Chapter 12

Sam felt warm inside as she made the drive back home. She was glad she had made up with Daniel once and for all, no questions asked. She was still quite embarrassed over the way she had treated him, and for not realizing at the start how he’d been right to be wary of Joe. All had been forgiven, though, and she realized that she had learned a valuable lesson. If she was ever faced with this situation again – although she hoped that she never would be – she would know what to do.

Her smile faded when she realized that Joe would be calling her today about getting together on Sunday. She decided she would break it off with him. Not only did she find his personality (as well as his looks) unattractive, but he was moving too fast for her. He made her uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to spend her time with someone with whom she couldn’t be completely at ease. How could she tell him?

As she exited her car and made the way up her front walk, her mind began to reel with possibilities for letting Joe off easy. Not that he deserved to be let off easy, but Sam was a nice person and found it hard to just tell someone off. She remembered what he had said about his previous dating experiences. He had dated young girls who, in his own words, “didn’t have their priorities straight.” What would that make her, then? After what he’d done to her that night, and after she let him do it, wouldn’t that make her seem like a game player as well?

She made up her mind that she didn’t care. Sam realized that this was her life she was dealing with, and if getting rid of him gave him the idea that she was a game player, then so be it. Why should she care what he thinks? He had gotten the wrong idea about her. He had forced himself on her, and taken advantage of her inexperience. He was the one at fault, even though she was convinced that she was partly to blame for letting him do it. Sara had told her that a good guy would have sensed that she was uncomfortable, and would have been more accommodating.

Sam chuckled to herself. Sara had always been a bit pushy, even annoying at times, but she was being a very good friend to her throughout this predicament.

As good a friend as Daniel, she thought. She smiled when she thought back to her reconciliation with Daniel just over an hour ago. She was really thankful to have him as a friend – a good, caring friend who really understood her well. She remembered she owed him a phone call, and decided she would try to reach him after she had some lunch.

Sam rooted through the fridge until she located some cold cuts – turkey and cheese – that she’d just bought two days earlier. She carried them, along with a jar of mustard, to the counter where a loaf of bread was waiting. She began assembling her sandwich and was about to spread some mustard on top when the ringing phone pierced the silence.

“Oh, God,” she uttered nervously, caught completely off guard. A pang of worry struck her when she realized it was probably Joe. She still hadn’t quite decided what she would tell him, although she was certain that she had to get rid of him at all costs. She slowly made her way over to the wall and hesitated before picking up the jangling receiver. She took a quick look at the caller ID.

“O’Neill, J.”

Sam briefly closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It was Sara.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sam, how are you doing?”

“Not too bad,” Sam answered. “Just dreading hearing from Joe.”

“What?”

“He’s supposed to call me today about seeing him tomorrow,” Sam elaborated.

“Oh, that’s right. So, what happened at the coffee shop?” Sara asked, shifting gears.

Sam paused as a smile grew on her face. “Daniel was there. He showed up about twenty minutes after I did. At first I thought he wasn’t going to talk to me, but he told me he was hurt and didn’t really know what to say. We’ve made up, and I feel a lot better,” she said, brightening.

“See? I told you,” Sara said encouragingly. “He needed time to heal, and he was probably still a bit awkward since he hasn’t known you for very long.”

“But, Sara, that’s the thing – we haven’t known each other very long, but we seem to know each other so well, it’s like we’ve been friends for ages.”

Sara paused. “Well, then he’s a really sweet guy who doesn’t seem too aggressive. The fact that it seems like you’ve been friends for ages, has to tell you something about your chemistry. Some people were just meant to be together, Sam.”

Sam’s eyes widened and she felt her heart thud in her chest. She didn’t speak for a few seconds as she pondered Sara’s statement. Could she be right? Was it possible that she and Daniel were meant to be together?

“You really think that?” she said softly.

“What?”

“That we’re meant to be together?”

“It’s quite possible,” Sara said noncommittally. “You said yourself that you couldn’t live with yourself if you had lost him as a friend. What does that tell you?”

Sam found herself at a loss for words when she entertained the notion that Sara could very well be right.

“I … yeah,” she struggled to get out as a crooked smile made its way across her lips.

“So, what are you going to tell him?” Sara asked.

