Chapter Ten

When Leigh arrived home at five-thirty, there was dead silence in the house. She checked on Ricky and found him in the family room. Then she went upstairs to Rory's room and peeked in. Rory was sprawled across her bed with books spread out in front of her. She was lying on her stomach with her legs folded in the air behind her.

“We need to talk,” Rory said when she saw her mom. “I got suspended today for skipping class.” Then she told Leigh about the fight between Carson and Dalen. She was gathering her courage to tell her mom about the party when Ricky came running up the stairs, with Dalen in tow.

“Look who's here,” he cried joyfully, as if Dalen were the second coming rather than an obnoxious eighteen-year-old football player. “He's here to see Rory,” Ricky added helpfully, before returning downstairs.

“Hello, Mrs. Abramson,” Dalen greeted smoothly. “You look lovely. Hi, Rory,” he said, turning his thousand-watt smile on her. She alone seemed immune of all the girls he'd known. “I heard you got suspended.”

“Yes,” Rory agreed shortly. “You should have too,” she added balefully.

Surprisingly he nodded. “I told my mother that, but she wouldn't suspend me.” Leigh quirked a brow at that piece of information. “I came to see if you want to go out for dinner.”

“She's in a lot of trouble,” Leigh began as Dan came striding up the stairs. He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I don't think she should go out tonight,” Leigh finished.

“What's going on?” Dan asked. Leigh gave him a quick version of events. “Rory skipped five classes yesterday to take her friend to the hospital. He'd been in a fight,” she shot a look at Dalen but didn't say his name. “Rory got suspended for five days today.”

“Oh,” Dan said, rubbing his chin. “Well, it seems to me like you did the right thing, Rory,” he continued. “I don't see any need to punish you further. You can go out if you want.” Rory and Leigh both looked ready to protest, but Dan was oblivious. He engaged Dalen in conversation. “Let's go downstairs and let Rory get changed,” Dan suggested, and Dalen obediently followed him.

Rory groaned and rose from the bed. “I don't want to go,” she complained to Leigh.

“I know,” Leigh said. “I think you have to now, Rory. Just be firm with him and tell him it's over. If you have to be mean, then go right ahead. I don't think gentleness and tact work with this boy.”

“Nothing works with him,” Rory exclaimed. “He just won't listen.” She dropped her voice, walking to the open door and peering out to make sure no one was listening. “He scares me, Mom,” she confided.

Leigh's eyes widened. “Stay in a public place tonight and get it done quickly. That's the best way to end these things.” Shaking her head, she said. “I'll leave you to get dressed. The sooner you go the sooner you can get this over with.”

Rory giggled as her mother left but the laughter died abruptly. god, she should have told her mother that Dalen had raped her. There was no way Leigh would have made her go with him tonight. Disgusted with herself, Rory examined the clothes in her closet. None of them screamed nun but she went for the demurest things she had—a lacy white blouse tucked into baggy black jeans. She slipped on sneakers with running socks in case she had to run and scrunched her hair in a ponytail. Rory didn't bother with make-up or perfume. Unenthusiastically she went downstairs and stood by Dalen.

He wrapped up his conversation with Dan and they left the house. “Your dad sure is talkative,” Dalen commented as he held open the door to the Porsche for her.

“Yes,” she answered blandly.

Dalen bent over through the open window and kissed her. “You look very sexy,” he complimented. Her stunned eyes flew to his face. “You look so innocent and touch-me-not. All I can think about is getting you out of those clothes.”

Rory grimaced as he got in the car and hit the street. So much for her brilliant plan. “Where are you taking me?” she asked through stiff lips.

Dalen shrugged. “Dinner in L.A.? I haven't been there for awhile.”

Rory didn't want to taint memories of L.A. with memories of Dalen, but she knew a protest would be futile. Dalen did what Dalen wanted. “Okay,” she agreed evenly.

Dalen seemed to be at his most charming, and he filled the drive with conversation. For the most part, Rory was quiet, answering occasionally with a monosyllabic response. When they hit L.A. traffic, he stopped talking and focused on driving. Dalen took her to a nice hotel where they had a good restaurant with a casual atmosphere. Rory picked at her food, unable to eat much.

Midway through the meal she had to go to the bathroom desperately, so she stood up. “Do you know where the bathroom is?” she asked Dalen, then followed his directions. She escaped into a stall and sat there trembling. After three minutes, she washed her hands and returned to the table, figuring he'd never give her much more time.

