Dirty. Sexy. Love.[*Complete*]

Chapter Fifteen -- Jez

He stared at me dazed for a moment and completely still. "Bullshit."

"Really? The entire fucking reason we ended up on that goddamned balcony smoking the cigarette was because you flipped out over me not being able to visit for three weeks."

"But—" I cut him off.

"Just get out, Asher. I have to put out another one of your fucking fires."

"You mean the one because I saved you!" He yelled. That's it, get angry.

"Yes. And keep your voice the fuck down."

He swallowed and got up from the bed. "You know what. Fine. I'll go. But this isn't over, Jez."

I took a slow breath. "And if they ask you anything, say you ran into me and noticed I was acting strangely. Don't mention who was at the bar with me. We'll save that for if he tries to press charges."

He paused and turned around. "Jez, he planned on raping you."

"No, I thought he just wanted to take me home drugged up to play connect four." I gasped sarcastically. "This is my job, Pr—Asher."

"And if I had gotten there too late?"

I swallowed. "I'd tell you the same thing, and leverage the rape charges to get the assault dropped."

He just stared for the longest like he was seeing me for the first time. It kind of hurt to see that expression his face. Like I was something not quite human—some strange oddity that didn't quite make sense. Unusual Things might have been his band name, but I was an unusual thing.

"Maybe you're right." He shook his head and looked away from me.

And that was how the man I'd broken up with two weeks before broke up with me.

"I know I am." I lifted my chin some as he licked his lips.

"Jez, if you—"

"No. Get out. Out."

He didn't fight me that time, he didn't say anything more. He just left. As I stared at the shut door, I finally let go and cried. Alone, I could be as vulnerable as I wanted and in that hospital room all by myself all I wanted to do was cry and cry and cry. I didn't let a lot of people in. My friends got me, they know I put my job over everything. The fact that when Asher finally saw me as I was that he balked like I'd shown him a bag of severed heads wasn't lost on me.

#

Linds showed up later that day as I coordinated the spin for the story about why Asher was at the hospital with me. She knew better than to bother me as I worked, so she just sat down on the chair beside the bed as I sent out a batch of e-mails to entertainment magazines.

"So. That guy that's been hanging around," Linds spoke the moment I lowered my cell and sniffled. "Shit, have you been crying?" She sighed heavily and frowned a little. I was sick of everyone looking at me with that same fucking heavy look. It was one of the reasons I didn't come forward when Eric Stevens did what he did to me. I didn't want to be looked at like some fucking victim.

I took a deep breath and collapsed back against the bed staring up at the ceiling. "Yup."

"Is it because of what happened?"

"No." I sniffled and knit my fingers behind my head. "So, Asher and I have been dating for the last month and some." Maybe a change of subject will help. "Had been rather. I broke up with him—"