I glare at him. “Can’t answer your questions. Can’t breathe,” I grit out.
He doesn’t loosen his grip.
In reality, I can breathe. But I’m irritated that I let myself get into this position. I tried clawing at him, but digging my short nails into his arm didn’t faze him, and he’s standing back a bit too far for me to gouge him in the eye. Not that I want him any closer. He reeks of alcohol and body odor. His eyes are bloodshot and he’s unsteady on his feet.
That gives me hope. I can take him. But first I need to get a grip on him.
“All because we fucked once. Couldn’t handle the rejection.”
Bile works its way up my esophagus, and an onslaught of memories hits me.He didn’t touch me, I remind myself.I had myself checked out. He didn’t touch me.
“You bitch. Thought you could ruin my career,” he jeers. He tightens his hold on my neck.
Fear lances through me. Okay, I need to get out of here. I?—
“Get your fucking hands off her,” JJ shouts.
One moment I’m pinned against the wall, and the next JJ has Dirk by the hair and Dirk releases me.
Stumbling, I rub the spot, soothing it. “Youruined your career,” I scream at the asshole. “And I didn’t willingly go into that room with you, so fuck you very much.”
“Eh, you were begging for it,” he slurs.
JJ pushes him against the wall, bringing his knee up between the asshole’s legs, rendering him a sputtering mess. “The fuck did you just say?”
“I said,” he groans, “she was begging for it.” He sucks in a breath and spits at me. I jump back, barely getting out of the way in time.
“I wouldn’t beg for anything from you,” I say, my blood pressure skyrocketing.
His chuckle makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “You know how it is,” he says to JJ, like they’re friends. “I didn’t even do anything to her. I could have. Bitch was begging for it like a needy whore. She really wanted the hockey dick, you know what I mean?”
JJ tightens his hold on Dirk’s throat and leans in close. “You know what mobsters do when they want to take their time killing someone?”
Dirk’s eyes widen and his mouth falls open.
“Little breaths. So you can feel everything. So you don’t pass out. So take a deep breath.”
He releases his neck, but Dirk just stares at him.
“I said take a deep breath, motherfucker.”
“You’re insane.” The asshole glowers, but he inhales.
JJ clutches his throat again, squeezing. “I am. Now tell me, what the fuck did Adeline mean when she said she didn’t go into that room with you willingly?”
“JJ—” I say, panic rising inside me.
He shakes his head and turns to me, his eyes going soft. “Baby, you did nothing wrong. I want him to tell me what he did to you.”
But I’m not sureIwant to know what he did to me. And I don’t want JJ to know how weak I was after he broke my heart. It’s pathetic, but when I showed up in Vegas and found a familiar face, even if it was Dirk, I accepted his apology. He said he’d been a stupid kid and asked if he could buy me a drink to make it up to me.
I remember that first drink, and maybe another. But I have no memory again until I woke up the next morning naked with him in my room.
“I didn’t do anything. You were begging,” Dirk sneers.
“Don’t look at her; look at me,” JJ warns. When he doesn’t listen, he clutches his cheeks and yanks his head so he’s facing forward. “You don’t get to look at her.” With a growl, he reels back and slams his fist into Dirk’s eye. “There, that’ll fix that. Now keep going.”
Dirk screams in pain. “You’re sick.”
