by Nikki Ash
Asshole!
“Daddy, I—”
“Sweetheart, why don’t you go on inside and say hello to your mother. I’m sure she’s already opened the wine. You could use a drink.” Daddy ushers Sean into his office, leaving me alone in the foyer, trembling.
I should leave.
Turn on my heel and go.
Fumbling for my purse, I grab my phone out to call Zane. I realize I’ve missed a text from him.
Z: I can’t wait to tell you about tonight. Dad is being cool. We decided to grab dinner. Call me when you finish up and I’ll meet you at your place.
He’s having dinner with his dad.
The same dad who he’s struggled with having a relationship with for years. This is important and fragile. The last thing he needs is me asking him to come play hero. My eyes burn with tears as I type out that I’m happy for him and can’t wait to see him later.
Coward.
All I have to do is tell my parents what happened with Sean. So why does it seem like I’ll never get the words out?
It’s just one dinner.
All I have to do is make it through one dinner.
“More?” Sean asks, holding the wine bottle up like an offering.
I shoot him an icy glare. “Nope.”
“Kerry,” Daddy admonishes. “Mind your manners.”
Mom’s face is plastered in the same fake, uncomfortable smile she gets sometimes when a situation gets awkward. I feel sorry for her. Did she ever have dreams before Daddy? Would Brigs Ferry Bay have been good to her if she’d met someone else? Who knows how her life would have turned out.
“Who wants dessert?” Mom asks, her voice shrill.
“That’s a great idea, Darla,” Daddy says. “Sean, do you mind helping her while I have a chat with Kerry?”
I wither at the stern expression on Daddy’s face. I’m disappointing him again. It’s the story of my life. I’ll never be the poised, polished daughter he wants me to be. Mom and Sean leave the dining room so Daddy and I can have our private conversation.
“What the hell has gotten into you, Kerry? You’re being a bitch to our guest,” Daddy snarls.
I recoil at his words, gaping at him in horror as tears quickly form. “I…Daddy—”
“Quit your blubbering,” he hisses. “Sean is well connected in this town. I need him for my campaign.” He scowls at me. “All I ask is for you to be polite to our guest and you can’t even do that. For the record, sweetheart, he’s a catch you’d be lucky to have. The man comes from old money. You’d be set. Your children—”
“Stop,” I choke out. “Just stop. He’s…He’s not the man you think he is.”
Daddy’s eyes narrow. “I’ve looked into him. His family is impeccable. You know how important it is to keep good company around me while campaigning. No blips or anything on his record.”
“It’s just—”
Daddy cuts me off with a wave of his hand when they reenter the dining room. “Enough. We’ll discuss it later.”
I’m dismissed as he begins chatting up Sean. I swallow down my emotion, fighting tears. All I need to do is get through the rest of this dinner. Then I can get back to the man who appreciates and cares for me.
I’ve just polished off my dessert when I feel it.
The slight twist of the world around me.
No.
Not again.
Gripping the table, I drag my stare over to Sean. His eyes flash in a wicked way, but his smile for my father never falters.
“I don’t feel so well,” I slur out, closing my eyes to keep the spinning at bay.
Sean is out of his seat in an instant, his hands on my shoulders rubbing. “Everything okay, Kerry? Are you sick again?”
I try to wriggle out of his grasp, but it makes the sensation worse. All I can do is keep my eyes clamped shut.
“Too much wine?” Mom asks, her voice tight.
I attempt to speak, but the bile in my throat won’t let me.
“I didn’t want to say anything,” Sean murmurs. “But she drank a lot on our date, too. Is this a normal thing for her?”
Hot tears leak from my eyes, racing down my cheeks. Daddy stumbles all over his words, making excuses for me. I don’t hear any of them. It isn’t until I feel someone lifting me out of the chair that I open my eyes.
“Don’t worry, sir, I’ll make sure she gets home safely. You can check in on her in the morning.”
