Chapter Three

Jenny jumped when the door opened, then she felt embarrassment and fear as she took in Chris standing there in just his boxers. His upper body was massive, much bigger than it looked when he was clothed, and he had a large tattoo on one arm. He was strong and muscled, and the sight of all that brute strength and male power made her want to run screaming.

Beside him stood a blonde woman who narrowed her eyes at Jenny and looked her up and down. It was glaringly obvious that these two had had sex, and Jenny had no idea where to look all of a sudden.

Oh, God… has he got a girlfriend now? If he does, none of this is going to work.

“Hey, Jenny,” Chris said, trying to look and sound calm. “Hey, how are you?”

“Good,” Jenny said, avoiding his eyes. “Is this a bad time? I can come back later.”

“No, it’s OK.” He stood aside. “Come on in.”

“You got a revolving door on this place, huh?” Cara said with a smirk. “You got us all on as schedule?”

Jenny flushed bright red, and Chris felt anger surge in his chest.

“Take care now,” he said to Cara, and shut the door behind her. He turned to Jenny, who backed away from him. Chris suddenly realized that he was half-naked. He was also between her and the door.

Right away, he stepped to one side and then casually, he moved across the room, keeping his distance. She started to inch closer to the door, looking more relaxed.

“I’m so sorry, Chris,” she said. “I should have called…”

“No, it’s fine.” He gave her some more space. “Look, I’ll go get dressed, OK? Then we can talk.”

She nodded.

“Help yourself to coffee, if you want some. It’s fresh.”

“Thanks.”

In his bedroom, he yanked on a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans, then looked in the mirror and flattened his hair. He was horrified that Jenny had witnessed his one-night-stand walk out the door like that, but he was more worried that she’d seen him without all his clothes on. He hoped that the sight hadn’t triggered something in her – he was absolutely positive that she hadn’t seen a half-naked man in a very long time.

Probably since whatever happened to her happened.

Jenny’s hands shook as she poured herself a cup of coffee, and she sucked in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and reminded herself that it was Chris she was there with. He’d never hurt her, not for anything. He wasn’t that kind of man.

Just because a man can hurt a woman doesn’t mean that he will. Remember why you’re here, OK? You need his help… just ask, right? The worst he can say is no, and if he does, you and Lori will think of another way. Just breathe.

Chris came back into the living room and studied her. She looked pale and tense.

“You OK, sweetheart?” he asked, keeping his rough voice low.

She stared at him, contemplating that question seriously. Finally, she took a shuddering breath. “No.”

He froze. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“Can we – can we talk?”

“Yeah, of course. Sit down.”

He watched as she selected the chair closest to the door, then he settled himself on the sofa a few feet away. He tried to keep his face calm, but worry was rising in him. Everything about this entire situation was way off: her just showing up like this unannounced; her wanting to talk; her honestly claiming not to be fine.

What the fuck is going on here?

She cleared her throat. “I just came from Lori.”

Her therapist. He nodded.

“She and I have been talking about something for a few months, and I want to – to ask you for help.”

“Anything. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

She shook her head. “This is – different. Don’t agree blindly, OK? It’s complicated, what I’m asking.”

That gave him pause. “OK.”

Jenny looked at him, unsure where to begin. She and Lori had talked this through, but none of their scenarios had involved a woman leaving Chris’ apartment as he stood there with only his underwear on.

“Before I ask, though… is that woman your girlfriend?”

“No.” He felt the color rising in his face.

“Oh.” She stared down. “OK.”

“Jenny?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you upset?”

“No, not upset. Just a bit – shaken. I wasn’t expecting that when you opened the door.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I should have called ahead. I just – I just had this insane burst of courage to come and have this conversation with you, and I thought I’d better get over here while I still felt brave.” She tried to smile. “But it seems my guts have failed me.”

“Don’t be scared, OK?” he said softly. “You can ask me anything. Tell me anything.”