Authors: W. Lynn Chantale
She twisted at the restraints to no avail. Her wrists hurt and her arms ached. Cold shivered through her body and her teeth chattered. She had one ray of hope. Someone would be to her house any minute.
“All right. Ha ha. You’ve had your fun. Now untie me.”
“You have such a double standard.”
She glared at him. Maybe if she remained silent he would get to the point.
He trailed a finger against her jaw and she jerked her face from his touch. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes.
“This is the best way I could possibly have you.” He leaned closer, his lips hovering over hers.
She spit in his face. Stunned, he jumped back. Dark anger clouded his features and a well-timed backhand caught her across the cheekbone. She yelped, pain exploding through her skull. She hid her face against her arm as hot tears seeped down her cheeks.
“You are going to help me whether you want to or not.” He balled up the negligee and stuffed it in her mouth.
The garment had the desired effect and instantly dried the saliva in her mouth. She tried pushing it out with her tongue, but he tore off a length of tape and slapped it over her lips before she could.
“And you thought the limo guy was so trustworthy.”
She shot him a venomous look, hoping it would wither and kill him on the spot. He only laughed and left the bed.
“Now that I have your undivided attention, you’ll do what I say, when I say or there will be consequences.”
Hell would freeze over before she stopped fighting him and she hoped every ounce of contempt she felt for him shone in her eyes.
He laughed. “I see you’re adverse to the idea. No matter. I enlisted the aid of your limo friend. He volunteered his services for the evening.” Gordy crossed to the TV at the foot of the bed and switched it on. “Gracious of him, don’t you think?”
This couldn’t be happening to her again. They’d been in a hotel room for goodness sakes! Zach had erased the pictures. Or had he?
Gordy slipped a silver disc into the DVD player. “What would your co-workers say if they found out what a slut you are?”
She flinched at his words.
“Or some of your clients. I know how rigid some of those old biddies can be. Or my personal favorite, how many downloads do you think I can get before I’m shut down?”
The mattress dipped next to her as Gordy sat down. She curled into a tighter ball. He curved an arm around her shoulders, but she remained rigid against him. When he swirled his tongue against her ear, she shuddered and scooted away as best she could. He laughed, then jerked her back.
He frowned. “Pity you rejected my generous offer. Maybe you could have been spared what happens next, hmmm?” He smiled. “Is it coming back to you now?” He twined his fingers in her hair and jerked her head towards the TV. “Let’s roll tape, shall we?”
A horrible sinking feeling twisted her stomach as she stared at the screen. The couple on the screen didn’t make sense for a moment. A weight settled on her shoulders and she slumped against the headboard as the bottom dropped from her world. The numbness in her arms was forgotten as she watched her night of pleasure turn into something sordid and degrading. Betrayal tasted like ash in her mouth and seeped beneath her lashes. Zach recorded their lovemaking. All the pretty talk and he only wanted a memento of that night. Bastard.
Gordy twirled a lock of her hair around his finger, but she stared at the screen. She trusted Zach with so much more. Every intimate detail she experienced was laid out for the world to see and who should bring the evidence to her? Gordy.
She dropped her head, then stiffened at the low chuckle beside her.
“Don’t look so forlorn, bunny. I’ll make it all better.”
Chapter Ten
Zach drummed his fingers on the armrest. He had no idea how he was going to explain everything to Trisha. He only knew he had to. He glanced at the bouquet of orchids and lilies on the seat beside him. Maybe the flowers would help smooth things over.
He stared out the tinted window as Jonas parked the car in front of the curb. A dark blue sedan sat in Trisha’s driveway. Zach knew the vehicle and the hairs stood on the back of his neck.
This did not bode well for the evening he had planned. Zach tucked the flowers under his arm and hurried up the walk. He raised his hand to knock and stopped. The dark space between the door and the threshold sent his pulse into overdrive.
Damn. The door was ajar.
He eased the door open, pausing to listen. The low murmur of a familiar voice reached his ears, followed by muffled crying. His heart sank. Trisha was in trouble.
He set the flowers on a nearby table. Cautiously he made his way down the hall and stopped in the living room. No one was there.
A faint thud overhead drew his attention. He ran up the stairs and paused in the doorway. Trisha sat on the bed, scrunched in a tight ball, her face buried in her knees.
Gordy stood at the foot of the bed, his hands on his belt. What the hell? This was the way he chose to get back at Trisha?
Zach surged forward and knocked the other man to the floor in a flurry of punches. He hauled a slightly dazed Gordy to his feet. “I told you there would be a misunderstanding the next time you put your hands on her!”
Gordy jerked from Zach’s grasp and touched the side of his mouth with his fingers. Blood trickled from his bottom lip. “No need to get all possessive. She knows everything. You don’t have to pretend to protect her.” He straightened his rumpled shirt and swayed on his feet.
Zach stepped forward, menace written in every line of his body. The smaller man stumbled backwards and careened into the dresser. Photos and perfume bottles wobbled while a pretty crystal butterfly shattered on the floor below. Trisha moaned softly, but Zach didn’t dare take his eyes from his foe.
“You’ve really overstepped your bounds.”
“I’m so glad you could join my little party.” Gordy smiled.
Zach slid a wary eye from Gordy to Trisha and back again. “I’m not playing this game with you.” He stepped in front of the bed, cutting off any further view of Trisha.
“I have to admit the angle wasn’t quite right for the standing up scene, but I don’t think viewers will mind.” Gordy dug in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. The yellow packet bulged and a bit of green peeked from beneath the corner of the flap. “I appreciate the investment in my company. The two of you will give my bottom line such a boost.”
