14.

Beth Beth curled up on the single bed in her new room. She didn't want to be living with her cousin, but it was better than moving back in with her parents. The I told you so's wouldn't be said out right, but they didn't have to be, especially since her mother always had a look that spoke volumes.

She started crying, feeling like Ash had ripped her heart in two, keeping one part and giving the other to Dante. But it was all her own fault, she'd betrayed him. Then to hear about what he'd been through as a kid was devastating. No wonder he had looked at her with disgust when she'd asked him to force her to have s.e.x. BUT, she didn't know! He should've told her, then she would've been more sensitive towards him.

She wiped her eyes, trying her best to ignore the blaring of the telly coming from the lounge. It sounded like the walls were paper thin. Her phone started ringing by the bed. She grabbed it and looked at the number in surprise. She clicked it on. "I'm so sorry, Dante," she blurted out before he could say a word.

"Don't do that!" he yelled.

"What?"

"No, not you, Beth," he slurred, "Sandra won't leave me alone." Female giggling started up, mingling with the techno music in the background.

"Stoppit," Dante said. "I'm not interested. Jesus, Jesus, oh f.u.c.k, no ... oh... Yeah, yeah..." he groaned.

Beth straightened. "What's happening, Dante?"

"Sandra is rubbing my..." He groaned.

"Dante!"

"Please come get me. My head hurts and I need my meds. I couldn't find 'em. Jesus, Sandra, stoppit, no, oh, oh..."

"Where are you?" Beth said, jumping up, the thought of someone else touching Dante making her go crazy.

He groaned again, then started breathing heavily. "L-la Rock in the ci-city centre."

"I'll be there soon, and tell her to stop touching you."

"I did, she won't listen."

"Then push her away," punch her!

"Oh G.o.d..." Dante started moaning, then the phone went dead.

Beth yanked on her jeans then grabbed her jacket, purse and keys off the cabinet. She ran out of the room, yelling at her cousin that she was popping out. She closed the front door behind her and jumped into her car, the b.u.mper practically kissing the front of the flat.

Since Josie lived in Manukau, Beth was on the Southern Motorway within five minutes, and heading towards the city. For a Sat.u.r.day night the road was fairly light. Up ahead the mauve-coloured glow of the Sky Tower drew closer, the minutes ticking by and making her more and more anxious. She turned off the motorway and stopped at the intersection, double-checking her iPhone for the address. When the lights turned green, she drove a short distance then took a sharp right into a driveway. She jumped out of the car and pressed the buzzer. When no one answered, she pressed it again, getting more and more agitated. She exhaled in relief when the gates finally opened. She wondered what sort of club it was to have gates and parking, because most were just walk in ones with bouncers.

She jumped back into the car and parked in between a flash convertible and a Maserati. Realising it was an upmarket club, she headed for the door of the two-storey building, wondering whether they would let her in wearing jeans and a blouse. But then again, how the h.e.l.l did Dante get into a place like this with the type of clothes he wore.

She pressed the buzzer, hoping against hope he was waiting for her near the entrance-and that the Sandra woman had stopped touching him.

The door pulled open, revealing a man with a top hat and not much else, his leather underwear and boots his only other attire. "Good Lord, you look just like Sandra," he said, his accent sounding Dutch. "Are you her sister?"

"No, I don't know her. My friend called me to pick him up," Beth said, not sure where to look, embarra.s.sment taking over. "His name's Dante Rata. Is he here?"

The man nodded. "Yes, he's very drunk and rather unhappy over all the attention he's receiving from the ladies, especially Sandra, which is very unusual, considering it's why he comes here."

Beth followed him inside, her eyes almost popping at seeing the man's rear, his "cheeky" attire nothing more than a leather G-string. She focused on his back, horrified that Dante had gone to a s.e.x club.

She walked through a heavy red curtain and into a small room. On her left, a woman in a see-through bra was serving c.o.c.ktails, while a few feet away a couple of females where dancing provocatively inside a giant birdcage, though, thank G.o.d they had their clothes on. One appeared middle-aged, while the other was younger, maybe in her early twenties. Two men were watching on the outside, their ages matching the women. More couples were seated around the room, giving the impression that at least the place wasn't a brothel.

Beth followed the host up a small staircase and into a darkened area where... Her eyes shot straight ahead, mortified by the scene on her left. Three women and two men were doing things she didn't want to know about on a large couch. She thought she was kinky, but she wasn't even in the same hemisphere.

She walked down some stairs and into a thin, darkened room, averting her gaze when she spotted a naked woman leaning over someone lying on a rope swing. Her eyes widened when she realised it was Dante. "Don't touch him!" she yelled.

The woman whipped around. She looked similar to Beth with her long black hair and slim figure, although the woman's b.r.e.a.s.t.s were far too firm to be real.

The man with the top hat t.i.ttered. "I warned you, Sandra. You will have to leave the club now."

Sandra pouted. "But, he said yes."

"I heard him say no only a few minutes ago, and look, he's pa.s.sed out."

"But he never turns me down. And why would he come if he didn't want s.e.x?"

"It doesn't matter, you know the rules. No touching without consent."

"Who's she?" Sandra indicated at Beth angrily.

"His friend," the man said.

Sandra gave Beth a once over. "You look like me." She s.n.a.t.c.hed up her clothes and pushed past Beth, heading into the bathroom.

