ng a casual tone. As I take a step back, his hand darts out, sliding up the back of my thigh and dipping under my dress to squeeze my ass.
I slap his hand away, jumping back. Shock has rendered me speechless, and all I can do is stand there as my brain desperately tries to make sense of what the fuck just happened. He was friends with my dad. He’s probably fifteen years my senior. Never in a million years did I see this coming.
“Don’t be like that,” he says, rolling his chair backwards before standing. The urge to bolt hits me just as the door flies open, smacking the wall so hard the handle leaves a hole in the wall. I jump as Jesse and Sully prowl through the room, two sets of eyes furious, two jaws set hard.
Oh, fuck.
Victor is visibly nervous, moving in front of the desk in an effort to hide the coke. “This is a private meet—”
He doesn’t get to finish his sentence before Jess balls the collar of his shirt in one hand and cocks his other fist back, hitting him square in the face. Victor falls back onto his desk, holding his nose as blood leaks through his fingers. Jess drags him across the desk, knocking everything off in the process, before throwing him on the floor. Victor lands on top of shattered glass with a grunt, trying to kick at Jess as he approaches.
“Did he hurt you?” Sully asks, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to look at him. I shake my head in answer.
“You offer my girl drugs?” Jess shouts, bringing my attention back to where he stands over Victor, who’s still laid out. “Then you think you can touch her?”
“Jess, let’s go,” I say, moving toward him. Sully stops me by picking me up and planting me by the door like it’s nothing.
“Stay here. I’ll get him.”
Sully goes to pull Jesse off, grabbing one of his arms, but Jesse’s not finished yet. “Come on, man. You’re scaring her.”
That stops him, feral eyes looking over his shoulder to meet mine. I’m not fucking scared. I’m angry. Angry that Victor pulled this shit, angry with myself for freezing and not doing anything, and angry that Jess had to come to my rescue.
Jesse turns back around as Victor pulls his phone out of his pocket. Jess squats down to grab his collar in both hands, lifting his shoulders off the floor. “I’d think twice about that,” he says, giving a pointed look at Victor’s phone. “You have a club full of drunk underage kids, an office full of illegal substances, and a sexual assault case just waiting to happen.” Jess’ voice is low and menacing in a way I’ve never heard before. “And if you ever so much as look at her again, I’ll fucking kill you.” He throws him back down before standing, leaving Victor in a pile of dollar bills and broken glass.
“I think it’s safe to say you blew your shot, Allison,” Victor says, bracing one hand on the floor to pick himself up. Jess jerks toward him, but Sully beats him to it, kicking him in the balls. Victor falls back to the floor, curling in on himself as Sully squats down, gathering the dollar bills into a pile.
“By the way, I’ll be keeping this,” he says, tapping Victor on the forehead with the wad of cash. “Hope you don’t mind.”
* * *
I PRACTICALLY RAN OUT OF that back room, and Halston knew something was wrong the second she saw my face. She grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the building, and didn’t stop until we got to her car. I explained what went down on the way, and then I had to talk her out of turning back around to kick Victor’s ass. I needed to put as much distance between me and Victor as possible.
Which brings us to now, sitting on the couch in Lo’s living room at two A.M.
“Has he ever tried anything like that before?” Halston asks, cracking open a water bottle.
“Never,” I say, shaking my head. I’ve played back every little interaction with him in my mind, trying to find clues I might have missed. Then I blamed myself for not having better instincts. But that line of thinking is bullshit. I made a bad decision. I shouldn’t have gone into that room with him, but it wasn’t an invitation to feel me up.
I jump when the front door flies open, my eyes instantly locking onto Jesse’s.
“Why the fuck did you leave without me?” he shouts, walking over to the couch with Sully close behind.
“I had to get out of there,” I say lamely. “And you shouldn’t have done that.”
“Are you kidding me? What was I supposed to do, Allie? Stand there and watch? I told you that guy was smarmy. I knew the minute he led you away that he was going to pull some shit like that.”
I look over to Halston. “Can you give Sully a ride home?”
Her lips twist, and I know she wants to say no, but she won’t deny me. “No talking allowed,” she says, pointing a finger at him, earning a smirk in response.
“This belongs to you,” Sully says to me, dropping the cash onto the coffee table before he moves for the door.
“I don’t want that asshole’s money. I’ll give it to the band.”
I stand to hug Halston, promising to call her tomorrow, then it’s just Jess and me.
Wordlessly, I lead him out the back door and through the gate that leads to the lake. The cool night air licks against my skin, but it’s a welcomed sensation after spending all night in a hot, sweaty venue. The moon peeks through the clouds, casting eerie shadows from the pine trees across the sand. It’s so quiet out here. Peaceful.