When Rory returned to the table her plate had been cleared and a bowl of chocolate cake with fresh raspberries was waiting for her. She regarded it suspiciously. “I'm full,” she told Dalen. “I'm also getting sleepy.”

He smiled, waving the waiter over. Her dessert was cleared and replaced with coffee, poured from the same carafe as Dalen's. She waited until he took a drink before sipping her own. It was too strong for her and she didn't drink more. Dalen discreetly slipped the black folder to their server and finished another cup of coffee. After the folder was returned to him, he wrote in a tip and pocketed his credit card. “Are you ready?” he asked politely.

Rory nodded and tried not to chafe at the arm he placed around her waist. Instead of going to the valet, he led her the opposite direction. “Let's take a walk,” he suggested.

Rory didn't protest and strolled along with him. They came to a small courtyard in the middle of the street where a fountain bubbled. Rory sat on the bench and trailed her hand through the water. She glanced at Dalen from the corner of her eye, and he was watching her.

She looked down to break eye contact and noticed the bandage on his hand, soaked through in some places. “What did you do?” she asked, pointing to it.

“I broke a glass,” he answered casually. “No big deal.”

Frowning, Rory said. “It looks pretty bad, Dalen. You should probably go to the doctor. You might need stitches.” She couldn't believe she was sitting here discussing this with Dalen. On second thought, she hoped he didn't go to the doctor and it became so infected he died. The moment was past, and she froze again.

“So concerned,” he teased gently and slid closer. “One of the many things I love about you.” He bent his head to kiss her, but she averted her face and his lips brushed against her ear. “There are so many things to love,” he whispered into her eardrum.

“You don't love me,” Rory protested. “You don't even know me, Dalen. I'm a challenge and that's my appeal. If I gave in to you right now, you'd soon lose interest.”

He shook his head. “That’s not true,” he protested earnestly. “There have been lots of girls who never got to say no. It's all part of the game. But I took one look at you and knew things would be different. Even after I'd had you, I wanted you again. That had never happened to me before.”

Repulsed, she shuddered. “You think drugging a girl and raping her is a game, Dalen, but you're so wrong. You're ruining lives and destroying innocence. How could I ever love you when you treat me and every other woman as a toy?”

Dalen rubbed his cheek against her head. “You will love me,” he vowed quietly. “You'll have no choice, Rory.” He tilted her head up. “If it makes you feel better, I've given up the game. I'm going to be faithful to you. I'm not going to sleep with anyone else—not even Jeri or Avriella.”

Rory's eyes widened and she shook her head. “Whatever,” she agreed quietly. “Just don't expect me to be faithful to you. As far as I'm concerned, we have no relationship.”

His face grew stiff and his eyes flashed. “You’re wrong, Rory. We're intimately linked. I don't mean sex—it goes much deeper. We'll be together until the day we die.” Dalen said it so passionately that Rory shivered. “The next time we make love, you'll see how beautiful it was and will be again,” he whispered. Before Rory could respond, he stood up, pulling her to her feet. “It's time to go,” he announced. “I don't want to worry your parents or make them angry.”

Rory was paralyzed by fear during the long drive back to her home. He kissed her gently in the car before walking her to the door and leaving her when her dad opened it. She watched him go, more frightened now then she had been. When she walked through the family room, she looked at Leigh, who was watching her expectantly. She shook her head and continued on to her room.

Rory was curled up in the bed when her mom came in. “How did it go?” she asked.

Shaking her head, Rory answered. “He still won't listen to me mom. He thinks...well he thinks he can make me love him.” Biting her lip, she said. “He told me if Carson gets in his way again, he'll kill him. I don't know what to do, Mom.”

Seriously concerned, Leigh sat on the bed. “Do you think he was sincere?”

“I do,” Rory answered. “There's something else...” she started to say when Ricky knocked on the door.

“Mom, Dad needs you downstairs. The dishwasher is going crazy,” he told her. “It's spewing soap and water all over the floor.”

“Oh, no,” Leigh cried and stood up, forgetting there was more Rory was going to tell her. “Tell Dan I'm coming.” She turned back to Rory. “We’ll talk more later, honey,” Leigh promised as she dashed from the room.

Rory started to cry softly. Everything seemed to be conspiring against her lately. She was beginning to wonder if Dalen had some sort of pact with the devil to get his way in everything.

She eventually fell asleep, brooding about the situation with Dalen. She had decided she wasn't going to give in to him anymore. Nightmares plagued her, as Rory's mind continually ran through scenarios of Dalen's reaction.