I open my eyes long enough to lock my gaze onto Daddy. His face is red from embarrassment and his blue eyes flash with fury. At me. My hands feel as though they’re weighed down by sand. I attempt to open my purse to locate my phone, but am unsuccessful. Daddy opens the passenger side door for Sean.
“We’ll come by in the morning, sweetheart, with your car,” Daddy says through gritted teeth. “Perhaps we can try this another day without the wine.”
Sean chuckles, turning my blood to ice water. “Everyone has their down days, sir. She just needs a little guidance. I don’t mind helping her.”
“You’re a saint,” Daddy praises.
Once inside Sean’s car that smells like him, I fall asleep. It isn’t until he’s carrying me again that my eyes crack open. I clutch onto my purse and hope like hell he leaves me in my apartment and goes home.
That’s delusional.
He wouldn’t drug me to leave me be unless this was some sort of power play.
Somehow, he finds my apartment without my having to tell him which one. It sends another quiver of nerves trembling through me. I never heard Daddy mention where I lived, which means he found out on his own.
He’s a creep.
Probably a stalker too.
I need to get a hold of Zane.
Fresh tears form as I think of his gorgeous face. The intensity that always rolls off him in scorching waves. He’s strong and smart and sweet. Zane is someone I always imagined myself to be happy with, not whatever horrible men Daddy has been scooping out of the filth for me like Sean.
I’m dazed as Sean unlocks my apartment. It’s not my key ring. Did Daddy give him his keys? The room spins again, making me dry heave.
“Don’t be getting sick on me, sweetheart,” Sean says, his voice dripping with malice. “We have the whole night ahead of us.”
“Wh-Wha d-di you giff to may.” My words are slurred and make no sense.
He sets me down on my bed that still smells like Zane. “I call it the wife maker. Gave you a little more than last time, though, since it didn’t quite do the trick then.”
I dry heave again, and then again when he laughs.
“It’ll make you compliant. You have all the right components, Kerry. Sexy, intelligent, successful. But you’re just a bit too reckless for my liking. If I’m going to settle down, I expect it to be with a woman I can trust to behave as I’ve taught her.”
“Water,” I croak.
He studies me for a beat. “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll get you some water. Let’s get you out of these clothes first.”
I whimper as he pushes my dress up my thighs. Disgust ripples through me when he grabs hold of my panties and peels them off my body, exposing me to him. His knuckle runs down my slit and he grins at me.
“Your father won’t be pleased if I get you pregnant out of wedlock, but it’ll ensure a quick wedding, which is for the best.”
He’s gentle as he removes my dress and bra. I’m useless to fight against him. Once I’m completely naked, he runs his nose between my breasts, inhaling me.
“You’ll learn, sweetheart, that if you comply, you’ll be rewarded.” His lips twist into a vicious grin. “Understand?”
“W-Water,” I croak again.
His lips purse together, a flash of annoyance crossing over his features. “Fine. I’ll get you some water so you don’t puke, but then you’re going to behave and let the inevitable happen.”
A tear leaks out of my eye, but I find the strength to nod. As soon as he storms from the room, I put all my energy into grabbing fo
r my phone that’s in my purse on the bed beside me. I manage to pull it from the bag and get it opened. I’m not sure I can type, so I hit the microphone button on the text.
“S-Sean. Partment. Drurgsh. Halp.” It takes my finger two mashes before it sends.
Heavy footsteps thud my way. A tremble in my hand has me dropping the phone back into my purse.
Please, Zane, hurry.
I can’t do this.
I need you.
Chapter Eight
Zane
“So?” Dad asks, a smile tugging at his lips. “Tell me more about this girl, Kerry.”
Woman.
Not a girl.
“She’s great.” I shrug, unable to meet his eyes. “Really great.”
“What is it? Is she underage?”
I nearly choke on my drink. “W-What? No, Dad. She’s legal.”
Relief floods through him. “But?”
