“All right then. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Don't get too wasted now!” I said to her as she and the guys headed to Callum’s SUV.
As soon as they started walking away, Irving put his arm over my shoulder. I recoiled at his touch and my first instinct was to pull his arm off me, but I didn't want to make him angry and then get left in the parking lot without a ride home, so I gritted my teeth and said nothing.
“Did I mention you’re looking real hot, Eryn?” he said to me with a dirty smile on his face. “Yeah, real hot.”
“Uh, Irving, can you just take me home? I'm really tired and I need to just get some rest.”
“You don't wanna have some fun first?”
The way he said it sent a cold chill zipping down my spine. I was feeling more and more unsafe by the minute.
“No, I don't want to 'have some fun.' I just want to go, all right?”
The strange smile stayed on his face. “All right, all right, no need to get pissy about it. You should be a bit nicer to people who do you favors, though, you know? You're not sounding very appreciative of the fact that I'm giving you a ride.”
I’d had enough. My intuition was screaming at me. I pulled his arm off my shoulder and stepped away from him. “I'll just call a cab. You go on and do whatever you're planning to do,” I said coldly.
“Whoa, hold up, hold up. There's no need to be like that. All right, sorry, I was being a jerk. Come, on let's go. I'll stop being an ass.”
He reached out for my hand, and I don't know why, but I allowed him to take it. He led me through the parking lot and toward a dark alley.
“Uh, where's your car?” I asked, as red lights started flashing in my mind and warning bells started sounding their alarms inside my head.
“My car is parked on the street down there,” he said, pointing to the end of the alley where it emerged onto another street. “The parking lot was full when I got here.”
“Can't we just walk around? It's dark and looks real sketchy down there,” I said.
“Come on, it's a shortcut. I’ll keep the boogeyman away.”
He pulled me, almost forcefully, into the alley. As soon as we were in the shadows, it seemed that a different light entered his eyes – menacing and malicious. An instinct inside me was screaming out for me to run, but somehow, I just couldn't.
“You know, you look so pretty, Eryn. So pretty,” he said with a slur in his voice, stopping halfway through the alley where it was darkest. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you all night.”
“I think you've got the wrong idea,” I said, my words tumbling from my mouth in a hasty panic. “I don't like you like that, all right? I just want to get home.”
He stepped close and pressed me against the wall, putting his hands on my sides, moving them up toward my breasts. Fear started pulsing through my veins.
“You're lying. I know you like me. I know you want me. We both want this. Stop denying it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone,” he uttered.
I pushed him away from me forcefully, and he stumbled back, surprised at my strength.
“Get the hell away from me, you creep,” I hissed. “Leave me alone now and I won't report this to the cops. This is your last chance.”
He grinned savagely, malice glowing in his dark eyes. “My dad is chief of police,” he snarled. “You can tell 'em anything you want – nothing will happen to me.”
He darted in and grabbed my wrists. I tried to knee him in the groin, but he twisted sharply, and my knee crashed into the side of his hip. He grunted with pain, but it was no use; he was used to being hit by football players at least twice his size, and he was tremendously strong, as well.
“You'll enjoy this a lot more if you stop fighting,” he growled through clenched teeth.
“No!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Help! Somebody help-”
He crunched a powerful punch into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and leaving me doubled over and gasping.
“Shut up, or the next one will break your damn jaw,” he growled.
“Touch her again and you'll leave this alley in a body bag,” a deep, male voice snarled from behind me.