Page 48 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

“I’m calling the police!” Cat started dialing.

“No. Don’t!” Dillyn pleaded. “He’s leaving. Steven, leave. GET OUT!” Tears streamed down Dillyn’s face as she glanced between Ben and her friends.

Cat’s and Palmer’s mouths dropped open at the same time. Confusion clouded theirs and Ben’s faces.

“This bastard put his hands on you!” Palmer was shocked.

Steven struggled to get up from the floor. “No. You wouldn’t want them to do that, would you?”

Ben tried to get at him, but Dillyn continued to stand in his way.

Steven spit blood onto their floor. “I tried to do this the easy way. Just know that everything that happens from here on out is your fault.”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out!” Ben had a look in his eyes that said,if you don’t leave now, nothing on God’s earth will keep me from tearing you a part.

“It’s fine. I’ll go.” Steven smoothed out his disheveled Armani suit. “I just wish we hadn’t met like this, Mr. Cash, but I’m sure I’ll see you again.”

*****

“Dillyn, you should have let me call the cops on that bastard, or at the very least, allowed Ben to beat the crap out of him,” Palmer said.

“You know TNZ would have had this entire encounter all over their website. I was trying to protect everyone.”

Dillyn crossed her arms. She was right, and her friends knew it.

Dillyn walked over to Ben. She couldn’t look at him. She was too embarrassed. Dillyn whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” It took some time for Ben to calm down. He was pissed for her. But what pissed him off more was that he couldn’t help noticing Dillyn was much too calm. As if Steven acting violent was a regular thing.

Dillyn could see that Ben’s knuckles were bleeding. She moved to lift his hand. “We should take care of this.”

Palmer and Cat glanced knowingly at each other. “We’re going to go back into the study. If you need us, holler.”

“Thanks, Cat.” Dillyn watched as her friends left the room.

After they were gone, Ben turned to Dillyn. He placed the tip of his finger underneath her chin and lifted her head until she had no choice but to face him. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes were still shimmering. “I don’t know.” She tried to turn away, but Ben wouldn’t allow it. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Dillyn couldn’t stop thinking about Steven calling her aslutand aliar. How could he say such things when he knew her? Steven knew almost everything about her. Had he always felt that way? Dillyn just knew Ben had to be wondering why Steven would say such vile things. Dillyn felt ill. She was sick to her stomach.

“Your knuckles are bleeding. We should take care of that.”

Dillyn was clearly out of it. She had started repeating herself. “How about I take care of you?” Ben asked. Without looking, he knew his knuckles had fared better than Dillyn’s emotional state.

“I know you must have a million questions.”

“Actually, just the one you never answered.” Ben paused. “Are you okay?”

Dillyn hunched her shoulders. “I’m not falling apart, so that’s something.”

“No. You’re not, and I won’t let you.”

“Why are you being so sweet? If you knew the real me, you would run fast and far.”

Ben used the pad of his thumb to caress her cheek. “I already told you, I don’t run. But I do listen. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here.”

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