Rock Bottom

I nodded, rubbing my hand higher, feeling a rush of relief that he was going to let the issue of the bruises go. “Yes. For sure.”



“When? You’re not going to do it while I’m out of town, are you?”



That had been exactly what I was planning to do. “Um, yeah. Why?”



“I want to be there.” He was vehement.



“You that excited to watch Frankie torture me on her table?”



His hand covered mine on his leg, squeezing gently. “Not excited, no. I just want to be there. Will you promise me that you won’t do it while I’m out of town? Please.”



The please got to me. He didn’t say it often, but when he did, it was always sincere and earnest. This was important to him, for whatever reason. “She’s very booked up, so I’ll ask her when she can squeeze me in at breakfast. I kind of promised her that she could let her crew film it for the show.”



His mouth tightened, and I knew he wasn’t happy about that. “Where are you getting it?”



“On my back.”



“Where on your back?”



“Mid back, near my spine.”



“So you’re going topless for Frankie’s camera crew? On fucking TV?”



I sighed. My caveman was back. “No one will see anything but my back. My front will be down on the table, and I’ll be careful to keep everything covered up. Quit looking for things to get upset about.”



“Looking for things? Looking for things?” he asked the question twice, as though he were thinking aloud. “My girlfriend, who I’m fucking in love with, comes to me covered in bruises that she won’t explain, and I’m looking for things to get upset about? And then I find out she’s putting her fucking perfect bare body on TV, for any fucking weirdo to jack off to, and I’m looking for things?”



I shut my eyes, wishing I could take back the words that had obviously made things worse.



I caved. “I’ll make sure I get my ink done when you’re there, okay? You can stay close and guard my modesty. That make you feel better?”



“It helps, but you’re off your rocker if you think I’m just going to forget about those bruises.”



I kept from rolling my eyes, but only barely. There were downsides to having a possessive boyfriend, no matter that I was crazy in love with him.



I was relieved when Frankie met us at the valet station, hugging us both exuberantly, and talking a mile a minute from the second she saw us, effectively distracting Tristan from his dark mood.



“I had dinner with James last night,” she began.



I smirked, always amused when she referred to the famous James Cavendish by his first name. It just sounded wrong. The man was too intimidating for first name basis, but I knew they were close friends. “He’s opening up an internship at his gallery, not this semester, but the next, and he wants to interview you for it! You want it, right? I told him you’d want to do it, so you better want it.”



My heart did a little flip in my chest. It was a huge opportunity for me. It was notoriously hard to get an internship in one of his galleries, and nearly impossible to be hired on. “That’s amazing! Of course I want it! I’ll scale back on classes next semester if I have to.”



“Good, good. I told him you’d be psyched, and I gave him your number.”



I hugged her, squeezing hard. “Thank you! You’re the best!”



“Did you tell him that if he hits on her I’ll fucking kill him?” Tristan spoke quiet and low.



We sent him matching glares.



“Give me some credit, man.” Frankie’s tone was exasperated. “James doesn’t do vanilla anymore, not for a long time now, and I told him very clearly that Danika isn’t his type. Trust me, he won’t go there.”



“Does he know she’s taken? Did you tell him that she’s with me?”



“Not in so many words, but I’m sure he can connect the dots. It’s not like he’s interested in her personal life. This is about the gallery. He’s decided he’d like her working for him, period.”



“Bullshit.”



My hands clenched into fists. The thought of him ruining this for me had me livid. I pointed at him. “Knock it off. Do you see me holding you back from being successful? I didn’t think so. Show me the same respect, you ass.”



Something, either my words or my tone, had him backing off instantly.



“Fine, fine. Just promise to tell me if he steps out of line.”



I began to walk into the building, done with the conversation. The way things were going, we’d be skipping straight to lunch as Tristan found one thing after another to be jealous about.



We were seated with menus before he spoke again.



“Just promise me you’ll let me know if he’s out of line, and I’ll drop it.”



“The man is a fucking billionaire sexgod. I’m pretty sure I won’t have to beat him off with a stick, but yeah, I promise.”



Frankie snorted. “Right? You have nothing to worry about, Tristan. I’ve never met a person in my life that has more self-control than James, and I already as good as warned him off.”



That seemed to settle it, and Tristan dropped the issue—thank God.



“I think I’ve got your tattoo design ready,” Frankie said excitedly, rubbing her hands together like a little girl. It was adorable, really, how much she loved her ink.



“Can I see it?” I asked, nervous but excited.



“Of course. I was thinking we could get you in on Tuesday. You should do it all in one sitting. It’s better that way, trust me.”



