Business as Usual (Off The Subject)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  “He’s been digging into my past, finding some of my old girlfriends.”

  Was that what he was doing while he was in New York? Were Caroline, Ben, and I wrong after all? “I didn’t know. I swear. I agreed never to talk about what happened and I haven’t. Reed said you were the one who was trying to find me.”

  He reaches a hand toward me and I flinch, fighting the urge to close my eyes.

  “Are you afraid of me?”

  That’s what he wants. He wants me to be afraid. Though he told the cops we had consensual sex, this is what got him off—this power over me. The harder I fought, the more he enjoyed it. Well, he’s taken enough of my life. I’m not giving him anymore.

  “No.”

  He laughs and touches my cheek. “I don’t believe you.”

  Reed enrolled me in a self-defense class after we left home. Now I struggle to remember any of what I learned. My biggest worry is that I’m pressed against a railing, twelve feet over the ground. Even if I hurt him, how will I get around him?

  I know one thing: I have to try.

  He’s looking down at me with a grin on his face. “We’re going to go down to my car and then find someplace to talk.”

  “Okay.”

  If I feign compliance, I can bolt as soon as we reach the parking lot.

  He seems surprised by my agreement—disappointed, even. He grabs my upper arm and drags me to the staircase. I resist the urge to look at Ben’s door as we pass. It’s better that he didn’t come out. Todd is clearly out of his mind. How could I live with myself if he hurt Ben? Reed’s hurt Ben enough as it is.

  Todd tugs me down the stairs, his fingers digging into my flesh with more force than necessary.

  I need a plan… I search my memory for details from the self-defense class. What were we told about breaking free of this kind of hold? When we reach the bottom step, I squat, and his wrist bends at an awkward angle. He loses his grip when I thrust my arm straight up, and I take off running, shouting for help as I go. But there’s little hope of anyone hearing or helping. We’re downtown and it’s well after midnight. No one’s around to hear me.

  The bar. The bar’s still open.

  He catches me within seconds, grabbing my shoulders from behind. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I lift my left arm straight up and swing around, breaking his hold, and slam the side of my hand into the base of his neck. He grunts and bends over as I take off running again. I won’t be able to make it to the front of the building, but I think I can make it to the back door.

  I’m in the lot behind the bar when Todd catches me and slams me face-first into the brick wall of the bar. I’m still several feet from the back door.

  “That wasn’t nice, Lexi.”

  “You think?” I shout. Rage unfurls inside me and all I can think of is hurting him…hurting him badly enough that he’ll never hurt me or anyone else again. I lift my foot and scrape it down his shin before stomping on his foot. Then I swing my hand to his groin, hitting him with all my force. His hold loosens as he shouts, “You bitch!”

  “Get away from me!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I spin around and shove the heel of my hand into his nose.

  He stumbles backward, blood gushing from his nostrils.

  I finally make it to the door and I beat on it frantically with my palms. “Help! Help me!”

  Todd stumbles toward me, holding his nose, the look in his eyes murderous.

  I move away from the door as he approaches.

  “I’m going to mess you up now, Lexi.”

  But the back door swings open as Todd advances me and Ben is standing in the opening, holding Brittany’s baseball bat. “The fuck you will.”

  I nearly drop to my knees with relief. “Ben.”

  Ben bursts through the door, wielding the bat as though he’s about to swing it into Todd’s head. “You back up now and get away from her.”

  “Ho!” Todd laughs, taking several backward steps with upraised hands. “So you’re the boyfriend.”

  Ben ignores him and moves forward.

  Brittany appears in the doorway, a phone in her hand. “The police are on their way.”

  “Did he hurt you, Alexa?” Ben asks, his voice tight.

  My cheek stings from being shoved into the bricks, but I realize I’m in the shadows and Ben hasn’t taken his eyes off Todd. If I tell Ben that he hurt me, God knows what he’ll do with that bat. “No,” I lie. “He just grabbed me.”

  “See?” Todd asks. “She wanted me. You need to butt out of this.”

