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.
The cool blonde woman sitting across from her was equally impressive. With just an arched eyebrow and a chilly smile, the Vice President of D.O.V. Inc., made Holly feel like a complete frump-a-dump in her loose jeans and oversized fisherman's sweater. Obviously, she should have dressed up for this meeting, but it had never occurred to her that an appointment with a representative from a female fantasy fulfillment agency would feel so much like a job interview for a position that was way out of her league.
'Well,' Holly said, looking down at her lap. 'I was only able to glance at the contents while the officers searched the bedroom, but there was a box of condoms, two sets of handcuffs, a blindfold, and some rope. And a very large knife.' There was also a huge black spiked dildo in there, but she wasn't going to tell this stranger about that.
Miss Bright went a shade or two paler as Holly recited her list. 'My goodness,' she said, adjusting her glasses. 'That's awful. No wonder you've been plagued with anxiety. It sounds like you narrowly escaped every woman's worst nightmare.'
Holly glanced up and away nervously. 'I did, and I'm so grateful for that. You have no idea. I can't even contemplate how actual rape survivors are able to move on with their lives. But for whatever reason, I didn't get away completely unscathed. Things have been, well, strange, ever since that night.'
'What do you mean?'
'Well, the obvious stuff. I have trouble sleeping. My appetite has disappeared completely. I'm nervous all the time. I can't focus on work or anything anymore. Books, movies, basic conversation. I'm just not myself. And it's not getting better.' The dark circles under Holly's pale blue eyes and the way her clothes hung on her frail frame gave testament to her words, but she was having trouble revealing the other disturbing side-effect of that night. The one that had brought her here.
'I'm sorry, Miss Chambers. I don't understand. Surely a therapist would be more helpful with your particular situation.'
'I've tried that. And it really hasn't helped. Talking about it and all my feelings of guilt and fear just seem to make it worse. I have, well, nightmares I guess you'd call them.'
'Guilt? Why on Earth would you feel guilty?'
'Well, unfortunately, two other women in my neighborhood haven't been so lucky. It’s been in the news. Last month another woman was raped. It was another home invasion. Same circumstances. And last week it happened again. This time she was badly beaten.' Holly felt uncontrollable panic rising in her chest but somehow managed to keep her voice even and detached.
Miss Bright just stared at her client for a long time. When she spoke, her voice had lost that distinctive clipped tone that made her sound more machine than human being. 'Holly. I'm really sorry, but I don't think we can help you. What you need is some kind of Post Traumatic Stress treatment. D.O.V. Inc., is for entertainment purposes only. Our Scene Facilitators are very talented at helping women work through their sexual issues, but this
