The dead mass of the man landed directly on top of her, knocking the air out of her lungs. She fought to inhale as he pressed himself up, pushing her and the chair further backwards, as far away from the desk as possible.
He had known what she was trying to do. Had clearly worked this sort of deal before. Muscle for Solar’s less public activities? What he didn’t know with absolute certainty, Hayley continued to reason, was that she really was the woman he was looking for. He would only have Solar’s description or the hotel’s CCTV footage to go by and she didn’t look anything like that girl. It was still her only hope, for now. She had to keep up the pretence.
‘What d’ya want to go and do that for?’ she gasped. ‘I was only looking for the boss’s number to call her so you could talk to her. It’s clear you think I’m boss of the agency here.’ Hayley’s chest heaved with the effort of drawing enough breath to speak.
It felt as if she had just run a marathon. Her lungs hurt like she had smoked a pack of 20. But she still needed to keep her wits about her. This guy was dangerous and he’d just called for reinforcements. Things were only going to get nastier. ‘I’ve never seen you before in my life and you’ve never seen me. Whoever you think I am, mister, you’re making a big mistake.’
The big guy had righted himself but was leaning over her, holding her in the chair with a massive great mitt planted in the middle of her chest, which wasn’t helping her breathing any. He seemed to be breathing heavy too.
Hayley tried to shake him off. ‘Get your paws off me. I can’t breathe.’
He lowered his face to hers and smiled coldly. ‘Breathing is going to be the least of your worries.’
Now she really didn’t like the sound of that.
He removed his hand from the centre of her chest and crudely cupped her breast, massaging his fingers hard into her flesh. She erupted, shaking him off and kicking out, regretting the little soft leather flats she was wearing on her feet. He lifted her straight out of the chair by the front of her T-shirt, over the back of it, and slammed her against the filing cabinets lining the back wall, kicking the chair out of his way across to one side of the room.
Christ, she was done for. Her feet were off the ground.
The door slammed opened violently and another man stood framed against the daylight. This one was slender, wiry, hideously familiar. ‘You’re bruising the goods, Joe. That will be my pleasure.’
The jerk who had her pinned lowered her slowly to her feet, like she was suddenly precious cargo. ‘Sorry, boss. She’s an annoying little trick.’
‘Yeah, and she’s my annoying little trick, Joe.’ The quiet intensity of his manner made Hayley shiver.
Billy Solar. Damn it. He’d found out who she was and the agency she worked out of. She wondered if it was money that had persuaded someone at Kat Calls to betray her, despite their big pay-off from the agency and offer of protection. That was almost funny. She couldn’t protect herself right now.
If the guy Billy had called Joe had seemed mean and ugly, Solar himself was a whole other ball game. Hayley recalled the agency’s research into his background. In his past he had run with all sorts of lowlife hoods. There were stories of beatings and knife fights. Even a strong suspicion of unlawful death, although no evidence to convict him directly. Even now, he treated women like playthings: toys he got pleasure from breaking. She knew she was in for a really hard time. And that was the best case scenario.
‘Window blinds, Joe.’ Solar approached Hayley and took the jerk’s place, pinning her back against the filing cabinets. Joe began lowering the blinds to shield whatever they planned doing to her away from the outside world.
As soon as Solar placed his hand on her breast, Hayley reacted. She blocked his arm from coming in closer and brought her knee up towards his groin. Solar twisted deftly to one side so her knee landed on his thigh, causing minimal damage. He had been brought up on the mean streets and knew how to handle himself. This was just about as bad as it could get.
She wasn’t giving up yet, however. That might prove fatal. The way she saw it she had nothing to lose by fighting back. Solar struck her a back-handed slap across her cheek, so she took her nails to his face and gouged at his eyes. They were unprotected as it was taking a lot of force to restrain her from struggling with his arms. It was taking all her energy to try and break free.
‘Don’t just watch, you idiot,’ Solar growled to the big ape.
