"It's okay, Mom." Holly said, attempting to placate her mom before she went into a complete tailspin. "I asked Constable Delgado to stay with me, and I'm sure Constable Gill was just doing a thorough search of the area. Not dumpster diving." The eye roll she sent Constable Gill made the older cop grin, but he was quick to cover it up.
Holly's mom took a step back from Holly and gave her a doubtful look. She was just going to start arguing when Constable Delgado stepped forward.
"Mrs. Chambers?" He continued when she nodded haughtily, confirming that she shared her daughter's surname. "I can assure you that Constable Gill and I will do our very best to find the man who did this. In fact, tracking him down will be our number one priority. So, please, take your daughter with you and we'll keep her informed of our progress. Rest assured, we'll do everything in our power to keep her safe once she returns."
Both Holly and Constable Gill gaped at him. Officer Delgado spoke calmly enough, but clearly he had gone off the rails. He'd practically promised to be her personal bodyguard once she returned to the city. Not exactly standard operating procedure under the current circumstances.
Mrs. Chambers looked Constable Delgado up and down, assessing him for any sign of weakness, but something about his sincerity and genuine concern for Holly stopped her from going off on her usual tirade. Instead, she smiled at Delgado and nodded approvingly. He met her direct gaze without wavering.
"Well, I would hope so." Mrs. Chambers said, gesturing at Holly to get up. "Now, unless you fine officers need more from us, we're going to return to the suburbs where people can sleep safely without worrying about raving lunatics invading their homes. I trust that Holland gave you our contact information?" She raised one finely arched eyebrow at Delgado as she walked imperiously towards the hallway leading to the front door of Holly's apartment. She didn't even look back to see if Holly complied. She was that confident that her daughter would do exactly as she'd ordered.
Holly obediently slid off her bar stool and followed her mother towards the door, holding the tea towel against her chest. Usually, she would rage against her mother's domineering attitude, but tonight it was almost comforting. She could just sit back and let her mom take over. And her mom would gladly take charge of everything. Well, everything except Holly's complete terror. That was hers alone.
Holly paused by the door long enough to grab a long trench-coat out of the hallway closet. Delgado had been following her out of the kitchen and he gently took the dark garment from her hand. Almost tenderly, he turned her away from him and then held up the coat so Holly could tunnel her arms into the sleeves. She held her breath as he reached into the coat collar to scoop out her long chestnut hair and drape it down her back. His touch was casual, almost perfunctory, but it still made her knees go weak.
Standing in front of him, Holly became aware of his size and heat against her back. He towered over her and she remembered how wonderful it had felt to be cradled against his hard chest earlier that evening. She fought the impulse to lean back against him and take solace in his big, hard body. But as much as she wanted to touch him, he wasn't hers and it would just make him uncomfortable. She had already done enough damage to her dignity tonight. Pawing him in the foyer of her apartment while her mother and his partner waited at the elevator would just make her look desperate and more than a little pathetic.
She was just about to put some distance between them when his large hands closed on her shoulders and he leaned forward to speak directly into her ear. "Holly. You're going to be okay. I promise. Alright?"
She closed her eyes and nearly collapsed against him. His breath tickled the loose curls at her temple for a moment and then he moved away, leaning down to pick up the small bag she had packed earlier to take to her mom's place. He brushed past her and looked back at her expectantly, obviously waiting for her to lock the door so they could leave.
As much as she wanted to do that, her senses were on overload and she couldn't move. Was it completely crazy that she was so turned on by this cop? Especially considering the situation? She was suddenly so aroused that she felt she could gladly return to her room and her bed if only he would join her there, preferably without his uniform. But this was neither the time nor the place to be suggesting a one night stand. So, she grabbed her keys from the bowl on the hallway table and was just about to follow him into the hallway when a thought occurred to her.
"What if I don't? You know. Get over this?" She murmured, looking up at him.
He smiled tenderly down at her. "You will."
"How can you know that?" Eyes wide, she gestured towards her room. "What if I never get another good night's sleep?"
"And what if we catch this guy? And you never have to worry about this again?"
"Do you think that's possible?"
He leaned down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a gesture that was completely unprofessional and totally hot. "Yes, I do. Now, Harpinder and I have an evening of dumpster diving ahead of us, so lets get you out to your mom's car, so we can find this odorless little worm, okay?" He smiled down at her and stepped back to give her room to close the door after them.
Despite her horrible night, the corner of Holly's lips lifted in an unsteady smile. Feeling bold, she impulsively reached out and touched his hand. "Thanks for being so great tonight. I hope you do find him."
As her fingers slid over the bare skin of his knuckles, she felt a pleasant jolt of electricity flow through her body. It started in her fingertips, but ended deep, deep between her thighs. It would have been delightful if she hadn't caught his horrified expression at her touch. He looked like she'd just touched him with something nasty rather than her pale, shaky hand. He backed away from her with a muttered, "Just doing my job, Miss." Then he followed his partner and Mrs. Chambers toward the elevator without another word or glance.
Holly felt tears gathering once again. It would appear that she'd stepped over some kind of line. It hardly mattered. She probably wouldn't see the handsome cop again. But for some reason that just made this whole situation that much worse. Not only had she nearly been tortured and raped, she'd also been rejected by the first interesting guy she'd met in a very long time.
Tightening the belt on her trench, she thought perhaps it was for the best. She wanted to put this night behind her. Dating the hot cop would be a constant reminder of what had very nearly happened to her tonight and that was the last thing she needed. If she had her way, she would put this night behind her and never, ever think of it again. She only hoped that was possible.
Surreptitiously wiping her cheeks for any errant tears, she turned her back to her companions and locked the door, wondering idly if she'd ever be able to return here and feel safe again. At this moment, it didn't seem likely. She was the victim of a crime that hadn't actually happened. And how was she supposed to deal with that exactly?
Chapter One
Three Months Later…
" Forgive me for asking, but what was in the bag?" Miss Bright asked, eyeing Holly over the rims of her glasses.
They were sitting in the one of the ostentatious private offices at Delta of Venus Inc., and Holly had never felt so intimidated in her life. She came from an upper middle class background, and had encountered truly wealthy people at art exhibits and charity functions, but this office space looked like Donald Trump would be comfortable lounging behind the desk. Everywhere she looked was marble, glass and stainless steel. It wasn't a warm place, but it was impressive.