Page 46 of Plan Interrupted

She nodded, drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, taking the time needed to put her thoughts in order. “Yes. After the Christmas party dinner, a few of us met with Mr. James in his suite. When he dismissed us, we were simply going to return to the party but Patrick caught up with me at the elevators and told me that Mr. James wanted to speak to me again so I followed him back to the suite. Only Mr. James wasn’t there.”

“So just you and Patrick were in the suite?”

Elizabeth sighed. “Yes. I thought maybe Mr. James was in the bathroom or something, so I waited with Patrick. He poured us some champagne.”

“And you drank it?”

Adrenaline rushed her veins. Was he insinuating she was drunk and didn’t know what she was doing? “Yes, but I hadn’t drunk any other alcohol all night,” she snapped in a tone equally conducive to his line of questioning.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to imply you were drunk. I’m just trying to get a feel for the whole situation.”

His apologetic gaze matched his tone.

“I know.”

“What happened next?”

Her body trembled. “I felt sick to my stomach, I couldn’t concentrate, and when I tried to step away from Patrick I tripped over my own feet. He grabbed me by my arm and yanked me back up. The last thing I remember is him wrapping his cold fingers around my neck. I think I passed out. Everything after that is just a blur until...” She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed.

Angelina slung her arm over her shoulders.

Nick waited out her sobs. “Until what?”

Not wanting to go on, she kept her face buried in her hands even after her cries subsided.

Angelina tightened her grip. “Please finish telling Nick what happened? We only want to help you?”

Though she believed her, it was still difficult to find the strength, and the words to continue on with this horror story.

She rested her hands in a tight ball on her lap. “Until I woke up in my own room, only partially dressed.” Her gazed drifted to her hands. “I had been violated,” she whispered. The sting of her words hadn’t lessened any since the first time she said out loud that she’d been raped.

As if knowing she had more to say, Nick waited out her pause.

“I felt sick. I threw up. My throat was dry and sore, and my whole body ached. But I didn’t have time to waste, I had to hurry or I would have missed my flight. I threw my dress in the garbage, quickly packed, and got to the airport.” Her breath caught.

“What else?” Angelina’s asked. Her voice was soft.

“It wasn’t until I got home and unpacked that I found my panties and nylons rolled up and stuffed inside the clutch I carried to the party. I don’t remember putting them in there. And when I pulled them out, a small gold cufflink engraved with the initials “PNJ” fell to the floor. Patrick Neil James.”

“He drugged you through the champagne.”

Elizabeth nodded. There really was no other explanation. She hadn’t drunk that much.

“You didn’t report this, did you? And Joe doesn’t know what happened either, does he?”

The tiny bit of relief she’d found by getting this off her chest a moment ago was now replaced by shame again. She hadn’t reported it, nor told Joe, and Nick’s tone a second ago let her know he was disappointed she hadn’t. She doubted, he meant to make her feel ashamed, but he did.

Though she didn’t verbally answer his question, Nick pinched his lips together and nodded. “Why didn’t you report it?”

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. “It’s complicated, if it got out it could be devastating to the company and Mr. James. And I just want to forget about it.”

“What about you? How can you worry about the company and Mr. James after what happened to you? What if Patrick does this to someone else?” he questioned. “And what about Joe? How can you not tell him? He cares about you.”

Awful thoughts of Patrick’s groping hands rushed back to her, and she felt as though Nick was badgering her, firing questions at her, making her feel guilty about hiding it from Joe. Tears stung her eyes, her heart raced, and her uncontrollable breaths came quick.

“Joe can’t find out. I can’t lose him,” she managed to squeak between breaths.

Nick’s questioning gaze swung to his sister.