by Rose, Ashley
“No prob, baby,” Chris drawled, stretching his arms.
“Yeah, I had a great time,” James added.
She grinned and put on her shirt. “Then I won’t mention how cute you two look together naked in bed.”
They slowly turned to each other.
“Ew ew ew.”
“Grossss.”
They rolled off opposite ends of the bed.
“Bye, guys.”
James waved a goodbye. Chris smiled and winked.
Jaz stepped into the hallway. Surely Travis was gone by now. But as she shut the door behind her and turned back to the stairwell, she ran headlong into his chest.
She stumbled back and Travis grabbed her arm to steady her.
“How the hell did you find me?”
“You think I don’t recognize your sex noises?”
She frowned. “How long have you been standing out here?”
“Several minutes. He must have been good.”
“They,” she snapped and pushed past him. “And yes, they were.”
Travis followed closely on her heels. “How many times have you had sex today?”
“Technically? One this morning, three this afternoon. So, four.”
“Four?” He grabbed her arm, pulling her around to face him.
“Yeah. Four. Is that a problem?” She jerked out of his grasp and continued up the stairs.
“Yes! You were ra—” he cut himself off, starting again in a quieter tone. “You were raped. I can’t understand what you’re going through right now but I know that this isn’t the way to handle it. Whoring yourself out, it’s disgusting.”
“I’ve always slept around, Trav. It’s nothing new.”
“Not like this, Jaz. Never.”
“It’s really none of your business, is it?”
“I’m making it my business,” he hissed into her ear as she unlocked her door.
“Stay out of my room.” She tried to shut him out in the hallway but he pushed past her and went straight for her bedroom.
“Hey!” She hurried past him, trying to shut her door before he could reach it. But even as she slipped into her room and put all of her weight on the door, he still muscled his way in.
“We’re going to talk about this,” he demanded, standing in the middle of her room.
“No.” She hastily gathered up the multitude of sketchbooks and papers that littered her entire room. No one knew that she sketched, that she took solace in drawing people, except maybe Bishop. But for some reason, she didn’t want Travis to know what she did.
“Would you stop cleaning and listen to me?” He grabbed a shoulder to turn her around, causing her to drop the books on the floor.
“No!” she yelled louder than she meant to. “I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to think about it! Damnit, Travis, just...let me deal with this in my own way!”
“I can’t sit back and watch you do this. This is dangerous! Do you want to get raped again? Because that’s exactly where you’re headed.”
She blinked. “How can you say that?”
They were both silent for a moment. Travis muttered under his breath and ran both hands in his hair. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you.” He bent down and gathered up the sketchbooks he’d caused her to drop. “Please. If you’d just talk to me for a minute, I want to try and help y—”
Jaz looked down. He’d paused to stare at one of her sketches, the one she’d made of Bishop just today.
He stood up slowly, carelessly ripping the page out and dropping the rest of the book to the floor.
“If you don’t mind,” she snapped, and tried to take the picture from him, but he grabbed her wrist tightly. She frowned and looked up at him. There was something scary in his eyes as he stared at the picture. Pure hatred.
His eyes snapped up to hers. “Why do you have a drawing of him?”
“None of your business.” She tried to tug her wrist free.
“Jazlyn! Do you know this person?” His hand tightened on her wrist.
“Let go of me.”
He did, but just to drop back down to go through her sketches. He ripped through them until he found two others of Bishop. When he stood up again the hatred was even more prevalent in his eyes.
“Do you know him, Jaz?” he demanded, shaking the papers at her.
“I like to draw him. Sue me!” She grabbed the sketches from him.
“He goes to school here?”
“Well, yeah, do you know him or something?”
“Are you sure he’s here?”
“Unless he just likes to do homework and hang out on campus for no reason. Of course he’s a student. Why?”
“Are you friends with him?”
She shrugged. “I really just met him. He seems really nice. Kind of sad.” She stopped. “Why do you care? Do you know him?”
“Bishop Jordan.”
“Yeah...how’d you know?”
“I went to high school with him.” Travis took a step back. “He’s the one who raped my sister.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” Travis snapped.
Jaz shook her head. “That’s not possible.”
“He raped my sister, Jaz! She wasn’t drugged like you were, she remembered every second of it!”
“But...I can’t...he’s so nice.” She couldn’t believe it. Bishop? A rapist? It just didn’t make sense.
“He didn’t even argue it in court, Jaz. Damn it, he should still be in jail though. I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing here.”
“He’s a student.”
Travis shook his head and turned to go. “I can’t believe this.”
“Travis, wait. I don’t know if this is a mix up or what, but there is no way that the Bishop I know—”
“He’s a sex offender! Look him up on the registry. I can’t believe you’re friends with him. I’m fucking out of here.”
He left, slamming her door shut, and this time Jaz didn’t stop him. Her mind couldn’t process the thought of Bishop being a rapist, but she sat down at her computer and Googled the sex offender registry anyway. Travis could be mistaken, but if he was actually registered...
