Page 46 of Just a Little Crush

“Jack and I were going to go and grab a bite to eat for dinner,” she said, looking torn. “Is that okay?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course it’s okay for you to have a life of your own,” I said playfully.

I’d be out this evening myself, as well, since I had my own plans to have dinner with Caleb and Owen. I’d already skipped Monday and Tuesday with the excuse of working extra hours to perfect the PowerPoint presentation. Caleb had been understanding, even while I’d heard the disappointment in his voice. But for me, I knew it was the right thing to do to establish that emotional distance I desperately needed between us.

I smiled at Valerie. “You two enjoy yourselves.”

“We will,” Jack said, and grinned at me, a teasing sparkle in his eye. “And don’t worry, I’ll have her home at a decent hour.”

“You’d better,” I retorted cheekily.

I left the two of them and took the elevator down to the lobby, then walked out to the street. At five fifteen in the afternoon, the sidewalk was already busy with people heading in the same direction that I was…to the subway.

I’d only taken a few steps when a hand grabbed my arm and hauled me back toward the building. Startled by the unexpected manhandling, I gasped, and when I turned my head, I saw that it was Mark who’d stopped me. Surprise rippled through me, that he’d be so bold as to approach me so aggressively in public.

“Where the fuck is she?” he demanded to know. “I figure since I can’t find her and she won’t pick up my calls, then I’ll just get what I need from you.”

Surprisingly, Mark looked well put together in a tailored business suit, but my heart leapt in my chest at the anger blazing in his eyes, and the threat in his voice. It took all my effort to remain calm even while I yanked my arm out of his grasp, which wasn’t easy to do considering how strong his grip was. I was probably going to end up with a bruise.

I jutted my chin out angrily. “First of all, don’t ever touch me again,” I said, well aware that this confrontation could have ended very differently if Valerie had accompanied me out of the building. Even still, she was probably only a few minutes behind me with Jack, and no way did I want Mark to see her and know where she was working so he could stalk her here.

“And second of all, in case you need reminding, a restraining order means stay the hell away from her,” I snapped. “She doesn’t want anything to do with you or your so-called groveling or apologies.”

I tried to step around him, but he moved in the same direction, blocking me from moving away from where he had me backed up against the glass window of the building. A small twinge of fear took hold. The people walking by didn’t pay us much attention. It was New York City, after all, and most everyone chose to mind their own business, rather than insert themselves in a hostile situation.

“You’re such a bitch,” he hissed furiously. “If you don’t tell me where she is, I’m going to make life very difficult for you.”

I grasped all the bravado I could muster. “Fuck you, Mark. Leave her alone and get a life. Your stalking behavior is pathetic, and so are you.”

This time, I pushed my way past him, but I only made it two steps before I felt his hands on my back. Before I could do anything, he shoved me hard, propelling me forward faster than my heels could keep up, and I went flying. I tried to catch myself, but ended up landing on my hands and knees on the sidewalk, the impact jarring my entire body. The scrape of the concrete against my palms and exposed knees from my skirt had me crying out, along with the pain I felt radiating up my left arm from my wrist.

“What the fuck, man?” a deep, intimidating voice called out, clearly talking to Mark.

Random people walked past me without helping, and I glanced up to see a burly man heading toward me after witnessing what had just happened. His gaze narrowed on Mark as that chicken shit darted toward the curb, hailed a cab, and quickly got inside before my rescuer could stop him. Good thing, because the guy was solid muscle and was built like an MMA fighter.

The guy crouched in front of me, genuine concern on his face. “Are you okay?”

Tears sprang to my eyes. Not because I thought I was seriously injured, but the embarrassment of the situation was starting to sink in. I swallowed back the lump in my throat, trying to speak, but unable to.

“Jesus,” the man said upon seeing my distress. Very gently, he grabbed my arm to assist me back to my feet, holding me steady until my heels stopped wobbling. “What can I do to help? Do you need an EMT?”

I shook my head. I was scraped up for sure, and my wrist hurt like hell, but nothing was seriously broken that I could tell. “You’ve already helped by stepping in,” I said gratefully. “I work in this building, so I’m going to go back inside and up to my office.”

The man frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay on your own?”

I managed a small smile, appreciating his concern. “I am. Thank you for your help.”

The guy made sure I was safely in the lobby before he continued on his way, and just as I reached the elevators, one of them opened and Jack and Valerie stepped off the lift, my sister laughing at something Jack had just said. As soon as she saw me, cradling my left hand and my palms and knees bloodied, all her amusement died.

“What happened?” she asked, her eyes wide with worry. “Did you trip and fall?”

I hated to have to tell her the truth. “Not on my own. Mark was waiting outside when I walked out of the building and he cornered me, then demanded to know where to find you,” I said, watching as panic immediately transformed Valerie’s expression. “I managed to push past him, but he shoved me from behind and I, well, as you can see, I didn’t fall gracefully,” I said, attempting to inject some humor into the situation to calm my sister down, which didn’t help.

“What thefuck,” Jack said, his eyes blazing with fury. “Tell me where I can find this prick so I can knock some sense into him.”

I shook my head. “You’re not getting involved, Jack,” I said, even though I honestly didn’t know how it was going to end with Mark, who had no issues violating his restraining order. But I also knew I needed to report this assault, to show how his harassment was escalating.

My sister grabbed my hands to check my scraped palms, and I sucked in a sharp breath as I felt another jolt of pain in my wrist. At Valerie’s worried look, I quickly tried to reassure her. “I’m fine.”

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