Trusting Jay(52)

I tried to move, to wiggle my body away form him and clear my head with some water, but I couldn’t move. My limbs were not responding to my commands. I opened my eyes again to see the blond slide his hand up under my skirt. I think he was saying something but I couldn’t be sure.

A movement caught my eye, and I watched a man walk over to us. He yanked the man from the sofa, from me. I tried to utter thank you, but couldn’t. The man looks familiar. I was searching my mind, trying to figure out who he was.

He punched the blond. In the face. And again. And in the stomach. And the nose. Blood streamed down the blond’s face, reddening his pale shirt. Then my eyes were too heavy to hold open any longer, and I closed them.





41





My head throbbed, as though my brain was sliding around and ricocheting off my skull. I wanted to sleep. Sleep more. Sleep forever. But my stomach churned and I went staggering from the bed, looking for a spot to throw up.

Through a headache so bad I couldn’t see straight, I managed to locate an ensuite, just in time to vomit in its toilet. I knelt, sank my behind into my ankles, and rested my head against the coolness of the toilet seat.

A flash of heat hit my body and I cozied up to the toilet to get any coolness I could from the porcelain. I vomited again, and stayed in my spot. My eyes closed from exhaustion. It must be the middle of the night. I had to get back to bed.

I rinsed my mouth in the sink, splashed some of the water on my face and in a moment of lucidity, wondered where the fuck I was. Alarm bells started ringing on top of my already sore head. My heart pounding, I moved to the door to get out of here. Flee. Something was wrong, and I needed to get help.

But each step became harder, my legs so heavy I could barely lift my feet as I zig zagged towards the door. In more a crumple than a fall, I ended up on the floor. And closed my eyes.



“Abbie, are you okay?”

“Huh?” I peaked my eyes open to see a man. Jay?

He scooped me up in his arms, and cuddled me against his body. He smelled just like Jay. I opened my eyes again. In the gray light of the room I could make out his facial features. They were the same I had laid in my bed and traced over with my fingers. Definitely Jay.

“You sleep more, you’re safe here.” He laid me in the bed, and stroked my hair. Comforted, I fell back asleep.

I don’t know how much later, I woke again needing to pee. I climbed out of bed and returned to the ensuite. The dizziness wasn’t as bad, and it was a bit easier to walk in a straight line but I felt like I’d been hit by a Mack truck and hadn’t slept in a week.

More lucid than my earlier trip to the ensuite, I re-entered the cavernous space. Tiles were on every surface, massive walk in shower, granite counter with his and hers sinks on it.

What had happened to my my clothes. I was wearing a loose white nightie that came almost to me knees. I’d think I’d borrowed it from my mother, except the top was low cut with spaghetti straps. The diamond pendant still hung around my neck.

I walked back into the bedroom. The blinds were drawn and it was difficult to see, especially with my pounding head. The space was larger than my entire condo, with a sleigh bed as wide as it was long. But I couldn’t remember the night before, or how I ended up in Jay’s bed. Those questions would come later, right now I needed to get back to sleep.

As I climbed into the bed, I noticed a glass of water and bottle of ibuprofen had been set on the bedside table. Wonderful, though I think I’d need more than one bottle to get rid of the pain in my body.

I closed my eyes, my mind racing in slow motion with the questions of what happened at the night club and how I got here but it was a blank. As much as I knew I should find Jay and demand answers, exhaustion overwhelmed me and I fell back asleep.

The next time I opened my eyes, a flash of heat hit me and I flung the covers back to get some relief. I was lying there, like a starfish, when the bedroom door opened.



“Jay?” I asked my voice almost inaudible. The dizziness returned, my head swimming at the sight of him.

Jay rushed to my side and perched on the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?” he asked, stroking my hair.

“What? How?” I couldn’t get the words out.

“Don’t worry, your safe now.” My brow furrowed with confusion and I gave my head a little shake. The movement sent my brain screaming in pain, and I reached my hand to my forehead to calm it.

“I don’t understand.”

“Do you remember anything?”

“No,” I said. Jay shuffled closer and leaned on his arm, my legs underneath his arm.

“You were dancing, with a guy. Do you remember that?”

“Sort of, I think.”