“Uh … tell who?” Sam returned quickly as her thoughts about her relationship with Daniel were rudely interrupted.

“Joe,” Sara added. “He wants to see you tomorrow, right?”

Sam’s face fell and she sighed miserably. “Yeah.”

“So?” Sara prodded.

“I … I don’t know,” she began uneasily. “I thought about just not answering the phone. Maybe I could … I don’t know, email him and say that I heard from an old friend, and we decided to get back together – that he deserves someone better than me, and that I wish him luck.

“Oh, please don’t tell me you’re going to do that,” Sara said incredulously. “He deserves someone better than you?? You deserve someone better than him.”

“Yeah, I know, Sara, but I just thought I’d say that, and …”

“Sam, you have to stand your ground. Not answering the phone, but rather emailing him is taking the coward’s way out,” Sara interrupted firmly.

“Yeah, I guess, but I don’t know if I can speak to him on the phone,” Sam said timidly. “I’m afraid of what he might say.”

“If you email him instead he probably won’t think you’re serious and he’ll keep bugging you. If you don’t talk to him, you’ll just keep agonizing over what he might have said. You need to get it over with and tell him point blank that you don’t want to see him anymore,” Sara insisted.

“It sounds so easy from the way you’re talking,” Sam said ruefully. “How do I do that?”

“Tell him what you honestly think of him. If you thought he was a nice guy, tell him that. But make it clear that he was going too fast for you, and it made you feel uncomfortable. Wish him luck, and end the conversation.”

“What if he doesn’t accept it?” Sam said with a touch of desperation in her voice.

“Stand your ground. Tell him if he doesn’t like it, tough shit. You have to stand up for yourself, Sam. This is your life you’re talking about. You can’t let guys like this take advantage of you.”

A little voice somewhere deep inside of Sam began nagging her, chiming in that Sara was absolutely right and that she definitely had to prevent this guy from walking all over her. Her face grew serious as the realization dawned on her.

“You’re right,” she asserted.

“You know I’m right, Sam. Just stand your ground and you won’t have any problems. Hey, Jack has his share of quirks. If I didn’t learn to stand my ground with him, I’d probably be up in Minnesota doing some fly fishing right now,” Sara said wryly.

Sam briefly wondered what Sara meant by “quirks”, but she brushed it aside and laughed softly. “Okay, I better go. I have to have some lunch before he calls,” she said.

“Okay, Sam. Good luck, even though I don’t think you’ll need it,” Sara replied.

“Sure you don’t,” Sam shot back facetiously.

Sara giggled. “Take care.”

“Bye.”

Sam hung up the phone and immediately went back to putting the finishing touches on her sandwich. With a determined resolve, she decided that she was going to give it to Joe straight – no beating around the bush, no compromises. As she chewed thoughtfully, her mind wandered and she began thinking about Daniel once again. She reached for her book of phone numbers and flipped open to the page where she’d recently written his phone number so that she would have it handy.

She nearly choked on her food as she heard the phone ring. She coughed and took a sip of water before she headed over to the phone. She cast a wary glance at the caller ID.

“J. Ryan.”

Her face suddenly flushed and her heart began to race. What are you worrying about? Hold your ground and get rid of him.

“Hello,” she said confidently as she picked up the phone.

“Hi, is Sam there?” the dreadfully familiar voice inquired.

“Hi, Joe,” she said quickly.

“Hey!” he exclaimed jovially. The eagerness in his tone made Sam want to vomit.

“Yeah, hey,” she answered back emotionless.

Joe laughed a bit and then cut right to the chase. “So, what time should I pick you up tomorrow?”

Sam swallowed hard. This wasn’t going to be quite as easy as she thought. “Uh … t-tomorrow?” she repeated, sounding as if she’d been caught off guard.

“Duh! Of course! What were we talking about last night in the car?” he asked in disbelief. “I figured we could get a head start on making you a pro bowler, and then we could drive up to this nice, private, little ridge I know and watch the sun set, the stars come out, and … as for what else, anything’s possible!”

“Uh …” Sam was beginning to lose her grip on her resolve, but once she replayed his words in her head, she realized what he probably had in store for her, and remembered what she needed to do.

“Look, we’ll have to talk some other time. I’m just heading out the door to visit a friend,” she said briskly.

