ONE DAY LATER

Waukegan, Illinois

October 1, 1997

A walk outside—that's exactly what Dawn needed in order to clear her head. She rose from the kitchen table, briefly glancing down at her half-eaten breakfast. She hated to waste food but between her distraught emotional state and the effects of the wine she had drunk the night before, she just wasn't that hungry. Besides, she wanted to leave the mansion before either Karen or Michael came downstairs looking for her.

She swiftly exited the kitchen and hurried to the front door. She drew in a sharp breath as the crisp morning air hit her face. She was still wearing her shorts and t-shirt from the previous day, not having bothered to change out of them. Sighing, she glanced at the black iron coat rack that stood near the door. She grabbed her blue fall jacket from the tall stand. She slipped her arms into the garment and zipped it up. At least her upper body would now stay warm.

Dawn stepped into the early sunlight, closing the door quietly behind her. She ran down the front steps, slowing her pace when she reached the courtyard. She strolled its perimeter, purposely staying within the fence-line. While she walked, her thoughts inevitably strayed to the events of the day before. She tried hard not to think about them; however, they refused to be ignored. Frustrated, she sat down on a lawn bench and stared down at the frost-covered grass at her feet, wishing she could simply erase what she had done.

Suddenly, a pair of black tennis shoes obscured her view. Dawn raised her eyes, though she already knew who was standing before her.

"Hey," Karen quietly greeted, her expression etched with worry. "Michael told me I would find you out here."

Feeling betrayed, Dawn harshly asked, "Oh really? What else did he tell you?"

Her friend's brow furrowed in confusion. "Absolutely nothing. He just thought you could use some company, but if his assumption was wrong, I'll let you be."

The blonde teenager quickly shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. Please sit. I should have known he would not have broken my confidence."

"Broken your confidence about what?" Karen inquired, sitting down.

Dawn sighed. "About me cheating on Kyle yesterday while you two were out hunting."

"I don't understand," the brunette admitted. "I didn't realize you've been seeing someone else on the side."

"I haven't been," Dawn said, now growing very uncomfortable. "I, uh, don't know him at all. He just happened to enter my uncle's study while I was, uh, pleasuring myself, and things just kind of, um, escalated from there. I'm still a virgin, though, in case you were wondering."

Karen's gaze hardened. "So, just how far did you go with this stranger?"

Dawn's cheeks turned warm. "He gave me oral," she said, "but no one else knows about that part. I only told Michael and Kyle that I let him touch me, which I did, but then he wanted to give me more."

"Dawn, did you want more?" the brunette softly asked. "Or were you too far gone at that point to even care?"

The blonde girl's eyes narrowed. "He didn't seduce me, Karen, if that's what you're implying. I could have said no at any time, and he would have stopped."

"Dawn, he knew you were too worked up to turn him down. Had you two met under different circumstances, I sincerely doubt you would have let him touch you like that. It sounds like he totally took advantage of the situation—and of you."

"You can think that all you want," Dawn haughtily replied, "but, if that was the case, then he would have fucked me while he was at it, and he didn't."

"No, because that would have been considered rape," Karen said. "He'll make sure you're begging for it before he tries anything like that. Men like him know exactly how to get what they want without resorting to rape. Trust me."

Dawn's suddenly became very angry with her friend. "How dare you!" she seethed. "You don't even know him."

"And you do?" the brunette countered, standing up. "Look, I just don't want you getting hurt, all right?"

Dawn silently nodded and then watched as Karen headed back to the mansion. The platinum-haired teenager couldn't help but mull over her friend's words. Yes, Dawn had taken offense to them at first, yet upon further reflection, they did make a lot of sense. After all, Mark had caught her in a very vulnerable position when it was obvious that her body was in dire need of some sexual release. Still, just thinking about their impromptu encounter made her damp with lust.

Dawn restlessly left her seat on the bench and continued her stroll. She never imagined she would risk her loving relationship with Kyle for a few minutes of lustful pleasuring from a complete stranger. She couldn't blame her boyfriend for being furious with her. Then again, maybe he had been having his own fling on the side with Tracy. Dawn would never know for sure whether his relationship with Tracy was strictly professional, or if Tracy was, in fact, his girlfriend—possibly even lover. Kyle had insisted they were just coworkers, at the very most friends, but the blonde teenager was certain that if he harbored any feeling towards Tracy, he would now be tempted to act on them.

