Chapter Thirty
That little bitch actually had the gall to show her face here. It was bad enough he had to tolerate Ross being here. He couldn’t very well disinvite his most popular professor, but she could have had the grace not to show up. Instead, she’d not only come, she’d brought Skyler.
Skyler, who’d disappeared without a trace three weeks ago.
Skyler, who refused to answer his calls.
Fucking cunt.
Anger seethed in his gut as Dale watched the two women mingle with the other partygoers. Something was definitely not right. He would have expected smugness from Bridget. Instead, she seemed tense.
He knew every inch of her face and body. He’d spent countless hours observing her. Learning her. She had no idea exactly how intimately acquainted with her he was.
An unschooled observer might not notice it, but her face was pale and her lips, usually so lush and full, were pinched. That was the only clue that she wasn’t her usual, gregarious self.
She was elegantly dressed as usual. A simple copper silk blouse and camel-coloured pants ending in chocolate leather boots. She had style. As she moved, her breasts jiggled slightly and his hand itched as the memory of the feel of her tits filled his mind.
She’d felt good underneath him. Pinned to the desk. Whimpering, ready for him to have her. They’d been full and heavy. Her nipples hard and wanting.
His cock twitched and he pulled his thoughts back to the present. She’d pay for humiliating him the way she had. She thought she had him over a barrel with that janitor boyfriend of hers. But she was wrong. He hadn’t figured out how to bring this back on her, but he would.
Skyler looked downright sick. She was literally green around the edges, as if she were likely to vomit.
She should be. Showing up in his house like this. She had a lot to answer for and he planned to get his answers now. Not later. She might disappear again.
Excusing himself from the president, who was droning on about the risks of raising tuition to the group of toadies he’d cultivated, Dale navigated the crowd toward the two women.
‘He’s coming this way,’ Skyler hissed to Bridget.
‘Stay calm,’ she replied. ‘This is what we wanted, remember.’
It might have been what needed to happen, but it was the last thing Skyler wanted to happen. She wanted to leave and never see the bastard’s face again. She wanted to rip out his lying tongue and make him choke on it.
Not good for the baby, Sky, she reminded herself. Calm down.
She took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and turned to face the demon of her nightmares.
‘Skyler.’ The dean’s eyebrow twitched and his eyes narrowed. ‘I’m surprised to see you here.’ He turned his gaze to the professor. ‘You too, Ross.’
‘Why wouldn’t I be here?’ Bridget smirked at Dale. ‘No one misses the year end meat-market.’
‘Am I to believe, then, that Skyler is your chosen protegee?’ He sipped from what looked like brandy.
Skyler’s chest went tight. She hated dealing with him when he was drinking. He was bad enough sober. Drunk, he was much more vicious. She could only hope that he hadn’t been at it for very long.
‘You can believe whatever you want, Dean.’ Bridget drew herself up to her full height, but didn’t come anywhere close to matching the dean in being imposing.
He sneered at her. ‘You and I have unfinished business, Ross, but right now, Skyler and I have a conversation we need to have.’
Before she could react, he took Skyler by the arm and began leading her out of the room. But he wasn’t taking her towards his study where she needed to get him. He was leading her back towards the foyer. She guessed where he intended to take her and there was no way in hell she was going anywhere near his bedroom.
They’d made it to the foyer before she had the presence of mind to snatch her arm from his grip and veer off toward the study.
‘Get back here,’ he hissed and reached for her.
She looked over her shoulder but kept on moving. He was going to have to catch her.
‘Sky –’ He started to call after her, but obviously thought better of it, not wanting to draw attention to them.
Another glance over her shoulder showed him setting his drink down and following her. The scowl on his face didn’t bode well.
Her heart kicked into overdrive; she felt like she was going to throw up. Knowing she was supposed to get him alone didn’t make her want to do this.
She all but ran to the study, throwing open the door and bolting inside. Bridget had said to get over by the desk and she had just made it inside before Dale stormed through the door. She expected him to slam it shut, but he closed it softly. The click of the lock, however, resonated through the room with the force of a thunderclap.
Skyler prayed Bridget’s plan worked.
She whirled to face him and her breath dissolved in her chest at the venom in his face. She’d seen him angry, but now he appeared almost murderous. She didn’t want him close to her. Turning, she intended to put the desk between them.
She didn’t make it.
He grabbed her arm in a bruising grip and yanked her to face him.
‘What do you think you’re doing, you little slut?’ His grip tightened hard enough to make her gasp out loud. Leaning in close, he said, ‘What makes you think you get to ignore me? Hmm? Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t done with you?’
Skyler struggled vainly, trying to pull her arm away from him. Giving up, she lifted her chin and said, ‘We’re done, Dale. I don’t care what you say; I’m not sleeping with you any more.’
He laughed, a sound so bitter and cold it made goosebumps erupt on her skin.
‘Is that what you think? You are quite precious, aren’t you?’ He smiled but there was no mirth there.
Paradoxically, he stroked her face with a gentle finger, brushing an errant lock of hair out of her eyes. Just as she relaxed, he gripped her chin viciously, grinding her lips into her teeth and forcing a whimper from her.
‘You clearly need a lesson in who is in charge here. Your scholarship is under my control, or do I need to remind you that I can make it so you are run out of this school? I expect you to do as I say. That means you answer your fucking phone and you come when I call you. I told you before, you upstart little cunt, I will fuck you when and how I please.’ He shook her hard enough to rattle her teeth.
‘No,’ she cried out and struggled harder, trying in vain to get away from him. ‘I won’t do it.’
He fisted her hair, pulling her head back and forcing her to look at him. ‘You have no choice.’ A malicious grin twisted the features she’d once found so endearing.
‘I kept the baby,’ she cried.
In that moment, she understood the phrase “calm before the storm” The entire room seemed to still. Dale was frozen. The shock on his face would have been comical if not for the fury building in his eyes.
‘I told you to get rid of that!’ He was yelling, but his voice seemed to be coming from a long way off.
He raised his hand to strike her again. She reached deep inside and gathered herself. With a fierce cry, she hurled herself at him, pushing with all her might.
He stumbled backward, losing his footing and falling to the floor.
She didn’t wait to see what happened next. Moving as fast as she could, Skyler’s feet tangled under her and she almost fell into the door. She fumbled frantically with the lock. Throwing the door open, she ran, praying it was salvation she fled to and not her doom.
