***
“You look beautiful. Stop changing your outfit.” Rachel yanked a fourth change of clothes from Susan’s hands. “Will you please stop underestimating who you are?”
Susan grimaced. “Maybe if you didn’t look like an ethereal goddess, I’d feel a little more secure when we’re out together.”
“Sue. When are you going to understand that beauty isn’t the same thing to every single guy? Some guys absolutely hate black hair. I’ve had at least two suggest that I’d be perfect if I just dyed my hair blond. You’ve got a fantastic shade of light auburn – and it’s natural! Don’t you realize guys go wild for redheads? Now, grab your purse if you’re taking one. Ty’ll be back any minute, and I wanna get out of here before Ryan starts asking questions.”
That little plan didn’t quite go the way she wanted it to. Ryan met them at the bottom of the steps. He eyed up their handbags.
“Aren’t you staying for dinner?”
“No. We figured this was more of a family thing and we didn’t wanna horn in.” Rachel took a deep breath. He’d find out in a few minutes, anyway. “Ty’s taking us out for seafood and drinks.”
“I’ve never had lobster,” Sue offered.
Contrary to what Rachel expected, Ryan didn’t seem too upset. Then it dawned on her. They were going as a threesome – or so he thought.
“Hello, ladies! All ready?” Ty swept into the room. “Hi, Ryan. Tell Elizabeth congratulations when you see her tonight.”
“Why don’t you stay for dinner and you can tell her yourself?”
What a conniver, Rachel thought. Did he think he could just be passive aggressive to get what he wanted? She felt bad about what happened to him, but that still didn’t give him the right to manipulate her life.
“We can’t. I have a friend holding our table and he’s probably gnawing on his knuckles right about now.”
“A friend?”
Rachel knew that would get his motor running.
“Yeah. Susan’s date.” Ty looked at Rachel and turned on the appeal as he let his eyes rove over every inch of her body. “Ready?” Acting should have been his profession. He actually had Rachel questioning his intentions.
“As I’ll ever be,” she answered.
The time away from Ryan actually did her a world of good. The alcohol helped, of course, and after her third drink, Rachel was feeling pretty desensitized.
“What’s the thing with lumber, Ty? Why do you love it so much?”
He put his drink down and looked away in thought. “Well, I’d have to start with the smell. Fresh cut trees, lumber yards, it all has this exciting smell to it. Like anything and everything can be accomplished. Kind of like the smell of fresh-cut grass.”
“Good answer. I agree with the fresh-cut grass.” Rachel yawned and put her head down on her arms. “I wish I felt that kind of excitement again. It’s been so long.”
The music started up again, pumping the beat straight through Rachel’s body. “Where’s Susan?” She looked around and caught sight of Susan and her date, Randy, dancing a little closer than one would expect from two people who had just met.
“What in the hell is he doing?” Ty shoved his chair back and slid through the moving throng of sweaty bodies.
Rachel couldn’t hear what was being said, but Susan looked up at Ty like he’d just rescued her from quicksand. With Randy now banished from the dance floor and Ty in his place, he sulked on back to the table.
“What’s with him?” Randy plunked down in Ty’s chair. “He acts like Susan belongs to him. Are they dating?”
The thought of Susan dating anyone, let alone the millionaire baby of a lumber tycoon, seemed odd. “Looks like something’s going on.”
Randy looked at Rachel. “How about you?”
Randy was hot, without a doubt, but Rachel wasn’t in the mood for dancing. “I don’t know. I’m pretty unstable right now. On my feet,” she added, grinning.
“Oh, come on. If you don’t dance with me, you’ll have to deal with the pack of vultures hovering over by the bar.”
Rachel hadn’t even noticed them. Normally, she could feel out a room and know exactly who to stay away from. Being hurt teaches you a few things. But tonight, she wasn’t on her game and the lusty-eyed men at the bar looked like they were ready to pounce.
“I see what you mean. Well, if you don’t mind my inability to think or walk straight, I’ll be happy to dance with you.”
Randy spun her around and pulled her toward the dance floor. “I’ll hold you up.”
And he did – a little too tight, at times. After two or three dances, Rachel saw why Susan was thankful for the rescue. Randy was a hands man and didn’t mind showing himself around. Ty and Susan slipped off in a corner somewhere, leaving Rachel to fend for herself, and she was doing just fine until Randy convinced her to do a shot or two with him.
“I think I better stop.” Rachel put a hand to her spinning head. “I can’t handle too much of this stuff at a time.”
It was true. The last time she’d had this much to drink, a good ten years earlier, she’d woken up in someone’s yard the next morning with a dog sniffing her face. That was before New York. Before jerk boy. Before her life had gotten so complicated she couldn’t see straight – before she had to grow up and join the real world.
“Why don’t we step outside for some fresh air? It’ll help clear your head.”
Though she wanted to object, she couldn’t make the words come and couldn’t think of a single, logical reason why she shouldn’t get some air. And the air did feel nice. The coolness clung to all the hot, sweaty spots on her body, instantly cooling her off.
Walking her back into a shadow in a grassy area at the side of the building, Randy reached behind her and untied her dress lacing. While her mind was still trying to comprehend just why he was loosening her dress, his lips found their way to her chest.
“Um. What are you doing?” She tried to push him away, but her limbs were weak and numb.
“Why don’t you come back to my place?” She felt what she thought was his tongue running up her chest to her neck.
Down came her straps; the top of her dress puddled around her waist. That’s when she felt the force of his body against hers, and then she was falling. If it hadn’t been for the alcohol, she was sure the fall would have hurt a lot more than it did. Before she had a chance to move, he was on top of her, reaching up under her dress.
“No! Get off!”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he whispered hoarsely. “Just lay still.”
She heard him fumbling with his belt, and that’s when her adrenaline kicked in. Pushing herself with her feet, Rachel managed to wiggle part way out from under him, but it wasn’t far enough. He grabbed her legs and pulled her back into him. A scream came from somewhere inside of her. She wasn’t sure if she managed to scream audibly, but something dark rushed at them and then she was free of Randy’s weight. As she lay in the darkness trying to coordinate her limbs to move in conjunction with her mental commands, a swirl of commotion echoed all around her. If she hadn’t been drunk to the point of passing out, she could have sworn she heard Ryan’s angry voice. She didn’t get a chance to find out, though, because the world around her went completely black.