“Wasn’t she sexy?” Tim asked, tormenting her. He loved to throw other women in Katherine’s face.
“She was very nice,” Katherine answered quietly.
“I didn’t ask you if she was nice. She had—” Tim’s words faded as a thought crept into his mind. “Why did you dye your hair?” He asked the question as if he just noticed the change.
“Huh?” Katherine stalled, trying to find the best way to answer him.
Tim was overly controlling, and he liked to know about any and everything Katherine did before she even thought of doing it. To cut her hair would have been drastic enough, but the fact that she dyed it, showed defiance.
“You heard me!” Tim grabbed a handful of her hair, pushing her forward just as the elevator doors opened.
The suite was impeccably decorated, situated on a hill so that the city itself lit the room up with the bright lights of the skyline. It was a totally different view of San Francisco, and Katherine’s breath was taken away for a brief moment when she took in the view.
Satisfied with his punishment, Tim brushed past Katherine on his way into the room, and she prayed the argument was over. She didn’t care to be ridiculed about changing her hair color, and if he asked her why she dyed it, it would become obvious it was to evade him.
“Get in here!” Tim barked from the back of the hotel room, and Katherine solemnly followed with heavy shoulders.
Decorated with a modern design, the room s
creamed luxury. Floor to ceiling windows made up the outer wall, with the exceptional view. From the foyer, Katherine could see the living room as well as the small kitchen, where Tim was now standing, pouring a glass of brandy.
“There she is. The woman of the hour. Here’s a toast to you, Katherine Marshall, for making me chase you around the world just to have a simple conversation,” Tim held a drink in his hand, sliding another glass across the table towards Katherine.
Nodding his head, he urged her to lift her glass and she did. “Here’s to making sure you learn I’m not the kind of man you can walk away from,” Tim cheerily announced, raising his glass.
The alarm bells began ringing in Katherine’s head and she knew how the night would end before the amber liquid hit the back of her throat. Tim was going to go off the rails, and she had to protect herself from whatever he chose to throw her way.
She had learned to recognize the signs and always knew before things went bad that they were heading in the wrong direction. Katherine knew she needed an escape plan. Glancing around the room, she tried to familiarize herself with the landscape in case it could help her later.
Walking into the living area, she sat on a sectional sofa that faced a large television. Sitting quietly, she waited patiently for Tim to follow and continue his tirade, hoping she would take the bait and launch into an argument with him.
He liked having a reason to escalate things to the next level so he could then blame her for her bruises the next day. But in this time away, Katherine had grown from the woman he was used to. She didn’t need to fight with him, because he no longer owned her acceptance and self-validation.
Katherine didn’t need Tim anymore, and for an insecure person, that was a dangerous place to be. He needed her to be dependent on him if he was going to control her, and without that power his frustration only grew.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?” Tim asked, standing over Katherine’s small frame.
She glanced up at his massive body that was shadowing her like a dark cloud. He was much more muscular than she remembered. Katherine closed her eyes as she waited to learn just how much stronger Tim had gotten in her time away from him.
Chapter Four
Ben
STILL IN SHOCK, BEN stood on the stairs of the hotel for much longer than he anticipated. When an older man disrupted his thoughts by asking for the time, he decided to return to the event.
As Ben walked through the front doors, Will excitedly walked towards him with the look of a man who needed a favor. Knowing it was time to put on a brave face, Ben straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath just before Will arrived with a graying woman beside him.
“Mr. O’Leary, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” she introduced herself, stepping in front of Will to extend her hand to Ben.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Ben took her hand into both of his.
“Pattie Hayes,” she said, before Ben could ask her name. She was a sassy gal, and the men shared a smile thinking of how hot she must have been in her day.
“I’m very glad we got to meet,” Ben added.
“I asked Will here if you would be at the event tonight and he promised to introduce us,” she explained, turning the spotlight on Will, who was as red as a beet.
“That’s what friends are for,” he joked, raising his hands in the air as he shrugged.