Stripped by Brenda Rothert

“I’ve had guys grab me before, but this was
different. It really hurt.”
    Chris got up from his chair and reached for Abby’s
coat, his eyes on hers.
    “Let me see,” he said. She let him slide the coat
from her shoulders and she pulled up the sleeve of her dress, revealing the red
ring around her upper arm.
    “Oh, Abby,” he murmured, looking tortured.
    “Joe took care of him. This is all he did.”
    “This isn’t all he did. Look at you, you’re shaking.”
    “I’m okay now. I just wanted you, and I’m okay now.
Do you need to get back to work?”
    “No, someone’s covering me. I hate seeing you like
this, Abby.”
    “It’s my fault for agreeing to do the dance.”
    “It’s not even remotely your fault, don’t say that.
Why do you feel like you deserve to be objectified and mistreated by men?”
    “I don’t know. Don’t be mad at me, Chris.”
    “I’m not mad. I just don’t know how to handle this.
Frankly, Abby, I think every fucking guy who leers at you and grinds against
you in that place is an asshole. I hate that you work there.”
    “Well, I do, and you know why,” she bristled. “I
can’t quit and sit at home every night when I have the kids to take care of.”
    “You have a day job. And I can help you if you need
it.”
    “I don’t want your money!”
    “So, what, I should just wait for the next time
someone does this to you? Women can be seriously hurt by those guys, Abby,” he
said hotly.
    “You think I don’t know that? You think I haven’t seen it?”
    “You deserve better.”
    “Doesn’t every woman who works there deserve
better?”
    “Yes, but you’re the only one I’m concerned with.”
    “I don’t have other options, Chris.”
    He shook his head and looked away, frustrated.
    “So you’d rather work at that place than accept my
help,” he said bitterly.
    “I have to have stability, please understand. I feel
helpless without plenty of money in the bank to rely on if I need it. Something
could happen to me, and then Justin would have to raise Audrey and Sara. He
would need the money.”
    Chris nodded slowly.
    “If you ever need money, all you have to do is tell
me. I don’t just have my salary, I have other money,” he said, his eyes dark
and serious.
    “I’d never take money from you. We haven’t even
known each other very long. Look, let’s not go into it, okay? This night was
awful and I just want to feel better.”
    Chris stood, pulling her close as she sat on the
edge of the bed. He smoothed a hand over her hair, filling her with a safe,
warm feeling.
    “Mmm, that cologne…” she said as she pressed her
cheek to his shirt. “I can’t accuse you of breaking a ground rule, though,
because you didn’t know I’d be here tonight.”
    He smiled as he leaned back to look at her, and Abby
realized that the rules were off the table. As he bent in to kiss her, she immediately
felt healed by his lips. The rest of the night slipped from her mind as she
reached around his neck, pulling him toward her.
    His arms encircled her waist, and she gasped at the
feel of his hard chest against her body. She held tightly to him as she lay
back on the bed, pulling him with her.
    As Chris’ tongue tangled with hers, Abby was
overcome by emotion. She was suddenly deeply aroused and intoxicated by her
closeness to him. She felt sheltered by him; protected.
    He kissed her neck hungrily, and she reveled in his raw
need for her. It was what she had wanted and always missed from him. He was
always calm, in control, and the first to remind her they shouldn’t get
intimate.
    She pressed her hands into his back, pushing him
closer against her. She didn’t seem to be able to get close enough to him, and
she moaned beneath him, wanting more.
    “I’m an asshole for doing this after what happened
to you tonight,” he said suddenly, breathless as he gazed at her.
    “No,” she said quickly. “I need this, Chris. I need
to be close to you right now.”
    “Tell me if