Page 46 of Hidden But Not Safe

She didn’t seem to see him. She just stared at herself. Her lipstick was gone, and black streaks from whatever she’d put around her eyes had smeared, making them look bruised and dull.

“Meg.”

At the sound of her name, she jerked, her eyes finding his in the mirror, her lips twisting. “You shouldn’t be in here.”

He stepped closer, still not sure what to do. Questions built in his throat, useless ones. He’d run away. It’d be hypocritical to ask if she was okay now.

Her name slipped out again instead. “Meg?”

She sighed, her hands shifting at the top of her dress to find the strings. Her hands were shaking too much, and the material sagged, revealing one of her breasts. “Fuck. He made a mess of me. Help me tie this, will you?”

Naz moved closer, careful not to touch her as he found the strings. Meg moved the material to cover her breasts as he pulled the strings behind her neck. His fingers felt clumsy on the delicate cords, but he managed to tie a bow tight enough to hold her dress up. The skin at the back of her neck was mottled red.

“It’s fine,” Meg said, her voice growing steadier. She stared at herself in the mirror again. “Not like this is the first time. I like sex. It’s not a huge thing to be whored out.” She twisted the handle on the sink, the flow of water covering the rushing in Naz’s ears.

“Hand me some of those paper towels, will you?” she asked.

Naz turned to the towel dispenser. He hated the damn hand motion ones. The rip of a towel followed by the whir filled the silence between them, repeating once, twice, a third time before she started speaking again.

“I sort of expected it, you know?” Her hands moved under the water, letting it flow over them while Naz continued to grab more towels from the dispenser. “No man gives a gift for free, so when Julio brought the dress, I knew what was coming. He was making a pretty package to be unwrapped by someone else.” Her lips twisted in the mirror as she stared at her body. “I hate this dress.”

The force of the last words seemed to startle her, and her hand jerked in the water.

Her lips curled up in the shadow of a smile.

Naz put the towels in a pile on the sink counter.

“Thanks,” Meg mumbled, reaching for the first one and soaking it in the water. “Keep them coming.” She lifted her skirt, dragging the wet towel between her legs.

Meg’s underwear was gone. Naz’s gaze focused on the red line dug into her inner thigh.

His hands curled, and he moved back to the dispenser, letting the whir of the machine cover the rough sound of his breathing.

“He didn’t have to rip my damn underwear,” Meg muttered, tossing the used, wet paper on the counter and reaching for another to repeat the process. “Especially if he was going to come inside me. Men are such idiots. It’d serve them right to catch something from me. Goddamn assholes.” She threw another on the counter, reaching for more.

Naz brought another stack for her.

Her movements became rough with the next one, and she winced.

Naz reached for her wrist, stilling her.

“I’ve got to get rid of as much as I can,” she mumbled, staring down at their hands. “I hate the feel of it.”

Naz reached for another towel with his other hand, rinsing it and bringing it between her legs.

A breath shuddered out of Meg, brushing across his neck as he wiped her more gently than she was doing.

“Ignacio…” Her voice broke on his name, and she swayed toward him. When she tugged against his hold, he released her wrist.

They tossed their used paper towels onto the sink together, and Naz reached for another one.

Meg’s legs moved wider, giving him more room. He wiped the residue off of her glistening thighs as she clutched at his arm with one hand and continued to hold her dress up with the other.

“It wasn’t horrible sex,” she mumbled.

Her eyes closed when he brought the next towel between her legs, catching more leakage.

“He was too fucking old, but I guess he’s learned a thing or two. He got me off.”

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