Pulse - Part 4 (Pulse 4)

"Stop it," Nathan spits out in haste. "Don't, Jessica."

"Don't?" I throw the word back at him while my eyes are still locked on the handsome stranger's face. "Were you in on their bet?" I repeat. " If you were I definitely would have fucked you first." It's meant to hurt Nathan. I'm flailing but I'm not about to show it.

He cocks a brow and licks his bottom lip. "The night is still young. I'm in."

"What did you get?" I turn towards Nathan again. "What did you get for fucking me before he did?" I nod in Drew's direction.

"Cash." Drew's hand waves in front of my face as he points in Nathan's direction. "I paid him weeks ago. I just have one question, Jess."

I close my eyes to try and absorb the fact that they bet money on who would get me in bed first.

"Leave her the hell alone." Nathan slams his fist against the table. "Get lost."

"Jess." I feel Drew pull on my elbow. "The night we made the bet, you remember it, right? That first night you were at the club."

I nod slowly as I jerk my arm away. How could I forget? I remember every single detail of that night. I remember the way Nathan stared at me across the club. I remember the way it felt to kiss him, and I remember exactly the way it felt to come when he touched me.

"He already knew your name when we were dancing." His breath courses hot over my neck and I pull back. I can't have any part of him touching me. I can't.

"When you and I were dancing? That night?" I stare at my hands. That wasn't the first night. He's wrong. Nathan and I had been in the hotel room so many times by then.

"Fuck off, Drew." Nathan bolts to his feet. "Leave it alone."

"If you would have seen me first that night, I would have won, right?" The question is so ripe with arrogance.

"You made a bet with him that night?" I turn to look at Drew. This doesn't make any sense.

"Would you have left with me if you saw me before he talked to you that night?" He ignores my question and pushes. His bruised ego wants to be reassured that he's more appealing than Nathan.

"Wait." I push myself up and turn to face Drew directly. I sense Nathan rising next to me. "You made a bet with him the night when you asked for my number?"

"It's true what they say about blondes." The smirk on his face is pulling every ounce of anger I possess to the surface. "Try and follow the conversation. Before you came in the club that night we bet on who would ride you first. "

"You made the bet that night?" I need him to clarify that.

"No wonder they only let you peel carrots at the restaurant. You're too stupid to do anything else." He pivots on his heel and turns to the side. "I'm going back to my table." He motions towards a group of three men staring at us.

"Drew." I tap him on his back. "Hey, Drew."

He turns sharply. "What now, Jess?"

"This." I swing my right hand back, pull it into a tight fist, take a heavy breath and almost fall forward as I punch him square in the jaw.

Chapter 2

"Someone call the police." Drew stumbles back to his feet by grabbing hold of the edge of the table. "That bitch

broke my jaw."

"It's not broken," I whisper under my breath. I can't say the same for my hand. I'm thankful for the throbbing pain in it. It's chasing away the ache I feel inside. The ache that came when I realized Nathan was nothing but a disgusting bastard.

"You're not calling anyone." Nathan's voice barrels through the loud hum of the room. I feel his hands encircle my waist and pull me to my feet.

"I'm pressing charges." Blood is dripping slowly from the corner of Drew's mouth onto his white t-shirt. "She's going to jail tonight."

"Listen to me, you dumb fuck." Nathan pulls me closer to him with one hand as his other darts out to push on Drew's chest. "You drop this now or you're going to regret it."

"Fuck you," Drew mumbles through a wad of paper napkins that are covering his mouth. There's so much blood. "She needs to be charged with assault."