  His statement infuriates Ben. The bat shakes as he lifts it higher.

  “Don’t, Ben,” I plead. “Let the police take care of it.”

  “I can make sure that he never hurts you again, Alexa.” Ben’s voice breaks.

  “It’s not worth it if I lose you in the process.”

  Sirens wail in the distance.

  Brittany, who has clearly clued into the danger here too, approaches Ben, reaching for the bat as she keeps her eyes glued on Todd. “Give me the bat, Ben. Go check on Alexa.”

  “Listen to the women, you pansy,” Todd taunts as he steps closer. “You haven’t got it in you.”

  Ben’s chest rises and falls more rapidly as his hold on the bat tightens.

  I grab his arm. “Don’t listen to him! He wants you to do something stupid so he can use his money and power to make you pay for it.”

  Ben glances at me and sees my cheek. Rage fills his eyes as he turns back to Todd. “I’m going to kill you.”

  Todd falters before wiping his bloody nose with the back of his hand and grinning. “You’re not going to kill me. Even a hick boy like you isn’t that stupid. Lexi mentioned money. You want money? How much will it take to make you put down that bat? Then we can all go our separate ways.”

  “There isn’t enough fucking money in the world to let you get away with this.” Ben’s voice is tight and he starts to advance.

  Britt moves in front of him, her face stern. “Give me the bat, Masterson. Do not throw your life away over this scumbag.”

  When Ben refuses to comply, I grab his arm again. “Ben, please.”

  He reluctantly releases his hold.

  Todd tries to bolt, but Brittany blocks his path, holding up the bat. “I’d love an excuse to bang up that pretty face even more. Just try me.”

  Ben rushes over to me and pulls me into his arms, holding me tight. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  He leans me back to study my face. “Your face is bleeding.”

  “He shoved me into the wall, so I gave him a bloody nose. I guess those self-defense classes came in handy after all.” I try to laugh, but my adrenaline is crashing and I start to shake.

  A police car screeches to a halt at the entrance to the parking lot, the flashing lights bouncing off the buildings.

  Ben takes a deep breath, and his expression practically shouts his feeling of relief. He pulls me to his chest, his arms encircling me as the police approach. “I can’t live without you, Alexa. Please. You have to believe me. I didn’t do it.”

  I look up at him. “I know.”

  But we don’t have time for a longer conversation about it because the police begin to ask questions. I tell what happened, including the truth about my rape last year. Todd tries to talk his way out of this mess, but the Hillsdale police are used to rich kids thinking they can get away with whatever they want and they’re sick of it. They handcuff him and are leading him to the police car when Reed’s car pulls up. He runs out of the car toward me. He’s furious when he sees Ben’s arms around me.

  “Reed!” I say firmly as he approaches. “Stop right now. If you can’t control yourself then leave.”

  “What?”

  “Ben just saved me from Todd. He’s not what you think he is. He’d never hurt me. I know it.”

  “Todd? Todd Millhouse?”

  “They just took him away in the police car. Why did you think it was here?”

>   “I don’t know. I saw Ben touching you and....” He shakes his head, looking pale. Then he sees my face and his anger returns. “Who hurt you?”

  I grab his arms and get in his face. “Todd, but Ben stopped him and Britt called the police. I’m fine.”

  Reed’s breath is coming out in short bursts.

  I throw my arms around his neck. “I’m fine. I promise.”

  His arms tighten around me and he starts to shake. “Oh, God, Lexi…”

  “I’m fine.”

  We hold each other for several long seconds before he lets me go and turns to Ben, his eyes hardening. “While I appreciate how you helped Lexi, I still don’t trust you.”

  “I do.” I square my shoulders. I’m not backing down. “I want you to like Ben. But he’s going to be part of my life whether you like it or not. So you have two choices right now: You can calm down and be civil with Ben, or you can leave.”

  He releases a huff. “Fine.” He crosses his arms, but he doesn’t look happy.

  I can’t believe it worked.

  The three of us spend the next couple of hours giving statements at the police department. Ben has refused to leave my side, so I’m not surprised that as we’re walking to our cars he announces we’re staying together tonight.