She could sense the change in Joe’s mood. “A friend???” he answered. He ended with a forced chuckle, but Sam could see right through it. She knew he was being suspicious once again. Finally, she was ready for him.

“Yes! I’m going to visit a girlfriend. Why are you so suspicious?” she nearly demanded.

“Huh?” he replied after a beat, sounding dumbfounded.

“You heard me,” she said forcefully. “You’ve been acting like this ever since we first started talking on the phone! You asked me why I picked up on the third ring, then you asked if one of my old boyfriends was calling to take me back when I had to answer a call waiting tone, and now this! It’s as if you’re checking up on me. There’s no reason for you to do this and I’m sick of it.”

“Uh … well,” he stammered. She could tell that he hadn’t expected this from the meek woman he’d forced himself upon last night. It felt satisfying. “I … okay, I’ll admit it. I tend to get suspicious with women. I told you about the last girl I dated – Kathy. We had been dating for two months and I was all set to propose to her. I even bought the ring. I let myself into her apartment and found her in the bedroom with another guy.”

Sam shook her head in disbelief as she listened to his excuse.

“I’m sorry, but I found you really wonderful last night. I just don’t want to find you with another guy after all those doomed romances of mine. Do you understand?”

Sam felt a fiery anger burn within her as she took in the belittling tone of his words. She decided it was time to pull out all the stops. “You were out to ownme,” she replied, her voice tightening.

Joe remained silent.

“You wanted to lay claim to me right then and there. That’s why you wanted to meet my father so bad. That’s why you locked the car doors and pinned me to the seat. You wanted an instant romance.”

“Hey, now, you didn’t seem to be objecting or resisting to it at all!” he said defensively.

Sam knew she had hurt his ego, but it didn’t bother her one bit. She clenched her teeth and stopped herself from screaming at him. She had to remain calm when talking to him. “Because I was afraid of what you’d try to do to me if I resisted,” she said in an agitated tone.

“I can’t believe that,” he said after a pause.

“I’m serious,” she insisted. “Listen, Joe, I had a good time last night and you’re a nice guy, but you were going too fast for me. It was like you were trying to cram a month into one night. Rushing into things like this makes me uncomfortable.”

“Who’s rushing??” he said incredulously.

“You are!” Sam raised her voice. “I can’t believe you’re this clueless. If you insist on rushing into a relationship, I can’t deal with it,” she said firmly.

“Okay, then, we won’t rush,” Joe said, hoping he still had a chance with her. “Please forgive me, okay, beautiful?? I’ll never find another woman as wonderful as you!” he begged pathetically.

Sam uttered a sound of disbelief. “You really are this clueless. It’s over. There’s nothing more to say.”

Joe sputtered incredulously.

Sam was going to hang up when she remembered something else she wanted to tell him.“Oh, and by the way, I hate bowling.”

A huge smile spread across her face after she hung up. She was free – completely, utterly, one hundred percent free. Her earlier worries of what she should say and what she could expect from him when he called had completely dissipated. She hardly thought twice about what she had said to him, and where it had left her. An enormous weight had been removed from her chest, and she felt light, airy and carefree.

Most importantly, she didn’t have to worry about her situation with Daniel, especially the whole “going-behind-his-back” mentality. She was free to spend time with him without worrying whether she could date two guys at the same time. They were still only friends, but she could now enjoy his company even more.

She grabbed her phone book and fervently dialed Daniel’s number.

“Hello?”

Sam smiled broadly as she heard Daniel’s voice. It was like music to her ears. “Hi Daniel, it’s me,” she greeted him.

“Sam?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey,” Daniel said kindly. “How are you doing?”

“Couldn’t be better,” Sam said happily.

“Wow, you’re in a good mood,” he observed.

“I know,” she replied giddily.

“What happened?” he asked in a slightly suspicious tone.

“Joe called.”

“Oh …” Daniel replied. “I take it you …”

“… Told him off,” she finished for him.

Daniel seemed a bit surprised by Sam’s revelation. “Really … you did?”

“Uh-huh. He called and asked about getting together tomorrow, and I let him have it. I told him he was going too fast and it made me uncomfortable. He begged me to forgive him, but I held my ground and told him it was over before I hung up on him.”