However, if Kyle loved Dawn as much as he claimed, then maybe she just had to give him some time to cool down. After all, she had been honest with him, and surely that had to count for something. Yes, perhaps all would not be lost after all. Even Michael had warned her that Kyle would probably say some things to her out of spite that should not be taken too seriously. Surely, telling her that their relationship was over was one of those things. They had been dating too long for him not to forgive her. Besides, everyone makes mistakes.

Dawn rounded a bend just as a black Cadillac pulled up to the gate, not far from where she was walking. Her jaw literally dropped when a raven-haired man dressed in a gray business suit fluidly stepped out from the vehicle. He turned. She froze, barely breathing. Time seemed to stop as their eyes met. Then, he instantly started striding toward her. For a moment she considered running, but her feet refused to move.

"Well, good morning," the man cordially greeted. "Fancy meeting you again."

"Good morning, Mark," Dawn curtly replied.

His grin dissolved as he studied her features. "No offense, honey, but you look like shit. What happened?"

"My boyfriend broke up with me last night because of what I let you do to me. That's what happened," Dawn bitterly told him. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to head back inside."

"Wait," Mark commanded. "You told him?"

Dawn nodded. "I had to."

He gave her an appraising look. "I admire your courage."

She merely shrugged. "Well, I figured it would be best to own up to my mistake."

Mark's emerald eyes narrowed. "Do you really consider what we did a mistake?" he gruffly asked.

"Yes!" Dawn sharply exclaimed. "I had everything I ever wanted in my boyfriend. He's a great guy."

Mark roughly grabbed her shoulders and said, "He may be a great guy, Dawn, but he obviously isn't everything you want, because if he was, you never would have let me touch you."

"You got some nerve!" she fumed. "I love him!"

Mark's expression softened, yet he did not release his hold on the teenager. "Loving someone and being in love with someone are two different things, honey."

Dawn tried hard to ignore the feelings the man's touch was once again creating deep within her. She looked at him crossly. "We were going to get married."

"In that case, I'm glad I found you when I did."

Before Dawn could react, Mark bent his head and kissed her. Sparks of desire instantly shot through her body, and suddenly she wanted more than just a passionate kiss. "Mark," she breathed.

"More?" he murmured.

At her nod, Mark broke their kiss and guided her to a more secluded area of the yard. She started to tremble as he unzipped her jacket and slipped his hands under her shirt. She moaned quietly while he groped her breasts, tweaking her taught nipples. After a few minutes, he moved a hand to the crotch of her shorts and pressed his palm against her. The dampness she had felt earlier returned with a vengeance.

"I can feel you getting wet," Mark softly commented. "Would you like me to play with your clit again?"

Dawn instantly nodded. "Yes."

Mark quickly pulled her shorts and panties down and glided his forefinger over her moist lower lips. Her eyes widened when he suddenly unzipped the front of his pants with his other hand and pulled out his hard manhood. He rapidly moved his hand up and down its long shaft while he vigorously rubbed her tender nub.

When her legs began to shake from an intense orgasm, she instinctively leaned into him for support. He took that opportunity to push his erection against her wet slit. She moaned and opened her legs a little wider, too lost in the moment to really know what she was doing until she felt the head of his manhood slide into her virgin opening. He gently kneaded her bare backside with his hands, encouraging her to continue. Instead, she stood there completely motionless, shocked by what she had been about to do. She wanted her first time to be special and meaningful, not the result of a lustful tryst with a man she knew only by name. Tears flooded her vision as she stepped away from him. "I'm sorry, Mark. I can't do this."

He raised a hand to her face and gently caressed her cheek. "Honey, please calm down. You're not doing anything bad. It's only natural to want more."

Dawn quickly pulled up her clothes. "You're right, Mark. I do want more—much more."

With that she briskly turned on her heels, determined never to let him touch her again.

She entered the mansion only to be immediately greeted by her uncle. His lips were pressed into a thin line.

