Next to Never: Shattered Innocence Trilogy

by Long, A. L.

  She finally got through the crowded dance floor and headed to the ladies room. Just as she got to the restroom, the guy she had been dancing with grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall. “Not so fast, little girl.” She had no idea where he came from since she just left him. The hallway to the restrooms was dark, so there wasn’t anyone paying attention to what was going on. He pushed her into a corner at the end of the hallway. His hands were all over her body. “God, I’m going to fuck you right here.” He was groping her breast through the material of her dress, twisting her nipples so hard she screamed. No one was able to hear her over the music. The next thing she knew, he lowered his mouth to hers and began kissing her lips.

  All Dylan could smell was alcohol on his breath. When she wouldn’t open her mouth for him, he got angry and slapped Dylan across her face. That was enough to allow him entrance into her mouth. He quickly raised Dylan’s dress attempting to tear away her panties so that he could get access to her wet pussy. Trying to fight him off, she felt his burly body being pulled away from her. Freed from his clutches, her hands went over her tear soaked eyes as her body slowly slid down the wall.

  Dylan couldn’t see what was happening, but she thanked God the brute was no longer touching her. Trying to get a hold of herself, she felt a warm hand touch her arm. “Dylan, are you okay?” The minute she heard the voice, she knew who it was. It was the last person she wanted to see.

  Rade gently lifted her from the floor and carried her in his arms to the back exit. When he got to his car, he carefully lowered her onto the passenger seat. Dylan was still dazed. After about five minutes of sitting in the car with Rade kneeling before her, she was finally able to gain her composure.

  “Rade, I can’t leave. Lilly’s in there, and my purse,” she said, buzzing from the alcohol she had consumed.

  Rade looked at Dylan with fury. “Stay here. Don’t move, Dylan. I’ll let Lilly know you’re going home. I’ll make sure she gets home safely.”

  Dylan looked up at Rade wondering what he must think of her. In a soft voice she said, “Thank you.”

  When Rade got back into the club, he regretted not coming with her tonight. She looked so damn sexy. Didn’t she know the dress she wore screamed sex? No one had the right to touch her but him. Even though she was a grown woman, she still looked like a naïve girl sitting in his car. He blamed himself for not getting to her sooner. He found out from Hewitt where they were going. At least he was smart enough to have Peter follow them.

  When the cab dropped them off, Rade was only five minutes away from the club. He sat back and watched her as she went on the dance floor with that low life. He couldn’t stand seeing that loser with his hands on her body. When Dylan left the dance floor, he thought for sure she was done with him. He had no idea that he followed her to the restroom. Rade thought about what could’ve happened if he didn’t hear her scream. The music had been so loud.

  Clearing his thoughts, he saw Lilly on the dance floor. He didn’t want to wait until she finished dancing, so he made his way through the dancing bodies until he got to her. He tapped Lilly gently on the shoulder. Her dance partner didn’t seem too thrilled to release his hands from her waist.

  “I’m taking Dylan home,” Rade yelled over the music.

  Lilly looked up at Rade not hearing what he said. “What?”

  “I’m taking Dylan home.” Handing Lilly a small piece of paper, he continued, “This is Richard’s number.. When you get ready to leave, call him and he’ll come get you. No taxis and you’re not leaving with anyone else, Lilly. I need to assure Dylan you got home safe.”

  Lilly took the number from Rade and nodded her head. Even though she hated Rade, she knew he wouldn’t physically hurt Dylan.

  When Rade got back to his car, he saw Dylan passed out. Once he was seated behind the wheel, he reached over and buckled Dylan in. Looking at her while she slept on his seat, he couldn’t believe how innocent she looked. She was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. She was also the most infuriating. She was beginning to have an effect on him. His only objective now was to make sure she was safe. He was convinced she had nothing to do with the missing money.

  Getting to his penthouse, Rade pulled up to his parking spot. He looked over at the car he bought for her. It was a black Audi RS7. The car was delivered that afternoon. Rade had planned to surprise Dylan with it, but given their current situation, he thought it best to wait. Walking over to Dylan’s side of the car, he opened her door and carefully lifted her from the car seat. She was light as a feather. A lot lighter than he remembered. She still felt wonderful next to him.

  Rade could feel her stirring in his arms. “Where are we?”

  Rade looked down at her. “We are at the penthouse.”

  He could feel Dylan getting closer to his body. He didn’t know if it was the effect of the alcohol she consumed or her need to embrace him.

  Taking her to her room, he gently lowered her on the bed. He walked over to her closet and pulled out a nightgown. It was one of his favorites. It was white with small pearl beads intricately sewn on the front, and thin straps that crossed in the back, ending at her lower back. He began undressing her. First, he removed her shoes. Then he gently slipped her dress over her head. The only item of clothing remaining were her lacy ivory panties. If she hadn’t been in the state she was, he would have taken her. Her body was so silky soft against his hands. As he lowered the nightgown on, he thought about how he wished it was his hands gliding down her body.

  Rade was getting ready to lay her head on the pillow when he heard a small whisper. “Rade, what is The Castle?”