“Wow, Sam. Ah … that … that’s great. How do you feel? I mean, that’s not a very easy thing to do; I can imagine it must have been difficult.”

“Yeah, it was, at first. Sara told me I should stand my ground with him, and I realized she was right. This might sound corny, but a little voice inside of me told me I should stand up for myself and not let him walk all over me. I don’t know how, but I mustered up the courage to tell him off. I was right, he wanted to lay claim to me. He said that he didn’t want to catch me with another guy after all of his doomed romances,” she snorted scornfully.

Daniel paused briefly. “What an ass,” he replied, his voice touched with anger.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “He revealed even more of what a loser he was. He dated a girl for two months and wanted to marry her. He was going to propose when he walked in on her with another guy.”

“After only two months? For some reason, I’m not surprised,” Daniel surmised. “He was probably smothering her.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Sam agreed. “God, I am so glad to be rid of him.”

“Mmm,” Daniel replied. “Sam, you did the right thing. You knew in your heart that he was wrong for you, and for that I’m glad. I was really worried about what he might do to you.”

“Thanks. Actually I was worried about what he would do to me if I went out with him tomorrow. He said something about driving up to a private little ridge to watch the sun set, and the stars, and ‘as for what else … anything’s possible,’” she said in a disgusted tone.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Daniel said quietly. “It doesn’t sound like he would have been very interested in celestial bodies.”

“Ugh, yeah,” Sam shuddered. She turned back to the phone. “Thanks, Daniel.”

“For what?”

“… For just being a friend who’s willing to listen. You were right about this guy all along. I was so blind to want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and look what happened,” she said, agitated.

“Sam, what did I say about not beating yourself up over this? He took advantage of you and caught you completely off-guard. Just don’t think about him anymore. He’s gone and out of your life.”

“I hope you’re right,” she replied. “When I hung up on him, I think he still wasn’t convinced that I was breaking it off with him. I hope I don’t run into him anywhere, especially alone. I’d hate to think of what he might say or do to me,” she said fearfully.

Daniel sighed. “I’d hate to think of what I might say or do if I ran into him,” he muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said dismissively. “Look, Sam, don’t worry about it. Knowing this guy’s track record, he’s probably found himself another girl already.”

Sam smirked. “I better go now. I have to finish my lunch.”

“Okay, take it easy,” Daniel said gently. “If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be here. Do you want me to give you a call tomorrow or tomorrow night?” He mentally kicked himself for thinking that he might have sounded a bit too overbearing. Sam needed time to get over what Joe had pulled on her.

Fortunately, she didn’t think he was overbearing at all. “Sure, I would really appreciate it,” she replied. “Thanks, Daniel.”

“Sure. Take it easy and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye, Sam.”

She hung up the phone and sighed. It was good talking to Daniel after what she’d gone through with Joe. She hadn’t really ever been this assertive before, but she realized she had to think of herself. All she wanted was to be happy, and if that meant telling off Joe to getting rid of him, then so be it.

She was still worried about running into the man somewhere. When she’d hung up on him, she’d gotten the feeling that he wasn’t entirely convinced that she no longer wanted to see him. If she did perchance stumble upon him, she was worried about what might happen. Daniel insisted that she should not worry. He seemed angry about what Joe had said, and then there was that little comment that he wondered what he would do if he ever ran into Joe.

She didn’t ponder it for a second longer as she finished the remainder of her sandwich.

Daniel kept his word and called Sam the next day. It was mostly to see if she was all right after the whole Joe predicament. Luckily, Sam was in good spirits. She told him about the walk she took to a special little place all her own, with a little creek and a view of the mountains, without going into much detail. She told him that her father had called the night before and she’d told him about Joe. He had seemed angry – not at her, but at Joe for having taken advantage of his little girl. He expressed concern that Sam wouldn’t find the right guy. She became awkward as she told Daniel this and he’d even blushed a bit upon hearing it. The two of them dismissed it and she told him of how he had some leave coming up, probably within the next month. She was glad, as she hadn’t seen him since Christmas.

