"You had your hand up her skirt," I say, shaking with anger. "She was pushing you away. I heard her tell you to stop."
"That wasn't real." He laughs. He fucking laughs as blood flows out of his nose and onto his upper lip. "I guarantee her panties were wet. She wanted me. Her body was screaming yes. I don't give a fuck if her mouth was saying 'no.' "
I look up at the face of the woman who I saw pushing Jerry away. I heard the desperation in her voice. I saw the panic that flashed over her expression when she told him to stop. Her words may have been quiet, but the emotion behind them was loud enough to wake the dead. The tears in her eyes and the stuttering breaths that escape between her sobs, tells me everything I need to know.
"I don't think your nose is broken, Jerry." I stare down at his nausea-inducing face. He's the boy-next-door type. When he worked security with me, women would constantly stop him to ask for directions, or assistance, or his number. That ended the day I caught him in the staff room with his pants shoved to his thighs, his cock in his hand as he jerked off, oblivious to the fact that motion sensitive cameras anchored to the ceiling were capturing his every stroke.
"I fell hard," he whines, the distinct scent of beer on his breath. "I've never had a broken nose, but this feels like one."
I know two wrongs don't make a right. I'm acutely aware that I'm violating protocol by even considering what I'm about to do, but sometimes rules have to be broken and lessons have to be learned the hard way.
I reach forward, grab a handful of blonde hair on the back of Jerry's head and just as I'm about to smash his smug face onto the hard tile to guarantee his nose is indeed broken, I feel something brush against my shoulder.
I turn at the touch, my gaze sweeping over the handsome face of the man whose lap I landed in earlier. Broad shoulders, messy hair and evening stubble greet my eyes. "Hey, Nolan Black. How's your night been?"
***
"You're inviting her for a drink too?" Lacy, one of the resort's deputy night managers, asks. "I thought it was just going to be me and you. You know, just us two."
Really? You'd think after everything that's happened tonight, the fact that Nolan Black is hot for Lacy wouldn't shock me. It does. I get that some men are into older women. I didn't peg Nolan as one of them, but then again what do I know about the man other than he smells fantastic and his ex-non-girlfriend pockets everything in sight.
"Three's a crowd," I announce, loudly, way too loudly. Both security guards leading Jerry away, turn back to look at me. "You two go have fun. I don't want to get in the middle."
I couldn't get in the middle if I tried. Lacy has wrapped her arm around Nolan's waist and with every step he takes to the side, she mirrors it with one of her own. They look like a pair destined for the finish line of a three-legged race.
"Lacy and I are not having a drink." Nolan tries another side step, but Lacy doesn't miss a beat. "We're past that point. There's no need for it now."
"So you're good with skipping the drink and just going back to my place?" she asks in a rush. "I told you foreplay isn't necessary. You're a fast learner."
"Foreplay is always necessary." A man's voice to the left catches me off-guard. "It's often the best part."
I'm not going to argue with the handsome stranger. He's almost as good looking as Nolan. His black hair is long enough to skim the collar of the white dress shirt he's wearing. His green eyes are as mesmerizing as his smile. He pulls one hand out of the front pocket of his gray pants as he approaches.
"I'm Crew Benton and you are?"
I reach for his hand giving it a squeeze. He's not my type, but he definitely checks all the boxes on Adley's list of what constitutes the perfect man. If I can make a connection for her maybe Leo will finally cease to exist in her mind and heart.
"I'm Ellie Madden, and I'm pleased…"
I'm interrupted mid-introduction by a woman who taps me on the shoulder. "She's Ellie Madden, and she's officially fired."
Chapter 5
Ellie
"Fired?" I furrow my brow, confused by the word. The head of security at Echo Resort just fired me in front of a bunch of total strangers. "Ms. Griffin, I don't understand what you mean."
"What is there to understand, Ellie?" She peers down her nose at me. "You're no longer employed here. You can collect all of your things from your locker tonight."
"Tonight?" I bark back. "I'm fired as of this minute? Now?"