The sharp intake of breath behind Zach congealed the blood in his veins. He glanced over his shoulder. The unshed tears and accusation in her eyes broke his heart. Gordy’s words hit their mark. No amount of explanation would fix this. This was how his cousin chose to repay him. Zach could take out a little of his frustration on Gordy.
Zach was fast. A right hook sent Gordy stumbling over a chair and against a wall. He then jerked Gordy upright and flung him into the hall as Shauna raced up the stairs. Trisha whimpered and sobbed from the room.
“Get him out of here,” Zach ordered.
Gordy tried to shoulder past Shauna. She shoved him against the wall and cuffed him.
“Is Trisha okay?” Shauna pushed Gordy toward the stairs and Zach hoped the other man would fall and save them all the aggravation.
“I’m not sure.”
Gordy grinned. “I don’t see what the problem is, you told me you wanted your money ASAP!”
“I’ll take care of him and be right back.”
Zach waited for them to descend the stairs before he entered the bedroom. He stared at his hands a moment, dragged a steadying breath into his lungs and crossed the threshold.
Once more Trisha had buried her face in her knees. She didn’t even move as he neared. A visible tremor undulated through her. He settled on the bed next to her and gently covered her with his jacket.
“Are you okay?” He smoothed her hair from her face, the tendrils now damp and cold. Still she refused to look at him. The pads of his fingers touched the corner of tape. Gingerly he peeled the adhesive from her face, then removed the red negligee from her mouth.
Worry whispered through his heart. How badly had Gordy hurt her? “Better?”
“Just get me out of these things and go away.”
His jaw dropped. The ice in her voice was unmistakable.
“Why?”
“I have no idea why he did this.”
“Not him! You!”
He sucked in a breath. Now he was confused. “Honey, I didn’t do anything.”
“Oh no? Then where did my ex get that?” She stared at a spot over his shoulder.
Restraints momentarily forgotten, he followed her pointed gaze. “What the hell?” He had Trisha against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist. His gaze slid to her face. Hurt and betrayal shimmered in her eyes. “Where did you get that?”
“Where do you think! Gordy brought it with him! You sold him a sex tape? Of us? After everything I told you.”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t.” Zach walked to the TV and switched it off. She believed he had recorded them and then given a copy of the tape to her ex. How had Gordy gotten into the hotel room? “I didn’t and wouldn’t video you without your permission, Trisha.” He carefully worked the blade between the plastic and her skin. Gordy had cinched them so tight her arms were swollen, the bracelet he’d given her cut deep, leaving jagged gashes in her wrist. Gordy had wanted to bring the woman shivering as much pain as possible.
He held her cold hands between his, massaging her skin to aid circulation. She tugged her hands from his and shoved off the other side of the bed.
Reddened skin and forming bruises dotted her back and buttocks beneath her hair as she walked to her closet. He surged to his feet.
“My god, Trisha. What did he do to you?”
She paused and glanced down. “He tossed me around the bathroom, slammed me against a wall and finally tied me to my own bed and made me watch a sex tape.” She snatched her robe from the back of the closet door and shoved her arms through the sleeves.
Zach blew out a breath.
“I thought what we had meant something and you understood how I felt about being recorded.” She planted her fists on her hips and glared at him through a sheen of tears. “So that thing you did with your phone was all for show?”
“I can explain.” He stepped closer and reached out to touch her again.
“Don’t touch me!”
He stopped where he was and followed her quick, jerky steps as she paced the room, combing shaky fingers through her long tangle of hair. If he could get her to listen to him then he could give her the real explanation.
“Trish?”
She swung around to face him. “No.” She looked down when paper crinkled beneath her foot. She stooped to retrieve the bulky envelope. “This is what you came for, isn’t it? Why you proposed a weekend of hot sex and asked me to move in so you could record me anytime.”
He grasped the paper when she thrust it in his face. “Sweetheart, you have it all wrong.”
She pivoted on her heel and stared at the window.
He glared at the offending envelope before shoving it in his pocket. Why couldn’t Gordy just hand him a check like a normal person?
Zach inhaled a breath and stood behind Trisha. He cupped her shoulders and she shrugged him off. He swallowed hard. This is exactly what he wanted to avoid and somehow he’d walked right into Gordy’s trap.
“Whatever he told you about the money isn’t true.”
“How did he know?” She whirled on him.
“Trish...” He dropped his hand, unable to meet her direct stare.
“No! How did he get a tape of us? How?” She shoved past him. “You had something to do with this. He put you up to this.”
“I didn’t know he was going to record us.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he said the wrong thing.
She gasped, her brown eyes wide. “You knew he was up to something? And you didn’t tell me?”
He read the condemnation in her eyes. A vise tightened around his heart. He couldn’t lose her, not like this. “If you would calm down, I can explain.”
She planted her hands on her generous hips. “Like you did with the notes? I will not calm down. He’s threatening to splash it all over the Internet. He tied me up, gagged me and made me watch our beautiful night! That you obviously paid him to record.”
He clenched his hands at his sides. What could he tell her? He was being repaid the seed money and Gordy recorded them as blackmail? She would never believe him. Zach shook his head.
“Don’t just stand there.”
He grasped her hand. She stumbled forward, glaring at him. “What do you want me to say?”
She shoved against his chest. “I want the truth!”
“The truth is I love you and would never do anything like this to hurt you. He put his hands on you. That’s truth enough,” he said, unable to keep the bite from his words. Zach held her by her shoulders. “He left marks on you, not just to remind you of what he did, but so I can see as well.” He allowed her to see the frustration in his eyes.
She shook her head, a blush creeping into her cheeks. “I’ve been humiliated enough for one night.” She pushed against him, and looked down.