For the most part, the conversation between them was a bit on the awkward side. Sam’s ears burned whenever she thought about Sara’s comment – that she and Daniel could be meant to be together. Daniel was a bit awkward as well, because he didn’t want to be too overbearing after what had just happened to her. Daniel figured he would give Sam a little space and some time to get over it. He told her he didn’t think he’d be at the Java House the next few mornings because he’d be busy working on a talk he was going to give later that week. He didn’t tell her it was the talk he was giving in her department. He promised he would give her a call one evening early in the week.

After he hung up, he realized it was now 2 PM and he hadn’t had lunch yet. He decided to head down to the Aspen Deli in town. It wasn’t his favorite place, but they did make good sandwiches.

As he entered the deli, he noticed it was empty, save for a guy and a girl sitting at a table near the back. The guy appeared to be in his mid to late thirties, and the girl looked to be at least a decade younger. They seemed to be very intimate. Daniel couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about this guy made him feel as if he knew him – not personally, but that he at least knew who he was. He shrugged himself out of it as he made his way up to the counter.

He collected a bowl of soup and half a sandwich, and sat down a couple of tables in front of the pair, who were now kissing passionately and making out. Daniel looked at them oddly for a moment before he turned his attention back to his lunch. He took a spoonful of the homemade chicken soup and savored its taste.

“Oh, wow, Joe! You are … such a … kisser!” he heard the girl exclaim out of breath.

His ears perked up a bit. Joe?? He shrugged himself out of it. So the guy’s name was Joe. It was just a coincidence and nothing more.

“Why, thank you for the compliment, little lady!” the man returned smugly. “You’re not so bad yourself!”

The girl giggled. “Well, I’ve told you about my past relationships. Why don’t you tell me about yours?” she pressed.

“Oh, so now you’re putting me on the spot?” he said with mock surprise.

“Come on, fair is fair!” she insisted playfully.

“Well, okay,” he sighed melodramatically. “I’ll start with the most recent.”

Daniel tried hard not to listen too closely to their conversation, but at that moment he had to stop and roll his eyes. He was determined to tune them out, but they were talking so loud that he couldn’t help but hear them.

“I just ended a relationship with an older woman – er, older than you, that is, not older than me,” he chuckled. “I thought she seemed sweet, but she ended up being a big nerd.”

The girl giggled some more, and Daniel couldn’t think of anything more irritating as he went back to eating his soup.

“She was!” he insisted. “She was a professor at some university … the one right around here actually … UCCS I think it is. I think she was in physics … or astronomy … or something like that. Sam …”

Daniel stopped in mid-gulp and his eyes widened when he heard that name.

“… Sam something … last name began with a C I think … Carton, or Carter?”

Daniel’s spoon clinked noisily against the bowl of nearly empty soup as he dropped it. He whipped his head around and got a good look at the man. He seemed to fit the description Sam had given him a while back, and the revelation that he’d gone out with her was enough to prove to Daniel that this was Joe.

He thought about getting up, going over to them and reading him the riot act, but he decided he’d stay put and see if the man was going to say anything else. He remembered what he was thinking after he saw Sam in the coffee shop yesterday morning, and how he felt like he wanted to throttle Joe, but he started to have doubts that it would be the best course of action. Perhaps he should just ignore the man.

“Ha, was she all old-farty or dowdy looking?” the girl joked.

“Not when I went out with her, but who knows what she looks like behind a desk?” Joe replied. “You wouldn’t believe this, I gave her one little innocent kiss at the end of the evening, and she calls me the next day to break it off, saying that I was moving too fast, or some bullshit like that. How do you like the nerve? This woman was, like, a couple of years younger than me and she thought one little kiss was moving too fast! I’m thinking she’s either a real prude who’s repulsed by men, or she’s so strange that no man would ever want her!”

A spark of anger flashed in Daniel’s eyes. Not only was this guy talking cruelly about Sam, but he was also lying through his teeth. He knew that Sam didn’t deserve this one bit, and decided that ignoring Joe wasn’t enough. Daniel cared for Sam too much to sit idly by and listen to some loser badmouth her.

He felt as though his heart was guiding him as he stood up, pushed his chair in, and made his way back to their table.

“Ah … excuse me, are you Joe Ryan?” he asked the man as he cleared his throat.

Joe looked at him bewilderingly. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “I don’t know who you are, though.”

Daniel ignored him and folded his arms across his chest. “Listen, I-I couldn’t help overhearing you badmouth a friend of mine.”

