me and Kevin in there.”
“Where was Kevin’s friend?”
“He must have gotten in a different cab. I had been drinking a lot, so some of my recollection is blurry. Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me,” I said immediately. “You weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“I know. It’s just when alcohol is involved…” she trailed off in a sigh. “I just wish I could have all the details down perfectly.”
“Is there anything more after you got in the cab? You did go home–– right?” I was suddenly afraid of how the story ended. She wouldn’t have gone back to Kevin and Dani’s house. Would she?
“There’s more. This is where it gets….bad.”
“Bad?” I heard my voice wobble over the word. Please just spit it out.
“We were in the cab–– just the two of us–– and I gave the cab driver my address. But Kevin said maybe we should have afterhours.” I continued to stare at Mandy. “I said I really wanted to get home. I said I had to get up early, which was a lie–– but I just really wanted to get home. Kevin gave the cab driver a different address and said that he knew I would want to keep partying with him. I was ‘his party girl.’” She used quotes with her fingers. I felt sick. “I said no again, that I really needed to go home. He wouldn’t listen. The cab driver was listening to Kevin because Kevin slipped him some money. I didn’t know what to do.”
Mandy’s eyes started to fill with tears. I grabbed her hand without even thinking about it. “It’s okay, Mandy. You can tell me. I’m here to help,” I whispered, worried I was about to start crying. I was terrified about what she was going to say.
“This is all just really silly. I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding. I shouldn’t even be making a big deal over it.” Mandy’s demeanor shifted suddenly. But she wasn’t fooling me.
“Mandy, if it makes you uncomfortable or upset, it is a big deal. Just let me know, and I can figure out the next step,” I said firmly.
“Well, we were in the cab and he–– he put his hand on my knee. Like this.” She put her hand on her own knee, closer to her thigh. “I shifted away from him, thinking he would understand that I was uncomfortable. But the hand went higher.” She ran her hand up on her leg, and I felt my stomach flip. “Before anything else could happen, we were being dropped off at Blackout.”
“The afterhours nightclub? He really meant afterhours like–– afterhours?” I asked, baffled. Blackout catered to the younger crowd, the ones who thought they were invincible and could stay out until five in the morning. Even Mandy at twenty-four would be considered old at that club. And Kevin was in his forties!
“The one and only. We walked in, he got us a table and ordered some drinks. I was sure something was going to happen there and knew I needed to get out.”
“So what did you do?” I had no idea how the story would end, and was aching to find out.
“I went to the bathroom, called one of my friends, and snuck out.”
I sat in my chair in disbelief, mouth agape. “And Kevin?” I had to ask, had to complete the story.
“I’m sure he realized what happened. I had a tough time debating whether to come to work this week.”
“Why did you?” I asked honestly. I was shocked. I wasn’t sure I would go to work after something like that. Her own boss had practically forced himself on her, imprisoned her in a cab, and took her somewhere she didn’t want to be. Jesus. Where would I even start my note-taking? Who the hell would I tell?
“Well, I couldn’t decide if it was a big deal. Technically, nothing happened.”
“Technically. But what if you didn’t get out of Blackout? What if your friend wasn’t able to pick you up? It could have been bad, Mandy. Really bad,” I repeated, emphasizing the words. Frank was right. What had I gotten myself into?
“Yes, but then with the alcohol…I had been drinking…maybe I led him on? I didn’t think I had, but I don’t know. Maybe it was just as much my fault. And he never said anything to me about it. He was here on Tuesday and greeted me like everyone else. I figured it was all just in my head. No big deal. But then….”
“There’s more?” I practically shouted, on