“I can’t drive,” she sighed and dropped her keys back into her purse and started heading for the door. “I’ll walk.”
Creek cursed as he shoved his chair back. He was doing his best to not touch her, to not feel the softness of her body, but when she started to sway on her feet, he jumped up to stop her from tipping over.
And what the hell did she mean? Appleton was a thirty minute drive from here and it was raining outside. She’d be drenched within five minutes. Nor was she wearing shoes that were appropriate for a long walk. Hell, he wouldn’t let her walk that long stretch of lonely, isolated highway alone anyway. Not even during the daytime! “You can’t walk home, Violet,” he grumbled and stood up behind her. “I’ll drive you home.”
“No. Thank you very much. As far as we’re concerned, we’re strangers who passed in the night. Thank you for a wonderful introduction into the world of sex and…” her voice broke on that word but she shook her head, forcing herself to continue, “of sex and rejection. It is a lesson I won’t forget. You’re an excellent teacher. In all things.” And with that, she walked towards the door, thankful that the bar was mostly empty right now. There was only the bartender, Creek and another woman who was working on a laptop in the corner, not paying any attention to the other occupants.
“Violet, wait! It is too cold for you to walk home. Just let me…”
She waved her hand in the air, dismissing him.
He wasn’t taking that. He was still furious with her for being the kind of woman who would take money in exchange for sex. Amazing sex! Incredible sex! Better sex than he’d ever had in his life!
“Aw, hell,” he mumbled and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “I won’t pay for it any longer, Violet. I just can’t.”
She looked up at him, confused. The green liquor swirling in her system wasn’t helping any longer. His words were going round and round in her head and she didn’t like the answer that came to her mind. Surely she’d misunderstood him because, he was implying that…
“You paid for what?” she asked, trying to clarify his words. Why was everything looking so fuzzy right now? She really hated being drunk, and she really needed some food.
Creek sighed and looked around, thinking he should have had this conversation with her earlier, in private. But here she was, and she’d chosen her career, she might as well be open about it. If she was going to…he couldn’t even think the word when she was standing in front of him like this. She just looked too sweet, too perfect and was the most tempting woman he’d ever encountered.
And despite everything he knew about her, he still wanted her. He wanted to lift her up into his arms and take her to his home, show her that she didn’t need to….
Aw hell!
Running a hand over his face, he shook his head. “I won’t pay for our time together any longer, Violet. I can’t. It doesn’t feel right.” He sighed and ran a hand over the scruff on his jaw, realizing for the first time that he hadn’t shaved again today.
It suddenly occurred to him that he could help her out. He could….
Violet put a hand to the side of her head, trying to focus on his words. But they didn’t make any sense! He couldn’t “pay for it” any longer? Pay for what? Pay for…? “Excuse me, but are you saying you think that I’m a prostitute, and you’ve been paying to have sex with me?” she asked, disgusted and horrified in ways she hadn’t even considered possible before this moment.
Creek looked down at her, hearing the anger in her voice, but not understanding why she would be upset about him confronting her and explaining why he couldn’t see her any longer.
“You’re beautiful, Violet. But I just can’t…”
The slap across his face was harder than he would have thought her slender arms were capable of delivering. The hit jerked his face sideways and he absorbed the anger for a long moment while he came to the realization that she’d just hit him. When he slowly turned his head back to look down at her, he was furious.
But he didn’t have a chance to release his fury. She was poking him in the chest with her finger, her blue eyes on fire with the anger that was emanating out of her like a dragon breathes fire.
Violet was shaking with the realization of what he thought of her, what he thought she was capable of. She was somewhat horrified at the fact that she’d just slapped a person, but the hurt over his words, words that he seemed to believe, were overriding all of her guilt over physical violence.
“Don’t you ever say anything like that to me again! Ever! And don’t you go around spreading lies like that.” She was shaking so hard, she thought she might just fall down. And then the tears started, and she couldn’t believe that he not only thought those vile things about her, but that she was going to show weakness in front of him. “I thought what we’d shared together was special,” she told him, her voice rising with her fury. “I thought our time together meant something. And now I’m finding out that you thought that I’m a…that you think other men…” she couldn’t finish for a moment while she swallowed down the bile that threatened. “I’ve never been with another man in my life besides you! And I’ve never asked any man to pay to have sex with me, including you! Who told you that I’m a prostitute?” She wiped angrily at the tears on her cheeks. “I want the names of the men that said they have paid for me! I will confront every damned one of them and make sure that you’re aware that they never had sex with me, either paid or free, and then I never want to see you again!”