  He stares Reed in the face, clenching his jaw. “I don’t want to fight you Reed, but tonight has freaked me out so much that I can’t leave her.”

  Reed studies Ben’s beaten and swollen face. “Fine, but she’s coming home because I’m freaked out too.”

  My mouth drops in disbelief that they’ve come to a mutual agreement.

  I ride to my apartment with Ben. He holds my hand the entire way. When he parks outside my building, he turns off the car, but doesn’t make a move to get out. “I need to tell you what happened last November.”

  I shake my head. “You don’t owe me anything.”

  He looks into my eyes. “But I want you to know.”

  “Okay.”

  He takes a deep breath and tells me about Sabrina, how he went along with their relationship until he couldn’t take her attitude anymore. She was furious when he broke up with her, which was why she accused him of rape. He was stuck in jail for a week and many of his friends and family believed the worst of him, even after the charges were dropped.

  I cringe in horror when I remember my own behavior. “I’m no better than the rest of them.”

  “No,” he insists. “Your situation is different. I was arrested, Alexa, and Reed came blasting in, ready to beat the shit out of me. Why wouldn’t you believe I did it?”

  “Because I know you. You would never do that. I’m so utterly ashamed of myself. I almost lost you due to my own stupidity.”

  He cups my cheek. “Alexa. Please don’t beat yourself up about it. And you wouldn’t have lost me. I wasn’t about to give up on you that easily.”

  “Thank God.”

  He kisses me gently, wincing. “I might not be able to give you a proper kiss for a few days. Your brother throws quite a punch.”

  “Sorry about that too.”

  He shrugs. “I can’t blame him. He loves you. He was protecting you.”

  I lean my head on his shoulder.

  “Let’s go inside and go to bed. You’re exhausted.”

  I lift my head and give him a grin. “You just want to get me in bed.”

  “Always.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Ben

  Alexa’s in full-on control mode, and I stand back and watch in awe as she directs the people who are working behind the scenes to pull off her bachelor and bachelorette auction. She’s incredibly sexy when she’s in charge like this and it makes me even more eager to take her home when the event is over.

  My backstage job is simple: I stand out of the way and offer moral support. Alexa and Sylvia have this thing under control with the exception of one problem. They’re missing one of the guys they plan to auction.

  Sylvia’s about to freak out, but Alexa directs the MC—a communications major—to start the show. “Seth was supposed to be auctioned toward the end of the program,” she tells the guy, who thankfully seems willing to go with the flow. “We’ll figure out what to do by the time you get to him.”

  He nods. “Sounds good. Just let me know.” Then he walks around the dividers they’ve set up to block the audience from the backstage. Cheers and catcalls percuss from the audience and I hear his voice booming over the racket. “Welcome to the Southern University Bachelor and Bachelorette Auction. Tonight you’ll see thirty of Southern’s finest available co-eds, so run to the ATM or ready your checkbooks.” He pauses. “Do they still have those? Well, never mind because Lexi Pendergraft, the organizer for this event, has set it up so you can use your Gold Card to buy a date with the man or woman of your dreams.” His voice lowers. “And guys, there’s a couple of girls back there I plan on bidding on myself.” He laughs. “Remember that the proceeds from tonight go to Southern’s first ever Middle School University, so bid high and bid often. Let’s get this show started.”

  There’s a lull while the first guy walks around the divider, soon followed by loud applause.

  “He’s in the program, Lexi.” Sylvia is saying to Alexa. “I know half a dozen girls who are out there right now, waiting to bid on him.”

  Alexa grabs her arms and looks into her eyes. “Take a deep breath. We’ll do the best we can.”

  I walk over to them and Sylvia turns her attention on me. “This is all your fault.”

  I’m momentarily stunned. “How do you figure?”

  “It’s one of your guys who didn’t show.”

  I hold up my hands in protest. “Hey, I just gave you a couple of names. That’s when my responsibility ended.” Still, I feel bad—the last thing I want to do is stress out Alexa.