Joe left the blinds unfinished and rushed over to help his boss restrain Hayley. Between them, they pinned her arms painfully far up her back until she was hunched over to relieve the pressure. Together, they slammed her onto her stomach over the desk. Hayley stopped struggling. She decided to conserve her energy, which was rapidly declining, until she had the best chance of being able to break free.
‘Now, you little bitch. I paid you for services that you failed to deliver. I’ve come to collect.’
He drew a length of thin nylon from his pocket and began tying her wrists together. The string bit into her flesh as he pulled it tight. This wasn’t bondage, designed to tease and excite. This was violence.
‘I see the bruises have faded. That’s a pity.’ Hayley couldn’t help herself. She wanted to goad Solar into making a mistake. One that would allow her to take advantage and escape.
‘That beating lost me a lot of money. I had to cancel a week of gigs. I’m about to take out the costs on your sweet arse, sweetheart.’
He put his fingers in the gap between the waistband of her denim shorts and her skin and yanked down hard. The metal stud button failed to break and the shorts stayed where they were. It made his temper rise.
Hayley was pleased that even her clothing wouldn’t make this easy for him. He clearly wasn’t used to having to work so hard to get what he wanted from a woman.
‘Turn the bitch over,’ he instructed, grunting out the words. ‘I want to see her eyes when I do her.’
Joe and Solar heaved her onto her back on the surface of the desk. Her arms were now pinned beneath her, making any movement much more difficult. Her whole body was off balance. This was turning very unpleasant. Hayley felt a moment of blind panic which she supressed with an iron resolve born out of years of hiding reality from others. From herself.
‘I’m surprised that you haven’t left the country yet. I’ve been reading the newspapers.’ Hayley was going to let the bastard know she had been the one to tip off the media, in case he was in any doubt.
Solar’s face went white with rage. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a blade. ‘You tried to wreck a lot of things for me, you little whore, but yesterday’s newspapers and all that.’
He was trying to tell her the storm surrounding the revelations that had been coming out about him as a result of her assignment would blow over eventually. The sick fact was he was probably right. The public, his fans, had a short memory. She kept her eye on the blade.
‘And in the meantime …’ He put his face so close to hers she could feel the hot stink of his breath on her cheek. But she wasn’t struggling now. Not while he held a knife to her skin. She’d read the report on his past.
Solar nicked the base of her T-shirt and ripped it open right up the front. She stayed perfectly still as he looked at her lying beneath him. She held her breath as he slid the point of the blade softly over her navel, up towards her sternum.
He obviously wasn’t planning to cut her. Yet.
The blade sliced through the centre of her bra, between the cups, and it sprang apart.
‘Now look what we’ve got here.’ Solar didn’t appear to be speaking to anyone in particular, but a sweep of Hayley’s eyes told her Joe was complying. Both men’s eyes were fixed on her naked breasts.
Solar put out his empty hand and cupped one breast. His fingers grew tighter around it until he could see in her face he was causing her pain. It made him smile. Hurting women was what Billy Solar got off on. Perhaps that would be the ace up her sleeve. He couldn’t hurt her if she was
dead. Hayley was ready to try anything.
‘Don’t hurt me, Billy.’
He took her nipple in his fingers and pinched it. ‘But I want to hurt you. It makes me hard.’
He still held the knife in his other hand. Hayley knew she couldn’t react all the time he had it so close to her. One thrust and she could be dead before she had time to blink. This wasn’t looking any better.
Solar looked his fill. His eyes gradually returned to her face. ‘You scrub up well, for a bitch.’
‘I decided I didn’t like all that black and leather. Went for the natural look.’
‘Now that’s a pity because I do like black. And blue. And I definitely like leather.’
‘Well you won’t find any around here.’ All the while she could keep him talking, he wasn’t doing anything worse.
‘Not to worry, sweetheart. I brought my own.’ His hand went to his silver buckle and he started to pull his leather belt through it.
Damn. Now he had another weapon. And she could do without his jeans coming off too. Think, Hayley. Think.
