by Layla Hagen
"Now you don't anymore?" It's not like his opinion of Damon would change my feelings for him, but I'd be less tense when they eventually meet each other.
Dad holds his hands up, as if saying, I’m not sure. "According to your brother, he's changed a lot from the rebel with self-destructing tendencies he was in high school. I will give the benefit of the doubt to anyone who's willing to put so much effort into turning his life around."
Mom leans over the table, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Your brother has been lobbying Damon a lot.”
I am so happy right now I could hug them. "I think you two can finally meet Damon."
"So, this was a test?" Dad grins.
"Yes, sir. Can't have you scare off my boyfriend."
Dad shrugs, pleased with himself, then tries to steal a slice of beef from my plate. Mom slaps his hand, frowning at him.
"You're not allowed red meat, you know that," she says.
"I can't be condemned forever to a life of fish and vegetables. I need some toxins in my system."
"You're not eating that." She glares at him while pointing at the tiny piece of beef stuck in his fork.
"Okay, okay." Dad puts the beef back on my plate and resumes eating his food. Mom makes a point of looking at him until he gulps down the very last bite. He looks up at me hopefully a few times, silently pleading for me to help out. I love my dad, but I draw the line at steamed broccoli and fish. I just give him my most sympathetic look.
"Did we tell you we plan to move?" Mom asks.
"No. When? Where?"
"Nothing's set yet, but somewhere next to San Francisco, so we'll be closer to you and James."
"We're thinking of buying a small house, maybe a bungalow," Dad fills me in.
I stare at them. "You live in a palace and want to move into a bungalow?"
"Our house is just too big. We don't need that much space," he explains. "It's just the two of us now."
"Wow. Do you have any other life-changing news to share?" I ask.
"I'm thinking of selling the chocolate factory, too."
"No way." It feels like a punch in my gut. "Why?"
My father starts explaining his reasons, and I can't say he's wrong, but I feel a deep sense of loss at the news.
"Well, I think you had enough bad news for today," Mom says after everyone finishes eating.
"But it's only six o'clock," I protest.
"Your dad is getting tired." She watches him wearily. "And surely a freshman has better things to do than hang around with her parents on a Saturday night?"
"I’m going to a party," I admit sheepishly, "but it's not until later."
"Well, use this time to get prepared. Enjoy it. A little fun never hurt anyone."
"True," I agree.
We couldn't be more wrong.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Dani
My head still spins from my parents' news when I arrive at the address Hazel texted me. The two-story house is remote. That's good. The wild dancing on the porch and the booming music wouldn't get love from any neighbors. Hazel is not outside, and I brace myself before going inside. I recognize a couple of people from campus, but there are mostly strangers here, which makes me uneasy. I find Hazel in the main room, dancing her ass off with Chase, who has his hands firmly on her hips, holding her very close to him. Well, well, well. Not one to want to interrupt a love story in the making, I peek around to see if I can find someone I know until Damon arrives. Before I can disappear, Hazel sees me and motions for me to come to them. Chase gives me a smug grin as he places a soft kiss on Hazel's shoulder, not letting go of her waist.
"What's wrong?" Hazel asks, swinging her body with an energy that makes me think she's had one too many tequilas.
"Dad wants to—” I begin, practically yelling into her ear. She pushes me away, shaking her head.
"Dani, I am a bit drunk, not deaf."
"Dad wants to sell the chocolate factory," I say in a more measured tone.
Hazel's eyes bulge. "What, why? Let's go someplace quieter." Turning to Chase, she rises on her tiptoes and speaks into his ear.
"I'll just wait for you around here. Don't be gone for long." He looks at Hazel with such a heartfelt longing that I am practically swooning.
"Okay, let's go." Hazel takes me by the arm, and we manage to navigate out of the room without bumping into anyone.
"Are you two on a date?" I ask once we're on the corridor. I blink, looking around startled. I swear there are twice as many people inside than when I walked in a few minutes ago. When did all these people arrive?
"Yes." Her gaze is dreamy and full of hope.
"We can talk later. I don't want to crash your first date."
"No, it's okay; I was hoping I could get to talk alone to you." Blushing seriously, she adds, "Let's find a quieter place. I need some advice on something."
