Mister Distraction (Distraction #2) (13 page)

“She never drinks, and she doesn’t like being helplessly intoxicated.”

Red’s arrogant voice came out next. “One glass would not constitute helplessly intoxicated.” I flipped him off with my left hand as I covered my glass. He watched my hand as I reached for Katarina’s, slowly rubbing her arm with my other one. His angry eyes moved from mine, signaling to me I was winning the battle over control.

Heather’s voice was still nervous from the tension at the table when she said, “You can try, but she is always in control of herself.” She paused and looked back and forth between Katarina and me. I flashed her my sexiest grin and she finished, “Well, almost always.” She gave Katarina a cheeky grin until she peered at Red, the sadistic bastard. I couldn’t see
his hands, but I knew he was doing cruel things to her under the table. I could hear it in her voice, and see it in her eyes. He was controlling her. I listened to the stories she was telling about ‘Katie’ and her in college, and knew she was lying. Katarina’s face confirmed it. I just watched her as Heather’s voice rattled on. I knew Red was working her under the table, and Heather loved it. I heard Heather say the word ‘boob’, and I snapped out of it as I listened to her finish. “Katie taught self-defense at the college. She has a crazy temper.” I wanted to laugh, but I bit down hard on my lip instead. Katarina couldn’t defend herself against an old lady, and her temper was that of a butterfly. That’s what I adored about her. I felt her beside me before she opened her mouth. She was drawing energy from me, using my strength.

“I am just protective of you, that’s all. I think that’s why you have been hiding Jared; you were scared I wouldn’t approve, or he wouldn’t,” Katarina said quietly.
What the fuck was going on? What did I miss?

Heather looked turned serious and said, “Red thought I should wait; we wanted it to be the right time.”

Red glared at Katarina. He was trying to dominate her with that look. “So, are you going to kick my butt?”

I was going to kick his fucking ass for looking at her like that. My adrenaline pumping; I was already picturing a bloody body. Then I felt her hand on my thigh. She was moving it up, and I was losing my anger. I’d have to ask her about this conversation later. I wanted to be alone with Katarina, and all these people were trying to get into our bubble. It was too much.

“I am going to get the check,” I squeezed her hand slightly and got out of the booth.

“Jason, how’s Bettina?” Red’s arrogant voice had all my hairs standing up on my neck. I stopped and looked at him, repulsed at the sight. I wanted to say, “I don’t know; you fucked her last,” but I didn’t.

“I am not sure. I haven’t seen her in months.”
Fucker
.

“That’s not what I’ve heard. I was just on the phone with her brother. He said this is your pattern. You physically hurt her, and then you leave. He said last time, the police were called and he had to place a restraining order on you.” Red was now giving me his smuggest smile.

“It sounds like you have all the answers.” I caught the waiter and gave him my credit card. I was relieved. I didn’t want to leave her with him. I didn’t take my eyes off of Red as I sat close to Katarina again. The tension was thick, and I heard Heather begin rambling again.

“So, in college, we had this professor that was clearly stalking Kat.” Her voice was steady, her eye contact with everyone constant. I knew this wasn’t a lie. I was listening, and she continued, “He would invite her to lunch and to teacher events.”

Katarina was pushing away from me. “Heather, he was a great professor. He wanted me to pursue biomedical engineering. He said I was gifted and was trying to help me find my passion. He was helping me; that’s all, nothing more.”

Heather went on talking as if she wasn’t even there, “So Katie’s grandfather went to the college and set him straight. I think there was a gun involved.” I glanced at Katarina. She was pulling her dress down, fidgeting.

“No, Heather, please stop. That was not why he talked with my professor, and my grandfather never carried a weapon.” Her voice was louder, and more desperate, but Heather still ignored her.

“Then there was another guy,” she started to talk, but she got shifty again, her voice shaky. I knew she was creating this story, or parts of it. I studied Katarina. She was all that mattered.

Her face tilted, and her blue eyes connected with mine. “We made out a few times; that’s all. When I was done, I asked him to leave, seriously. He left.” She was pleading with me now, and I felt my aggression come out of nowhere. I needed to protect her, even from these rambling words.

