“Hardly. He is a bigger dickhead and even more crazy than Simon was,” Steph said and although she didn’t look, she knew he was watching her.
She continued to dance with the girls in her group and several men who joined them for varying lengths of time. They all continued to drink too and it was as Steph was about to accept a drink from a young man that Jon appeared beside her, clearly intent on preventing anything resembling fun happening.
Standing at her side he addressed the other man, “She’s had enough, thanks mate,” and turned her to walk away.
“I think that’s her choice, don’t you?” asked the other man defiantly.
“Not in the state she’s in and it seems that she is with me, so . . .” Jon spoke calmly but with an undercurrent of confrontation.
“Sorry, I didn’t realise, no offence meant,” said the other man, retreating slightly.
“What are you doing?” Steph angrily turned to face Jon.
“Saving you from making a huge mistake and attempting to keep you safe from yourself as well as guys who think drunk girls are always consenting,” he informed her and led her to a glass of water. “Drink it.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he interrupted her.
“You are, according to Lindsay and Charlie, a very bright, articulate, funny and intelligent young lady and whilst I can’timagine accounting being awfully exciting it can’t be so dull that you have to come out looking and behaving this way. Now, drink the water,” he barked at her impatiently.
She began to sip the water in spite of her desire to dowse Jon in it as Charlie appeared with Lindsay over his shoulder.
“We’re off. It would appear that my wife-to-be is a light weight where drinking is concerned. Do you want to share a cab with us, Steph? Linds will have a fit in the morning if she thinks I have abandoned you on your own in such a merry state.” He laughed but hearing his words, Steph couldn’t help but wonder if everyone perceived her as being a bit slutty,slutty Steph, someone who drank too much, dressed inappropriately and was sexually promiscuous, always consenting as Jon had put it when nothing could be farther from the truth.
Steph was about to join Charlie when Jon intervened, “It’s fine, mate. I will make sure Stephanie gets home safely. We were in the middle of familiarising ourselves as your bride requested.”
Part of her wanted to scream and run with Charlie, but another part of her wanted to see where this crazy man would take her tonight.
“Then I will see you at the gym on Monday,” Charlie said to Jon, “and you,” he looked to Steph now, “I will see you at the church, looking breath-taking no doubt.” With his bride still dangling over his shoulder he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.
She had barely finishedthe water when Jon said, “Let’s go.”
Steph looked at him with confusion, this man seemed to have many personas, although each of them seemed to be irritated with her to some extent. “Or we could stay and dance.” She shook her head at his frown, wondering why she had even suggested something that might be fun to a man who was undoubtedly the most miserable man in the world.
“I don’t dance.” he replied flatly, already pulling her on her feet.
“Of course you don’t,” she muttered, but made no attempt to do anything other than leave with him.
They stood on the pavement outside where she suddenly felt very much the worse for wear and as she wobbled next to him he placed an arm around her waist and held her upright.
A cab pulled up and one of the doormen opened the door. “Goodnight gorgeous and don’t forget to call.”
Jon sat next to her in the cab where he shook his head and whispered to her, “You see, some guys view drunk women as consenting, have no respect for you and view you as slutty.”
“And some women might see you as a bit of a dick. Me. I’m some women.”
A short chuckle sounded beside her meaning her thoughts may not have remained in her head.
Two
Waking the next morning, Steph groaned as the agony in her head reached the pain receptacles in her brain. Rolling over, she realised that she wasn’t in her own bed causing a longer, louder groan to fill the room.
Having leapt up, something she immediately regretted as her brain seemed to shake inside her skull, she quickly slumped back against the mattress.
“Shit!” She looked around at her surroundings, trying to remember what had happened the night before and who with.
There was an en-suite bathroom she could see and the white voile curtain panels were blowing in the breeze through the open patio door of the bedroom. She attempted to get up again, to get out of bed and realised she was naked.
“Shit!” she repeated as Jon appeared in the doorway.