  A guy joins us, a cell phone in his hand. “Seth was in an accident. There’s no way he’ll be here in time.”

  Alexa gasps. “Is he okay?”

  “Yeah, but he’s stuck. He needs to give a police report and arrange for a tow truck.”

  I feel vindicated, even if the poor guy smashed his car.

  Sylvia throws up her hands. “What are we going to do?”

  Taking a deep breath, Alexa turns her gaze to me. “Ben will do it.”

  A chill runs down my spine. “Do what?”

  “You’ll take his place.” She looks down at her clipboard. “Even Scarlett said you were attractive enough.”

  “Oddly enough, it was more of a compliment coming from her.”

  She looks up and grins. “Are you seriously questioning your looks? Please.” She shakes her head.

  “Let me get this straight—you want me to go up on a stage and let Southern girls bid on a date with me?” I look her in the eyes. “Is this your not-so-subtle attempt to break up with me?” I tease.

  She steps closer and places a kiss on my lips, lingering for several seconds. “Let them bid as high as they want. I’ll outbid them by double.”

  I lift my eyebrows. “I think that’s technically bid rigging.”

  “It’s for a good cause. I think we’ll be fine.” She winks and pats my chest. “Besides, you’re presuming that someone else will bid on you.” She laughs as she walks away.

  “Ouch.”

  Sylvia eyes me up and down. “Good thing you dressed to impress Lexi. I suspect it will work on the other girls too. I think we’ll get a lot of money off you.”

  “You’re serious?”

  She curls her upper lip. “I wanted Lexi to get you for the auction in the first place. Hot and smart? Girls eat that shit up.”

  I snort. “Now you tell me. Where were you freshman year?”

  She laughs, but my stomach twists into knots. They really want me to do this, but I’m sick to my stomach. I’ve never liked public attention to begin with, and I got more than my fair share last fall. But I tell myself this is different. I’ll be helping Alexa and my brother Kyle.

  “I still haven’t agre
ed, you know,” I call over to Alexa, but she waves a dismissive hand.

  I wait thirty minutes before I begin pacing. Alexa has been running the event with a masterful hand and has paid little attention to me up until now. “We’ve auctioned off twenty-two bachelors and bachelorettes and already made eight thousand dollars,” she says, her eyes shining with excitement. “And we saved the ones we thought would bring in the most money for last.”

  I swallow my nausea. “I hope I don’t disappoint.”

  Her hand drapes over my wrist and her eyes widen. “Ben…are you nervous?”

  “Hell, yeah I’m nervous. Girls are going to be checking me out and bidding money on me.”

  “They’re not actually going to win you.”

  “Still…”

  She laughs. “How about we get a few bids, and then I’ll bid some outrageous amount to end your torture?”

  I release a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

  “Let’s just hope it doesn’t go over ten thousand or we’re both screwed,” she teases.

  “Lexi,” Sylvia calls. “There’s a problem with the credit card reader.”

  “Coming,” she says then turns to me. “Duty calls. Listen, you’re up after the girl who’s out there right now, so why don’t you go stand at the edge of the stage and Chuck will let you know when it’s time to go on.”

  “Okay.”

  As she walks toward Sylvia, she looks over her shoulder. “And we’ll talk about what I expect from our date later.”

  I want to laugh, but I’m still nervous. I barely have time to think about why when I hear the emcee bang his gavel. “Sold to the guy in the plaid shirt for eight hundred and seventy-five dollars.”

  The girl who just pulled in the big bucks walks offstage, grinning ear to ear. “Good luck,” she says. As she passes me, she looks me up and down. “You should get at least five hundred.”

  Five hundred dollars to go on a date with me?

  Chuck puts a hand on my shoulder. “When he calls your name, you’re going to walk onto the stage and stand on the giant X taped next to him. Then when he starts to talk about you, you’ll walk down the short runway, turn around, and come back to the X. You’ll wait there for the bidding to end.” His voice lowers. “We’ve found the guys tend to get more money if they flirt with the girls as they walk.”