Once his belt was clear, he doubled it over and slapped it a few times into the palm of his hand. It made a resounding noise and Hayley didn’t want to think about where he was planning to use it next.
He flipped the stud on her jeans open and yanked down her zip. ‘Turn her over and hold her down,’ Solar instructed Joe.
They heaved her onto her stomach again, leaning over the desk top. ‘Don’t do this, Billy,’ Hayley said. ‘It’s assault. A criminal offence. It’ll finish you in the music business. You’ve made your position clear. We’ve both been humiliated. Let’s leave it at that, eh?’
His laugh was loud and sharp. He yanked her shorts and panties off, leaving her naked. Then he struck her with the belt. Hard.
Hayley yelped. Damn, it hurt. Tears swelled in her eyes and she blinked them back. Crying wouldn’t help a thing.
He struck her again. Harder. ‘I’m gonna really enjoy thrashing you.’
The sting of the doubled-up leather strap seared her flesh, but she kept talking.
‘We don’t need an audience, do we, Billy?’ Hayley bet on the fact that Solar hated people knowing what he was really like. Even the goon. A man like Solar would even feel contempt for his own female fans. He saw all women as something to be used. So she reckoned he had no love of any sort of audience. They’d been alone in his hotel room. He wasn’t the sort of guy who was into sharing.
Even so, she was surprised when Solar put his head up and looked at Joe. ‘Check the back yard door is locked. And keep watch. I don’t want any nasty surprises. I’ll call you if I need you.’
Joe appeared disappointed to be missing the show, but he obviously knew better than to argue with his knife-wielding boss. He stomped sullenly through the office and out the back door.
Solar smiled coldly down at her, rubbing his hand over her stinging flesh. ‘He can have you after me,’ he said, part threat, part promise. ‘That’s if there’s any leftovers.’
Hayley’s heart was pounding, and not in a good way. She thought about how Reuben had made her heart pound and this was nothing like that. This was cold fear.
If she had run from Reuben because she was frightened he would control her, she was all kinds of a fool. Solar was the one who reminded her of her bullying stepfather. Reuben had never, ever done that. The realisation shocked her thoughts back into her terrible situation, lying face down over her desk at the mercy of this psychopath. She had to get out of here intact. She had to tell Reuben she had been a fool. She had to tell Reuben everything. Hayley knew she could trust him with her life and she wanted to live to tell him that.
Both Solar and Hayley reacted to the loud noise Joe made out back. Solar laughed. ‘He’s letting me know how impatient he is to get his turn at you. He will.’ He flipped her over again and rammed her up the desk by the neck. He shoved his flat hand down over her belly. ‘Now, let’s get on with it. I don’t intend spending all day here, no matter how much fun I’m having.’
She was frightened for her life and he was telling her how much fun it was? Somehow that gave her strength. Her contempt for Solar grew. What kind of man needed a knife to command respect? He was just a punk hiding behind a bad-boy image.
His clumsy fingers rolled down her skin, then he lifted the belt high above her body again, ready to strike. He grimaced meanly as she flinched.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hayley saw the back office door move slightly. At first she thought it was that scum Joe, peering through a crack, acting like a voyeur. Her gut told her she was wrong. She sensed something. Someone. She focused her attention back on to Solar.
‘What are you going to do to me, Billy? Please don’t hurt me.’ Solar liked it when she pleaded. It was all she could do not to allow her lip to roll up into a sneer of contempt for the little weasel, in spite of her distress.
‘I’m just going to play with you for a bit, sweetheart.’ He wielded the belt, striking her across the belly.
She gasped in agony.
The door moved a little more. It was so slow, it had to be deliberate. She didn’t want Solar noticing. Hell, if it was only the draught from the back door, it might prove to be the distraction she needed. He struck the leather strap again across her thighs. She cried out.
For now Solar’s attention was focused on her agony. She planned to keep it that way. If it was someone returning to the office, she intended to warn whoever was coming through that door that he was armed. It might be Alice. Alone.
‘Don’t cut me with that knife, Billy.’
