“Is that a way to talk to a former client?”

Former client? Holly’s stomach lurched and this time she knew it wasn’t due to the pregnancy. This man was a former client? She made a quick assessment, when realization settled in: He did look vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t place him. But he clearly recognized her.

“You have me mistaken for somebody else,” she insisted, and tried to sidestep him.

He surprised her by blocking her. Despite his drunken state, he was still alert enough to be a danger to her. Holly stepped back to try to escape, but he pushed her toward the pool house.

“Oh, no, there’s no mistake.” He reached for her hair. “I wouldn’t forget somebody like you. Not after paying such an exorbitant amount for you.”

“I want you to leave now. Quietly. Or I’m going to call for help.”

He chuckled maliciously and came closer, making her take another step back toward the pool house. “Are you? I doubt that very much. Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re here incognito, and I doubt you’d like all these nice people at this party to know that you’re a hooker.”

The word sliced into her and sent a wave of adrenaline through her veins. His hand came up again, and she glimpsed a wedding ring on his finger. “What would your wife say if she found out what you were doing in San Francisco?”

He halted in his movement in an instant. “My wife? She doesn’t care who I fuck. And right now, I’d like to fuck you.”

“Never!” she ground out, and prepared to defend herself.

He pushed her against the wall of the pool house. Holly lifted her knee and aimed for his groin. Her kick hit air when the drunkard was jerked back.

“Leave her alone!” came Paul’s angry voice. “Fucking drunk!”

“Stay out of this!” the drunk growled, and jabbed his elbow back, thrusting it into Paul’s chest.

Behind them, people had started to turn their heads to watch the exchange.

Paul gripped the guy by the collar and jerked him around. “I said, leave my girlfriend alone!”

“Girlfriend? She’s a fucking hooker!” the man yelled.

Paul’s face distorted from stunned surprise to rage, while his fist swung at the guy as if on autopilot. But despite his inebriated state, the man sidestepped him and stumbled closer to where more guests had gathered. Everybody seemed to be looking in their direction now, the conversations suddenly silenced.

“Yeah, a fucking hooker!” he yelled again, pointing at Holly.

Holly wanted to sink into the ground.

“Shut your fucking mouth, or I’ll shut it for you!” Paul yelled, and swung again.

This time his fist connected with the guy’s face and whipped his head sideways. The drunkard stumbled and fell against a passing waiter carrying a tray of drinks. Holly watched as the waiter lost his balance. Two hands reached for the tray and took it from the falling waiter’s hands so the drinks wouldn’t crash to the floor. Holly stared at the man with the quick reflexes: Jay.

Then her eyes went back to Paul and the man who had accosted her.

The man wiped blood off his mouth and glared at Paul. “Yeah, a two-bit hooker. That’s all she is! What are you paying her, huh?”

Paul looked as if he were seeing red and pounded his fists into the man in such quick succession that his opponent couldn’t even lift his arms in defense. All the drunkard could do was step backward to try to escape Paul’s unrelenting fists. But there was no escape.

With Paul’s next punch, the man stumbled over the ledge of the pool and fell in. Water sloshed over the edges, splashing onto some of the guests who stood close. A collective gasp went through the crowd.

“Paul!” His mother screamed.

Paul’s head jerked up to see his mother, who glared at him and then turned her gaze on Holly. “Is this true? Is it true what he said?”

“He attacked Holly!” Paul ground out.

Holly stared at the party guests, who all stared at her now. They had all heard the drunkard’s words, accusing her of being a hooker.

It was dead silent now. The only thing that could be heard was the sloshing of the water in the pool, as the drunk tried to keep his head above water.

Paul’s mother pointed at Holly. “Somebody remove that woman from my property!”

Holly didn’t wait for anybody to approach her, but turned on her heel and ran down the path that led to the beach.

“Holly!” she heard Paul call after her, but she didn’t slow her pace.