“But it could get messy if the wrong people found out.”
His eyes narrow. “Please tell me you’re not fucking a married woman.”
“Not that you have any room to judge, but no,” I growl, pinning him with a hard stare. “She’s single.”
Dad, a damn good lawyer, starts connecting dots far too quickly for my liking. “What did you say Kerry’s last name was?”
“I didn’t,” I clip out.
“Zane.”
I lift my gaze, trying not to wither under Dad’s furious one. “Bowden.”
Confusion mars his features as he runs the name through his mind. I can tell the moment he realizes it because his eyes widen.
“As in Miss Bowden, your damn guidance counselor, at Brown High?”
My phone buzzes as the waitress delivers our check. He hands her some cash and tells her to keep the change, before turning his stern glare my way.
“We’re both consenting adults,” I challenge. “It’s fine.”
His nostrils flare as he leans toward me. “It’s not fine, Zane. I know I didn’t raise you to be a damn idiot.”
“I can handle it,” I growl.
“Can she?” he snaps back. “Can she handle being dragged through the mud? It’s her reputation that will take the hit, not yours.”
Guilt infects my every pore. “We’re being discreet until the end of the year.”
“If anyone finds out, they will turn it into a media circus sideshow. You’re my son. Not some Joe Blow who doesn’t matter. They will turn this into a nightmare for everyone involved.”
I rise to my feet, anger bursting up inside me. “So sorry to embarrass you, Dad. Take me back home so I can get my car. I’m not going to do this with you. I’m a grown ass man who knows what he’s doing.”
He curses under his breath the whole walk out to his car. I pull out my phone to check the notification I missed. A voice message. As soon as Dad sits down in the car, I listen to the message.
“S-Sean. Partment. Drurgsh. Halp.”
What the fuck?
Icy dread washes over me.
“Dad,” I bark out, throwing myself into the passenger seat. “Drive me to Woodmeadow Apartments. Hurry!”
He doesn’t question my alarm, but instead peels out, hauling ass out of the parking lot. I try to dial Kerry back to no avail.
“Fuck!” I roar, slamming my hand down on the dashboard. “He has her. That motherfucker has her.”
“Who?” Dad demands.
“Sean. Some lawyer asshole Kerry’s dad set her up with.”
Dad curses. “Sean Gentry?”
“I don’t know his last name. Greasy, weasel looking rich guy.”
“He’s bad news,” Dad growls. “He’s also loaded and well connected. When we get there, let me handle it.”
I can’t make that promise.
As soon as he puts the vehicle into park in front of the building, I fly out of the car. I don’t wait for the elevator. Instead, I take the stairs two at a time. When I reach her floor, I fling the unlocked door open and charge into her bedroom.
The sight before me is disgusting and wrong.
Sean is shirtless, groping my naked woman.
My fucking girl.
Red fills my vision as I lose myself to rage. I grab his shoulders, slinging him off her into the floor. Turning, I tackle him, pummeling him with my fists. I slam my fists into his smarmy face over and over again, the world around me a blur. I’m vaguely aware of my hands in pain and a stern voice in my ear before I’m dragged away.
So much blood.
I stare at Sean’s battered face, unblinking and unperturbed. Dad tells someone to hurry and then he tosses his phone down to grab my face.
“Listen to me, Son,” Dad bites out. “We were walking by and heard the commotion. You stepped in to help the woman.”
“But she’s my—”
“No,” Dad bellows. “She’s not. Not as far as anyone knows. Trust me. If that gets out, all of this becomes worse. You have to trust me.”
“Is she okay?” I croak out.
“She will be. Just sit tight and do whatever Sheriff McMahon asks you to.”
All I want to do is take care of Kerry, but the severity in Dad’s tone tells me we’re walking a thin line here and one error could have everything blowing up in my face.
Two days later…
“Mullins,” Sheriff McMahon grunts. “Your dad is here. Let’s get you to the interview room.”