Wanting to scream and yell at Dante, Beth went over and tugged up his pants.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I love my Bethy-babe."

"If you did you wouldn't have come here." She zipped him up, then pulled down his shirt. "C'mon, let's go," she said, trying to pull him out of the swing.

He mumbled something in what she a.s.sumed was Croatian, then got to his feet, almost making her topple over as he swung an arm around her shoulders.

"That Sandra woman's horrible, don't go near her again," Beth said, helping him up the stairs.

"I don't want her, I want you, but I can't get what I want." He pushed away from her and wobbled past the people writhing on the couch.

Afraid he was going to topple down the next flight of stairs, Beth grabbed him. She helped him one step at a time, wishing she could say he could have her, but she knew he wouldn't remember anything the next day, plus she wasn't sure if he meant it, especially with what had happened at the hospital.

Beth nodded her thanks at the host as they neared the exit, then, with more difficulty than normal due to his drunken state, she steered Dante across the small parking lot. She unlocked the car and bundled him inside, then got into the driver's seat and backed out. After a thirty-minute drive she turned into her driveway, parking outside her cousin's flat. She hopped out and ran around to Dante's side of the car, prodding him awake.

He mumbled, "Sleepy."

"We're home, well, my new home anyway."

He opened his eyes, allowing her to help him out. She locked the car then steered him up the front steps and inside.

Beth's cousin glanced up from the couch, Josie's bored gaze instantly turning to interest. "That's Dante Rata," she squealed, jolting Dante.

"He's drunk, Josie," Beth said, wishing her cousin had gone to bed so she could've snuck him in. Ever since Josie saw the nude text of Dante, her cousin had pestered her to meet him, something that Beth had managed to avoid up until now.

Josie ran around the wicker couch to Dante. She was shaking like she was meeting a famous celebrity, her excitement palpable. "Hi, Dante."

He smiled at her sleepily. "You look like Bethy-babe."

Josie giggled. "He called me babe."

Beth exhaled loudly. "He needs to sleep."

"He can have my room," Josie said.

"Dream on," Beth snapped. "He's sleeping in mine."

Josie expression soured. "Goin' between brothers, that's low."

"It's not like that; Dante always calls me to pick him up when he's drunk. And there are only two rooms, and I know what you're like."

"What? You think I'd molest him or sumpthin'?"

"With the way you're ogling him, yeah."

Dante pulled away from Beth, swaying as he headed for the telly. His gaze shifted to the quilt on the wall. "Pretty." He reached out and touched it.

Josie ran over to him. "It's a Tivaevae. I made it. My grandmother taught me when I stayed with her in Rarotonga."

"It's really good. I like the canoe patterns." He pulled off his jacket and shirt.

"Dante!" Beth shouted.

He pointed at his right shoulder blade. "I've got a canoe tattoo."

Giggling, Josie touched it.

Beth grabbed Dante's arm, yanking him away from Josie and almost making him fall over. She steadied him. "You needa go to bed, Dante."

Josie grabbed Dante's other arm, and tugged him towards the couch. He fell onto the cushions laughing. Josie sat next to him, settling his legs on her lap. "Let's talk while Beth gets us sumpthin' to eat."

Beth gritted her teeth as Dante nodded. G.o.d, she was going to kill her cousin. Beth walked over and pushed Dante's legs off Josie's lap, then grabbed her cousin's arm. "I don't know where everything is. You'll hafta help me."

"It's all in the fridge and cupboards."

Beth tugged Josie up and pulled her into the kitchen, shutting the door behind them. "What is wrong with you? He's drunk, and you had your hands all over him."

"Did not. And why're you being such a cow for? You know I've been aching to meet him."

"He won't be interested in you."

"Well, he seemed pretty friendly taking half his clothes off for me, and he called me babe."

"He's drunk, and he wuzn't referring to you, he calls me Bethy-babe."

Josie pulled a face. "I just wanna talk to him."

"You were pawing his back."

"I wuz looking at his canoe tattoo."

"More like copping a feel."

"So what? At least I wuzn't having s.e.x with him-unlike someone did."

Beth glared at her cousin, now regretting telling Josie about what had happened. "Can't you get it into your thick head that I don't want you touching him? He's off limits."

Josie made a deriding sound. "That is so low, making a move on him right after being dumped by his brother."

"Is not."

Josie crossed her arms over her chest. "And you know what's even lower?"

"What?"

"You swiping Carly's phone and sending everyone the text of Dante naked."

Beth's eyes almost bulged out. "Keep your voice down."

"Your b.l.o.o.d.y jealousy got Carly beaten up by her hubby and what you did to Dante wuz outright mean. He did nuthin' to you, yet you sent his naked pic to half the neighbourhood."

"I didn't know Carly's husband would beat her up, and I wuzn't thinking straight, I wuz really angry."

"I wonder what Dante would say if he knew who sent that picture?"

"No, Josie, please don't."

A grin spread across Josie's face. "Well, I can say one thing, it makes a great screensaver. Guess what I like to click my mouse on?"

"I told you to delete it."

"No way, I love that picture; Dante looks so f.u.c.kable, I could just eat him up."

"I heard that."

Beth's breath hitched. No, no, no... She turned around slowly, wondering how much Dante had heard.

He was standing in the other entrance to the kitchen, looking at Josie with an annoyed expression. "That picture almost got me shot," he slurred.