Joe raised an eyebrow incredulously.

“Dr. Samantha Carter,” Daniel elaborated, not willing to budge.

Joe turned to look at him seriously, and Daniel saw real anger in his eyes. “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU??” he demanded.

Daniel stood, unmoving. “I’m a friend of hers,” he said simply. “And it hurts me to hear anyone talking about her in such a way.”

Joe’s lip curled up in a sneer and he rose from his seat. “She was dating you behind my back, wasn’t she,” he said in a quiet, angry tone.

Daniel looked at him incredulously and, for a brief moment, he was actually afraid that the man would hit him. He put the fear aside and stood his ground. “No. She’s a friend from work. We’re both professors at UCCS …”

“She was dating you behind my back,” Joe repeated angrily. “She said she liked to take things slow, and she’s dating another guy the whole time. She’s a goddamned liar and a floozy!”

Daniel felt his hands tense up and he curled them into fists as he fixed Joe with a hard glare. This was getting serious.

“Don’t you dare talk about her that way,” he said quietly through clenched teeth.

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” Joe said derisively. “I thought she might have been a floozy, but I can’t imagine why she’d want to be stuck with someone like you. Out of all the men out there, she wants to be with a geeky, long-haired professor.”

Daniel’s curled up fists began to shake and he felt like he was going to lose it right there. What would that make him out to be, though? He didn’t want to end up getting physical with this guy, so he tried to keep his cool.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you say that,” he said sternly.

With that, he sauntered back to his table, picked up his garbage and disposed of it. As he was doing so, he didn’t notice that Joe had made his way to the front door, blocking any means of exit. He had pulled himself up to his full height in an attempt to appear menacing. He was about the same height as Daniel, but had a more muscular, athletic build.

Daniel stood in front of him and stared at him placidly. “Get out of my way,” he said in as calm and quiet a tone as he could muster.

Joe wouldn’t budge. He played dumb and even began to laugh. Daniel could tell that Joe’s ego had been bruised – even worse, in front of a new girl. He knew that Joe wasn’t going to let him get off pretty easy. He didn’t care, though, because this was all about Sam.

“Get out of my way,” Daniel repeated a bit louder.

Joe assumed a challenging stance. “What are you gonna do, Four Eyes? Blind me with your laser pointer or something?”

Daniel’s eyes shot daggers at Joe as he turned back to his girlfriend and laughed moronically.

“Did you hear that?” he addressed her. “Blind me with your laser pointer! Good one, eh? What a match – a geeky professor and a lying, little whore!”

Before he could return his full attention back to the object of his offense, Daniel drew his fist back and cold cocked Joe squarely on the jaw. The blow knocked him over and sent him falling onto the pavement outside the deli.

Daniel stood in the doorway of the deli, panting. He looked down at his fist almost in amazement. He couldn’t recall ever punching someone out like that before. He’d always shunned violence, but at this time and place, it didn’t seem to matter. All that mattered was Sam. She was a dear friend of his, and she had done nothing to deserve this abuse. Joe was so thickheaded, and if it took physical violence to show him that, then so be it.

Daniel exited the deli and glowered down at Joe, who had managed to finally sit up. Daniel had hit him harder than he’d thought, as he’d managed to give him a bloody nose as well.

Joe noticed Daniel standing there and scowled up at him. “What the hell did you do that for?” he said incredulously, apparently trying to get over the shock that Daniel had it in him to land such a blow to his jaw.

“Boy, Sam was right – you are clueless,” Daniel surmised.

Joe was about to object when Daniel interrupted him. “You’d better stay the hell away from her from now on. Understand?”

Joe continued to look at him in disbelief and was about to object further when he realized that Daniel might actually do more damage to his face. He nodded reluctantly.

“Good,” Daniel said quietly. He turned and noticed that Joe’s new girlfriend was standing just outside the door, staring at the scene before her and looking mortified. She looked at Daniel and tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.

Daniel looked at her, his eyes tinged slightly with pity. “If you want to stay with him, that’s your right,” he said solemnly. “But, if you are a decent girl, I’d certainly think twice about it.”

He turned back to Joe and gave him a withering stare. With that, he walked away, leaving the girl to stare at Joe tentatively as she watched him tend to his bloody nose and rub his injured jaw.