“Um…” He shifts on the balls of his feet. His jade eyes fall down to the floor, focusing on the marble tiles.
Oh no. My pulse climbs, soaring to immeasurable heights with no apparent plans of returning to Earth. I was wrong. Please, God, tell me I didn’t lose my virginity to this man and can’t even remember it.
“Oh my gosh. We didn’t-”
“No.” He releases a short breath, a sound somewhere between scoffing and laughing. “But thanks for that. I’ll be sure to add that look of sheer horror to my memory for when I feel the need to humble myself.”
“I’m sorry. I just meant- We just…”
“No. It’s okay,” he says, his smile putting me out of my misery. “I get it. I’m just not sure how to tell you what happened. Or what almost happened?”
What almost happened?
This conversation isn’t making me feel any better. He tilts the contents of his mug idly, swishing the coffee around as if the answers exist somewhere in the grounds. The tiny scar on the side of his face twitches. The seriousness in his features is enough to send me toppling over the edge. What the hell happened last night? And why can’t I remember a thing?
“What do you mean?” I ask, impatient.
“You were given some sort of date-rape drug at the club last night.”
Ice water replaces the flow of blood in my veins. Did he say what I just think he said? There’s no way I was given anything without my knowledge. We’ve all been given the lectures at this point.Don’t leave your drink unattended. Cover your glass. Know where your drink comes from.My cup never left my view. I was careful. So how could this have happened?
“I’m not sure if the guy you were with when I found you was the one to give it to you, but he was definitely taking advantage of the situation,” Zach says.
This just keeps getting worse and worse. Not only did someone put something in my drink, but I was with some strange man as well? A man Zach likely forced to leave to make sure I didn’t go home with a potential rapist. The shade of red in my face deepens, evident in the intense burning overtaking my cheeks.
“Date-rape drug? Like, someone tried to...”
Zach nods. “Did you leave your drink out of your sight, at all?”
“No. I had it with me the entire time.” I must have. I wouldn’t have done something so irresponsible. But then the entire night is a blur. I can’t even remember ordering the drink. Lyndsey ordered it. That’s right. But the bartender handed it directly to me. Lyndsey told me to wait while she flirted with some guy on the dancefloor, and the rest is a wash of black. “I mean, I don’t really remember. Are you sure that’s what happened?”
“Yeah.” He stares at me, those same dangerous, thought-provoking eyes filled with something close to pity. I can’t stand it. I don’t want him looking at me that way. Like I’m some helpless damsel locked in a tower in need of sympathy and saving.
There’s nothing wrong with being saved, I suppose. There’s nothing wrong with having a helping hand every now and then. I’ve just had to protect myself for so long, maybe I can’t tell the difference between pity and concern.
“I had a friend of mine come to check you out last night.” Zach raises a placating hand, already anticipating my next question. “Yes, he’s a doctor.”
“At midnight?”What kind of friends does he have?
“He’s an on-call doctor to many of the families in town,” Zach explains. “He’s used to getting calls at all hours of the night.”
An on-call doctor?To thewealthy families in town, perhaps. Geez. How loaded is this guy?
“Well, thank you,” I say, taking another sip of coffee to steady myself. My cup trembles on my lips, the only indication that I’m not doing as well as I would like to think. If he hadn’t been there, if I hadn’t texted him, what would have happened?
“I’m sorry you felt the need to make your way into San Francisco to deal with me.”
“I was already in town.”
Of course, he was. Didn’t all wealthy, young bachelors spend their time in Bay City? So, what was he doing here on a Monday night? Visiting a girlfriend, perhaps? I keep forgetting I know virtually nothing about this man. Just because he kissed me doesn’t mean he isn’t already taken. It could just mean he is a shameless ass with no moral compass to guide him.
But then he did just rescue me.
I have to stop thinking the worst of every man I meet.
“Well, sorry for sending those messages in the first place.” Especially since now I realize Lyndsey had been texting me nonstop for twenty minutes trying to find me. Instead of responding back to her, my horny ass texts my professor in the middle of the night to come deflower me.
“I didn’t put much thought into those messages, Aly. I could tell you weren’t in the right headspace.”