“Winter.” His tone gentles. “Please.”
When I still don’t respond, he picks me up in his arms and carries me upstairs and to his bed.
Chapter 11
Hunter puts me on his bed and plants a kiss on my forehead.
Then, he crosses the room to his dresser and tosses me a red t-shirt from his drawer. “You can put this on,” he says as he heads for his attached bathroom. “I’ll give you some privacy and be right back.”
With shaking hands, I peel off my jeans and top and cover myself with Hunter’s soft, cotton t-shirt. Then, I pull back his thick, green, down comforter and off-white sheets and snuggle under the covers.
Hunter returns from the bathroom. He turns out every light except for one soft light on the nightstand by his side of the bed, and then he climbs in behind me. I don’t move until I feel his arm go around me. Then, I scoot backward until my back is pressed to his front.
His hand barely touches my stomach as he murmurs in my ear, “Who hurt you, Princess?”
I let out a shaky sigh. “It’s a long story, Hunt. One I haven’t told anyone here about. Not my parents, not Charly or Ashley. You’d be the first.”
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“Good. Because I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to tell me tonight or tomorrow, but when you’re ready, I’m here.”
I know he’s here. And if I’m going to heal, I need to tell Hunter the truth.
“A director on Broadway tried to rape me.”
The words sound stark and cold in the warm cocoon of his bed.
Hunter’s hand briefly curls into a fist, but then he slowly lets his fingers relax.
“Winter.” His voice is pained. “I’m sorry.”
His words are to the point, and I take his hand in mine and hold it close to me.
“It was six months ago, but I’m not over it yet. Maybe I never will be.” I close my eyes, remembering how powerless I felt and how alone. “He was a powerful man in the industry, and he was at an audition session I attended. A lot of actors and actresses tried out, but I felt really good about my audition. It was just one of those moments where I felt totally at one with the character. He noticed. I saw him glance up from his notes, and afterward, he singled me out. He asked to talk to me for a moment.”
Hunter’s hand tightens around mine.
“I remember being so excited, thinking this was my chance to finally land a lead on my own. Seasonal Bliss was my career break, but I got my opportunity because the lead broke her ankle. I was determined to get a big role all on my own this time.”
I stare down at Hunter’s large hand covering my smaller one. It gives me the strength to continue.
“The director led me down the hallway and into a private office. I didn’t think anything of it. I had met with my Seasonal Bliss director many times in his office without incident. Anyway, he had me take a seat across from his desk, and at first, he just asked me questions about my Broadway experience and so on. But then, he stood up and came up behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders and started playing with my hair.” I bite my lip, hating the memory of his hands on me. “I stood up immediately and told him I needed to leave.”
“Win…” Hunter sounds tortured.
“But he just reached behind him and flipped the lock on the door. And my heart came into my throat when I realized what I had gotten myself into.”
“You didn’t get yourself into anything.” Hunter’s voice is steel. “He broke every professional boundary.”
“I know. It’s just one of those moments I replay over and over—if I had just refused to enter his office…” I grit my teeth and force the next words out. “He unzipped his pants and asked me to touch him. I said no and tried to get to the door. He cornered me against the wall. And he said he’d only ask me nicely once more.”
“Christ.” Hunter’s entire body has gone rigid.
“He pressed me up against the wall so I couldn’t move. And then he held my wrists together and rubbed up against me…” I stifle a pained sound. “Then, he lifted up my skirt and forced himself between my legs, first his hand and then his…” I swallow the rest of the terrible sentence. “By the grace of God, before he could fully carry out his plan, a knock on his door made him pause. It was his assistant saying he had an important call that couldn’t wait. The interruption must have made him worried that he’d be caught. He let me go, made me fix my skirt, and told me if I said anything, he’d make sure I never got another role on Broadway ever again. He swore he’d blacklist me. Then, he opened the door. I ran like hell and right into Pat, my manager, who was looking for me.”
“Did you tell him?”