He unlocks the cell door and guides me to another room where my dad waits, dressed sharply in a three-piece suit. His expression is cool and unreadable. I know, from experience, it’s for the benefit of the other person. It’s clear he wants to keep his emotions in check until Sheriff leaves the room. As soon as Sheriff is gone, Dad sits down at the table in front of me.
“Kerry?” I ask, pain slicing through me.
“She’s been thoroughly checked at the hospital and was released yesterday. I can’t represent her, because I have you to think about, but I called a buddy of mine, Dane. He specializes in divorce law, but he can handle this case just fine.”
“Is Sean going to jail too?”
“Dane and I are doing our best to make sure that happens.”
“But?”
“But…” He sighs. “Kerry’s father is representing him.”
“What?” I snarl. “How could he do that to his own daughter?”
“He believes Sean is only guilty of taking care of his daughter who was inebriated. Sean is denying that he drugged her and that their sexual acts were consented upon. They did a rape kit at the hospital, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to have sex with her yet, so it’s a lot of he said she said at this point.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “He drugged her, Dad.”
“Toxicology proves she had traces of drugs in her system, yes,” Dad agrees, “but there’s no proof that he gave them to her. Currently, they have the story spun that Kerry is troubled and is lashing out at her father through Sean.”
“Unbelievable.”
“That’s not the bad part.”
My eyes lift to meet his. “How could it get much worse than that?”
“They know you weren’t just passing by. Sean remembers seeing you with Kerry. He claims you were having a sexual relationship with her and are a jealous ex-boyfriend who wanted to hurt him for dating her.”
“Fuck.”
Dad nods, frowning. “And because you’re my son, they’re like wolves, ready to destroy me.”
“What do we do?”
“If either of you admits you were in a relationship, then the story points back to Kerry. It’ll become that she’s a predator who lured her student into her bed. It’ll prove their case that she’s troubled and it’ll be a slam dunk. I can get you out of the fire, but it’s at her expense.”
“What about Sean?”
“If the story turns on Kerry, he’ll never get the justice he deserves.”
“But if I quietly take my punishment, she remains the victim?”
“Yes,” Dad says with
a heavy sigh. “I will unearth every piece of evidence against Sean Gentry to put in her arsenal. By the time I’m done with him, he’ll be doing hard time. Not just eight to fifteen months in County.”
His words are a punch to the gut. “Eight to fifteen months?”
“I’m sorry,” Dad mutters, “but you beat the shit out of Sean. It’s assault and battery no matter how we twist it. At the end of the day, you fucked him up and they’ll want to see you pay for it.”
“This will ruin your political career,” I state, unable to look at him. “Me doing time.”
“Fuck my career,” Dad snarls. “I care about you. And this woman, because you care about her, means I care too. I’m putting my family first for once. Hell, I should have done it years ago.”
I sit up in my chair, pinning my dad with a firm stare. “Okay. I’ll plead guilty and deny any relationship with Kerry if that’s what it’ll take to help her case against that motherfucker.”
Dad pats my hand. Pride shines in his green eyes.
We can do this.
If it means I can protect Kerry and help her finally get out from under her father’s paw, I’ll do it. I can afford a year of my life. What I can’t afford is hers being unfairly ruined. If she cares about me the way I care about her, she’ll be waiting for me on the other side of it. And if not, it’s still the right thing to do.
Sean will pay.
Even if it means I have to pay too.
Chapter Nine
Kerry
Two months later
Ten months.
They sentenced Zane Mullins to ten months in County for trying to protect me. I’m going to be sick. It’s unfair and disgusting. Sean Gentry wears a smug grin on his face as my own father congratulates him.
“We knew this would happen,” Felix murmurs to me as the judge continues to speak. “It’s the only way. We’re lucky Judge Rowe was on the case. Any other judge would have let your father trample all over them. Rowe gave Zane the best sentence we could ask for.”