She typed in his name and after a moment, his photo, a mug shot, popped up. It had his name, addresses, and convictions. One of the addresses was local, and she hovered her mouse over the conviction button, almost afraid to see it.
She clicked and scanned the page. Sexual battery and second-degree sexual assault. A fancy term for rape. A felony. She gulped and stared at the picture. She’d drawn him enough times to tell that the fuzzy picture was him, just a few years younger.
He looked different, hardened and angry, an expression she had never seen on him in real life. Though his face was younger, it was also hollow. Between that and the long, unkempt hair, he looked like a criminal.
After staring at the screen for several minutes, Jaz stood up. She had to talk to him. As hard as it was to believe, it had to be true if he was registered. She needed to put the pieces together.
30
Lorna
“Are you ready for this?”
Lorna peeked around the corner at the darkened crowd. A full house. “No, not at all.”
Nash chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You’ll do great. I have faith in you.”
“Can I still back out of the opening?”
“Nope.”
Her stomach lurched as the emcee went onstage to say a few words. Then Lorna felt herself being pulled back to where she needed to enter the stage. She was first, and she was alone. The girl who had done her makeup touched it up and adjusted the thin mask that lined her eyes. She wasn’t used to so much makeup, and she certainly wasn’t used to anything glued to her face.
With a deep breath, she calmed herself. She could do this. It had been a week since she’d watched the group perform with Shep and she was just as ready as any of them. The speaker left the stage opposite her and the lights went dim. A gentle nudge from an unkno
wn hand sent her onto the stage. She hurried to the pole and got positioned on it in the dark. After a second of holding the pose, a spotlight turned on, illuminating her and the gleaming metal pole she was wrapped around.
The music kicked up at a slow, sensual beat. Show time.
* * *
Lorna blinked as all the lights in the theater switched on and the crowd roared in approval, giving them a standing ovation. The dancers were bowing now, all lined up. It wasn’t until Nash tugged on her hand that she realized they were filing off stage.
Everything had been perfect. She couldn’t remember a misstep or a single offbeat movement as Nash ushered her off stage with the rest of the dancers. Backstage was now filled with people from the crowd. Lorna was pressed close to Nash, who put an arm around her and led her through the mayhem.
“We did it!” Shep pushed through the throng of people to throw his arms around them both. “That was beautiful! Perfection!”
Lorna couldn’t help but smile at his excited tone. They had done well. The second the music had started, every fear she’d had disappeared. She was back in the studio, performing to a mirror, not to hundreds of people.
Nash hugged her tight to his chest. “You were amazing.”
She hugged him back, unsure of what to say.
“And your chemistry! Jesus Christ!” Shep threw his hands up in the air. “Where did that come from?”
Lorna hid her blush in Nash’s shirt.
But they weren’t alone. People were pressing in, wanting to talk to the director, choreographer and the centerpiece, Lorna.
An older man, dressed in a suit, shook Nash’s hand. “You hit it out of the park. I knew you would.”
“Thanks, Professor Benton.”
“And where have you been hiding this dancer, boy? Why haven’t I seen her before?” The professor looked at her with a kind smile.
Nash wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “This was her first performance in front of a crowd. She’s not in the dance program.”
The man’s eyes widened. “No? Well we need to change that, don’t we?” He addressed Lorna. “You were born to dance, miss, you know that, right?”
“I...”
“Nash, get her to my office on Monday. I think she’s in a bit of shock.”
“Will do, sir.”
The man nodded. “Good job, son.” He patted Nash’s shoulder. “It truly was an iconic piece.”
Nash nodded as the man walked away, leaving the rest of the people to start asking questions.
Someone wanted to know which dance companies she trained with. Another person asked where she learned her pole moves. Then a man in a suit offered her his business card. It was all overwhelming.
Nash fielded the questions while she started to get claustrophobic.
“Folks! Folks!” Shep called over the din. “The dancers are tired and need a break after their performance. They’ll all be in school on Monday. If you have questions, you can ask me but the dancers are ready to leave. They’ve been training hard and they deserve rest.”
And with that, the crowd left them with only a few lingering to ask questions. Nash led her away until they reached a side door and then were outside, fresh air and the night sky helping her catch her breath. She sat down in the grass and just stared straight ahead.
“All right.” Nash sat beside her. “You seem a little...shell-shocked.”
“I can’t believe I did that. I performed in front of people, even by myself! Everyone was looking at me.”
“They sure were.” He wrapped his arm around her waist.
She blinked a few more times and then looked at him. “Nash, we did it.”
He grinned wide. “We did.”
Suddenly she couldn’t sit still. She was practically bouncing. “We did it!” She rolled over and climbed on top of him so that he fell onto his back. “We did it! Can you believe it?” She shook his shoulders and then wrapped her arms around his neck as he laughed and sat back up.
“Okay, okay, get it out of your system.”
She squeezed him into a tight hug for what seemed like several minutes, making it hard for him to breathe before loosening her grip.
“All better?”
She pulled back and nodded. “Aren’t you excited?”
