Chapter 16

She hung up without waiting for a response from the other line. She didn't want to talk anymore, she just wanted to go home, take a shower and watch, again and again, 'Dirty Dancing' until five in the morning.

She wondered why she was having a reaction so out of line. The irregular breathing, the nausea, that strange and unusual urge to cry...And an anger that she felt from deep inside.

He hadn't touched her physically or forced to stoop to levels even lower than normal. Yet, she felt deeply troubled. The reason for her distress didn't take long to be clear, it was because she had found him drunk. She still felt his hand gripping her wrist, his voice ordering her to kiss him, his breath that smelled of alcohol...

She shivered and put her arms around her chest as she always did when she was shaken. Just then, she noticed the green van of Sammie coming from around a corner at full speed.

As soon as it stopped, she opened the door and flung himself inside, her hands still tightly around her chest. She looked down at her legs, not saying a word.

Sammie stared at her her, she knew it was a matter of seconds before she...

"Allie, will you tell me what the heck happened?" Sammie said anxiously.

Allison didn't want to hear a word, she just wanted to put her head against the window and look out, but she knew that that would only make the situation worse.

"Nothing, it's all right. Let's go".

From the silence that was in the cockpit, not broken by any engine roaring as she had wished, she knew that Sammie wanted more.

"Listen, Allie, I definitely want...".

"I don't want to talk about it. Start the car or do you want me to do it for you?".

Sammie was silent. She was about to start the car when she noticed something that apparently sent her into a rage "My God, Allie! That son of a bitch...But...How!".

Allison looked down at her wrist, noticing the purple bruise and understanding Sammie's anger. She closed her eyes impatiently while Sammie grabbed her hand.

"Stop it, damn it!" Allison shouted and moved her wrist away abruptly, turning her face to the other side.

Sammie was silent again, not knowing what to do. Then, finally, she decided to leave. Allison breathed a sigh of relief, leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. The journey seemed shorter than usual.

Arrived at home, she put the key in the lock with Sammie behind her. Both seemed not willing to speak.

Allison threw away her jacket and the purse, slowly walking to the couch and sitting down, staring forward. She felt Sammie sitting close and, instinctively, she leaned her head on her knees, closing her eyes.

Sammie began to stroke her hair in a maternal gesture, and Allison wondered how she always knew what to do at the right time.

"I'm sorry" she murmured.

"It doesn't matter. I was scared, I exaggerated, I'm sorry..." Sammie replied.

Allison took her hand and began to fiddle with her fingers.

"Want to tell me what happened?" Sammie tried again, softly this time.

Allison thought for a moment.

'Ok...'.

"The bastard was violent with you?" Sammie offered.

She replied promptly "No. He didn't lift a finger against me".

"And the wrist?".

"I just was there at the wrong time, that's all. He's been a regular client for about two months, he's a doctor. I think he's also quite well renowed...Tonight, I saw him arguing with a woman. I don't know who she was, surely one that had slept with him...".

Sammie kept stroking her hair in silence.

"I realized immediately that he had been drinking...and a lot. I tried to leave, but I couldn't, not until he would have showed dangerous signs...He took me by the wrist, I think he didn't even notice that he was hurting me. He shoved some money into my neckline and attempted to..." she swallowed hard "He tried to kiss me".

Sammie stopped stroking her hair, tensing. That was the first rule in their job: Never kiss a client on the mouth. Also "Pretty Woman" said the same thing, and despite the fact that many found that it was an absurd contradiction, she agreed.

"I told him he couldn't but he insisted. He wanted to do it without my consent...He was close, too close, and I...I kicked him and then I left" she concluded.

Sammie stroked her shoulders, feeling her shivering.

If she had to be honest, she didn't understand what was the real problem, it didn't seem such a horrible thing to upset Allie that way. After all, she was accustomed to that kind of job and, personally, worse things had happened. But she felt so distressed and bothered.

Allison closed her hands into fists at the memory of the doctor's mouth that came dangerously closer to hers. The thing that had irritated her, the reason why she had ran away instead of trying to reason with him, was the same reason why the nausea was always there: it was because it was him, not any other customer, but him to try something like that.

But why?

They had found a balance, that was the truth. Every Sunday, each time she had to go to him, she didn't feel restless and disgusted like when she was with new clients. She knew exactly what to expect, she knew she would find him in the living room or in the kitchen with that damn sexy grin on his face and his usual sneakers; she knew he wouldn't speak, she knew exactly what he liked...

And, above all, she knew that nothing would ever change.

But that situation, his acting as a complete bastard, his need to kiss her at all costs, had ruined everything. After what she had done, she doubted that the doctor would call back.

Damn!

She had lost a client, a doctor who, more or less, respected her and paid her well.

But was that really the reason why she was so upset?

No, more than anything she was shaken because a similar acting from him was totally unexpected.

He was a bastard, she had to spend about two minutes in his company to realize that, but she certainly would have never expected to see him so...violent. He didn't beat her, it was true. However, he had invaded her space, he had crossed a border, he had tried to kiss her.

"I mean, is he crazy?".

She opened her eyes suddenly, wincing "Sammie, I need a shower".

Sammie nodded sympathetically "Sure, baby, go ahead".

She stood up, heading for the bathroom.

"Look, Allison, do not worry. You don't have to go to him If you don't want to anymore" Sammie tried to reassure her.

Allison stopped halfway "Don't worry, I don't think he'll recall".

Sammie thought she was crazy when she felt that strange note of sorrow and anger in her friend's voice. Despite not knowing him at all, she didn't like that doctor of hers...At all.

She decided that they needed to do something and soon. With a bitter smile, she grabbed the phone and quickly dialed a number.

Allison put her hands against her temples, soon after opening the shower. She closed her eyes as she felt the boiling water cascading on her while remembering his pronounced limping, the smell of scotch, the banknotes tucked into her cleavage, his lips a millimeter away from hers...And that damn moment when she had felt the temptation to let go.

TBC...