Page 6 of Captivated By You

“Which hotel?”

Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t you fucking say it.

“Kingcaid,” she said. “The posh one down by the waterfront.”

Fuck!

Somehow, I kept my expression schooled, but my insides went on a rampage. Fury burned, hot like lava, forging a path through my veins. Blood turned to ash, and the desire for retribution, fierce and without mercy, rose within me.

“I wish I’d slapped the bastard right across the face,” she continued while I struggled to focus on anything other than the fiery rage tearing me up. “Wish I’d knocked his teeth out. Then again, a man like that would’ve probably called the police, and I’d have been the one in trouble.” She snorted. “Typical.”

“What was his name?” My voice rasped, and she noticed the change in vibrato, because she squinted and tilted forward.

“Brandon Forster. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yes. Fine.”

“Do you know him?”

“Who?”

She rolled her eyes. “Brandon Forster?”

Under the circumstances, I did the only thing I could.

I lied.

“Never heard of him.”

“Hmm. Wish I hadn’t.” She hitched a shoulder. “Nothing I can do about it now.”

“Why didn’t you call the police?”

She laughed. “Oh, Ant. What would I tell the police?”

I loved that she’d shortened my name, even if it was fake. It meant she was growing more comfortable in my company. “That he touched you, without your permission.”

She angled her head, the look she gave me filled with pity.

“Ah, it’s so easy for guys, isn’t it? Problem is, Ant, there’s this thing called ‘evidence.’ Without it, the police aren’t interested. Sadly, women all over the world face this type of situation every day. It isn’t right, and it pisses me off, but it’s far from rare.”

I was embarrassed to admit to myself that this kind of thing hadn’t occurred to me. But now that “Ethel” had brought to my attention that this disgraceful treatment of women was going on under my fucking nose,in my fucking company, I had no intention of ignoring it, or brushing it under the carpet, hoping it’d disappear.

Of course, I only had her word for it. I’d need to carry out a full investigation before I could act. On a fundamental level, though, I believed her. If she said Forster had touched her sexually, then that was what had happened.

And when I uncovered the truth, that bastard’s future was in the shitter. I’d make sure of it.

“And if there was evidence, then would you take it to the police?”

She heaved a sigh. “Doubtful.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Why not?”

“Because.” She shrugged. “Nothing would happen, even if there was evidence. At best, he’d get a slap on the wrist, and I’d have had to go through a ton of crap for nothing. Not to mention that we live in a small world. Word gets around, and troublemakers tend to find that opportunities dry up.” She gnawed at her lip, her eyes glazing over. “Forget it, Ant.”

Not a goddamn chance.

I set my napkin on the table. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”

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