“What are you
talking about?”
“I drugged your wine.” George’s statement
was made in a monotone voice.
“That isn’t funny.” Tamsin gave a
half-laugh. “I would have thought you’d outgrown your pranks.”
Tamsin put her feet on the ground. She had
to hold onto the chair until her head stopped spinning. She’d had one drink at
the club and a few sips of wine. She wasn’t drunk. She glanced at her glass and
a shiver of alarm went through her. She hadn’t actually seen George pour the
wine. What if he had put something in it?
“I’ve moved beyond university.” George
picked up her glass and held it out to her. “You might prefer to finish this.
It’ll help you forget.”
“Why would I want to forget?” Tamsin forced
herself to stand. She swayed and it took all of her energy to stay upright.
George shrugged. “Have it your way. Just
know that if you say anything about tonight, I’ll kill you.”
Panic rose in her throat, making it
difficult for her to breathe.
The man standing in front of her was a
stranger.
“What happened to you?”
“I got smart.” George walked to the sink
and poured her wine down the drain. “After the first girl reported me, I made
sure no one said another word.”
“What kind of man are you?”
“I take what I want and I don’t apologize.”
George swung his hands around the loft. “How else do you think I was able to
afford this?”
“You worked for it.” Tamsin tried to take a
step toward the door, but her feet refused to move. She swallowed back her
dread. She needed a clear head to get out of this situation and fear would only
cloud her judgement.
“If I played by the rules it would have
taken me a lifetime to accumulate that much money.” George snorted. “Rules are
for suckers.”
“What about integrity?” Tamsin’s words were
slurred.
“It’s out of place in this day and age.”
George took a step toward her. She tried to move backwards. Her legs hit the
edge of the glass coffee-table. “People only care about themselves.”
Tamsin’s throat was dry. “We’re friends. I
would have helped you.”
George threw his head back and laughed.
“You needed an escape from your bodyguards or you wouldn’t have lowered
yourself to get into my car.”
Tamsin steadied herself with a hand on the
back of the chair. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” George raised an eyebrow. “If
I’m such a good friend why wasn’t I invited to your wedding? All your
high-society pals were on the invitation list, but not your old buddy George.”
“Most of the guests were business
associates.”
“Enough.” George shouted. “Fate played into
my hands tonight and I mean to take what I want. This is payback for all of the
snubs you and your friends gave me over the years.”
“You’re wrong.” Tamsin’s eyes widened as
George started toward her. There was a look of wildness in his eyes. “What are
you going to do?”
“I thought that was obvious.” George
grabbed her shoulders. “I’m going to have my way with you. I’ve dreamt of this
for years. Everything I would do to and with you, once I had you in my
control.”
George’s grip tightened.
“This is better than I planned.” He shook
her and threw her back against the chair. “You’ll remember every moment and
touch.”
“I’ll scream.”
“Go ahead. No one can hear you.” George
pulled his tie off. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve had a woman here
against her will?”
She forced back her revulsion.
“Do you hate us so much?”
“Quite the opposite.” George flung his
jacket onto the couch. “The problem is that most woman won’t give me what I
want. I like it rough. Women are ashamed that pain could give them pleasure and
they cry foul.”
“So you drug them?”
“It’s easier than foreplay.” George walked
over to a cabinet and opened the doors. His back was to her so she tried to
stand. When her legs wouldn’t work, she dropped to her knees