Mountain Man Daddy

by Chloe Maddox

  “I noticed you back there,” he said as he blew a ring of smoke out of his mouth in an ‘O’ fashion.

  “I don’t think this is appropriate,” I said, calmly as I worked to keep the fear out of my voice. Whatever his intentions were, they certainly weren’t noble.

  I turned, getting ready to go back inside when he yanked on my hand, pulling me backwards. I stared down at our hands, but he wouldn’t budge.

  “Let go of me,” I said, firmly as I tried to use my hands to extract myself.

  “Now, come on, sugar. I made small talk, didn’t I? The least you could do is be friendly.”

  He turned his gaze to mine, and what I saw reflected in their depths scared me. My survival instincts immediately kicked in, and I twisted in his grasp.

  It took him by surprise, and I immediately leapt up and began to yell, but the noise coming from inside was too loud. Next thing I knew, he had his hand clamped over my mouth, and he held my hands behind my back.

  “I asked nicely, but since you won’t comply, I guess that means I’ll have to be clearer,” he whispered into my ear as his breath tickled the back of my neck.

  I shuddered in revulsion, but he mistook it for desire because he angled me forward, so that I was pressed against the wall. My eyes began to well up with unshed tears as my mind raced to come up with a solution.

  I couldn’t let this bastard get the upper hand otherwise who knows what might happen?

  I squirmed beneath him, trying to use my legs as leverage, but he just pushed my legs apart, so that he was pressed against me from the back. I could feel his bulge between my butt cheeks, and pure unaltered panic began to course through my veins.

  Chapter 3

  Okay, Sandy, think I ordered myself.

  He was clearly far more inebriated than he let on because it was clear they had a drink or two before they got to the pub.

  That meant I had the advantage if I could just get him to loosen his grip a little. I blinked rapidly in an attempt to keep the tears at bay and told myself to keep it together.

  The last thing I needed right now was to cry, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me be vulnerable.

  He wasn’t worth it. When my throat was no longer clogged up with emotion, and my eyes were dry, I noted with horror that he was running his fingers through my hair and sniffing it.

  Once he was done, he placed his head in the space where my neck met my shoulder and began to lightly run his mouth over the sensitive skin there. My stomach recoiled and turned as I tasted bile in the back of my throat.

  He was clearly enjoying this because his bulge just got bigger, and the worst part was he thought I was enjoying it too. He used one arm to hold us together while the other wrapped itself around my neck in a chokehold.

  Oh, God.

  He was into the kinky stuff too.

  Actually, this could work out to my advantage.

  This depended largely on my acting skills, but I thought I could pull it off. I just needed to keep my goal clear and present in my head to get through this. I let that thought fill me with purpose as I went slack against his grip and made a small whimpering noise in the back of my throat.

  As expected, he groaned into my ear. “Yeah, you like that, don’t you?”

  I made a small noise in a response, and he carefully removed his hand from over my mouth, testing to see if I would scream. I could, but I had about a three second window of opportunity before he placed his hand over my mouth again.

  And then I wouldn’t have this chance again. I moved my hips ever so slightly, and the man twitched against me. Suddenly, he spun me around, so that I was facing him, wide eyed and innocent.

  “I knew you’d come around,” he whispered in what he thought was a sexy tone. I swallowed back the urge to spit in his face and gave a small smile instead.

  His grip relaxed even further, and before he knew what I was up to, I brought my legs up and slammed them down hard on his foot. He grunted in surprise and that gave me the space I needed to push him backwards then swiftly knee him in the balls.

  He half fell to the ground as he clutched his balls and whimpered in pain. I watched in grim satisfaction before I spun on my heel. I was about to march inside when he caught me around the ankle.

  I began to frantically claw at his arm till he released, and I went bursting through the door, a wild look on my face. Customers were milling about and chatting easily, but Ruth caught me from across the bar.

