It was something I always rebelled against.
That was why Benny got paid better than I did.
That's why Benny had a health plan that included dental and I only had hospital coverage that I could use in an emergency.
I never wanted to accept that mindset.
That being said, people like Ethan had likely been spoon-fed it from the cradle thanks to generations deep of successful businessmen.
In a weird way, it wasn't even his fault.
"Ethan, you really don't need to walk me to the door," I said, as he jumped out, and rushed around the car to open my door for me.
"You've seen the crime rate in this town," he said, shrugging, tucking his hands into his pockets as I unlocked the door.
I moved inside and, to my surprise, he did as well, making a strange chill move through me, almost irrationally fearful of a man I had shared nothing but friendly interactions with for over a year.
I chalked it up to a shitty week on top of nothing but other shitty weeks over the past many months and turned to look at the date book to keep up appearances, not sure what the hell I would do after I checked since I didn't want him taking me home.
I turned my back on him.
And there was no way I could have known what a mistake that was.
That was until it was too late and his body slammed into mine, crushing my front against the high surface of my desk. It was hard enough to knock my air out of me as my stomach crashed into the unyielding surface, a strange whimper escaping at the ache in my ribs that suggested some sort of injury.
But I couldn't think about that.
I couldn't think about that because I knew that things had just gone from bad to worse in my life. That cesspool I fell into? Apparently, it had sharks. And this one was going to hurt me. I knew it like I knew the sun was going to rise the next morning.
And I couldn't let it happen.
I was smaller.
I was absolutely weaker.
I was beaten down from a year of nothing but absolute crap flung at me.
But I was not, was absolutely not going to be assaulted in the place I had worked so hard to have, the place I had been holding onto so hard it was a miracle I didn't leave bloodstained claw marks.
That was not going to be my reality.
No freaking way in hell.
His hand reached around me, grabbing my breast so hard there was a white hot poker sensation as he took my nipple and twisted.
"I knew this was heading in this direction," he said in my ear, ramming his hard cock into my butt cheek as his head dipped, and he bit into my neck. It wasn't a love bite. It was a bite that would bruise and not in the good way. In the way that I would see it in the mirror for days after and have a vivid, gut-sinking memory of the moment he gave it to me.
I tried to twist, to move, to get facing forward where I could use my hands, nails, feet, knees, anything, freaking anything to get him off of me and get out onto the street.
But the whole of his body weight was against my back and no amount of struggling could get it to move.
"Yeah, you like it like that. I knew you were a dirty little slut the first day you walked into my office in that dress."
My belly pitched as his hand moved up, trying to free my breast. The sound of my strap of my dress ripping was muffled by the thudding of my heartbeat in my ears.
"No, Ethan," I said, voice quivering, but firm. No. "Stop. Stop it," I shrieked as his hand slipped inside the cup of my bra.
"Perfect fucking tits," he growled, pulling back slightly to shift so his cock pressed between my thighs.
But it gave me just enough leverage to turn, to whip an arm out, to crack it into the side of his neck, sending him staggering back a foot.
"You like to play rough, huh, Kenny, baby?" he asked, smile going wicked.
I turned.
The door was all of three feet away.
I could make it and scream.
But I turned too fast, my icepick heel twisting, my legs buckling, and I was going down.
I landed with a cry, the pain in my knees ricocheting up my legs as I tried to crawl away, desperately kicking out of my shoes.
Just one more foot.
So, so close to possible rescue.
But he was fast, determined.
A hand grabbed my shoulder, pushing, maybe not knowing his own strength, or maybe just not caring, sending me face-first into the floor too fast for me to try to catch myself.
A blinding pain exploded across my cheek as the bone hit the floor, making my vision go in and out for a moment as I felt him move in behind me.