Page 51 of Stuck Together

Chapter 17

Madison

My heart pounded likea steel drum in my chest and reverberated throughout my body. My vision blurred and the background noise from the party faded. I was momentarily frozen, the past horrors of my experience with my previous boss flooding to the surface.

This can't be happening again. I can’t let this happen again.

I pushed Jonathan away from me and stepped back. The room wasn’t big enough to put the kind of space between us that I needed.

“What are you doing?” I tried to make the words strong and forceful, but I failed. They came out shaky and weak.

He stepped closer. Close enough that his chest brushed against my arm. A devilish grin covered his face, and I cringed. “I thought it was obvious what I was doing.”

“Jonathan, no. I'm not interested in you like that.” With every step I took back, he took a step forward until my back was up against the wall.

“Of course, you're interested.” He brushed my hair across my shoulder. I wanted to shrink into a ball until I was so small, I vanished. But when he leaned in close to my neck again and breathe me in something inside me snapped.

Despite how he made me feel, I was not weak, and I didn’t have to put up with this. I pressed my hand against his chest and pushed, and regained a comfortable space between us. “No Jonathan, I'm not. I don’t know what gave you the impression that you could behave this way toward me, but this is not happening.”

His smile shifted into more of a snarl and his eyes darkened. “You seem to misunderstand. I want you, Madison. And if you want this account, well then. I think you get the picture.”

Every ounce of my body told me to run, to hide. I needed to get as far away from him as possible where I’d never have to see him again. But then what would that solve? It was past time that I learned to stand up for myself against men like this. “Are you threatening me?”

He stiffened his back, and his creepy smile was back. “I wouldn't call it a threat. Think of it as more of an incentive.”

“Ew.” I shivered and suddenly felt so stupid. All the signs were there that he’d act this way. I found it odd when he kissed my hand earlier today, but some people do that kind of thing. Especially those from old money like the Benningtons. I should have picked up on it and then I could’ve avoided this situation now.

“I’ve got go. Goodbye, Jonathan.” I walked past him but didn’t make it two steps before he grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me back to him. “Let me go.”

“Madison.” My name rolled off his tongue with a growl. “You're making a big mistake.”

“No, I'm not.” I pried his hand off my arm. “You're making the mistake. We’re through here.”

I walked away without a glance back. If he had decided to follow me, I didn't want to know. I didn’t allow my eyes to look up until I rejoined the crowd of the party. I was so engrossed in talking about the campaign with Jonathan, I hadn’t even noticed he had led me that far away from the party.

God, I am so stupid and gullible. The first huge break I got in my career and this happened. How was I supposed to manage this account considering Jonathan’s advancement? Hell, how could I even work on it at all if he was the contact?

The urge to find Logan overpowered me. I needed to see his smile and the light in his eyes when he looked at me. Right now, I needed his strength more than I’d ever needed it before. He would help me deal with this and figure out how to handle this moving forward.

I spotted Althea. She would listen to me. She would help. But I wanted Logan, yet he was nowhere to be found.

After a couple turns around the room without seeing him, I grabbed my coat. Jonathan still lurked in the back watching me and I couldn’t handle his eyes on me. And if I saw Carl, I would most likely blurt out what his nephew did. This wasn’t the time or place for that kind of outburst.

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