Breaking Josephine (16 page)

“You do that again
and this won’t end well, you hear me?” He squeezed my face hard till my eyes
welled up from the pain. I nodded. “That’s better. Now just be quiet baby and
this will be over before you know it.” He took his hand off my face and ran it
back under my dress, trying to push my thighs apart. I screamed again and
started trying to kick him with all my might. As my heel connected with his
knee cap, he slumped on top of me.

I looked up and
saw Dex pulling my attacker off of me and throwing him on the ground. His
friend was unconscious on the ground next to him, blood oozing from a cut on
his head.

“
Are you okay?” Dex asked, his voice rough with emotion.

“I … I think so,”
I said, in a state of shock.

“Did they hurt
you?” he asked, his eyes on fire with adrenaline and concern.

“Um … I—” I
managed to get out before I choked back a sob.

Dex gently took
ahold of me by the shoulders. He crouched slightly, looking up into my shocked,
frozen face. “Did they hurt you Jo?” he said again, his eyes pleading with mine
for an answer.

“N-n-no. I’ll be
okay,” I said, as he pulled me to him and hugged me, wrapping his arms around
me, and holding my head to his chest with his hand. I swallowed the fear that
had been trapped inside my chest and looked up at him.

“How did you find
me? How did you know where I was?” I asked, pulling away to look him in the
eyes.

“I followed you,” Dex
said, pausing to let his words sink in. “I was sitting in my car outside
Macy’s, about to go to her door and ask to talk to you when I saw the two of
you walk out the door, champagne in hand, and pile into the town car. It made
me nervous so I followed the town car to Portland. I waited for you outside the
restaurant, thinking maybe you would just eat and go home, and I was being
ridiculous worrying about you. But then you went to the club and I was beside
myself. All I could think about was you and how beautiful you are, and how I’d
messed everything up and how I should be dancing with you in there. So I went
in after you. But by the time I found you, you were so lost in your own world,
and you seemed so at peace, I didn’t want to interrupt you. So I just watched
you, watched you dancing and wanted nothing more than to be there, feeling you,
touching you, dancing with you.”

Dex paused,
running his fingers over my hair and down my cheek. “And then that creep came
up to you and grabbed you. I started toward you then and almost punched him,
but you stomped on his foot and sent him scurrying off. I was laughing so hard,
I didn’t notice you leave the club until I didn’t see you anymore. By the time
I got outside and asked the bouncer where you’d gone, I was worried. Then as I
was going in the direction he’d pointed, I heard you scream, and I ran until I
found you. Jo, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I jumped down your throat about Colin
last night. Please forgive me. I can’t imagine anything happening to you. I
want you in my life, need you in my life. I’m sorry.” He looked at me, his eyes
pleading and searching my face.

I reached up and
kissed him, holding his face in my hands. “I forgive you Dex. And I’m sorry
too, I never should have said those things to you, and I want you in my life
too.”

I pulled away and
looked at the two men lying on the street, still unconscious. Although the last
thing I wanted to do was touch either one of them, I bent down and felt for a
pulse on one, as Dex did on the other. When we were sure they were both alive
and breathing, and would hopefully be fine once they woke up, we left. As much
as I wanted to call the police and an ambulance, I didn’t want Dex arrested. We
hurried back into Blur, and found Macy at the bar, trying to convince the
bartender to give her one last drink before the lights turned on and the club
closed.

We practically dragged Macy out of the club and shoved her into
the back seat of Dex’s Range Rover. Although she was confused and grumbled
about the empty town car, she calmed down when Dex paid her driver, and she
promptly settled down to sleep in the back seat.

As the alcohol and
the events of the evening started to take their toll, I closed my eyes and
leaned back on the headrest. Before I knew it we were pulling up to Dex’s place
as the sun started to lighten the sky.

“Did I fall
asleep?” I asked, rubbing my face.

“Yes, as soon as
we hit the highway,” Dex said, looking over at me.

“Sorry,” I
mumbled, still tired and groggy. “Where’s Macy?”