  Rade wasn’t expecting those words from her. He wasn’t sure how she heard about the private club. The only thing he could think to say was, “Off limits.” Rade kissed her softly on the forehead and covered her. “Go to sleep, Sweetness.”

  *****

  Waking up the next morning with a raging headache, Dylan tried to remember the events from last night. Lifting her covers, she was thankful she was wearing a nightgown. Taking in her surroundings, she could see she wasn’t at her apartment. She was in the guest bedroom at Rade’s penthouse. “I can’t keep doing this,” she thought to herself as she stumbled to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, her appearance didn’t shock her because of the way she felt. Her makeup was smudged and her eyes looked like a raccoon. Disgusted, she turned on the water and began washing her face. Now that her face was clear of all her make-up, she could see bruising under her left eye. She remembered the slap from the burly guy. Touching the bruise, she found it to be a little sore. Taking her brush, she tried combing through her matted mess of hair. It was in such disarray there was no hope of improvement. Her only option was to pull it back with a hair tie. Unable to do anything else to better her appearance, she walked to the closet and grabbed the matching robe to her nightgown.

  Dylan wasn’t sure what to say to Rade, but she knew, at the very least, she needed to thank him for rescuing her from the slime ball that almost had his way with her. What she didn’t understand was what he was doing there anyway. Heading down the hall, she heard voices coming from the kitchen.

  “Rade, why are you even wasting your time on that schoolgirl? She will never be able to give you what you need.”

  Dylan took in a deep breath. She knew that voice, it was Chloe. What was she doing here?What did she want? Moving a little closer so she could hear better, Dylan heard Rade talking. “Chloe, my relationship with Dylan is none of your fucking business. Whatever you think you and I have together is over.”

  “How can you say that, Rade? I bet you haven’t even taken her to The Castle.” Dylan could see Chloe was moving closer to Rade. Dylan’s hands were forming into fists as her heart started pumping.

  Chloe placed her hand on Rade’s chest. “Rade, you know what we had was wonderful. Your little schoolgirl will never be the submissive that you crave.”

  Rade took hold of Chloe’s hands and gently removed them from
his body. “Look, Chloe, I admit what we had was amazing, but that’s in the past. I hope we can continue our friendship, because it will be nothing more than that.”

  Dylan could hear Chloe’s heels clicking on the wooden floor. The sound of her footsteps was getting quieter. Dylan could hear the front door open but not before she heard Chloe’s last words. “You’ll regret wasting your time on her. She will never give you what we had.”

  The front door closed. This was Dylan’s cue to retreat back to her room before she got caught eavesdropping. Dylan waited twenty minutes before she made an appearance.

  Dylan poured a much-needed cup of coffee. Rade was no longer in the kitchen. Once she finished doctoring her cup of coffee, she went upstairs to see if she could find Rade. He was in his study. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at the pictures of his brother hanging on the wall.

  Dylan walked in, standing close behind him. “Hey.”

  Rade turned to face Dylan. Smiling at her, he lifted his hand to her cheek to brush away a strand of hair while noticing the bruising on her eye. “How do you feel?”

  Dylan looked up at Rade with sadness. “A little confused.”

  Rade didn’t understand Dylan’s reply. “Why’s that?”

  Dylan wasn’t even sure where to begin, so she just said what was on her mind. “What were you doing at Thrive? Chloe was there, is that why you were there?”

  Rade clinched his jaw. Why was Chloe at the club and what was her game? Taking a step back, he turned his body and started walking to his desk. He knew he needed to tell Dylan at least part of the truth. At least the part about why he was at the club. He couldn’t let Dylan think he and Chloe were there together.

  “I need to show you something, Dylan.”

  Pulling his computer up, he typed the words Japanese kanji symbols into the search engine. When what he wanted to show Dylan came up, he signaled for her to come over. Dylan walked over to where he was standing. Looking at the computer screen, she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking at. “What am I looking at, Rade?”

  Rade scrolled down to the link he needed, and the page appeared. “Those charms you’ve been receiving, they each have a meaning. The first one you got represents Betrayal.” Rade held up his phone, showing her the picture he took of the charm. It was a perfect match to the one he pulled up on his computer. He swiped the screen on his phone to bring up the second charm he took a picture of. Pointing to the screen on his laptop he said, “See the match? The second one means Deceit. I’m not sure what’s going on, Dylan, but whatever it is, someone is sending you a message. If you know anything about this, I hope you trust me enough to tell me.”

  Dylan was in shock. She had no idea what was going on. How could he think she knew anything? “I don’t know anything. Why would you even think I know what those stupid charms meant? You still haven’t told me the truth about you and Chloe. I knew I made a mistake letting you in. I wish we had never met.”

  Dylan had enough. She wanted to leave and never see Rade again. Even if it meant she needed to quit her job.

  “Wait, Dylan.” Grabbing Dylan’s arm, Rade couldn’t let her leave without an explanation. “You need to listen to me.” Turning Dylan so she was facing him, Rade lifted her chin so she was looking straight at him. “I didn’t go to Thrive with Chloe. I didn’t even know she was there. I admit I wasn’t there by chance. I had Peter follow you there. After I found out what the charms meant, I knew you weren’t safe. I had to protect you, Dylan. If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I would do.”