Heather never let up. “Really, creepy was an understatement. He snuck into her room one night, and Katie kicked the shit out of him. He spent a night in the hospital and was charged the next day. I am just saying people are drawn to you that way.” I watched Katarina, and I saw fear in her eyes again.

“I am ready. Let’s go.” Her body pressed against mine, urging me to leave the booth. I stood, patiently fighting the animal inside me that wanted to sucker-punch Red, and throw Katarina over my shoulder and
run. I eyed Heather as Katarina said her goodbyes to both of them. I purposely blocked Red’s view of her while she maneuvered around me.

“I am sure to see you later.” I flashed Heather my perfect grin, and gave Red a warning glare. If I saw him again, he might want to run.

I guided her out of the restaurant with my hand on the small curve of her back. I stopped once to sign the check. She didn’t turn to question why I stopped. She just stopped dead in her tracks and waited to move until my hand was placed on her body, like she silently understood not to move an inch without me.

“Thank you,” I said as I slipped the waiter a tip. He repeated my words, giving me a smile of gratitude before I left.

The entire walk to the Jeep, I held my breath, waiting for the moment someone tried to take her in the parking lot. I was not sure what it was, but my mind wanted to rescue her. We reached the Jeep, and I slipped my hand up to her arm and turned her towards me. I wanted to make sure she was okay, because everything inside was far from it. I wanted her completely safe from any predators that could harm her. I looked at her, searching for understanding in her eyes, but they shifted down and away from me. She was avoiding me. On instinct, I pulled her into a tight embrace, and for the next few minutes, I held her close. My heart was beating rapidly, and my breathing hitched. I needed her close. She smelled so good. I ran my fingers over her soft, silky hair and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “What the hell was that?” I didn’t know for sure I wanted an answer. I loved the feel of her in my arms. I savored it. I was so glad she let me hold her.

After a long moment of silence, I peeled myself away from her and opened her door. I watched her get in seamlessly, like she’d done it for years. I jogged around, got in, and started the Jeep. I needed to ask her again, but wasn’t quite sure if she would tell me the truth. I debated on dropping it; a lie from her would be worse than the truth.

“So what did he do to you?”

“What do you mean?”
Yep, she was going to lie
.

“I wanted to beat the crap out of him, change his face with my fists. Fuck, Katarina, the tension at that table was thick. My only objective was to protect you, and it was incredibly strong. That guy is an asshole,
but there was more. What did he do to you?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t kicked the shit out of him.
Please
, I pleaded in my mind to her,
don’t lie to me
.

“If I tell you, I want to use my favor. Really, it’s not that big of a deal, but I am not sure how you will react.”
Fuck. I am going to kill him
. I felt her warm hand slide on top of mine, and it did things to me. I was calmer around her, and I answered, knowing I would regret it.

“All right.”

She began, “My favor is that no matter what I say, you cannot harm him or cause,” she paused, and I felt her eyes on me, “physical damage.” I very reluctantly nodded my head. She removed her hand from mine, and my eyes followed her dainty hand. She was smoothing her dress, pulling and stretching it down, attempting to cover her legs. My heart dropped to see her so nervous, so defenseless.

“So I have never told this story to anyone.” Right away, I felt honored that she trusted me with this story. I listened to her as she told me, and I knew I had to do everything in my power to prevent Red from ever getting his hands on her again. He’d raped her, and she said it was no big deal. If it wasn’t for her brother, he would have finished and probably done it again. I wanted to ask more questions. Where was her brother now? Why was she all alone? Why wasn’t Jared in jail? How could her parents let her leave?

I was parked now, listening, wanting to hear and not wanting to at the same time. I didn’t know what to say when she finished. I got out of the Jeep and opened her door. She led me to her apartment, stopping at the gate to unlock it. All that I could think about was how many times he could have taken her again.

“Does he ever stay here?” My mind was going crazy.
How could I leave her knowing what I know?
She seemed surprised that I cared.

