Chapter Twenty-Three
Jules awoke because she couldn’t breathe.
Something pressed down on her chest, her neck, her mouth. She tore herself awake, kicking and screaming, to find a palm over her mouth. A man loomed over her. She didn’t know him and couldn’t make sense of what was happening.
He fumbled, and she bit his palm.
“Shit, lady.”
Jules rolled over. “Rhys!”
The guy shook his hand like she was the one who had violated him. “What the hell? No biting.”
“Get out!” she screamed.
He stopped shaking his hand, and his lip curled in disgust. “This isn’t exactly what I thought it might be like.” He backed up. “I don’t think I’m the guy for you.”
“Rhys!” she screamed louder.
“Retire.” He held up his hands. “Chill out. Come on. People are going to hear you. Retire. ” He backed up as if she were the one out of control. “That’s the safe word, you crazy bitch.”
“Rhys!”
The man backed away, shaking his head. “This really isn’t doing it for me. Good luck to you.”
“Get out!”
Rhys bounded in and threw the guy across the room, roaring. There was no other way to describe the sound that exploded from him. It was a thundering, barking roar.
She’d never had anyone but Rhys fight for her like that, not once in her entire life. He was always there when she needed him.
Jules scampered out of bed, her hands pressed to her throat. The soreness wasn’t from the man’s hands but from her screams.
“Goddamn, people. Ease up,” the man said, pushing off the floor. He edged toward the bedroom door as though trying to escape. “I didn’t agree to any of this cuck bullshit. You people are nuts.”
Rhys flew at him again and pinned him to the wall. “Explain.”
They needed to call the cops. But first, she might need to keep Rhys from killing the guy.
“Now,” Rhys growled. “Start talking.”
The man held up his hands again, this time in surrender. Her bite marks indented his palm. “This is a misunderstanding.”
“Keep explaining.”
His eyes darted from Rhys to her and back again. “The lady wanted…” He calculated the situation and shook his head, desperation draining the color from his face. “I didn’t set this up, man. I just responded to a post.”
“Rhys, let go of him.”
The veins in his neck bulged.
She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her. Carefully, she approached and rested a hand on his back. “Let him go.”
“If you run, I will find you,” he said through clenched teeth. His fingers uncurled from the man. “Talk.”
Jules eyed the man’s clothes and hair. Despite what had happened, he looked normal, like a finance bro, too cocky for his own good, wearing preppy clothes and leather sandals.
“Tell me what you were doing here,” Rhys demanded.
Already red-faced from Rhys pinning him against the wall by his neck, he flushed from embarrassment. “You know.”
“I don’t fucking know.”
“Anonymous. That hookup app. Post what you want. Get what you need or whatever.”
“A hookup app?”
“Like a kink hookup app,” the man said sheepishly. “Look, man, I don’t want to be here. You two can work this out. I am not getting in the middle of it with you.”
“You said, ‘Retire,’” she said.
“Yeah, that’s the safe word,” the man countered. “For all the good it did me.”
The fury on Rhys’s face reached apocalyptic levels. “This has gone too far.”
The other man inched toward the door. “I’m not getting in the middle of this. I’m out.”
Rhys pinned the man in place with a glare. Finally, he ordered, “You’re going to file a police report.”
“Me?” he balked. “The hell I am.”
“Yeah,” Rhys said. “Both of you are.” He pointed at her. “Do you know who this is?”
“No. No. I don’t know you people—fuck. Fuck .” The guy backed into the wall as he recognized her, again raising his hands to the ceiling. “No. Look, man. I didn’t know. I didn’t plan this. No. This is not—”
“Shut up a second.” Rhys let out a deep breath and turned to her. “Are you okay?”
Jules nodded. “Yes. I am. Really. Terrified about the situation. But he didn’t actually hurt me. Just… scared me.”
“I was never supposed to hurt you. I wouldn’t have,” the guy said.
“Just pretend. CNC-type kink stuff. Get laid, then go my merry way. I have the entry code for your front door. It worked. I thought this was legit. The door unlocked when I entered the code .” He held up his hand as if to block Jules from view.
“I didn’t even know it was you in here.”
Rhys rubbed the back of his neck. “You had the code at the same time I got a call from the resort management with an update about a security problem.” He scowled. “That’s one hell of an escalation.”
She released her bottom lip from between her teeth. “It’s enough to finally file a police report.”
Rhys nodded.
The other guy shook his head. “I’m here for a finance conference. I can’t—”
“Dude, you almost raped one of the most recognizable women on the planet. Not that the recognition matters, but do you think you could stop thinking about yourself for a second?”
“Rhys,” she whispered. “I’m okay. The situation is bad. But he’s just as much of a victim as I am.”