A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Explain.” He said.
She was only too happy to do so. “I spent three hours as the butt of every joke in the room. Poor hopeless Tess, throwing herself at the gorgeous Dash Black,” she mimicked with savage pain. “Did you see how he had to practically tear her arms off of him? We always knew she was hopeless, but to be that desperate.”
The cruel voices echoed in her head as if it had just happened and the painful mortification sliced her heart.
“This cannot be true. I kissed you. Surely the other guests saw that. Seriously! I rejected that tall blonde’s advances to be with you.”
“Oh, yes, the model.” Tess’s body went taut with remembered emotion. “You know that old saying about a woman scorned? Well, she epitomized it. She told anyone who would listen that I pushed her out of the way to get to you.”
Without the model’s interference, Dash’s rejection would have remained a personal source of pain, not become a public humiliation.
“What is her name?” The chill in his voice surprised Tess.
“What difference does it make?” Did he think he could do something about it at this late date? The time for his action on her behalf was past. “Anyway, I don’t know her name. I just hope I never see her again. I wish I never had to see any of them again.”
Impossible when so many of the party guests had been her father’s business associates and she often acted as his social hostess, albeit a quiet one.
He swore. She didn’t hear the word, but she knew that tone. It was the same one her father reserved for when he was angry or stressed about something.
“Do you know how many of the male guests offered to give me what you supposedly wouldn’t?” she asked in driven tones. “Strictly as an act of charity, mind you.”
As if no man would ever want her enough to go after her. Well, David wanted her. He’d told her she could come to his room tonight. Maybe she would. At least he wouldn’t think he was doing her some kind of favor.
“I want the names of these men.” The rage in him was a palpable force and quite frightening.
She stepped back from him. “Why?”
“They insulted you.” He said it as if those three words should explain everything.
They didn’t. “So did you.” She said.
“Tell me their names.” He totally ignored his own culpability, but the deadly tone of his voice indicated he was far from ignoring the insult offered to her by the other guests. Why was he taking this so personally? He wasn’t even sure himself
“I don’t think I should.” Tess said.
“Nevertheless, you will.”
“Don’t try to boss me around, Dash.” She would have sounded a lot more convincing if her voice hadn’t broken on his name, but suddenly he was looming too close and she felt way more intimidated than she wanted to.
“I am a bossy guy by nature, ask your father. He knows me. It is something you will have to get used to, Tess”
“I don’t think so.” She replied. “I don’t see any reason why I should”
“I want the names of the men who made importunate remarks to you.” He repeated.
“There really weren’t that many.” She said.
Two to be exact, but at the time it had definitely been two too many.
“So recalling their names should not be a difficulty, right?”
She sighed. “What are you going to do if I tell you?” she asked.
“I will have words with them.”
“That’s all? Just words.” She repeated.
His expression was unreadable. “Just words.”
She named the two men who had gone out of their way to be so objectionable. One had even trapped her in the hallway and kissed her. After Dash’s kiss, any other man’s mouth was a repugnance and she had kicked him in the shin, leaving him hopping on one leg and cursing her.
“You must believe I did not intend such a thing to happen.” Dash said.
“I know.” Tess replied. At least she did now. His shock and rage were too real. “However, you have got to see that it would be better for me if you just left me alone. I know I’m introverted and my looks are nothing to speak of, but I’m a woman with feelings and I don’t want to be hurt any more.”
And he was the only man with the real power to hurt her. The others had caused her embarrassment, but Dash’s rejection had cut deeply into her heart and left her bleeding.
“I did not hurt you.” He said
How could he say that? “You pushed me away like I was diseased! You left! You didn’t come back. I don’t know what you are up to now, but I’m not such a believer in fairy tales that I would entertain for one minute the thought I could be someone special in your life.”
A charming smile tilted his lips. “So you see me as Prince Charming and yourself the frog? I assure you, I am more than willing to kiss you and turn you into a princess.”
His mockery was the limit. The man was just too arrogant. Her eyes burned with tears she did not want to shed in front of him. “Leave me alone, Dash. Just leave me alone.” She spun on her heel and this time she made her escape good. She made it to the bathroom and slammed the door only to discover it had no lock.
She looked around wildly, but there was no escape. She stared at the knob and willed it to stay immobile accepting she had absolutely no telekinetic powers when the knob turned.
The door opened and Dash filled the doorway, his dark gaze probing her with tactile intensity. “You have taken me wrong, Tess. It was a little joke. A poor one, but only a joke. I don’t know why I seem to make a lot of those with you.”
“Get out,” she said, her voice breaking on a sob, “I want to freshen up.”
He shook his head. “I cannot leave you in such distress.”
“Why not? You did three weeks ago.”
“But I did not know so at the time.” He replied.