Page 7 of Inside the Maelstrom: Part One
I tried to stop myself from reacting to his gruff words, but I still flinched. It wasn’t because I was remembering the pain. No, it was because that shit was embarrassing. I took failure to a whole new level.
“No.”
The guy lifted an eyebrow. “Yes.”
Hendrick slapped the guy on the shoulder. “Leave it, man. We’re all here for something.”
Otto touched my lower back, and I dragged my eyes away from the demon to look over my shoulder at him. “Sorry, he’s an asshole too. This is Sampson. He was clearly dropped on his head as a baby, and it made him lose what little tact he was born with.”
Otto guided me to one of the chairs, like we were in a formal living room rather than around the dark depths of a pool. Hendrick grabbed a beer from the six-pack beside the pouting Sampson, holding my eyes as he cracked it, like he was daring me to say something about him being in this wellness center for substance abuse. I honestly didn’t care though. He was an adult, capable of making adult decisions.
Otto made a noise under his breath, but smiled in my direction when he caught me looking. “Now that Sampson has rudely discovered you aren’t in here for a substance addiction, would you like a beer?”
I shook my head. Otto was dangerously disarming. In close proximity to the other two—who were obviously predators—Otto was like a Venus flytrap, luring you in with a place to rest until he snapped his jaws shut, leaving you trapped.
Even knowing this, I didn’t leave.
“Why’d you bring the girl?” Sampson asked Hendrick, who shrugged. That was it. I don’t think he even knew why he wanted me here.
“He kidnapped me from my bed.”
Sampson raised an eyebrow. “You fucking her?”
I snorted. “In his fucking dreams. I have no interest in rich assholes who believe the world owes them a good old-fashioned dick sucking.”
Otto laughed, and Sampson turned his dark gaze on me again. “I see.”
That was it. Like I hadn’t just disparaged his friend's character. They moved on to talking about people and things that didn’t involve me, but I still knew the names. That was the thing about being rich and famous. Everyone knew your business. So when Sampson said a producer had been fired by his firm and blacklisted from Hollywood for having his hands down his proverbial—and literal—pants, I knew who they meant. Same with the socialite who’d been caught snorting coke by the paparazzi. But they interspersed it with talk about UFC fighters, and apparently Otto had a love of bull riding, because he waxed lyrical for ten minutes about a female bull rider coming up in the ranks. I mentally gave her a high five for fucking with all those bigots.
“What about you, Viva?” Hendrick sneered, though I was beginning to understand that sneering was his default setting. He wore his pompous attitude like a shield; he even sounded like that with his friends.
“What about me?”
He rolled his eyes. “Who were you before you were here? Any deep, dark secrets you want to share?”
Hell no. I wouldn’t bare my soul to these piranhas. “I was no one.”
Sampson leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “Everyone is someone.”
“How profound.” I flicked my fingers dismissively in his direction, and enjoyed the slight tensing of his jaw at the gesture. “Not me. Beige. Good girl, good grades. Lost my virginity to someone who was on track to be an accountant.”
A hand shot out and grabbed my chin, and then Sampson was dragging my face to his, slamming his lips into mine and sucking down my gasp. It was over before I’d even managed to get my synapses firing.
“You don’t taste beige, Good Girl.”
I shot to my feet, my heart pounding, my mouth hanging open. I could feel the heat surging through my cheeks and I felt all wrong. Or all right. I clutched at my outrage.
“How fucking dare you?” I hissed, striding away but I didn’t get very far, because the fucking gate was locked.
Then Otto was there. I tensed as he stepped in close, but he didn’t touch me. “Sorry, Aviva. Here, I’ll lift you over,” he said softly, and it sounded like true regret in his voice.
I gave him stony silence because I didn’t know what would come out of my mouth if I spoke. When he lifted me gently over the fence, I clung to the top and carefully lowered myself down.
I stopped and stared at him, while he gave me a soft smile. “Be seeing you, Aviva.”
I blinked at him slowly, then fled back inside the safety of the main building.
Chapter4