  Her eyes widened into two twin pools of surprise before a grim look replaced her expression, and she marched forward. She tugged me forward gently. “What happened?”

  “One of those college students attacked me outside,” I kept my voice low, but I didn’t want to cause a scene. I could already tell we were drawing a few curious gazes though, so I tugged on Ruth’s arm and led her backwards.

  On the way there, we ran into Alex who had an easygoing smile on his face till he caught sight of the bruise around my neck. I’m sure it was large and angry right now, and who knew what else was a telltale sign.

  The easy expression on his face was gone just as quickly as it came. In its place was a look of pure hard nerves that I was sure often helped him in court.

  I could hear the sound of the doors bursting open, and I couldn’t help the flinch that tore through me as Ruth angled herself, so that she was between me and the door.

  I turned around, so that Alex, Ruth and I were all facing the man whose face was contorted in rage and pain as his eyes wildly danced around the room. Once they landed on me, he pushed his way through the crowd till he stood in front of us, snarling and yapping like a rabid animal.

  “I want to speak to the manager,” he snapped.

  “What’s this about?” Ruth asked without breaking a sweat.

  “I don’t think you’re the manager, so I want him now before I cause a scene.” He gritted his teeth as his gaze regarded me coldly.

  I drew myself to my full height and stared back, my expression just as tough. That took him by surprise a little bit.

  “The manager isn’t here today, and I’m in charge, so I’ll ask again. What’s this about?” Ruth’s voice was no longer pleasant. Now, it took another quality altogether, and it was dripping with ice and venom.

  I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.

  “Your waitress just attacked me.” He jabbed his thumb in my general direction.

  “You attacked me. I was just defending myself,” I said, calmly in spite of the inner turmoil.

  “Stop lying you little bitch. You know you wanted it. You’ve been coming onto me all night, so I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but it won’t work on me,” he spat out.

  No sooner were the words out of his lips than Alex shoved him backwards. Not expecting this, the man tipped backwards, but managed to right himself at the last second.

  “What the hell, man? My quarrel isn’t with you.”

  “It’s obvious that she didn’t want you. You’ve got claw marks on your arm, and she’s got bruises all over her neck,” Alex said matter-of-factly as he placed himself between us and my attacker.

  “And you think you’re the expert?”

  “It only takes a person with eyes to see. You are aware that you are violating her civil rights which could result in a lawsuit that I don’t think you can afford. Also, first degree aggravated assault doesn’t look good on a CV.”

  The man blinked and made a face. Come to think of it, that was a weird thing to say.

  Was he stating facts or defending me because it looked like he was straddling the line and unable to pick a side. However, that was a hell of a defense.

  The man looked slightly scared at the jargon that was used, but he quickly recovered his composure as he shoved his hands in his pockets, and gave Alex a smile.

  “Oh, I get it. You want to tap that.” Recognition dawned on the man’s face, an arrogant smile flitted across his features.

  “Excuse me?” Al
ex’s straightened his back, and his voice sounded annoyed.

  “It’s cool, man. If you were here first, I can respect dibs.” The man held up his hands in a gesture of peace and solidarity. “This one probably likes it rough, so maybe when you’re done I can—”

  He didn’t have the chance to finish that thought because Alex’s hands were around his neck in an instant. They were wrapped tightly in a chokehold, and the man was sputtering and coughing as he tried to move Alex’s arms.

  Unfortunately for him, Alex was not only stronger, but also smarter, so he knew how to use his weight and strength to his advantage.

  “Don’t ever talk that way again,” Alex threatened as he dropped the man to the floor, and the man scrambled backwards like a wounded animal. His dark eyes were large and dilated, and he had a stunned look on his face.

  As if he couldn’t quite believe that he was betrayed by his own kind.

  Finally, his lips curled back into a sneer as he spit on the floor next to him. “Whatever. She probably wasn’t going to be that good anyway.”