"What were you doing with Mr. VanTroy?" he sternly asked.

The teenager kept her expression neutral. "We were just talking."

Her uncle shook his head in obvious displeasure. "Dawn, must I remind you that you are in hiding and that you could be endangering your life by introducing yourself to strangers?"

She hung her head in shame. How could she have been so reckless? "I'm sorry, Uncle," she said, her tone now fearful. "I promise it won't happen again."

He raised her chin with his forefinger. "Dawn, Markus VanTroy is a reputable man within the firm, so you should be safe. However, I still want you to be careful around him. Understand?"

Dawn nodded. "Yes, Uncle."

"Good." His attention was suddenly diverted to one of the large front windows. "Speaking of which, here comes the man now."

The teenager wanted nothing more than to dash up to her bedroom, but she had to stay to appease her uncle.

He hospitably opened the door and smiled. "Good morning, Mr. VanTroy," he said, extending his hand. "Please come in."

Mark gave her uncle's hand a firm shake. "Thank you, Mr. Helms. I brought the files you requested."

"Excellent."

Mark's green eyes inevitably landed on Dawn. She held his gaze as her uncle glanced over the various folders the raven-haired man had handed him. Stealing the opportunity, Mark's emerald orbs traveled south until they settled on her crotch. Mine, he possessively mouthed.

Frowning, the teenager subtly shook her head, mentally cursing his arrogance. Just because she had faltered once did not mean it would happen again. She was through playing his games. Karen was right. Men like him were nothing but trouble.

Her uncle eventually glanced up from the paperwork and said, "Well, we may as well go into my study, Markus, and give these files a more thorough read."

"Yes, of course," the raven-haired man replied. "Good day, Dawn."

"Good-bye, Mr. VanTroy."

Instead of looking disgruntled by her curt farewell as Dawn had hoped, Mark awarded her with a smug wink before following her uncle down the corridor. She immaturely stuck her tongue out at him behind his back in retaliation. Then, she headed directly upstairs to her bedroom, gladly leaving the men to their work.

Mark sat down in a straight-backed desk chair, inwardly snickering as Nathaniel Helms took a seat in the same chair Dawn had orgasmed in—twice. Just the memory made Mark's pants tighten uncomfortably.

Nathaniel's eyes bore into Mark's from across the desk, as though the older man knew what the younger desired. "I don't know what Dawn has told you about her current circumstances," said Nathaniel, "but the reason she is staying here is because her life is in danger."

Mark's expression hardened. "Is this some kind of sick joke to make me stay away from her?" he asked.

"Hardly," Nathaniel replied, his tone grim. "We have another visitor staying with us whose primary objective is to protect both Dawn and his girlfriend, and, trust me, he will do everything in his power to ensure their safety."

Mark couldn't help but scoff. "Who is he—some deranged serial killer?"

Nathaniel remained stern. "I am not going to disclose all the details to you, Markus, but Dawn's whereabouts must be kept secret. If you decide not to adhere to this, I am not going to be responsible for anything that may happen to you. Do I make myself clear?"

Mark drew out a long breath. "So, what you're basically telling me is that Dawn is off limits."

Nathaniel shook his head. "Not necessarily, though I am also going to warn you that she is a minor and that her father is a cop."

"Wait," Mark demanded, "If her father's a cop, then why isn't he doing more to protect her?"

"Believe me, having Dawn's friend's boyfriend here is the best protection he can give her right now. My wife and I may not be overly thrilled with arrangement, but we also want the best for our niece. "

The raven-haired man silently groaned. "Your niece?" he asked.

Nathaniel wordlessly nodded.

"Wow. The cards are really stacked against me, aren't they?"

The other man shrugged. "I supposed that depends on how you decide to play them." He suddenly gave Mark a long assessing look and then sighed in resignation. "I'll tell you what, Markus," he said. "If you really want to know what you're up against, you're welcome to stay for dinner tonight. We eat at six."

"Thank you, Nathaniel. I have no other plans for this evening, so I'd be happy to join you."

"Very good. Now, let's take a look at these documents, shall we?"

Mark stoically nodded, pushing all thoughts of Dawn aside for the time being. "Yes, of course."