“I’m supposed to be in the studio on Tuesday,” Tristan told her, looking grumpy again. No, more like downright agitated.



“Well, you don’t got to be there, stud muffin,” she explained cheerfully.



“Yes, I do. I’ll talk to the producer; see what we can work out.”



Her mouth twisted ruefully. “Another one bites the dust. Could you be more obsessed with your girl, man?”



“Doubtful,” he replied mildly.



CHAPTER SEVEN



DANIKA



The shit really hit the fan the next morning.



I was digging through my overnight bag, fishing out workout clothes. The plan was to hit the gym together, and then the shower, but we never got to do either.



I pulled out the black tank top that had been ripped down the middle, unfolding it before I realized which shirt it was. Rolled up, it had looked roughly the same as my workout top. I tried to rebury it just as quickly, but I was too late.



It was wrenched out of my hand before I could put it back.



Tristan loomed above me. He’d been dressing, too, and wore nothing but some dark blue athletic shorts and tennis shoes.



He was shirtless and his chest and abdominal muscles clenched, his biceps twitching, as he gripped the shirt. In spite of my better judgement, even knowing the day was about to be ruined, I was turned on by the sight.



“What is this?” he asked, unfolding the material, examining every inch of it, as though to make some sense of the rip that ran down the front.



I sighed, my eyes closing in dread. “It’s a shirt,” I explained, my tone resigned.



“Why is it ripped in half?” he bit out. I could already tell by his blank eyes that his temper had taken him to a place I couldn’t reach.



“Long story.”



He gave me a very pained smile, his eyes scary. “I’ve got all day, sweetheart.”



“Let’s not do this, Tristan. It’s over with, and it was nothing that was worth you going to jail for.”



“Fine. Have it your way. You give me no explanations, so I can only assume the absolute worst. Just answer me one question. Were you raped?”



“No! It didn’t get that far.”



Far from appeasing him, that statement seemed to set him off and I realized that I’d finally admitted there was an attack, a statement that I could not take back.



He pointed at me, his hand shaking. “Stay here.”



I sat on his bed, stunned by the turn of events for a solid ten minutes after he’d left.



I was spurred into action as I realized that I knew where he was going, and if I got to Jerry first, I could stop this train wreck in its tracks.



I started calling Bev’s phone, and then Jerry’s, over and over again on the drive, but no one was picking up. When I got to the house, a stressed out and confused Bev met me in the driveway. Tristan and Jerry had already left.



We didn’t hear a thing from them for hours. And when we finally did, it wasn’t anything I wanted to hear.



Tristan was in jail.



TRISTAN



My world had narrowed down to a red haze, my mind working like a broken record, focused on three things: Danika had been attacked, her shirt torn in half, her body bruised.



Some man had put his hands on her.



I couldn’t quite believe it, but I had no trouble reacting to it.



And her only explanation: It didn’t get that far.



I couldn’t wrap my mind around that, because it clearly implied that it had gotten somewhere. The steering wheel of my car was some faceless man’s neck. I held it in a death grip and drove straight to Jerry.



He answered the door himself, his face lighting up in a friendly smile at the sight of me.



I didn’t waste any time, holding the torn shirt up for him to see. “Where did Danika go on Friday?”



“Friday?” he asked, just looking confused.



“It may have been Thursday, but I doubt it, because I didn’t see the bruises on Friday, which makes me think they happened right before she came to see me.”



“Bruises?”



I shook the shirt at him. “And a fucking torn shirt. She was attacked, Jerry. Where the fuck was she on Friday morning?”



He swallowed hard, looking ill as dawning horror overtook his face. “Attacked? My God…is she all right?”



“Where, Jerry? Where did this happen?”



His hand covered his eyes as he rubbed at his temple. “Goddammit, I knew I shouldn’t have let her go alone.”



It took all of my self-control not to put hands on him. “Go where?” I growled.



He darted into the house, re-emerging with his keys. “I’ll drive.”



I was in the passenger’s seat and glaring at him before he spoke again.



“She went to visit her mother Friday. It must have happened there. It’s in a very seedy area of town.”



“And you let her go there alone?”



“I see that I should have gone with her, but I never imagined she’d be attacked. She was just going to ask her mom if she had her sister’s phone number. A very quick visit.”



“Well, now you fucking know. When I asked her if she’d been raped, she said, and I quote, ‘It didn’t get that far.’”



“Jesus Christ,” Jerry said, running a hand through his hair, and pulling out his phone. He was speaking before I realized that he was calling the police.



“That was a mistake,” I told him as he hung up the phone. “You just got me arrested, man.”



He sent me a baffled look. “Well, don’t do anything that can get you arrested, and you’ll be just fine.”