Page 56 of Striking Range

“No? What, are you gay?” she sneers.

I sputter at her question, eyes wide as I take a step back. “N-no. But my father is a dear friend of your husband.”

She advances, laughing lightly. “No one needs to know.”

Those long claws find my chest, dragging down toward the band of my slacks. I’m pinned against my desk by a rabid, purring kitten.

“I’m also seeing someone, as I mentioned.” I’m trying to keep my voice level, but honestly, I’m petrified.

Too much is happening, and she has the ability to set off a nuclear bomb. I’ve always known she was interested in me, but I didn’t think she was this dumb. Her husband’s coworker’s son?! That’s beyond reckless, even if I were interested.

“Don’t be rude,” she chastises, eyes narrowing as she reaches for one of my hands. Once it’s in her grasp, she places it on her body, right over the swell of her breast. I try to pull away, but she grips me harder, squeezing over my fingers to cup herself firmly. “You’re offending me. Do you want me to tell your father how rude you are? Hm?”

It is in this exact moment that I’m realizing something—the Johnstons know the kind of man Ash is. They have to. They’re around enough to see the way I cower or how he speaks to me.

And even now, Holly is using my fear of him to manipulate me into sexual intercourse.

A hopeless, isolating feeling settles deep inside of my stomach. If there was ever a small part of me that thought asking for help or reaching out to someone would give me relief, to be my own person, that part of me is dead.

I will be the man he has created, and once I’m free of his hold, I will run as far as I possibly can and live as close to his principles as possible—this way, he never has another opportunity to lay a hand on me.

“You don’t understand.” I try to reason with her, to find some kind of sympathy, even as it feels hopeless. I really don’t want to sleep with her. “He’ll kill me. Please, just leave me be. Your husband loves you, doesn’t he?”

Holly rolls her eyes, rubbing herself against me as her lips graze my neck—no doubt leaving traces of her red lipstick. “Sure, he loves looking at me. But that’s about it. I don’t care about fidelity, Everett. I want passion, and you’re so fucking hot. I want you to sleep with me. I know you want it; any hot-blooded man would want me.”

“Ma’am, I—”

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Holly shoves away from me, spinning around at the sound of her husband’s voice.

“Babe! Thank god. I was lost, trying to find the bathroom when Everett tried to force me into sleeping with him!” Her voice moves from seductive witch to scared damsel in a second flat, big green eyes watering as she rushes to her husband and tucks into his side.

“Ash Carmichael!” Francis’ voice booms, loud and severe throughout the house.

Ash appears in the doorway a moment later, Felicita not far behind him.

“Francis?” My father sounds panicked.

He takes me in: shirt open, red lipstick on my neck, and no doubt petrified. His eyes narrow on me.

“Your son. Your fucking son was taking advantage of my poor, darling wife,” Francis spits out.

Ash takes a deep, heavy breath and turns to his coworker. “I apologize, Francis. I think that school might have messed with his God-loving mind. Let me handle him. I’ll send you a nice bottle of Brandy as an apology.” At Francis’s unmoved expression, he adds, “Please, let me discipline him. Felicita will show you two out.”

With one last scathing look sent in my direction, Francis guides a sniffling Holly out of my room. Ash closes the door behind them, leaving us alone.

He says nothing; he does nothing. As we hear the front door slam shut a minute or two later, I can no longer bear the silence. I am terrified.

Every inch of my body is on high alert, anticipating a massive fallout.

“Dad—”

He closes the minimal space between us within seconds, his fist connecting with my stomach. I double over, all of my air forced out and into the space around us as I heave.

“Are you stupid, Everett? What have I sent you to college for, if not to make you strategic and intelligent, huh? Answer me!” His fist slams into my stomach again.

“I-I’m sorry!” I choke out. “She came onto me, but I told her no, I swear!”