Page 22 of Falling for Roxanne

“I hate banana. It tastes like sunscreen. Ugh. I’m going to get us new drinks.”

“Hey, tequila’s tequila. I’m not wasting mine,” Cathy said, taking a drink and making a face. “Yeah, okay, that’s gross. Hook me up with something that’s not made out of that blue shit.”

I came back with strawberry margaritas and some nachos to share. We ate and sipped, and she told me more about her new relationship with Rob, and all his tattoos.

After a few moments, I stood up.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Don’t eat all the cheese off the nachos,” I warned.

When I came out of the bathroom, there was a guy looking at his phone. I tried to edge past him, saying ‘excuse me,’ but he didn’t move. Instead, he grabbed my arm.

“Hey, sexy lady, no reason to rush off. How bout we get out of here and go have some fun?” he asked, his speech a little slurred. I wrinkled my nose.

“No thank you. I’m here with some friends,” I said politely but firmly. “If you’ll just excuse me.”

I tried to pull away from him and he managed to get his phone into his pocket and grab my other arm.

“No,” I said firmly, “let go of me. I will scream and people will come back here and find you manhandling me. Now let me go. Right now.”

“Why you gonna be so stuck up? You think you’re too good for me? I know once I get you on your back, you’ll be just like all the rest. You’re not any better than any other slut in this place.” he growled, too close to my face.

My heart was racing, and I was trying to decide if I should take a step closer and knee him in the crotch, or if I should drop to the floor very suddenly and get free of him that way.

“You’re gonna take your hands off the lady right now or we’re gonna have some real trouble,” I heard a deep voice say. I looked up and saw Hamilton, tall and broad, looming in the entrance to the hallway, backlit by the overhead lights, looking like the silhouette of a muscular cowboy from an old Western. I felt the breath I’d been holding release and I stepped back, relieved, as the man let go of me on Hamilton’s command.

“Dumb bitch,” the man muttered, and nudged past Hamilton, slinking away. I saw Hamilton’s jaw tighten like he’d like to grab the asshole by the shirt, drag him back into the hall and beat his ass. I shook my head, knowing that was what he was thinking.

“It’s not worth it,” I said, “thank you.”

“Hey, you okay?” he said, stepping closer. I nodded, my chin up and my jaw set. I felt shaky and I’d probably start crying once I was back at my table, but for the moment, I didn’t want him to know how scared I’d been, how weak I felt.

“I’m good, thanks again,” I said a little stiffly.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked, his voice low, his body crowding me a little up against the wall.

I looked up at him, my breath catching, want surging through my body, making me hot and tingly all over. He cupped my face in one of his big hands.

“You’re shaking,” he said, his voice so quiet I could barely make out the words over the loud music. I was reading his lips more than hearing his voice. I swayed a little toward him, turned my face in his palm, savoring the warmth of his strong hand.

“I’m okay,” I lied.

“There was nothing okay about that. Do you want me to walk you back to your table?”

“No, thanks. I don’t want to make a big deal about it. And Cathy’s with me.”

“I’d make it weird, walking you back there. You’d have to remind her that I teach a class she’s in. Since she’s always looking at her phone,” he said wryly.

“It’s not that. She’d recognize you and say something awful and you’d lose all respect for me. She has no filter. You’d be traumatized.”

“Is she that bad?” he asked.

“She’s the best. We’re like sisters. But she’s the one who says funny, inappropriate things.”

“I do have a sense of humor, Roxanne. I’m not a total prude.”

“I know. But I’d die of embarrassment. Devon would have to take over all my workload because I couldn’t show my face in the office again.”

“Now that won’t work,” he said. “If it’s a choice between letting you go back to your table alone or losing you as an intern, I guess I’ll have to back off,” he said, letting his hand drop from my face.

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