The door flew back. Solar’s head shot up. He wore a frown on his features like he was going to kill Joe for disturbing his pleasurable concentration.
If she had expected to see one of her team, she would be disappointed. But she wasn’t disappointed; she was surprised and elated as Reuben crashed like a roaring bull elephant into the room and Solar swung the knife towards him.
‘Try playing with me, you bastard,’ Reuben yelled.
Hayley saw her opportunity, rolled to one side, and dropped off the edge of the desk, crashing with a thump on the floor. Solar reached out to grab her but he was too late. If he’d wanted a human shield, she’d denied him his chance. She was out of immediate danger. She struggled to her knees, hoping to keep it that way. Reuben was in trouble.
‘Keep back. I’ll cut you. I’ll cut the bitch.’ Solar was backing off, trying to get nearer to Hayley as Reuben advanced. He swung his blade wildly in front of him but Reuben just kept coming.
‘I’ll eat your liver, you vulture,’ Reuben muttered between gritted teeth. His eyes never left Solar’s. Sheer hatred for her attacker radiated from him.
Hayley wanted to shout to him. Warn him to be careful. She couldn’t bear it if he got hurt. Killed. But she didn’t want to distract his concentration. He needed it all to avoiding getting slashed. She prayed for him to be careful instead.
It seemed that no one was listening to her prayer as Reuben stepped in close. ‘Come on, then. What are you waiting for? We’re not dancing here.’ His muscles were bunched and tight.
Solar gave a thin laugh. Hayley thought it held a note of panic. But he was a con-merchant too. ‘You come on. If you want the bitch for yourself, come and get her. She’s a really good fuck.’ His challenge appeared tough. His stance, not so much.
For a second, Reuben looked murderous. Hayley didn’t have time to think about his reaction to Solar’s claim, but she had never seen such a look of pure rage on his face before. It was like he hardly noticed the blade any more, he was so determined to grasp her assailant.
Solar, who had grown up with a knife in his hand on the streets of the city, hacked at Reuben’s arm, opening up a cut over his biceps. It bled out instantly but Reuben just kept coming forwards.
If Solar thought his words about Hayley had made Reuben careless, he was determined to capitalise on them. ‘That whore is gonna get a thrashing that she’ll never forget and as soon as I
’ve put you away, I’m gonna see that she gets it. I’m gonna draw her blood.’
It was like Reuben was in a red mist and couldn’t even feel the pain. Hayley felt it for him. She knew she couldn’t just stand there. Her arms were still tightly bound behind her, but she had to even the odds. The desk was between her and the impending attack and she threw her body weight against it and heaved with all her might. It propelled forwards, catching Solar from behind.
As soon as he was thrown off balance slightly, Reuben grabbed the opportunity to close the gap between himself and Solar. Another downwards slash of the blade arced across Reuben’s chest, severing a few inches of his T-shirt and the skin beneath. Still he didn’t flinch. He parried Solar’s wrist aside, and twisting his body sideways, rammed into the rock star, throwing him over his shoulder like a judo master.
Reuben instantly knelt down, pinioning Solar’s knife arm beneath his knee, and applied three swift punches to his assailant’s face. ‘Attack a defenceless woman, would you, you bastard?’
Solar groaned under the onslaught and relaxed his grip on the knife. The feeling must have drained from his numb fingers under Reuben’s huge weight. Solar threw his free arm up to protect his features and struggled to right himself.
Hayley ran across the room and kicked the knife out of Solar’s reach. She knew Reuben would never resort to using it, not even in self-defence, and did not want to give Solar another opportunity to get it.
‘Stand away, Hayley,’ Reuben grunted at her. He had Solar by the shirt front and heaved him bodily to his feet as if he weighed no more than a mangy dog.
Solar struggled to escape the hold Reuben had on him, grappling against his imprisonment, but the grip on him was too tight. Another few closed-fist punches persuaded him to give up the struggle. He sagged into a heap, the blood dripping from his bust nose and cut lip, as Reuben dropped him into Hayley’s office chair.
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