Chapter 13 #2
“—what do you say? I think it would be fantastic and I think it would cheer you up. I just know you’d have a wonderful time.”
He’d come to the end of his little spiel and she hadn’t even listened. Oh hell, he’d said something that required an answer. Yes was definitely out, if she didn’t know what she was agreeing to. And no—well Sanders wasn’t too big on no’s.
She patted his hand and lied. “I’m so sorry, Sanders.
I was listening for a deliveryman who is supposed to bring me the new weekly arrivals.
He’s new so he doesn’t know how to park out back.
I thought I heard his van outside, but it wasn’t him after all.
However, I’m afraid I missed what you were saying. Would you mind repeating?”
She’d finished her tea, he’d finished his. She’d wait for him to repeat what he’d said then gently suggest he go.
His blond eyebrows drew together in annoyance and gave a little sigh.
“I said, I have tickets to La Traviata next Saturday in Seattle. Box seats. So I thought we might just make a weekend of it. I’ll clear my calendar Friday afternoon and you can close up early.
I’ve booked us a room at the Fairmont Olympic.
I know you love that hotel and it’s been years since you’ve been there, right?
We’ll just relax and have a good time. Be together.
Then on Sunday, there are some people I’d like you to meet.
” He put his hand over hers. “Be just like old times, eh?”
Caroline just stared at him. This was beyond alarming. He’d gone ahead and started up another round of their relationship without asking her! Except she had no intention of following along. She had bigger and better things to do.
“Sanders—you’ve already booked the room? That’s crazy! I can’t go to Seattle with you next weekend.”
His head reared back in surprise at her reaction. “But I’ve got the tickets! They were almost impossible to find. Caroline, read my lips. La Traviata. It’s the Met company on tour. And the Fairmont. How can you say no?”
This was going way too far, even for him. “Sanders, do you mean to tell me that you bought expensive tickets to the opera and booked a room at the Fairmont and you didn’t think to ask me if I wanted to go?”
Sanders looked absolutely blank. “Well, why wouldn’t you want to go? I mean it’s not as if—” It’s not as if you have anything better to do.
The words hung there in the room. Sanders’ mouth had snapped shut, which was a good thing because if he said one more word, she was going to smack him.
Well, enough was enough. Caroline stood and, startled, Sanders stood, too.
“I’m sorry I can’t accept your invitation, Sanders.
” Not that it had been an invitation. It had been more like a summons.
“But I’m afraid I’m busy next weekend.” And the weekend after that, and the weekend after that.
“And next time you want to invite a woman out, you might want to ask her first before making all the arrangements. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
“Wait! Caroline, wait.” He grabbed her by her upper arms. She looked at her arms and then up at him.
“I’m sorry if that came out all wrong. Listen, I think we need to get our relationship back on an even footing.
And I thought that a romantic getaway for a weekend would be a fabulous way to do that.
Don’t you think so?” He smiled down at her, his usual charming smile that wasn’t working at all.
“Come on, you know you’ve been having a hard time.
I want to treat you to some luxury living. You know we’re meant to be together.”
Caroline tried to wrench herself away, but his grip was strong.
He worked out a lot at the gym. “Sanders, I hate to break this to you, but we have no relationship. If anything, you’ve got a relationship with that brunette I saw you with last week.
” Considering he’d had his hand up her skirt and his tongue down her throat.
Caroline had seen them outside a trendy Italian eatery, Patrizio’s, as she was driving home after a late night in the shop shelving new books.
“Oh ho.” His face cleared. “You’re jealous. That’s it. Oh, sweetheart, I promise you, you have nothing to be jealous about. That woman doesn’t mean anything to me. You’re the one I care for. Always have. Always will. Now’s our time, Caroline. Finally.”
To her horror, he pulled her close and kissed her. It wasn’t a first date kiss either. They’d been to bed together so he presumed he had the right to go for full-frontal, tongue-in-mouth kissing.
Caroline tried to pull away, but he was holding the back of her head, hard, his fingers twisted in her hair.
He was hurting her. Clutching her so tightly to him, it felt like her ribs were cracking.
