Page 52 of Deck the Hauls

He was standing so close, I could smell the beer on his breath. Why won’t he step back?

Austin chuckled. “We don’t need to date. It could just be a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

My lungs emptied of air. He was just like Phillip.

Austin ran his fingers over my cheek. I flinched, raising my hand and batting him away.

“No.” My voice sounded strangled, but at least I managed to get the word out.

Sure, I needed work. But not at this cost.

I should tell him what he was doing was not okay. That he needed to step away. But instead, I felt frozen on the spot.

“Is everything okay?”

My eyes shot over Austin’s shoulder to where Dana was standing, right behind him, her brown eyes focused on mine.

Oh, thank god.

Austin took a step back and turned, scowling at Dana.

“Dana! Do you want to grab a bite to eat?” My voice shook, but I stepped away from the wall and moved past Austin.

Dana looked at me and then Austin and back to me again. “Yes, I’m starving.”

I hooked my arm through Dana’s and walked quickly toward the canapés, breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” Dana asked, shooting me a worried look.

“You were right,” I said, unlinking our arms and rubbing my forehead with both palms. “Austin is a sleaze.”

I’d thought I was just being overly sensitive. I should have trusted my gut.

Dana’s eyes narrowed. “What did he do?”

“He…” Nausea rose in my stomach. “He got way too close to me, and basically said that if I hooked up with him, he’d get me a job on more HolLove movies with him.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Dana clenched her fists. “What an absolute dick. Honestly we should report him for sexual harassment. He wouldn’t take no from you yesterday and now this? That guy is disgusting.”

Dana was right. I should report Austin for sexual harassment.

Just like I should have reported Phillip straight after I left the hotel that night.

But I didn’t have the courage then and I didn’t have it now.

Even if I mustered up enough bravery to speak to someone about Austin, would anything happen? All those times he’d touched my butt, my thighs...he could easily explain away by saying he was just getting into character. And it was just my words against his. He’d never admit to saying what he did. I could hear Brittany’s voice in my head. It’ll be ‘he said, she said’... You’ll be labelled as difficult and too outspoken… If she thought going on the record against Phillip was a bad idea, she’d almost certainly feel the same about Austin.

I clutched my stomach. Was I going to be sick?

Dana’s gaze softened. “Sorry, I’m sure me getting pissed off at him isn’t very helpful for you. That must’ve been awful. Is there anything I can do?”

“I think I’d just rather not talk about it.”

“Of course,” Dana said. “Why don’t we get you that food? Unless that was just an excuse to escape Austin?”

I’d completely lost my appetite, but I needed to eat. Lunch was a distant memory.

“No, let’s get some food.”