[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
knew she was seeking comfort.
"Go ahead," he coaxed gently.
"He gave me a few things to try on and he took pictures of me wearing them. But then I was sitting
there, just in a two-piece bathing suit, and he told me to take it off." His breathing stilled under her ear.
"I couldn't," she snapped. "I just couldn't let him look at me like that, no matter how good a job I could
get, and I said so.
Then he got ugly. He told me that he was in the business of producing nude calendars and that if I
didn't do the assignment, he'd take me to court and sue me for not fulfilling the contract I'd signed.
No, I didn't read it," she said when he asked. "The fine print did say that I agreed to pose in any
manner the photographer said for me to. I knew that I couldn't afford a lawsuit."
"And?" He sounded as cold as ice.
She bit her lower lip. "While I was thinking about alternatives, he laughed and came toward me. I
could forget the contract, he said, if I was that prudish. But he'd have a return for the time he'd wasted
on me. He said that he was going to make me sleep with him."
"Good God!"
She smoothed his shirt, trying to calm him. Tears stung her eyes. "I fought him, but I wasn't strong
enough. He had me undressed before I knew it. We struggled there on the floor and he started hitting
me." Her voice broke and she felt Corrigan stiffen against her. "He had a diamond ring on his right
hand. That's how he cut my cheek. I didn't even feel it until much later. He wore me down to the point
that I couldn't kick or bite or scream. I would never have been able to get away. But one of his girls,
one of the ones who didn't mind posing nude, came into the studio. She was his lover and she was
furious when she saw him with me...like that. She started screaming and throwing things at him. I
grabbed my clothes and ran."
She shivered even then with the remembered humiliation, the fear that he was going to come after her.
"I managed to get enough on to look halfway decent, and I walked all the way back to Belinda's
apartment." She swallowed. "When I was rational enough to talk, I called the police. They arrested
him and charged him with attempted rape. But he said that I'd signed a contract and I wasn't happy with
the money he offered me, and that I'd only yelled rape because I wanted to back out of the deal."
He bit off a curse, "And then what?"
"He won," she said in a flat, defeated tone. "He had friends and influence. But the story was a big deal
locally for two or three days, and he was furious. His brother had a nasty temper and he started
making obscene phone calls to me and making threats as well. I didn't want to put Belinda in any
danger, so I moved out while she was still in Europe and never told her a thing about what had
happened. I got a job in New Jersey and worked there for two years. Then Belinda moved out to Long
Island and asked me to come back. There was a good job going with a law firm that had an office
pretty close to her house. I had good typing skills by then, so I took it."
"What about the brother?" he asked.
"He didn't know where to find me. I learned later that he and the photographer were having trouble
with the police about some pornography ring they were involved in. Ironically they both went to
prison soon after I left Manhattan. But for a long time, I was even afraid to come home, in case they
had anyone watching me. I was afraid for my father."
"You poor kid," he said heavily. "Good God! And after what had happened here..." His teeth ground
together as he remembered what he'd done to her.
"Don't," she said gently, smoothing out the frown between his heavy eyebrows. "I never blamed you.
Never!"
He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth. "I wanted to come after you," he said. "Your father
stopped me. He said that you hated the very mention of my name."
"I did, at first, but only because I was so hurt by the way things had worked out"
She looked at his firm chin. "But I would have been glad to see you, just the same."
"I wasn't sure of that." He traced her mouth. "I thought that it might be as well to leave things the way
they were. You were so young, and I was wary of complications in my life just then." He sighed softly.
"There's one other thing you don't know about me."
"Can't you tell me?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
knew she was seeking comfort.
"Go ahead," he coaxed gently.
"He gave me a few things to try on and he took pictures of me wearing them. But then I was sitting
there, just in a two-piece bathing suit, and he told me to take it off." His breathing stilled under her ear.
"I couldn't," she snapped. "I just couldn't let him look at me like that, no matter how good a job I could
get, and I said so.
Then he got ugly. He told me that he was in the business of producing nude calendars and that if I
didn't do the assignment, he'd take me to court and sue me for not fulfilling the contract I'd signed.
No, I didn't read it," she said when he asked. "The fine print did say that I agreed to pose in any
manner the photographer said for me to. I knew that I couldn't afford a lawsuit."
"And?" He sounded as cold as ice.
She bit her lower lip. "While I was thinking about alternatives, he laughed and came toward me. I
could forget the contract, he said, if I was that prudish. But he'd have a return for the time he'd wasted
on me. He said that he was going to make me sleep with him."
"Good God!"
She smoothed his shirt, trying to calm him. Tears stung her eyes. "I fought him, but I wasn't strong
enough. He had me undressed before I knew it. We struggled there on the floor and he started hitting
me." Her voice broke and she felt Corrigan stiffen against her. "He had a diamond ring on his right
hand. That's how he cut my cheek. I didn't even feel it until much later. He wore me down to the point
that I couldn't kick or bite or scream. I would never have been able to get away. But one of his girls,
one of the ones who didn't mind posing nude, came into the studio. She was his lover and she was
furious when she saw him with me...like that. She started screaming and throwing things at him. I
grabbed my clothes and ran."
She shivered even then with the remembered humiliation, the fear that he was going to come after her.
"I managed to get enough on to look halfway decent, and I walked all the way back to Belinda's
apartment." She swallowed. "When I was rational enough to talk, I called the police. They arrested
him and charged him with attempted rape. But he said that I'd signed a contract and I wasn't happy with
the money he offered me, and that I'd only yelled rape because I wanted to back out of the deal."
He bit off a curse, "And then what?"
"He won," she said in a flat, defeated tone. "He had friends and influence. But the story was a big deal
locally for two or three days, and he was furious. His brother had a nasty temper and he started
making obscene phone calls to me and making threats as well. I didn't want to put Belinda in any
danger, so I moved out while she was still in Europe and never told her a thing about what had
happened. I got a job in New Jersey and worked there for two years. Then Belinda moved out to Long
Island and asked me to come back. There was a good job going with a law firm that had an office
pretty close to her house. I had good typing skills by then, so I took it."
"What about the brother?" he asked.
"He didn't know where to find me. I learned later that he and the photographer were having trouble
with the police about some pornography ring they were involved in. Ironically they both went to
prison soon after I left Manhattan. But for a long time, I was even afraid to come home, in case they
had anyone watching me. I was afraid for my father."
"You poor kid," he said heavily. "Good God! And after what had happened here..." His teeth ground
together as he remembered what he'd done to her.
"Don't," she said gently, smoothing out the frown between his heavy eyebrows. "I never blamed you.
Never!"
He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth. "I wanted to come after you," he said. "Your father
stopped me. He said that you hated the very mention of my name."
"I did, at first, but only because I was so hurt by the way things had worked out"
She looked at his firm chin. "But I would have been glad to see you, just the same."
"I wasn't sure of that." He traced her mouth. "I thought that it might be as well to leave things the way
they were. You were so young, and I was wary of complications in my life just then." He sighed softly.
"There's one other thing you don't know about me."
"Can't you tell me?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]