  I placed my hand on Alex’s shoulder to calm him down because I knew that the man was trying to taunt him now. It wouldn’t be good for Alex’s case if he attacked a man even if the pig deserved it.

  Also, I was sure lawyers were held to a higher standard, so I doubted he’d be able to talk his way out of this one. And I had a feeling he was able to do that a lot.

  The slight shift in his breathing told me he was reacting to my touch which was good. I leaned in and whispered. “Just ignore him. He’s trying to bait you.”

  Alex gave a small imperceptible nod as he gave the man one last withering look.

  “That’s right. Walk away, you little pussy.”

  Before I could think it through, I pushed Alex aside, and I was up in the man’s face. He only had a second to register that it was me who came not Alex before I yanked my hand back and let it fly forward.

  There was the sound of a sick crunch, and I cursed as I pulled my hand away and cradled it in my other hand. The man’s head was thrown to the side, and blood was pouring out of his mouth.

  Mr. Rothman came out at that moment, his expression weary but stern. “Everybody get back to work now.”

  It was as if somebody hit the play button. In slow motion, everybody began to get back to what they were doing before the fight broke out except for Ruth, Alex, the man on the floor and I.

  Blood was still dripping on the floor even though the man had his hands held over his nose, and his eyes squeezed shut. Mr. Rothman calmly instructed one of the waitresses to get him a hot towel for his nose, and he handed it to him.

  “My name is John Roberts. Are you the manager here?” John asked as he tilted his head back in an effort to stop the bleeding. His voice came out sounding muffled and strained, but I didn’t feel any kind of guilt.

  Nor regret.

  Aside from the slight throbbing in my hand, there was nothing to indicate that I was the one to do this. Mildly, I wondered if I should be alarmed by the blood because I didn’t think I’d punched him that hard, but Ruth shot me a look that told me to stay quiet.

  So I did.

  I kept my mouth shut though I had a few choice words for this John Roberts.

  “Yes, I am,” Mr. Rothman responded, casually as if they were having a conversation over a plate of food.

  “I want to a file a complaint.”

  “The only person who should be filing a complaint here is Ms. Stevens.” Mr. Rothman gestured in my direction. “She has that right, not you.”

  “Excuse me?” John glared while holding up the towel which only made him look comical.

  “You heard me. I know what happened here. Don’t take me for a fool, Mr. Roberts. I should call the police right now because you attacked one of my employees, and I heard the way you were trying to taunt Mr. Coldwell.”

  “But I, but she and he—” He sputtered as his face turned red in shame.

  “If I were you, I would pay the check, grab my buddies and get out of here. You’re not welcome here,” Mr. Rothman’s voice rang out clearly and authoritatively.

  There was no room for argument.

  His friends had been watching the confrontation quietly, neither of them lifting a finger to help him. No doubt they realized that he’d gotten himself in trouble, and they didn’t have to go down with him.

  Hastily, they began to shuffle up out of their seats, and with their heads down, they hurriedly paid the check.

  “We’ll go,” One of them assured us as he began to pull John backwards vehemently. John stared at us as we stood there, an oddly mismatched group before he narrowed his eyes into slits and stormed out.

  I hadn’t realized that I was holding my breath till it came out in a whoosh, and I sagged in relief against Ruth. “Thank God he left.”

  “I know, darlin’.” Ruth began to pat my hair and rub her hands over my back in an effort to soothe me. “It’s okay.”

  “Are you alright, Sandy?” Mr. Rothman asked, the concern shining in his dark eyes.

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “I can see you handled yourself quite well,” Mr. Rothman said, admiringly. “You definitely didn’t need us supporting you.”

  “It helped anyways,” I assured him, warmly as I gave him a small smile.

  “We can still file a complaint.” Mr. Rothman suggest. “You’re well within your right to do that.”

  “I never got his name, so there’s no point. If he comes back, we will.”

  Mr. Rothman nodded and strolled back to his office, the obvious tension in his shoulders fading away.