  Dylan relaxed her body. She believed Rade was telling the truth. With the conversation she overheard, she knew he didn’t want anything more than friendship with that woman.

  Staring into Rade’s eyes, Dylan could see something she hadn’t seen before. She saw compassion and tenderness. Raising her hand to touch his cheek. “I believe you.” Rade was relieved. Lowering his lips to hers, he gently kissed her. Even though it had only been a few days, he missed kissing her soft lips. He never wanted to be without the feel of his mouth on hers. Sliding his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him so he could deepen their kiss. Something felt different though. He could feel her holding back. When their kiss broke, she looked straight into his eyes. “What is The Castle?”

  Rade looked at her with uneasiness. “Leave it alone, Dylan.”

  Dylan pulled away from him. “Fine, keep your little secrets.” As Dylan was leaving, he lowered his head in defeat. He knew she would never let this go until she knew.

  “It’s a private club,” Rade said, hesitantly.

  “So are you a member?” She asked.

  “Yes,” Rade responded in a low voice.

  “So what kind of club is it, Rade? Is Chloe a member?”

  “It’s just a private club and women aren’t allowed to be members. They’re only allowed admittance by a member.”

  “So you invited Chloe to go with you?” Dylan’s pulse was climbing.

  “Yes, but I haven’t been there for some time.” Rade wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but he wasn’t ready to spill what went on there.

  “Will you take me there?” Dylan asked with determination.

  “No,” he said angrily.

  He didn’t want to subject Dylan to his ways. She was too innocent. He didn’t want to take that from her by showing her what went on behind the doors of The Castle.

  “Why? You didn’t have any problem taking Chloe there,” Dylan said, making her point.

  “I can’t take you there, Dylan. End of conversation.” Rade looked at the hurt in Dylan’s eyes. He moved to hold her in his arms, but she pushed him away.

  “Fine,” Dylan said defiantly and walked out of Rade’s office. She needed to get away from him.

  Feeling defeated and angry, Dylan changed her clothes. She couldn't exactly put on the dress she wore last night, so she searched the closet for something more appropriate. She pulled out a pair of dress slacks and a button up silk blouse. Seeing her shoes at the foot of the bed, she slipped into them, storming her way to the front door. Rade was standing in the kitchen watching Dylan head for the door.

  “Dylan, you can’t go,” Rade said in desperation.

  “We have nothing else to say, Rade. I will return the clothes once I’ve had them cleaned.”

  “Dylan, don’t be that way. They’re your clothes. Don’t leave like this. I don’t want you angry.” Dylan gave Rade a piercing look.

  “I’m way past angry, Rade.” Dylan walked out the door to the awaiting elevator, leaving Rade standing there alone.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Arriving at her apartment, Dylan felt guilty about the way thing ended at Rade’s apartment. She couldn’t understand what he was hiding from her, and why he was so adamant about not taking her to the private club. If he wasn’t going to tell her what kind of place it really was, maybe she could find out for herself.

  Taking a quick shower and slipping into something more comfortable, she made herself a cup of tea. Grabbing her laptop, she settled on her couch. She typed “The Castle” in the search engine and pressed enter. As she surfed the Web for information, the only data that came up was its location, when it was established, and some history regarding when it was built. It also showed that it was once the home of an eccentric millionaire, who was quite the ladies’ man. The picture next to the castle structure showed an older man in his sixties. He was nothing to get hot over, but he had a distinguishing quality. It was said that he passed away a couple of years ago and his home was put up for auction. There was no information on who purchased the property. It seemed there wasn’t any information on the place after it was auctioned. Dylan thought that was kind of strange, but at least she had an address where it was located.

  Since she was already surfing the net, she decided to search information on Rade. She plugged his name in the search engine, and link after link with his name popped up. What got her attention were the numerous pho
tos of him with women. Some looked innocent enough, but then there were those that showed intimacy. Clicking on some of the links, Dylan was beginning to feel nauseated at the comments.

  Rade Matheson, one of New York’s most eligible bachelors, breaks the hearts of thousands of women as he is seen with his new girlfriend.

  There were over a dozen comments like this all over the Web.

  New York’s most eligible bachelor seen with a beautiful brunette. Could this be the future Mrs. Rade Matheson?

  Dylan didn’t recognize the girl clinging to Rade’s arm. She could only think about Chloe’s words from last night. Maybe he didn’t do love. Maybe he was just a playboy. The Internet certainly showed that.

  Dylan had enough depression for one day. She needed an escape. The fresh air would do her good. Just as she was ready to leave the apartment, her cell phone buzzed. It was Lilly.

  “Hey, Lilly.” Dylan could hear the relief in her friend’s voice.

  “Oh My God, Dylan. I was so worried about you. After Rade left with you, I got concerned. I tried calling you several times, but you didn’t answer.”

  Dylan felt bad. “Sorry Lilly, I had a little too much to drink and a guy tried taking advantage of me. Rade got a hold of the guy and almost beat the shit out of him. If Ty wouldn’t have stepped in, I don’t know what he would have done. Anyway, it’s over and done with.”