“I already dropped
her off at home. I had to fish her keys out of her purse and literally carry
her into her house. Hopefully no one’s getting up early around there, since I
left her sleeping on the couch in the living room,” Dex said, laughing softly. “Now
it’s your turn. Let’s get you to a proper bed so you can sleep for real.” He
shut the engine off, climbed out and before I knew it he lifted me out of the SUV
and carried me into his house.

“You don’t have
to—” I started, but he cut me off, putting his finger gently on my lips.

“Shhh. I know I
don’t have to, I want to,” he said as I smiled and let Dex carry me the rest of
the way up the stairs and into bed.

I woke up to the sound of soft rain on the roof of Hartley Manor. I
sat up, still in my dress from the previous night and looked around. I appeared
to be in a guest room on the second floor of the mansion. Lovely sand-colored
walls and matching bedding set off the views of the ocean and a plush rug
warmed and covered the dark wood floor. I pushed the covers back and swung my
legs out of bed. Sitting on the slipper chair next to the bed was the overnight
bag I’d left at Macy’s and a change of clothes in a neatly folded pile. I
picked everything up and walked into the en suite bathroom. It was sand-colored
as well, with travertine floors, marble counter, and matching walls. I took a
shower, cleaning the memories of last night off me and got dressed, leaving my
hair down to dry.

I headed
downstairs, smelling something delicious as I walked into the kitchen. Dex was
standing in front of the stove, spooning a cream sauce over sautéed chicken
breasts. I pulled out a bar stool and sat down, tucking one of my legs beneath
me. I watched Dex in his element, at home in his kitchen, and felt safe and
secure.

“How did you know
I’d be hungry?” I said, smiling as Dex turned around.

“Because it’s five
o’clock in the afternoon and you’re just waking up,” he said, smiling back at
me. As his smile faded, his brows knitted together and he looked at me with
concern in his eyes. “How are you? Are you feeling okay?”

I gave him another
reassuring smile and nodded. Although last night had been one of the more
terrifying moments of my life, I was, in fact, okay. “I’m okay,” I said,
nodding again. “Last night was horrible, and I have every reason to be upset,
but I’m not.” I paused and looked out at the ocean. Finally I continued,
admitting what I’d been thinking since I’d woken up, “When you appeared, and
well, saved me, I realized how important you are to me, and how there is
nowhere else I’d rather be than right here, right now, with you.”

Dex smiled and
looked down at the plates in his hand, steaming with hot sautéed chicken and
fettuccine. “Then can you promise me you won’t make any plans to go clubbing in
Portland without me anytime soon?” he asked, handing me a plate.

“I promise,” I answered,
as I set the plate down and shoved a heaping forkful of pasta into my mouth.

After dinner, we
walked outside to the deck, wrapped ourselves in a large cable-knit throw and
relaxed on a lounge chair together, ready to watch the sun set over the ocean. I
leaned into Dex, feeling his strong chest against my cheek.

“Dex I’m sorry. I’m
so sorry I yelled at you Friday night. You didn’t deserve that and I was wrong,”
I told him.

“Shhh,” he said, hugging
me to him. “If anyone needs to apologize it’s me. I had no right to be angry at
you for hanging out with Colin and I should have trusted you.”

I looked up at him
and asked a question that had been bothering me since our fight. “I don’t want
to start another fight, but can you please tell me how you knew about me
hanging out with Colin?”

Dex looked at me
and then looked down. “Colin told me,” he said simply.

“What?” I said,
completely confused. “I didn’t know you knew Colin.”

“I don’t. At least
not really. We went to the same boarding school. But he’s four or five years
behind me, so we didn’t share any classes,” Dex said.

“Colin told me he
grew up in L.A.,” I said, more confused than ever.

“He did. But when
he got expelled for cheating on exams, his parents sent him to boarding school.
And his reputation in boarding school didn’t improve. He’s always only looked
out for himself, and he’s never had a problem lying or cheating to get what he
wants,” Dex said.