And—horribly—he was grinding against her and she could feel the beginnings of an erection against her mound.
That galvanized her. She did not want to feel his penis against her. Ack. She started pushing against him in earnest, trying to tell him to cut it out, but his mouth absorbed her words. She ended up making mewling sounds of protest, beating her fists against his chest.
He rubbed even harder against her and she felt him surge into a full erection. God, this was awful! His eyes were closed, as if this were a romantic moment between two lovers, and not an act of force.
His tongue moved in her mouth like a warm wet slug and it sickened her. She struggled harder, trying to kick him, managing mostly to bruise her toes. His hand tightened in her hair, pulling at it so hard it brought tears to her eyes.
Ouch! You’re hurting me! The words were there, in her throat, but she couldn’t say them, she could only make horrified noises.
She finally landed a kick, but it only made him hold her head more tightly to him.
He was in a frenzy now, his teeth clashing against hers as he changed the kiss to delve more deeply into her mouth, hips rubbing against hers.
Horrible noises were coming out of his throat and she could feel his penis swell even further.
He bit her lip, drawing blood. She could taste her blood and so could he. His penis rippled with arousal and he groaned as he ground himself against her. Her blood excited him.
Oh God, this had never even occurred to her. The couple of times they’d made love, it had been perfectly bland. Pleasant but not overly so. Totally unmemorable.
But right now, it looked like Sanders had a cruel streak she had never suspected. He got off on pain. He was definitely turned on by the taste of her blood and her pain.
She was fighting in earnest now, kicking, screaming into his mouth, trying to punch him, though it was almost impossible while he was holding her so close to him.
She was shaking with rage, trying vainly to free herself when all of a sudden she was free, staggering to catch her balance, staring.
Jack was holding Sanders’ arm wrenched behind his back, so hard Sanders was on the balls of his feet, wheezing with pain.
He was white-faced, blond strands of hair falling over his forehead, eyes unfocused, a little stripe of blood at the corner of his mouth. Her blood.
His eyes were wild, so wide open she could see white all around his irises.
Though Sanders was writhing wildly to get out of Jack’s grasp, it was impossible. Jack was standing utterly still, feet braced apart, touching Sanders only with his hand on his wrist, but it was as if Sanders were shackled in steel restraints.
“Touch her again, you fucker, and I will break your arm. Right after I break your fucking neck.” Jack’s voice was low, vicious. Sander’s eyes widened, then he cried out as Jack tightened his grip.
“Let me go! Who the hell are you? Caroline! Tell this maniac to let me go! Ahhh!” His voice rose in panic as Jack lifted his hand.
Sanders was standing completely on the tips of his toes now and if he dropped to his heels, he’d break his own arm against Jack’s steady, relentless hold.
Sanders was sweating, face completely bloodless. “Caroline, tell him to let me go!”
Jack lifted his hand another inch and Sanders screamed in pain, writhing, out of control.
Jack wasn’t out of control at all. He was utterly still, he wasn’t even breathing hard, but something cold and feral in his eyes made her step forward and touch him on the arm. Later, she would mull over the fact that she felt no fear of him even in the middle of an act of violence.
She’d just been mauled by Sanders, who looked like a puppy dog compared to Jack, who looked utterly capable of terrifying violence, but not for a second did she fear him.
Instinctively, the knowledge welling up from a place deep inside herself, a quiet, deep place which she trusted, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
He wrenched Sander’s wrist an inch higher and Sanders screamed.
Satisfying as it was to watch, she couldn’t stand by and watch Jack break Sanders’ arm. “Jack,” she whispered, putting her hand on his arm. “Don’t. That’s enough.”
His dark eyes were narrowed into slits, a violent light in them. Still holding the writhing Sanders with ease, he reached out with his other hand to touch the corner of her mouth, wiping away the streak of blood.
“I could kill him for this alone,” he said. There was something in his voice that had Sanders’ eyes opening wide in panic.
“No.” If there was one thing Caroline knew, it was that she didn’t want any more violence. She already felt sick to her stomach after her struggle with Sanders, ashamed that she’d never seen beneath his surface. Her stomach was knotted with tension. “Let him go, Jack.”