself on my back in the wet grass, staring up at the night sky.
“Bitch,” Sean is raving, walking back and forth in front of me, hands in the pockets of his dark suit. “You thought you could break up with me? Me?” He shakes his head at the absurdity of the concept. “You’ll pay. I’ll make sure of it.” He turns to me and jabs a finger at my chest, glaring. “One word from me, and your dad’s deal is history. He worked for years to get this far. You think he’d hesitate even for one second to comply? You think you’re important to him? Are you that naïve? You’ll have to work hard to appease me.”
I stare at him. The shock of what he’s saying is subtle—seeping slowly into my skin and flesh, into my bones. Into my mind. Audrey said it many times, but somehow it isn’t until now it sinks in.
My dad doesn’t care about me. His work, his money, his success is more important. So important he’d push me back into Sean Anholt’s clutches, even though I told him, told both my parents how he treated me. How he forced himself on me. How he hurt me.
They don’t give a damn. They didn’t drag me here because they want to close a deal with the Jensons, but with the Anholts. I am to suck it up and go quietly, be a sacrifice for their business.
I wonder why my mother isn’t here. She couldn’t stomach it? Didn’t want to watch?
“You can’t see how good I am for you,” Sean is saying, and he crouches at my side. “I’m the best catch in Chicago, and I came to this backwater just for you.” His hand hovers over my face, and I brace for another slap. His mouth twists. “Open your eyes, Tessa. I’m the best you’ll ever hope to get, and fate has pushed us together.”
My dad, I think. Not fate. Just my dad who doesn’t care about me.
As Sean leans over me, anger fills me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like it, this wave of hot and cold rushing through me at the same time, this sensation of being crushed and strong all at once. So disappointed and yet glad to finally know.
My heart is still pounding like a hammer against my ribs, tears leak from the corner of my eyes, and I can’t catch my breath. And yet a strange calm settles over me. I’m leaving. This is it. Whatever happens, I’m not letting Sean, or my parents, or anyone for that matter get a hold on me.
Not. Ever. Again.
So I let him get close. Real close. I lift my hands over my head on the cold grass and wait. He smirks, and I want to knock the self-satisfied expression off his face, but let my eyes half-close instead, hiding my thoughts. My feelings.
“Can’t wait for me to fuck you, huh?” He braces on one hand and looks down at me, the excited gleam in his eyes at odds with the awful words spilling from his mouth. “You spread your legs for everyone, don’t you? Fucking slut.”
I keep my voice locked inside. I keep still, keep quiet. Let him insult me, and brag, and preen. He really does believe I sleep with everyone. He doesn’t know there hasn’t been anyone for me since Dylan. The only one who touched me in all this time was Sean, and what he did to me…
Through the tears that keep leaking from my eyes, I know the moment he leans down to take my mouth again.
I twist and hit his shin with the hard toe of my shoe, then reach down, grab his balls and twist.
He cries out in agony. I put my hands on his shoulders and shove him off, turning and throwing him off balance—a move I learned at self-defense. He hits the ground hard and I scramble to my feet, kick off my shoes and get the hell out of Dodge—running, slipping in the grass, staggering.
“Help!” I shout, but my voice is faint and scratchy. “Help.”
I make it through the door into the building and run down an empty hall, my bare feet slapping the floor. Where is everyone? I push another set of doors open and skid down a corridor. This isn’t the way we came, but who cares now.
I think I hear steps pounding behind me, and I run like never before in my life. Sean is pissed off. If he catches me, it will be bad. Real bad.