“So what happened?
How did Monday night come up?” I asked, still wanting to know the details.

“I got a phone
call from Colin on Tuesday, but I didn’t have time to talk so I sent it to
voicemail. I finally listened to the message Friday on my way to pick you up,” Dex
said, pausing and looking out at the ocean. “I realize now it was Colin causing
trouble, but at the time I took it seriously.”

“Seriously? Dex,
what did he say? How could anything about Monday have gotten you all worked up?
He drove me home and practically shoved himself through my door and before I
knew it, here he was opening a bottle of wine and telling me how horrible you
are for me and how I shouldn’t date you,” I said, growing more and more curious
about Colin and his motivations.

 Dex frowned.
“That’s so like Colin, to play us off each other. He basically said I should
think twice about dating you. That I go out of town and as soon as I’m gone,
here you are inviting strange men into your apartment. That you came on to him
but he blew you off. And he thought I should know what kind of woman I was
dating.”

“What!” I said,
sloshing my wine in my glass as I abruptly turned to face him. “Dex, that’s
ridiculous. I—”

 Dex held up
his hand to stop me. “I know. Look, Jo, Colin only looks out for Colin, and he
doesn’t do or say anything without a reason. I don’t know what his motivations
are for all of this. Maybe he’s interested in you and wants us to break up so
he has a chance. I wouldn’t be surprised, just look at you, who wouldn’t want
you,” Dex said. I looked down, feeling slightly insecure since I really didn’t
think that was true, but I couldn’t come up with another explanation. Maybe
Macy and Dex were right, and this was just Colin’s strange attempt at getting
me for himself.

“He’s not a person
to be trusted, not at all,” Dex said. “Jo,” he continued as I looked up at him,
“it’s no excuse, but I’ve never done this before, never had feelings like I
have for you, never been this invested in anyone. I freaked out when I thought
I might be losing you and I jumped to conclusions. I’m so sorry.”

I looked up at his
face. “You’re not losing me,” I said. I sat up then, pulling the blanket around
my shoulders. “But, … just so I know, was anything Colin said to me true?” I
hated to ask him, but I needed to know the truth.

Dex paused, looking
out at the ocean again and then back at me. He squeezed my hand, saying, “Everything
I’ve ever said to you has been true Jo. I had a one-night stand, using
protection, with a bartender in Portland. Turns out it was Amber. I didn’t know
her, and she wasn’t my girlfriend. Next thing I know, there’s a tabloid
publishing this supposed exposé about her and me and our love affair gone
wrong, claiming I pressured her to have an abortion. Nothing could be further
from the truth. I didn’t even know her name, Jo. I’m not proud of what I did,
but I didn’t have a relationship with her and I certainly didn’t offer her any
money for anything. I never even spoke to her after that one night and she
never told me she was pregnant. If she was, the baby wasn’t mine.”

“Okay,” I said,
thinking it over. Everything Dex said confirmed what I’d thought about him
before Colin put doubt in my head and before I blew up at him Friday night. “I
believe you, I do. Thank you for telling me the truth. I still don’t understand
why Colin said what he said though.”

“I don’t think
anyone understands Colin, Jo. I wouldn’t worry about it, just—” Dex
paused, weighing his words, “—if he or anyone else ever gives you a
reason to doubt me, come to me before you jump to conclusions. Please?” Dex
asked, running his hand through my hair and waiting for my answer.

“For you, yes,” I
said, kissing him gently on the lips, “I promise I’ll come to you first.” I
kissed him again and we looked out at the ocean, watching the sun slip behind
the waves.

After
all that had happened that weekend, when I woke up Monday morning, I wasn’t
ready to leave Dex and go back to my ordinary life and a morning shift at Sam’s,
so I called in sick to work and we spent the day together, lounging around
Dex’s house.
We
made breakfast together, me making pancakes and Dex cooking eggs and bacon.

“I’ll have you
know I make the best pancakes in Cannon Beach,” I said with a huge grin on my
face.