13
They stumbled out of the bar. The cold night air blew against Rachel’s naked thighs. She pulled the gown down hoping her underwear wasn’t showing for everyone to see. Leo didn’t seem to mind that. His slender fingers were running up and down her body, testing the waters, gripping her waist, and tickling her skin. There was a sense of urgency about him that excited her still she needed to be cautious.
“Hey be careful,” she warned when she tripped on the curb and almost fell. Leo was right behind her holding her up. She could feel his erection on her butt. “Aren’t you a bit too eager to get me out of my dress tonight?” she murmured in a slur.
He laughed. Once he righted her up he led her away from the bar area leaving the music and noise. On the sidewalks were blissfully drunk people making out. Rachel stared and giggled at a couple being sloppy over each other. She was so drunk to her eyeballs that she even pointed at them. Leo’s drinks had been so delicious she drank them without straws.
“Hey,” Leo nuzzled her neck before pushing her gently into the wall of a building. “You smell really nice. I think my apartment is too small and far for a woman like you.”
“You are right.” She burped loudly and laughed. “A woman like me deserves luxury.”
“And I’ll give you luxury. Come with me.”
Leo led her by the hand to a space between two buildings. It reeked of beer, puke, greasy food, and sex. There he pushed her on the wall again, peeped about for any passers-by, and returned to kiss her softly on the lips. Rachel struggled to hold herself up. She felt the kiss, it was as good as before but she was beginning to think rationally through the fog of alcohol in her head. Leo’s tongue was sliding from her mouth to her neck while his hand lifted her left leg around his waist so that she could feel his strong erection pushing against her panties. It felt so good yet she couldn’t enjoy it when she was having trouble focusing.
When his hand slipped beneath her purse strap around her right shoulder she shoved hard against him. Was he trying to steal from her?
“Uhmm…hey hey hey wait we need to stop. I’m trying to think.”
“No you don’t baby,” Leo moaned coming for her again. But Rachel pushed him again when he pressed her to the wall. The alcohol was making her weak and dizzy. Even her push wasn’t strong enough to get him off her and he was beginning to get persistent. Her eyes drifted close as the alcohol continued to take effect.
“Hey get off me!”
He began to kiss her neck. Rachel’s stomach churned nervously- a result of the many cocktails she drank. Bile rose in her throat and she gagged. “I’m going to be sick,” she murmured.
Leo was too far gone to hear her. She pressed her hands to his chest intending to push him off but her head swarm and the world was spinning so fast she couldn’t get her bearings. When Leo’s mouth spread open-mouthed kisses on the rise of her breasts she gagged and puked just in time as his weight was lifted off her with a sharp tug.
Her eyes flew open to the decidedly blurry view in front of her. Leo was a silhouette fighting off a much bigger figure who was holding him by the lapels of his shirt.
“Get the hell away from me!”
Leo’s voice was faint as if he was whispering from the other end of a tunnel. There was more struggle and suddenly there was silence and footsteps approached her. She hadn’t realized she was sliding down the wall until strong arms lifted her off the ground. She was pressed against a strong wall of chest.
“Let me go,” she whimpered softly, struggling feebly against solid muscles.
“Ssh, you’re drunk stay still.”
She opened her eyes wider. Somewhere in the fog in her head, she recognized Nate’s voice. That’s impossible, she told herself. Nate’s in Gem Hills there’s no way he would know I’m here.
But she wasn’t about to complain when those arms tightened around her. Her head ached and she smelled of vomit. She leaned her head on strong shoulder and went to sleep. As far as she was concerned she was safe.
For the next 2 hours, she slept, only waking up when she felt jutting movements. When she slept and woke up again she recognized Mabel leaning over her from her unruly red curls but her eyes hurt so bad she couldn’t focus them. She wondered vaguely if her eyes could pop out due to the ache in her head. She closed her eyes and slept again but when she woke up this time she was in a vehicle moving so fast that her unfocused gaze struggled to keep up so she slept. Many hours later she woke up. She wasn't in a vehicle anymore. She rubbed her eyes and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling.
Where am I?
She rolled over to her side and squinted. The room was dark because the curtains were drawn but the slight opening in the curtains told her it was way into the midnight of…? The third or fourth day after her brief fling with that bar boy – what was his name again?
Leo!
She sat up in bed and winced. Fuck, Leo! They were supposed to go to his apartment for a drunken shag. One look at her surrounding told her this was definitely not the apartment of a teenage bartender. It was luxurious. The king-size bed had an oversized headboard with inbuilt lights. The black wall contrasted with the white marble tiled floors and the other walls of a lighter shade. Beneath the bed was a black round rug.
She tried hard to replay the events of the other night. How long ago was it? She left Gem Hills on Thursday right? And today was what? She looked around frantically for her phone and found it beside her on the headboard.
Shit! Monday?
Was I that drunk?!
She had so many questions. If today was Monday then on Thursday evening when she and Leo were supposed to have sex what happened? She vaguely remembered drinking way too much alcohol for one night but the resulting events after that were like lights flashing before her eyes. Where was Mabel? She looked down at herself and noticed that her gown was now replaced with a man’s black long-sleeved shirt that stopped mid-thigh and she was naked under that.
Soft footsteps came from beyond the door and stopped in front of it. She barely had time to arm herself with a pillow when the door was thrown open and Nate walked in carrying a board that held a jug, a glass, and a plate of fruits. He wore a grey t-shirt and grey pants.
“You…how…h-how did you find me?!" She demanded.
“You are awake. How do you feel?” he asked instead of answering her question.
She stood and was about to cross her arms over her chest in an act of defiance when her head swarm dangerously to the point of feeling faint. Slowly she sat back on the bed. “I feel drugged. How did you find me?”
“Tom, my driver. Your sister took precautions to make sure you didn’t slip into a coma, she was worried about you. How many drinks did you have that night?”
“None of your business," she replied making a mental note to call Mabel. She had a lot to say to her sister who abandoned her to the care of this man.
He dropped the board on the headboard with a small smile. “I saved your ass from getting raped by a kid.”
“I consented to have sex with him.”
His smile faded. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” He picked the jug and poured some water into the glass then gave it to her with a pill. “Take this.”
She eyes him suspiciously. “What’s this?”
“Something to reduce the pain in your head. I assume you have a headache? You’ve been drinking too much, Rachel.”
“You are not my daddy, Nate. Where are my clothes?” she stood from the bed, ignoring the way the room spun. “Thank you for your services but I’ll like to go home now.”
“Not so fast,” he declared dropping the glass to stand in front of her with a dark glare.