  “Thank you for stopping me from doing something stupid,” Alex said, quietly as he eyed me seriously. “If I had gotten a hold of him a second time, I don’t think I would’ve just settled for dropping him to the ground like a doll.”

  “I could tell. It’s okay.”

  Ruth gave my shoulder one last comforting squeeze before she angled herself backwards. “I should get back to it, and you need to go to the doctor. If you wait for a bit, I can try to take you.”

  In response, my hand began to throb, and I winced. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just sleep it off.”

  “That looks swollen, honey. You definitely need to take a look at it,” Ruth advised.

  “Your car doesn’t work that well, Ru. I’d rather you use it to get yourself home. I can take a bus or something,” I argued.

  “I’ll take her,” Alex offered, interrupting the argument. Two sets of eyes turned to him, one of them grateful, and the other weary.

  “Or I could at least take the bus with you if you don’t feel comfortable being alone in a car with me after what just transpired.”

  I stared and shook my head. “No, it’s okay, I guess, but don’t you have somewhere to be?”

  “Not at the present, no,” Alex responded, an amused smile hovering on the edge of his lips. “Let me just grab my jacket.”

  “Mr. Coldwell,” Mr. Garcia called out from his booth, an odd look on his face.

  Alex stiffened as he slowly turned around, his jaw taut. “Yes?”

  Mr. Garcia gestured to the seat in front of him. “Come and sit down. Let’s talk shop.”

  Ruth and I shared an incredulous look, but for his part, Alex didn’t look fazed at all. I was pretty sure he’d just landed a major client, and instead of looking elated, he looked quietly confident and poised.

  As if he expected that to happen.

  No one could’ve predicted that though.

  Unless…

  An easy thought began to gnaw at the pit of my stomach. What if only tried to help me to impress Mr. Garcia? To show him that he was a human being who could help the less fortunate?

  It wasn’t too much of a stretch, was it?

  I didn’t want to think that of him especially when he’d just helped save my life, but I couldn’t help the negative thoughts that kept pestering me.

  I watched his retreating back and wondered about the true nature
of Alex Coldwell.

  ***

  “Hang on, I can open the door for you,” Alex offered as he hastily slipped off his seatbelt.

  “I can do it myself,” I snapped, a little sharply as I used my other hand to open the door. It was slightly more difficult given that it was my right hand that was injured, but I managed.

  Once we walked into the hospital, I signed in and waited for them to call my name. I fidgeted uneasily on the uncomfortable plastic waiting chairs as Alex aimlessly flipped through the magazine next to me.

  He bounced his legs up and down nervously as he kept checking his watch every few seconds. When I finally grew fed up, I shot him a withering look. “Could you possibly stop doing that? I said you can leave if you want to. I can take the bus home.”

  “No, I can wait,” he said, distractedly.

  “Then stop fidgeting,” I ordered, testily as I began to feel a headache pounding at the base of my skull. I could already tell it was going to be one those headaches that stayed for a while.

  Just what I needed.

  “That was a hell of a punch. Where did you learn to punch like that?” Alex asked as he began to pop the muscles in his neck by craning his neck left then right.

  “When you grow up in a neighborhood like mine, you learn to defend yourself early on,” I explained without looking at him as I tried to ignore the growing pain in my hand,

  I seriously hoped I hadn’t done a lot of damage to it because I liked being able to depend on myself, and this was going to be hard if I was one hand short.

  “An important survival skill,” Alex commented.

  “Yes,” I said, shortly. “Look, seriously. I think you should just go.”

  “Why do you keep asking me to go?” he asked, annoyance leaking into his tone. “I’m here aren’t I?”

  “I know that what you did was to prove to Mr. Garcia that you aren’t a bad person,” I countered. “So, there’s no need to pretend anymore. He isn’t here anymore, so there’s no need to impress him. He’ll probably hire you anyway.”