“Who wants dessert?” Mom asks, her voice shrill.
“That’s a great idea, Darla,” Daddy says. “Sean, do you mind helping her while I have a chat with Kerry?”
I wither at the stern expression on Daddy’s face. I’m disappointing him again. It’s the story of my life. I’ll never be the poised, polished daughter he wants me to be. Mom and Sean leave the dining room so Daddy and I can have our private conversation.
“What the hell has gotten into you, Kerry? You’re being a bitch to our guest,” Daddy snarls.
I recoil at his words, gaping at him in horror as tears quickly form. “I…Daddy—”
“Quit your blubbering,” he hisses. “Sean is well connected in this town. I need him for my campaign.” He scowls at me. “All I ask is for you to be polite to our guest and you can’t even do that. For the record, sweetheart, he’s a catch you’d be lucky to have. The man comes from old money. You’d be set. Your children—”
“Stop,” I choke out. “Just stop. He’s…He’s not the man you think he is.”
Daddy’s eyes narrow. “I’ve looked into him. His family is impeccable. You know how important it is to keep good company around me while campaigning. No blips or anything on his record.”
“It’s just—”
Daddy cuts me off with a wave of his hand when they reenter the dining room. “Enough. We’ll discuss it later.”
I’m dismissed as he begins chatting up Sean. I swallow down my emotion, fighting tears. All I need to do is get through the rest of this dinner. Then I can get back to the man who appreciates and cares for me.
I’ve just polished off my dessert when I feel it.
The slight twist of the world around me.
No.
Not again.
Gripping the table, I drag my stare over to Sean. His eyes flash in a wicked way, but his smile for my father never falters.
“I don’t feel so well,” I slur out, closing my eyes to keep the spinning at bay.
Sean is out of his seat in an instant, his hands on my shoulders rubbing. “Everything okay, Kerry? Are you sick again?”
I try to wriggle out of his grasp, but it makes the sensation worse. All I can do is keep my eyes clamped shut.
“Too much wine?” Mom asks, her voice tight.
I attempt to speak, but the bile in my throat won’t let me.
“I didn’t want to say anything,” Sean murmurs. “But she drank a lot on our date, too. Is this a normal thing for her?”
Hot tears leak from my eyes, racing down my cheeks. Daddy stumbles all over his words, making excuses for me. I don’t hear any of them. It isn’t until I feel someone lifting me out of the chair that I open my eyes.
“Don’t worry, sir, I’ll make sure she gets home safely. You can check in on her in the morning.”
I open my eyes long enough to lock my gaze onto Daddy. His face is red from embarrassment and his blue eyes flash with fury. At me. My hands feel as though they’re weighed down by sand. I attempt to open my purse to locate my phone, but am unsuccessful. Daddy opens the passenger side door for Sean.
“We’ll come by in the morning, sweetheart, with your car,” Daddy says through gritted teeth. “Perhaps we can try this another day without the wine.”
Sean chuckles, turning my blood to ice water. “Everyone has their down days, sir. She just needs a little guidance. I don’t mind helping her.”
“You’re a saint,” Daddy praises.
Once inside Sean’s car that smells like him, I fall asleep. It isn’t until he’s carrying me again that my eyes crack open. I clutch onto my purse and hope like hell he leaves me in my apartment and goes home.
That’s delusional.
He wouldn’t drug me to leave me be unless this was some sort of power play.
Somehow, he finds my apartment without my having to tell him which one. It sends another quiver of nerves trembling through me. I never heard Daddy mention where I lived, which means he found out on his own.
He’s a creep.
Probably a stalker too.
I need to get a hold of Zane.
Fresh tears form as I think of his gorgeous face. The intensity that always rolls off him in scorching waves. He’s strong and smart and sweet. Zane is someone I always imagined myself to be happy with, not whatever horrible men Daddy has been scooping out of the filth for me like Sean.
I’m dazed as Sean unlocks my apartment. It’s not my key ring. Did Daddy give him his keys? The room spins again, making me dry heave.
“Don’t be getting sick on me, sweetheart,” Sean says, his voice dripping with malice. “We have the whole night ahead of us.”
“Wh-Wha d-di you giff to may.” My words are slurred and make no sense.
He sets me down on my bed that still smells like Zane. “I call it the wife maker. Gave you a little more than last time, though, since it didn’t quite do the trick then.”
I dry heave again, and then again when he laughs.
“It’ll make you compliant. You have all the right components, Kerry. Sexy, intelligent, successful. But you’re just a bit too reckless for my liking. If I’m going to settle down, I expect it to be with a woman I can trust to behave as I’ve taught her.”
“Water,” I croak.
He studies me for a beat. “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll get you some water. Let’s get you out of these clothes first.”
I whimper as he pushes my dress up my thighs. Disgust ripples through me when he grabs hold of my panties and peels them off my body, exposing me to him. His knuckle runs down my slit and he grins at me.
“Your father won’t be pleased if I get you pregnant out of wedlock, but it’ll ensure a quick wedding, which is for the best.”
He’s gentle as he removes my dress and bra. I’m useless to fight against him. Once I’m completely naked, he runs his nose between my breasts, inhaling me.
“You’ll learn, sweetheart, that if you comply, you’ll be rewarded.” His lips twist into a vicious grin. “Understand?”
“W-Water,” I croak again.
His lips purse together, a flash of annoyance crossing over his features. “Fine. I’ll get you some water so you don’t puke, but then you’re going to behave and let the inevitable happen.”
A tear leaks out of my eye, but I find the strength to nod. As soon as he storms from the room, I put all my energy into grabbing for my phone that’s in my purse on the bed beside me. I manage to pull it from the bag and get it opened. I’m not sure I can type, so I hit the microphone button on the text.
“S-Sean. Partment. Drurgsh. Halp.” It takes my finger two mashes before it sends.
Heavy footsteps thud my way. A tremble in my hand has me dropping the phone back into my purse.
Please, Zane, hurry.
I can’t do this.
I need you.
Chapter Eight
Zane
“So?” Dad asks, a smile tugging at his lips. “Tell me more about this girl, Kerry.”
Woman.
Not a girl.
“She’s great.” I shrug, unable to meet his eyes. “Really great.”