“Maybe, but he stays with Heather. They have been dating for months, and today was the first time I have ever even seen him. Besides, I have three locks on my bedroom door, and two on my window.” Her eyes shifted away from me towards her feet. “I also have a gun close by.”
That was a fucking lie
. How could she care so little about her safety? She didn’t seem nervous about him staying there. I waited for her to open
the door. I needed to leave. I already cared so much for this girl, and she was playing with fire, even though she had already been burned. She still trusted that it wouldn’t happen again. I felt physically ill.

She touched me to get my attention. “I’m safe, and if he wanted to hurt me again he would have done it already.”
What the fuck was that reasoning? Wait until it happens?
“Anyways, I could just be this crazy girl that is creating all of this drama, making up stories, and
you
should probably run. Thank you for tonight. I will see you tomorrow, right?” Her timid bright blue eyes drifted up to mine, and I wanted to tell her I knew crazy, and she wasn’t it. It was silent between us for a long moment, our eyes locking, a sly grin gracing the corner of her shiny pink lips, and then her eyes dipped to gaze at my mouth. She licked her lips nervously, biting the bottom one. I leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. She was so trusting. It made me wonder if she should trust me. I pulled back and she was holding her stomach. I was worried she might be getting sick.

“Everything all right?” Her face blushed beautifully seconds before she spoke.

“It’s what you do to me; you make my stomach tickle.” She was so adorable I couldn’t control my smile.

“I feel it too.” I reached up to touch her hair again, and slowly placed it behind her ear. I turned to walk away. I had to leave just to catch a breath. “Lock your door tonight, and don’t let anyone in.” I said it over my shoulder. I couldn’t look into those eyes any longer. I was turning into someone who hugged and kissed—someone I wasn’t.

I was in a hurry to escape, and when I reached the stairs, I literally bumped into Chelsea. She glared at me, blaming me for our collision, until she recognized who she just smashed into, and then her face perked up.

“Did you come to visit me?” She was gathering the papers that had slipped from her hand. She was dressed like she was coming home from work.

“No, I was just dropping someone off.” I moved to go around her, but she deliberately blocked my path. “Listen, I don’t want to play games with you.” She laughed and batted her eyes. She reached up and pulled the barrettes out of her hair. Then she shook her hair dramatically.

“Why don’t we have this conversation in a more private setting?” I agreed, thinking that if she moved I would walk around her. She was smarter than I thought. “You know the way; I will follow you.”

I retreated back up the stairs to her apartment, hoping that nobody was watching. “Chelsea, I have changed. I am no longer the same guy I was when you knew me.” She opened her door, but I stood outside. “I want to apologize for using you for sex that night.” She laughed again, putting her things down and making her way back to the door.

“Why don’t we kiss and make up?” She started putting her hands on my body. Her fingers went directly for my very hard cock and I backed away, but not soon enough. “So you do want me.” Her seductive smile told me she was ready to play. I was outside of her apartment, but she didn’t care. She knelt before me and started to undo my pants.

“No, I don’t think so.” I pushed her away, turning and stumbling with my open pants, and ran.

I got to my Jeep and tore out of the parking lot. I hit my gym, thanking God it was open 24-hours, and I spent an hour trying to forget everything that happened. I ran on the treadmill and hit the punching bags. When I finished, my body was sore. I took a shower in my own stall, thankful that no one could see my hard-on. It hurt to touch it, so I didn’t. I drove around for thirty minutes before pulling back into Katarina’s apartment complex. I sat and listened to music, and stared at my phone. I wanted to call her to make sure she was safe. I watched as a black car pulled up and stopped in front of the gate. I got out of the Jeep and prowled around the outside of the parking lot so no one would see me. I saw Heather get out of the backseat and pull her dress down. Red hopped out right behind her, zipping up his pants and tucking in his shirt. She strolled to the gate and turned, giving him a seductive wave before disappearing. He sat there for a few minutes after she left. I watched Chelsea leave through the gate and approach his car. He opened the door from the inside and she crawled in. The car pulled away from the curb. I hurried to get back into my Jeep and followed him. The car drove downtown, and it didn’t take me long to figure out where he was going.

He pulled into the underground garage at Strikers, the Gentlemen’s Club. I parked and observed as the driver let her out, and then him. The
driver got back in the car and left the garage. I quietly moved to the elevator, observing them the entire time. They were cozy. He had his hands on her ass when I approached.