Pure Temptation (17 page)

Before John could reach Brian, two burly bouncers threw themselves in front of the train and stopped the two men from fighting. One of the bouncers planted the palm of his hand square on John’s chest. “Easy now, champ. Calm down. We got this.” He then turned to his partner who had snared Brian, and together they grabbed him by the arms and legs, carried him to the back door and threw him out head first.

John kneeled down on his knees, attending to Eric who was conscious again but disoriented.

Emma pulled a napkin from her purse and dabbed at a crimson streak on Eric’s face. “I don’t think it’s your blood. I don’t see any broken skin. How’s your nose? Is it broken? Do you need a …doctor?” Emma made a feeble attempt to smile. She seemed like she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about our crazy double date night.

Eric shook his head as if he was trying to shake off the grogginess. “It must have been that idiot’s blood. He probably cut his hand from the broken beer glass.”

John helped Eric to his feet. He could stand but was clearly embarrassed. He had wanted to be Emma’s white knight in shining armor.

“Are you okay?” John asked.

Eric nodded. “Did I …you know, did I get a punch in?”

“Well, let’s just say there were a lot of kicks and punches and leave it at that.” John shot a knowing glance to Emma and grabbed Eric’s arm. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up. Ladies, if you will excuse us?” John said and helped Eric to the men’s room.

We returned to our table. Emma slunk down into her chair and put her chin in her hands. “Am I going to live in fear of Brian the rest of my life? How can I date if I’m looking over my shoulder, waiting for Brian to spring out of the shadows and beat the shit out of my date? This is two out of two. No one will want to date me with this maniac around. Oh wait, that’s exactly what Brian wants. It’s just not fair.”

I cocked my head to the side and said, “It’s anything but fair. Maybe if Eric were to press charges against Brian that would keep him at bay.”

“I don’t know if it will help. Brian will just say it was self-defense. Eric laid his hand on Brian’s shoulder first.”

“Why don’t you call the police and tell them he is in violation of his parole. You said it’s just a phone call and he is back behind bars.”

Emma sighed, “I know I say that to scare him but here is the thing. Brian’s cousin is a police officer at the Sheriff’s office and always protecting him. Unless Brian is clearly in violation, like breaking into my house and beating me up, with physical scars showing afterwards, there is really nothing I can do.”

No way. This was so fucked up. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This manic, crazy ass, ex-husband of hers would just get away with harassment over and over again?

John and Eric returned to our table, Eric all cleaned up, sporting a big shiner under one eye. He was smiling though. “What do you know? My first bar fight. Damn, I wish I could say ‘you should see the other guy’ with a straight face, but I don’t think people would believe that I won.” He laughed.

Emma put her hand on top of his. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was my own fault. I should have known better than interfering with a drunken asshole.”

Emma bit her lower lip. “I should probably get home and make sure Michele is safe.”

Eric shoved his chair back and said, “I’ll take you home.”

I added, “We’ll all take you home.”

“No, no.” Emma said and looked at me. “I’ll be fine. I’ve already ruined your evening. It’s Saturday night and still early, I want you guys to have fun.”

“Emma, I insist on taking you home. What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t?” Eric implored and Emma nodded.

We said our goodbyes and moments later, John and I sat alone next to each other. The silence swirled around us like one of the early morning fogs that roll in off the ocean. Neither of us spoke and then finally John said, “Fucking nutcase.”

I nodded. “He’s totally stalking Emma.”

John took a sip of his beer. “If only that bouncer hadn’t stopped me, I could have taught that fucker a lesson he’d remember for a long time.”

“Really? That’s your answer to violence? More violence? An eye for an eye?”

John seemed surprised. “Of course not. There are times where you can use a more peaceful approach, but trust me, with guys like that Brian dude, there is only one solution, I’m afraid. He is going to keep stalking and harassing Emma until someone teaches him a lesson.”

“Or puts him in jail,” I added. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right about Brian. I didn’t see peaceful conversations or therapy would do any good for him.

John leaned back and there was an awkward silence again. This night was not turning out as I had hoped.

He tipped the bottom of his glass to the ceiling and emptied it. “I need something stronger than this dish soap water.” He got up and looked at me. “Can I get you anything?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. I’ve had enough. I should probably go home soon.”

John stood up to go to the bar, too impatient to wait for the waitress. “You can’t go home. The night is still young.”

I sighed, “It’s just …I don’t feel so good. I don’t do bar fights well.” I felt frazzled and the crowd at the bar was getting on my nerves. Something about this whole altercation tonight had left me feeling unbalanced.

He leaned over and brushed his fingers lightly on my forearm, lying on the table. His dark blue eyes met mine. His voice softened and he said, “Hey, let’s go count the stars. Get some fresh air.”

“I’d like that.” Maybe the roar of the ocean waves would ground me and make me feel settled.

John cleared the bar tab and moments later we walked, hand in hand, towards the peer. The face of a full moon bore down upon us with each step we took down the empty streets of Summerville. The cool air made my skin pickle and the sea breeze filled my nostrils.