“I am. I guess I’m just...still processing it.”
She just grinned. “I think I want to do it again.”
“Squeeze me?”
“Perform! In front of people. Lots and lots of people.”
He chuckled and stroked her back. “We’ll see how you feel after this high wears off.”
“Don’t be such a buzz kill.”
“Oh? Now I’m a buzz kill?” He leaned back on his arms. “I don’t think so.”
She readjusted on his lap and leaned closer. “We should do something tonight.”
“Like?” he asked, his lips now close to hers.
She skimmed his lips over his and then went back for a proper kiss. “Mmm.” She pulled away from him. “Dancing?”
He laughed and slid a hand to the back of her head to pull her close for another kiss. She opened her mouth for him and they got caught up in the moment, her hands slipped under his shirt. When her hands slipped around and up his back, he parted their lips. “I can’t believe you want to go dancing after all the rehearsing we’ve been doing.”
She shrugged. “I think it’d be fun.”
The side door that they’d come out of swung open and they both froze just as they were going in for another kiss. “Nash! Lor—Oh.” Shep stood in the doorway, backed by several of the dancers, all staring at them.
Nash stood up, taking her with him and causing her to squeak in surprise. He set her down and brushed the grass off his jeans. “Yeah?”
Shep stared between them. Some of the other dancers snickered. Shep looked dreadfully confused.
Gabby pushed to the front. “We’re going out in half an hour! Put on your sexy clothes and meet us at the Starlight!” With that, the dancers all dispersed, apparently unfazed by the Lorna and Nash make out session. But Shep just stared at them.
“Man, I wanted to tell you.” Nash stepped toward his friend. “But I didn’t want you to overreact.”
“Overreact? At you sleeping with one of the dancers?” He took angry steps toward them. “And the most important dancer at that! Our centerpiece? You could have ruined everything! Sleeping with—”
Nash cut him off. “We’re not sleeping together.”
Shep’s mouth snapped shut for a moment. “Oh.”
“We knew it was risky but we knew we could do it. We could keep it minimal and ramp up the chemistry for the piece. You said so yourself.”
“So you’re not?”
“No,” Nash said firmly.
Shep turned his gaze to her. “Lorna?”
Nash’s face fell a little.
She frowned. “You don’t believe your best friend?”
Shep scrubbed his face with his palms. “Sorry. You’re right. I’ve just been so stressed with this thing, I just need a good night’s sleep. What you guys do is none of my business, and you didn’t ruin the performance.”
Nash smiled and went to clap his friend on the back. “Well, you’re not getting that sleep tonight! We’re going out! I’m going to walk Lorna home to change.” He grabbed Lorna’s hand and pulled her toward her building. “See you at the Starlight,” he said over his shoulder to Shep before they disappeared into the night together.
Once they were a good distance away from the studio, Lorna let go of his hand. “Piggy back!” She put her hands on his shoulder and jumped.
“Oof.” He linked his arms under her knees and twirled around. “Hold on tight!”
* * *
“Ohh. Hey, sexy.” Shep slapped Lorna’s ass lightly as she walked into the club later, causing her to jump.
“Shep!” She whipped around in the mass of bodies crammed into the club to shoot him a look.
He held up his hands innocently.
“I couldn’t help it! Your ass is just so delicious in those shorts. It’s your fault for putting them on, not mine!”
“No hands!”
He grinned and turned around, wiggling his butt. “Ahh, do me. It’ll make you feel better.”
Before she could tell him to stop, a larger hand appeared and landed a loud slap on Shep’s jean-clad ass. “Ouch!” Shep spun around, rubbing his backside and glaring at Nash. “Save the rough stuff for the bedroom, darling.”
Nash grinned and put his arm around Lorna, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Stop harassing my girlfriend.”
She almost giggled but suppressed it and just smiled instead, putting both arms around his waist.
“Girlfriend?” Shep asked. “When did this happen?”
“On the car ride over here.”
“So...that means I don’t have a chance with her anymore.”
“Affirmative.”
“Shoot. I guess I’ll just have to take what I can get.” He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before zipping off with a smirk, avoiding Nash’s swipe.
“He doesn’t bother you, does he?” Nash asked.
“Nah. He’s fun.”
“We need to find him a boy,” Nash said, pulling her against his chest.
“We do. I’ll keep my eye out.”
Nash moved their bodies side to side with the music. She leaned up and whispered into his ear, “I’m a real dancer now.”
“Baby, you’ve been a real dancer for a while now. It just took that performance to make you realize it.”
31
Jaz
Leaving the building, Jaz made a beeline for the coffee stand but Bishop wasn’t there. He wasn’t in any of the regular spots either. She paused her search and took a deep breath, looking around. Where would he be?
At home.
She’d followed him home once. At least, she was pretty sure she knew where he lived. She headed off campus, in the direction she’d often seen him go. As she walked, her anger grew. After what had happened to her, it turned out that Bishop had committed the same crime, worse even, and she’d thought they could be friends. How could she actually make friends with someone like that? She should have been able to tell. Right?