Page 56 of Use Me

A weird feeling went through my body. The only way to describe it was a sinking feeling in my stomach. “This late?”

“It’s probably Jose. He sometimes brings up packages if he’s on break and misses me when I walk through the door. Hold on.”

“Why—” I started to say but stopped when I heard Ashtyn speak again.

“Philip, what are you doing here?”

“Who’s Philip?” I asked, but she didn’t respond.

“Ashtyn, Ashtyn, Ashtyn, did you think you’d get away from me that easily?”

“Ashtyn!” I yelled.

She didn’t respond again. All I could hear was the wrestling of what I assumed was the phone.

My feet started to move on their own as I listened. I was running down my hall toward the elevator as fast as my feet could go. I wasn’t sure if I’d even closed my door. I pressed the damn button over and over, but it wasn’t coming fast enough. My heart was beating to the point I thought it would jump out of my chest, wanting to run across the street and beat me to Ashtyn’s. I took the stairs, needing to hurry—needing to save my girl.

With every step I took, I could hear Ashtyn screaming for the person to let her go.

Iopened the door like an idiot.

Before he’d knocked, I only had enough time to take my coat off and put the Emmys on my mantle. It was as though he was waiting down the hall to make his move—make sure I was alone.

The moment the flowers were pulled away, and I saw that it was Philip, my nerves were on high alert. How did he know where I lived? And how did he get past Jose? But when I arrived home Jose wasn’t at his desk. Was he on break? Went to the restroom?

“Philip, what are you doing here?”

“Ashtyn, Ashtyn, Ashtyn, did you think you’d get away from me that easily?”

Before I could close the door or run, Philip threw the bouquet of red roses and stepped inside. The phone slipped from my hand, and I felt as though my lifeline had fallen with it. I had no idea if Rhys was still on the other end, or if he even knew Philip was here and moving toward me. I’d never told Rhys Philip’s name, and even if he did hear me ask Philip why he was here, it didn’t mean that Rhys was on his way to help me.

Everything was happening in slow motion.

I took a step back. Philip took a step forward. I took another step back. Philip took another step forward. His steps were slow, calculated, as though he didn’t want to scare me. I was starting to panic deep inside, praying Rhys would barge through the door and save the day.

“What do you want?” I whispered, looking into his brown eyes. My pulse was beating so hard that it was echoing in my ears. My body started to shake as I kept taking slow steps backward. I didn’t want to turn and run because I knew he’d catch me. Plus, there was nowhere to go.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He licked his lips. “I want you.”

“So you thought drugging me was the way?”

“Is that why you left dinner? You saw me put the Rohypnol in your wine?”

I nodded.

Philip huffed as though he’d just realized his mistake. “I should have waited longer. Then you’d be at my place right now.”

“I would?” I kept retreating backward in the direction of my kitchen hoping I could make it and I could grab a knife. I wasn’t sure what I would do when I had it in my hand, but I’d at least feel as though I had the upper hand and not the other way around.

“Yeah, but instead, you’re still fucking Rhys Cole, and we can’t have that.” He pulled at his hair as though he was frustrated.

“Wha—what?” Had he been watching me? Was he sick enough that he’d somehow had a bird’s eye view of what Rhys and I did in the bedroom? Or was he only speculating because he’d seen me with Rhys before he came up to my door?

He grinned. “I know more than you think. You ran from me and straight into his bed. How do you think that makes me feel, Ashtyn?”

“Why do you think that?” I asked, even though it was true.

“You didn’t go home.”