Chapter 10

Bridget is jogging on her treadmill when her secretary bursts through the doors to her office. “Ms. Rhodes, there is a young woman that is here to see you,” the young blonde says quickly. “She claims to know you, and she is crying.”

Bridget cuts off the machine, picks up the remote and mutes the television. “Of course,” she says. “Send her in.”

By the time Tori is walking through the door, Bridget is wiping away her sweat with a towel. Seeing the girl’s face, she instantly knows that something is terribly wrong. She tosses the towel to the floor and asks her secretary to bring them some coffee.

“What the hell did my father do to you?” she asks, helping the girl to the couch and taking a seat next to her.

“That bastard beat me and then raped me,” she sobs out. Tears instantly begin running down her face in an uncontrollable torrent. “He blamed me for something I didn’t do.”

By now Bridget’s secretary has returned with two cups of coffee. Bridger has her place them on the table in front of them and then instructs her to contact Detective Lee. When the blonde woman leaves, Bridget puts her arm around the girl, assuring her that everything is going to be fine.

“Did he say anything specific?” she questions Tori. “Did he name names or did you overhear anything?”

Tori shakes her head, shuddering at the thought of what she endured and how a part of her enjoyed it. “I hate him. I hate what happened.”

Bridget hugs the girl tighter and strokes her hair. “I know you do,” she says with a comforting, almost motherly tone. “We’ll get him for this, believe me. He has it coming.”

Tori shakes her head again. “He made me enjoy it,” she mumbles.

Bridget is slightly puzzled by the comment. In fact, she isn’t sure she even heard the girl correctly. He pulls away a little and says, “He has a way of manipulating people. Don’t feel bad about that. It’s partially my fault too.”

The teenager shakes her head again. “It’s not your fault. But what he did to me...” she breaks off into silence for a moment, sobbing a bit. “The beating ... I got wet. I wanted his cock in me...”

“That’s a normal reaction,” Bridget assures her. “Come now. Drink some coffee before it gets cold.” She hands Tori one of the cups.

The door opens once more and it is the young blonde woman again. “Detective Lee is on his way,” she informs them.

“Thank you,” Bridget says, casting a warm smile at her. “Could you bring a blanket for Tori, please?”

“Right away,” the secretary says with a smile, though it seems a little frailer than Bridget’s.

For the next forty-five minutes, Bridget and Tori sit in silence. Bridget comforts the younger woman as if she were an older sister or mother. Tori sobs for a bit but eventually falls into a light sleep. The expected phone call from Bridget’s father never comes. What does come is Detective Lee’s arrival. He is brought straight up to the office by security to ensure his arrival goes unhindered.

Lee asks the girl the same questions Bridget had asked her and received the same answers as well. He decides it is best that she be taken down to the station where she may open up more and can be better protected. Bridget, however, doesn’t feel the same way.

“I’m telling you, Detective,” she says as she grabs his arm to turn him toward her. “My father will stop at nothing to get to this girl. He has money and power and he knows people. He has police in his pocket.”

“And if I don’t do this by the book, it could blow up in our faces,” he tries to explain. “I can protect her. More so if you can tell me what cops are owned by your father.”

“I don’t trust it,” she protests. “Please, Detective, there has to be someplace you can stash her until you know it will be safe. A friend? A safe house? Something?”

“Why do you trust me so much with the girl?” he asks. It’s a legitimate question, and one deserving of an honest answer. “How do you know I’m not on his payroll?”

“I don’t know if you are or not,” she answers, feeling deflated. He has just called her bluff. “I don’t know who is on his payroll, but I can sense that there is something honest about you. You’re a good, honest cop. She’ll be in good hands.”

It is not the answer he expects, nor the attitude she gives. Lee mistook Bridget as a stuck up, know-it-all snob, but clearly that is not the case. Unlike her father, she is a caring human being.

“Fine,” he utters the word in resignation.

Bridget’s face lights up. “You’ll hide her?”

“Yes, I will,” he confirms. “I know someone that I believe will be willing to help and can be trusted.”

“Are you certain about this person?” she questions, reading between the lines. “Never mind, you’re the cop, you can read people better.”

“Her name is...”

Bridget quickly holds up her hand, stopping him mid-sentence. “I don’t want to know. You know, in case I get tortured and all.”

“You’re a good person. I didn’t think you would be, but I was mistaken,” Lee admits.

“I get that a lot,” she says. “Now get going before my father figures out she came to me first.”

Detective Lee skips the doorbell again to bang his fist on the door. He looks back toward his car. Tori is looking around through the windows as if expecting someone to come out of the shadows to attack. The door opens, and Mio has a look of shock on her face.

“Detective Lee,” she says, surprise in her voice. “I expected a phone call from you first.”

“Is it a bad time?” he asks.

“Not at all,” she answers smiling. “For you, I have plenty of time.”

“I have a big favor to ask of you,” Lee says, cutting to the chase. “I have this young girl, Tori, that needs a place safe to hide for a few days.”

Mio looks out to the car and then back at the detective. “Say no more,” she says. “Bring her in and we’ll get her settled in.”

“This won’t cause a problem with Dr. Denver will it?” he asks, admonishing himself silently for not thinking about it beforehand.

“Malcolm will have to be fine with it or he can find a hotel to stay at while she’s here,” Mio answers sternly. “I don’t know what trouble the girl is in, but I’m not going to turn her away.”

Lee escorts Tori from the car to the house where Mio helps her get settled in. Tori takes a hot shower while Mio heats something up for her. By the time the girl goes to lay down, she is fast asleep. Somewhere in the time of taking care of the teenage girl and now, Mio has managed to slip into red sugar dot ruffled babydoll and matching thong. She clearly wants to entice him again, and it is working. Lee reasons that so long as he is here, he can protect the girl.

“When do you expect to see Dr. Denver?” he asks.

“Probably not until tomorrow or the next day,” she answers with a shrug. “It’s not the first time. He’s probably working late and that usually means on to the next day. But you’re here, now aren’t you?”

It is totally unprofessional for him to have had sex with her before. It is definitely unprofessional to do it again. Of course nothing so far is going by the books, so why stop now? He glides toward her, and in one swift motion, he slips his arm around her waist and pulls her close.

“That I am,” he whispers.

Lee leans forward and kisses her on her sweet lips. He runs his hands across her back, rubbing it through her thin, cotton babydoll. He pulls her even closer, wrapping his arms around her petite frame. He shifts his weight and slowly pins her against the wall. Instantly images of their first time come rushing back to Mio.

He continues with long kisses on her lips, playing with them, periodically breaking the kiss and starting a new one. Their tongues meet, dancing with one another. Mio slowly pulls her soft, moist lips away. Their eyes lock, but the two don’t say anything. They simply stand, looking at one another in the eyes for a second. For this brief moment, they both understand each other and know what each other wants.

Mio slides her hands around Lee’s back, moving them up to his shoulders, and finally to the back of his head. She pulls his face close to hers, wrapping her lips around his. Lee uses his arms, holding her tightly underneath his weight. She breaks the kiss and looks at him in the eyes. “Take me,” she breathes.