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He gently pushed my hands away and helped me onto the vanity. He painstakingly removed the pins from my chignon, being careful not to pull my hair. I loved him for what he was doing and ran my fingers over his shirt then unbuttoned it.
“Can you shower with me?”
“Is that what you want?”
I nodded. I wanted him close. After he finished with my hair, he turned on the water and quickly undressed. He lovingly washed me from head to toe, soaping my hair and body with tenderness. Austin dried me with a big white fluffy towel and combed my long sleek golden hair dry.
“Do you want to go to bed?”
“I think so. I just want this night to be over.”
“Get under the covers; I’ll be right back.”
I did as he told me, slipping under the cool sheets and turning on my side. The tears started to come as Austin re-entered the room and sat down on the edge of the bed to comfort me.
“It’s over,” he said as he rubbed my back.
“Maybe we should go to New York.”
“You can’t run from this. You did nothing wrong.”
“I never told you this, but when I started at Mountain Top, I was sexually harassed in the same manner by a director. He cornered me at an event much like this one. It was before I broke up with Ivan.”
“What did he say when you told him?”
“The director was a friend of his, and he said that I probably misconstrued the conversation. How can you misconstrue someone touching you between your legs?”
I heard a rumble come from Austin’s throat. “You should’ve told your superiors.”
“That’s just it, I did, and they told me not to make a big deal out of it. They said it was just how Hollywood worked. That’s when I decided to harden up. I wouldn’t move up if I let people walk all over me.”
“That incident had nothing to do with letting someone walk all over you. It had to do with the old boys’ club. Men think if they’re in a high place of power, they can assault women and get away with it.”
“After that incident, I never let something like that happen again. I made it known that Samantha Stone was not to be fucked with. I let my guard down tonight, and I have for a while.”
“Sammy, what are you saying? That I’ve made you weak?”
“You’ve made me more open to the human side of things.”
Austin pursed his lips. “As opposed to what? Are you telling me you didn’t care about people before me?”
“I’m not saying that, but I wasn’t so easily sympathetic. I’m slipping.”
“You’re not slipping. You’re in love.”
“And that’s made me unfocused. I would’ve seen JJ coming. I would’ve known what he was up to.”
Austin shook his head. “I doubt that.”
“Then I wouldn’t have been there at all.”
“I didn’t make you go. You invited me.”
“I left myself open.”
“So what are you telling me?”
“Maybe we need a break until I find myself again.”