"Hazel!" I come to a halt, doing my best to give her a death stare. "It's too soon for sex."
"Gee, could you have been louder?" One look around us proves that no one's paying any attention to us.
"Sorry," I drop my voice to a whisper, "but it is too soon."
"I wasn't going to ask about sex, just about...doing other stuff."
We find refuge on a dark and narrow staircase everyone ignores. The main staircase that everyone uses to get to the upper floors is only a few feet away, but that's far enough. No one can overhear us.
"Spill everything, right from the start."
"Well, I owe it to you. We talked today on the beach, and he said you verbally flogged him, and he realized he was an idiot. The next part is a bit fuzzy. He asked if I want to date him, and I panicked so I’m not sure if my answer was intelligible at all, and then he kissed me."
"On the beach?"
"Yep," she says with a big grin, straightening her shoulders and pushing her chest out a tad.
"I'm so happy for both of you."
"So..." Her expression becomes sober again, and she lowers her eyes to the floor. "I've known Chase for more than half a year."
"Yeah, but trust me, it's too early for sex. What's the rush?"
"Well, he's been with a lot of girls, and I just think he expects..." Her voice trails away as she starts rubbing her palms up and down her thighs as if they're suddenly sweaty.
"Did he say something?"
"No, I'm just assuming that."
"Of course you are. We're best friends for a reason. I thought the same thing when I met Damon." Hazel snaps her gaze up, looking half-relieved, half-skeptical. "Look, if he cares about you—and I think he does—he’ll be happy to wait until you’re ready."
"Dani, Hazel." I whip my head to one side. Damon hurries toward us, sporting a panty-melting grin. He kisses me the second he's close enough, and the desire to be alone with him hits me hard and unapologetic. By the way his lips linger on mine, I can tell he feels the same. "Why are you two hiding here?"
"We wanted someplace quiet," Hazel says quickly, blushing even more furiously than earlier. "Where we could talk..." Damn Hazel and her pearl-white complexion. In a fraction of a second, her face gets a violent shade of red, and I jump in before Damon can figure out what we were talking about.
"So I could tell Hazel why Dad wants to sell the chocolate factory. I might lose my best friend. Sometimes I think chocolate was the only reason Hazel decided to be friends with me."
Hazel elbows me gently before admitting, "No bonding like that over chocolate." Wrinkling her nose, she asks, "Is this weed I'm smelling?"
"Ugh." I acknowledge the scent.
"Definitely," Damon says.
A tall, athletic-looking girl materializes out of nowhere. She looks like she had something stronger than weed.
"Well, this is one classy party," I mutter as the girl leaves.
"I'll leave you two and go back to...dancing," Hazel says. I give her a pointed look before she walks away, then Damon and I sit on the stairs. He pulls me into his lap, kissing my mouth hungrily. My body responds to him i
mmediately, my thighs pressing on him. I fist his hair as Damon's lips descend to my neck, nibbling hungrily.
"I want you." His voice is rough as he cups my chin, looking at me so intensely I start burning on the inside. We launch into another kiss, more passionate than the first one. Heat pools low in my body, more so when Damon cups my ass over my dress, pulling me even closer to him until I can feel just how much he wants me.
A loud burst of laughter behind us makes us both jump and come to our senses. I climb out of Damon's lap, carefully rearranging my dress as I sit on a stair. Next to me, Damon draws in a labored breath. I can't help smiling, but I force myself to look anywhere except at the bulge in his pants. We can't jump each other again.
"I didn't know about the factory sale," Damon eventually says in a strained voice. "James did mention your dad wanted to talk to him, but gave no specifics."
"I talked to Dad earlier and he dropped the bomb."
"But why does he want to sell it? It's doing great, even if he isn't heading it."
"He intended for it to be a family business, and since James has no interest in it and Dad is getting old..." I lean back on the stairs with my hands under my head. "It's such a shame. I love that factory. I always hoped it would stay in our family."
"So, why don't you do something about it?" Damon asks.
"What do you mean?"
"You’re part of your family, you know. If James doesn't want it, you can take charge in a few years."
