“Everything is great,” he said, smiling and digging into his food with a vigor he didn’t seem to have before. His pupils were dilated and something just seemed strange about him.
We ate quietly for the most part, Simon talking pretty much nonstop. I was having a little trouble following along from topic to topic. My appetite had vanished, so I pushed my fish around on my plate, breaking it into tiny pieces and mixing it in with the vegetables. Simon rambled on and on and I tuned him out.
“Fuck!” Simon snapped. I jumped in my seat at his exclamation. “I dropped my fork on the floor.”
His reaction seemed a little much in light of the situation and I watched him closely. There was a small sheen of sweat across his forehead and his eyes were darting around the room.
“I’m sure we can get you another one,” I offered, looking around for the waitress. I sat my fork down, my hand shaking slightly.
“I’m done with this anyway.” He flashed me a wicked grin and I tensed. “Are you finished?”
I nodded slowly, feeling my senses go on alert.
“Can I get the ticket, please?” Simon asked Jennifer as she walked by.
“Thank you for dinner tonight. It was very nice.” I quickly grabbed my purse off of the chair next to me, ready to get out of there; I had never been happier to see a date end in my life. I just wanted to go home.
Jennifer returned with the check and Simon paid the bill. He escorted me out of the restaurant, the warm air hitting us in the face as we stepped outside. Despite the temperature, I wrapped my arms across my chest and picked up the pace towards my car.
The parking lot was busy near the entrance to the restaurant, but as we neared the back, it became almost vacant. The sky was pitch black, not a star in sight.
Simon walked beside me, not saying anything until we reached my door.
“So, do you want to follow me back to my place?” He placed his hand on my lower back and I instinctively pulled away.
“You know, Simon, Kari sent me a text and needs me to come home. So I think I’ll pass.” I hit the unlock feature and grabbed the handle.
“Excuse me?” he asked, wedging himself between me and the door.
I took a step back. “I need to get home. So, if you’ll move, I’ll be on my way.” I mustered all of the courage I could find within me and looked him directly in the eye, trying to portray strength even though I felt weak.
“Your sister needs you an awful lot,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s the thing about having a sister,” I said, taking another step back. “You have to be there for them whenever they need you.”
“So, maybe another time?”
“Sure.” I opened the door, hoping he would take the bait of an empty promise. I started to step in and he grabbed my arm.
Hard.
My eyes bugged out as my breath caught in my throat, the feeling of his fingers searing into my skin causing my heart to race. “Simon! You’re hurting me!” I exclaimed, reaching over to pry his fingers off with my other hand.
He leaned into my face, a sick smile crossing his features, his face contorted in anger. Everything inside of me seemed to speed up and the world around me seemed to slow down at the same time.
I glanced helplessly around the parking lot, looking for someone to help me. But there was no one. I was on my own.
Don’t panic. Don’t panic!
“I’m sorry,” he said, easing his grip a little, but his features not softening a bit. “Does Cane not typically grab you this hard?”
My skin felt like a blowtorch was being applied to it. I could feel my pulse throbbing in my arm, white noise rushing past my ears. I tried to block everything out except for the man in front of me.
I have to take control.
“If you don’t get your hands off of me right now, I am going to scream with everything I have.” My teeth were clenched as tears from the pain began to sting my eyes. I continued to yank on his fingers with my other hand to no avail.
Panic began to set in.
“Oh, Jada.” He pulled me forward. I slammed roughly up against his body, his hand releasing my arm in the process. I tried to pull back, but he had ahold of the back of my neck with one hand and his other arm wrapped around my back. “You’re a little cock tease.” His pupils were dilated now and his eyes hard.
I have to find a way out of this.
“I’m not,” I said firmly, trying to keep myself from losing control.
My stomach was threatening to expel the little dinner I had eaten. I raised my hand to cover my mouth when I realized my keys were still in my hand. I put one between two of my fingers—the sharp point out—and encased the base in my fist. I raised my hand back as far as I could and jammed the key into his back.
His eyes went wide from the impact and he loosened his grip. I shoved him away and he stuck his hand out to grab me, knocking me off balance. I caught myself on the side of my car, my hands slamming into the metal.