Page 97 of His Old Lady

Chapter 34

Faye

The sweat stain aroundthe collar of Cal's shirt spread toward his shoulders. Faye gripped the armrest, tense, and ready to jump the moment the car got off the interstate. Knowing the area, she also picked out a spot where it would be safe to escape with people around to help her.

"You're going to like what I've done for you." Cal glanced over at her and smiled as if none of his prior sexual harassment of her while working had ever happened. "You'll be real happy."

"I'll be happy when you stop the car and let me out." Her toes curled in her sneakers. "You lied to me."

"I'm going to make it up to you." He turned off the interstate, dropping his speed down to fifty miles an hour. "You'll see that I'm serious about making things right between us."

Would she survive a jump out of the car at seventy-five miles an hour?

She looked out the side window. Where the pavement met the grass blurred in her vision. She wasn't even sure she could jump far enough to land on the grass.

Not letting him think she was happy about anything he'd done, she said, "I don't want anything to do with you, Cal. We've been over this before. You purposely lied to get me alone. Why?"

He reached over and rubbed her thigh. She pushed his hand away and scooted as close to the door as possible. It was unbelievable that the first few years she'd worked for Cal and his wife, he'd treated her with respect when he showed up at the lounge.

The man sitting in the driver's seat had lost his mind.

There was something seriously wrong with him.

He was a danger to other people, especially women. Especially her.

There was no reason to single her out. He never gave Angela, Stephanie, or Jenna problems the way he had her.

At first, she'd thought he was flirting. She'd made it clear that she wasn't interested. Not because he was her boss, but because she belonged to Curley.

Besides, Cal was not attractive to her. In personality or looks.

She eyed the stop sign up ahead. Her heart raced, prepared to jump out. It wasn't in an area where there were other people, but she'd been stuck in the car long enough. She wanted to go home. Curley was probably worried when he found her gone.

A hundred yards before the sign, Cal turned right. The tires on the vehicle squealed in protest as he took the corner too fast. The moment unseated her, and her shoulder hit Cal's arm.

"Whoa, there." Cal chuckled, straightening the car. "Don't thank me until you see what I've done."

"You haven't done anything, Cal." She perched on the edge of the seat, holding on to the dash. "As soon as you stop, I'm leaving. You could get in a lot of trouble for lying and not letting me go. You need help before the police throw you in prison for what you've done."

Infuriated, she turned her back to him. Waiting for a new spot to make her escape, she realized he'd taken her on the back road through town. There were no stop signs, and the speed stayed at forty-five miles per hour until a block before the lounge.

Cal never stayed the speed limit. He pulled in behind the lounge and slammed the car into Park. She pulled the handle and pushed, ready to run, but the door wouldn't open.

"Let me out." She jerked on the handle. "You can't do this to me."

He got out of the car. Her panic accelerated, and she frantically grabbed the window lever and cranked it around in a circle, over and over. Hope surged as the glass went down.

Cal grabbed her arm and dragged her across the middle console and out the driver's side door of the car. Hitting his bulky middle, she slapped out with her free hand.

He laughed harshly, wrapping his arms around her and pinning her to his front. "Baby, don't fight me. You like surprises. I know you do. Remember when I brought you roses?"

Lifted off the ground, she kicked out, but her soft sneakers caused no damage to his shins. "Put me down."

"Relax, you're going to enjoy this." He breathed over the back of her head as his overweight body struggled to carry her.

Contorting her body, she slammed her head backward, hoping to knock him in the mouth hard enough he'd let her go, but all her attempts hit him in the neck or missed.

Cal opened the back door and set her on her feet. She rushed to go around him to escape. He blocked her way, turning the lock and grabbing her upper arm.

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