"I never thought about that...the subject never came up." But now that I’m thinking about it, the excitement starts trickling in my veins. I bounce to my feet, no longer able to sit.
"You aced the business course, and you looked like you had fun doing it," Damon continues, evidently encouraged by my reaction. "With the right training—”
"I could work part-time during the term and then full-time during summers," I say, more to myself than to him. "I'd learn my way up. No favors for being the boss's daughter or anything."
"That sounds like a good plan."
I grin. "I just found my map."
"Why don't we go celebrate? Just the two of us."
"You seemed excited about the party when I texted you."
"I know, but now I just want to be with you." He leans into me, dragging the back of his fingers on my cheek. "I love you, Dani."
"I love you, too, and I'd love to celebrate alone with you."
"Let's go."
"I just need to go to the ladies room, and then find Hazel to tell her we're leaving."
"I'll find Hazel," Damon says. "Meet me on the front porch when you're ready."
I groan when I see the line to the bathroom. I wait in line for ten minutes before I give up. A house this big must have a bathroom upstairs. It might not be polite to snoop around, but neither is peeing myself. The music is as deafening upstairs as it was in the dance room, and I quickly identify the culprits for this: two speakers. I inspect the place carefully, looking for a line—the clearest sign of a bathroom—but don't find one. There are at least a dozen couples around me making out, so when my bladder threatens to explode, I finally just say to hell with it and go to the nearest couple. I cringe when I tap the girl on the shoulder. She's too preoccupied with the kiss to budge. I tap harder. Finally, she looks up at me.
"Bathroom?" I mouth, trying to appear as apologetic as possible. She nods toward the door at the end of the corridor, and I all but break into a run toward it.
When I get out a few minutes later, the music seems to have gotten even louder, and the light on the corridor dimmer. Much dimmer. I take out my phone from my purse, using it as a flashlight of sorts. I only make it a few feet before someone grabs both my arms forcefully and pulls me into a room.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Dani
My head collides painfully with wood as my aggressor pins me against the door once we're inside the room. Panic shoots through me. I try to make sense of what’s happening. It's pitch-dark, and the only thing I'm aware of besides the pain in my head is the whiff of alcohol coming off him.
A drunkard. I try not to let the panic cloud my thoughts.
"You have it all planned out, don't you?" a familiar voice asks, freezing the blood in my veins.
"Gabe," I whisper, my stomach churning so violently I fear I’ll throw up.
He jerks me away from the door and further inside the dark room. "Funny how things work out. I’ve wanted to get you alone for months, and then you walk right into this party."
"You’re selling drugs here." Remembering the girl downstairs, I taste bile at the back of my throat.
“Why, yes...excellent deduction skills." He jerks me forward, causing me to stumble and lose my balance. I bare my hands in front of my face, expecting to hit a wall, but it's my knees that take a full sting when they collide with the metal railing of a bed. I crash in it with a loud cry, clutching my knees tightly, blind from the pain.
Light suddenly assaults my eyes. Gabe has turned on a bedside lamp. In the split-second it takes me to realize this is my one shot to run away, Gabe is already over me, pinning me into the mattress. With the light on, the horror becomes even more real.
"What do you want, Gabe?"
"Cutting right to the chase, aren't you? I'll show you what I want." One of his hands shoots up under my dress, groping my inner thigh hard while his other hand keeps my wrists over my head.
"You don't want to do this," I beg.
"Oh, but I do, and I will."
"I will scream."
"Please do. Who do you think will hear you over the music?"
No one, that's who. And no one knows I’m up here. Sure, Damon will start looking for me if I don't show up soon, but that still gives Gabe plenty of time to have his way with me. I swallow hard, forcing myself to keep my head cool and consider my options. I weigh about half as much as him, and with my hands trapped, I can't push him off. His knees are pinned at either side of my legs, his crotch right above my knees.
"You think you're tough, don’t you? Cornering a girl, using your strength to subdue me?" I push my head up to him as much as I can, sharp pain twitching in my arms. It achieves the effect I was hoping for. Gabe takes his hand away from my thigh, groping my chin instead.
