Anna hesitated. It wasn’t ideal to share so much personal information, but she had little choice if she wanted to win. She wrote back that she and Adam hadn’t had sex in six months before she’d left and only twice in the six months before that. She squirmed as she replayed the scene back in March when she’d interrupted him having sex with his grad student. That hadn’t been intimate or committed. Nor had he tried to contact her after the first twenty-four hours of unread messages before she’d blocked him. No emails, no calls from his work for the last three months. Adam hadn’t tried to get her back or made any effort to work things out. He must still be dating Tiffany, or he would have been more persistent.
Perhaps he’d also been relieved when she’d left. Still, dragging the sale out was a problem. She only had the money for three more months of mortgage payment. She needed it to sell.
Not that Isaac would kick her out of the place they’d rented, but she didn’t want to depend on him with no way to support herself. She needed to have this business with Adam finished by December, or she would need to go home. She was counting onthe influx of money, whether that meant asking for her old job back or taking another like it in marketing. It wasn’t what she wanted, but at least she had experience.
Anna blew out a breath of air. She would hope that the sale worked out and would try not to stress. Her lawyer was working on it and was aware of the deadline. Tucking her phone back into the belt pouch she wore with her race day outfit, she left the trailer and headed back to the party. The shuttle should arrive soon to take everyone back to the hotel. Isaac was usually partied out before that, and they’d sneak away for a private celebration, even if the crew often celebrated until late. Isaac had already whispered his intention several times, letting the anticipation between them grow.
Anticipating naked fun with Isaac caused her to daydream as she tromped down the trailer stairs. With her mind elsewhere, she missed Spencer hovering near the bottom. Emerging from the shade between Isaac’s trailer and Xavi’s next door, Spencer grabbed her arm just as she reached the ground and spun her around. Off balance, she stumbled, and he hauled her against him as he backed deeper into the shadows.
She cried out, but the sound was lost in the sounds of the loud Honda partiers across the lane. He pushed her against Xavi’s trailer, banging her head on the metal siding. Dazed, she stood shaking while he leaned in, creating a cage with his arms on either side.
“I’ve been waiting to get you alone,” he said. “You and Little Vasquez haven’t rocked the trailer yet today, so you must be all hot and bothered. Crawling out of your skin with lust. You little minx. If I take you back to mine, no one will bother us.” Seeing her blank look and perhaps interpreting it as confusion rather than fear, he said, “You know. The expression? If the trailer’s rockin’, don’t come knockin’.”
“You’re gross.” Her voice shook. “Leave me alone.”
“Or what? You’ll tell? You’ve told no one about our other stolen moments. Why would you mention this to anyone? When I deny it, either they’ll think you begged me to fuck you or that you made it up.” He leaned closer. “Deep down, you know you want me.”
“You disgust me.” The taste of bile filled her mouth. He was repulsive.
His hips ground into hers, pinning her against the trailer wall. She flailed, catching his face with a weak smack. One of his hands clenched the top of her throat under her chin and squeezed. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was, and it became hard to breathe. She couldn’t yell, and spots appeared in her vision. Was he going to kill her? Tears trickled down her cheeks.
Spencer tried to kiss her, but she turned her face away. Instead, he licked the side of her neck and face, almost to her eye, leaving warm slime sticking to her skin that felt like acid. His hand around her throat loosened.
“Let me go,” she gasped, attempting to knee him, then kick him.
He blocked her kicks with a nasty laugh. “Not going to escape that easy, Sweetheart. I know all the tricks.”
“Anna,” called Isaac from the back of the garage. “Is everything okay? Where are you? The shuttles will be here any minute.”
Spencer let go with a vicious pinch on her ass that stung. “Till next time,” he whispered. He turned and strode away toward the back of the trailers.
Anna took a deep breath before answering Isaac. “I’ll be right there.” Nothing had happened. She’d be fine. She spun her favorite ring, focusing on it. Closing her eyes, still spinning her ring, she took another breath. She wasn’t blowing off the seriousness of what had happened, but it was too much for herto handle. She needed to pretend it hadn’t happened, or she’d go into full meltdown.
Spencer was gone. She was okay.
She hurried past Isaac and ran up the trailer stairs. “One sec,” she called over her shoulder. “I just need to use the bathroom before we get back on the bus.”
She rushed inside and washed her face and neck, scrubbing where Spencer had licked her. Even after hot water and soap, she couldn’t get rid of the nasty sensation. Looking in the mirror, she straightened her hair. She needed to hurry, or Isaac might get suspicious. Drying off, she tried to keep her hands from shaking. Her neck should be red from Spencer’s chokehold, but it had already faded. It just looked like she’d rubbed it.
Anna returned outside to Isaac. “Sorry, I had an email from my lawyer. I needed a few minutes and went for a short walk. Adam’s being a jerk and refusing to move.” Her head shook as she said, “He wants half the townhouse that he didn’t pay for and doesn’t want to leave.”
Why couldn’t she say what had just happened with Spencer? Isaac would confront Spencer, who would just say she’d come onto him. Spencer’s threatened words would ‘prove’ Vince’s allegations. Even if she trusted Isaac to believe her, others might not. They might even fire her. She’d rather keep quiet than cause another confrontation.
“Adam’s an ass. Does your lawyer have a solution?” Isaac took her hand as they walked together toward the bus that had pulled up.
“I had to answer personal questions about my lack of relationship, even while Adam and I were together.” She wiped an escaped tear from her cheek. “I can’t believe I wasted so much of my life with someone like him.” Her words brought the incident with Spencer flooding back. Her throat constricted in the same place Spencer had squeezed, and his leering faceflashed before her eyes. She needed to be there for Isaac right now. He couldn’t afford the drama and confrontation a public spectacle would cause. It would be all over the news. She shuddered.
“I’m glad you told me about Adam.” Isaac pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “We can face our problems together.”
Guilt flooded through her. She left her hand in his, wishing she wasn’t terrified and tongue-tied. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about what had happened, but she couldn’t find the right words in time. They climbed onto the bus, and she couldn’t start the conversation—it was too public. She should have told him about Spencer when they were outside, but now the moment had passed. It was too late, and she’d lost her courage.
CHAPTER 14
Isaac
The Motul TT Circuit in Assen was one of Isaac’s favorite courses, and he was looking forward to the race on Sunday. There were so many terrific places to pass on the track that suited a variety of bike manufacturers in different sections, meaning that anything could happen. Some circuits, like the Sachsenring, favored the acceleration of the Hondas, while others, like the Red Bull Ring in Austria, were geared toward the top-end horsepower of the Ducati or the KTM’s. But Assen had a little something for every manufacturer. Most years, Assen produced highlight reel overtakes and active racing that excited fans worldwide.
Like the last few races, Vince had spent today practicing like a man possessed, with little care for his personal safety. He’d say it was about testing limits, but to Isaac, it seemed reckless. It wasn’t much different from Vince’s usual level of aggression, but to someone who knew him as well as Isaac, there was a knife-edge difference.