“Did I tell you I love the fresh smell of the ocean?”

“A few times,” John chuckled. “Me too.”

We stopped at a street corner, about a block from the shore under a maple tree heavy with leaves, planted on the main street for ambiance. I tipped my chin up, as if I were balancing something on it and closed my eyes. I filled my lungs with the salty air. Ever so lightly, I felt John’s lips touched mine. Teasingly, he flicked the tip of his tongue around the edge and whispered, “I love the taste of your lips.” He traced a lazy finger along the edge of my chin and down to the scoop edge of my white summer top that stretched tightly across my chest. He trailed it back and forth along the edge of the fabric that crested over my breasts, itching to touch what was under it.

I parted my lips and drew him in for a deep kiss. No one was around, the streets were empty and I indulged myself in the warmth of his kiss that radiated fiery hot waves of passion up and down my body. My hands grabbed the back of his neck, and my fingers shot up through locks of long dark hair. I loved tangling my fingers in it. The thickness sparked a memory of his mysterious charm he had over me and my lust for him was ignited once again.

My brain swirled into happy explosions as a faint ruffling noise threatened to interrupt my sky rocketing endorphins. Then I became acutely alert to it. My eyes shot open and I gasped as I saw the figure of a man behind John. He rushed forward with his arm raised, wielding a rusty tire iron.

“John, look out!” I screamed.

It was Brian. What the hell?

John managed to move ever so slightly to the side and avoided getting hit straight in the head. Instead, the tire iron landed on his shoulder and he fell to the ground, shoving me away as he went down.

Brian fought dirty and before John could react to protect himself, Brian launched a hard kick that landed on John’s chest with his heavy boot. I staggered back in sympathetic pain, as if struck by the blow myself and gasped, sucking in air. What the fuck was this crazy freak’s problem? Did he have a vendetta against us or something?

Brian continued the attack and lifted a worn cowboy boot high above John’s head, aiming it directly towards his left temple. In the split second before the boot dropped to his head, John rolled away from its crushing path. As if shot with a heavy dose of 'speed', John launched a lightning fast kick that caught Brian hard in the soft flesh behind the right knee, momentarily paralyzing him. He then rotated his other leg in a one-hundred and eighty degree circle, sweeping Brian’s legs out from under him. Brian fell to the ground like an axe shorn tree. John didn’t stop. He flung his entire weight on Brian, and threw furious punches, accurately and strategically until Brian was no longer moving.

Oh holy fuck. What the hell just happened? John was like a mad man, consumed with rage, locked into some kind of freaky, auto-pilot mode, unstoppable, functioning at full blown freakazoid mode, like some kind of computer virus that just went viral. I covered my face with my hands and drew them down its surface.

I screamed, “Stop! You are going to kill him. Stop it!” It was as if he couldn’t hear me and continued pounding his fists at Brian. What was this? Where was that kind and gentle guy I had come to care so much for the last few weeks? I knelt down in front of him and placed my right hand on his face and said softly, “John…”

He froze an angry fist in the air and looked up at me. His eyes were cold and distant, but he came back as I begged him with my eyes to stop. He looked down at Brian in a crumpled heap beneath him and then slowly stood up.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I shoved both of my hands through my hair. I shrunk away from him. I was too overwhelmed by the raging hot anger I saw on his face. I shook my head.

He stepped over Brian and took me by the elbow, moving me a few steps away to safety. The most immediate threat was, well, unconscious on the sidewalk and I wasn’t sure if that was such a good thing. John was more dangerous than I had ever anticipated.

He gripped his side with one hand and pinched his eyes shut in pain. His mouth twisted up in an agonized grimace as he sucked in air between his teeth. “I think that fucker cracked a couple of my ribs.”

Crossing his arm over his chest, he held his ribs in pain, as if he had been speared in the side like Jesus himself. This was not a good sign but brought me back to reality. John had just saved both our lives.

“Let’s get you home. I’ll take care of you. Treat you to a hot bath and a clean bandage.”

 
“We should call the police,” John said. He spoke through gritted teeth. “They can arrest that mother fucker and get him out of Emma’s life for good.”

I nodded but knew it would be the end of me …and any chance of a future with John. I bit my lip and looked down at the ground, contemplating the same old scenario again in my mind. If the cops got involved, my cover would be blown. They would check my ID and connect all the dots to the incident in New York. Find out about my interview at the police station. The money. Everything.

I kicked at a crack in the sidewalk. Damn it, this had gone too far. I shouldn’t be so selfish as to think of only my welfare any more. Other people were involved now. How could I have been so stupid? I wasn’t supposed to get involved with a man, not one who seemed to wield so much power over my heartstrings anyway. I was falling for John and the thought of losing him struck panic in my heart. I didn’t like to admit it, even to myself. Now more than ever, I wished I could turn back the clock, have a “do over” of that night at the Greymore hotel. Then I would have never met John and I wouldn’t be a threat to his safety now, or to anyone else’s.