"You—” he begins. I swing my left knee upward fast and hard, hitting him squarely in the crotch. "Fuck!" Gabe screams every profanity at me as his body involuntarily bends, releasing his grip on me. I push him off me, slamming my elbow in his jaw. I scramble out of the bed, my feet trembling dangerously. I make a run for the door, and almost make it. Even though I know no one will hear me over the deafening music outside, I scream for help. No one arrives. I hear Gabe behind me, but I'm less than a foot away, and my hand shoots forward, clasping the doorknob. Then Gabe fists my hair, pulling me and throwing me on the bed again. My head lolls back, giving me whiplash. By the time I see straight again, Gabe is on top of me already. "Bitch." Something's not right, though. He doesn't have me trapped like before. Yes, he's leaning over me, but my hands are free. That's when I feel something against my neck. It's cold and sharp—the blade of a knife.
"If I were you, I wouldn't move."
"I won't," I assure him, dread creeping deep into my bones. There is no fighting him off now. My breath comes out in a rush.
"So, the rich girl had an existential crisis, didn't she? Didn't know what to do with all that money you've got, and now you'll finally be Daddy's girl?"
"You were spying on Damon and me?" Maybe if I make him talk long enough, I can get him to change his mind.
"I didn't want to let you out of my sight. No one will help you. Not Damon, not even James. It will kill him to live with it...the almighty James Cohen couldn't keep his sister safe. It will serve Damon a lesson, too. Let's see if he still wants you after I’m done with you."
"What do you have against James and Damon?"
"I spent a year in jail because of them."
"You went to prison because you broke the law," I say coldly.
&nbs
p; "You rich people always have an answer. Everything comes easy for you. It's great, making plans, isn't it?" Something about his controlled composure sets off alarm bells, sweat forming on my palms. His face tightens, and his eyes come alive with hatred. "You know who didn't get to make any? My sister. Because your brother and Damon killed her."
"What are you talking about?"
"When your precious James put me in jail, I had a lot of debt toward dangerous people. You're a smart girl, tell me...do you think I could pay them back if I were jailed?"
"No," I whisper.
"No. These aren't patient people. They don't give second chances."
"I don't understand—” I begin, but Gabe cuts me off abruptly.
"I'll explain. They took it out on my sister," he says. Cold fear runs through me as Gabe leans in closer to me. His weight crushes me. "They raped and beat her." Pain flickers somewhere behind all the rage in his eyes. "She killed herself two days later."
"I am so sorry, Gabe." I barely get the words out. My chest heaves, each breath slicing through me.
"You should be. I wonder if you'll do the same after."
"You don't want to do this. It won't bring your sister back," I say with as much calm as I can muster.
"I don't care."
My body starts shaking uncontrollably, beads of sweat forming on my upper lip. Images of what my life would look like if Gabe rapes me flash through my mind with a nauseating speed. My heart slams against my ribcage so violently it blocks out any other sound, including his voice. I don't hear what he says next. My eyes fix on the burning anger in his eyes, on the way his jaw clenches.
"Answer," he bellows, moving away the knife and shaking me so violently that yet another whiplash hits me.
"I didn't—I didn't hear what you said," I stutter. Gabe presses the side of the blade deeper into my skin again, his other hand groping the inside of my thigh, moving higher and higher.
The next seconds pass in a blur. When Gabe's hand reaches the hem of my underwear, the pressure of his knife on my neck weakens. My senses kick into overdrive. I suddenly become aware of every muscle in my body, every weak point of Gabe's, anything that could provide an escape. It's all or nothing now. I'll be damned if I'll let him have anything at all. With a force I didn't even know I possess, I shove his blade-holding hand away. When it touches his chest, Gabe yelps, moving back, looking at his knife in disbelief, checking if I've cut him. I didn't because the blade was sideways, but this split-second of confusion offers me my one shot. I push my elbows in the mattress, propelling myself upward, then throw myself at Gabe with all my force. He falls back on the bed, ripping a shred of my dress in the process. I try to jack myself out of the bed when I feel his hand close on my ankle. My stomach churning violently, I kick him with my other leg. I don't turn to look where I've hit him, but he growls in pain. I just push myself forward, landing on all fours on the floor.
