Description: Out of options without a safety net, Julie finds herself in hot water with Pike Setter making the moves on her without consent. Drawing from her experience and background in self defense, Julie lets Pike know who the mayor of the room is.
Bright Lights, Big Dreams. PART 3.
So it had all been leading up to this moment. Julie kicked herself for not having seen the clues since Pike began pursuing her like a savage wolf on the hunt. In broad daylight, the creepy snake with the abhorrent ten-pack-a-day smoking habit and peculiar head-nod had been planning, baiting, and luring her in from square one.
Now he was about to find out what happened when you crossed a female mayor in the 1960s. And not just any female mayor. This was Juliet Jones. She was not best friends with Officer Eddie Hearn for nothing. After a mugger had held her at knife-point late one night when she was leaving her office, Eddie began teaching Julie self-defense techniques at the local gymnasium. Simple punching, kicking, and judo throws were used to defend against an array of assaults, and Julie slowly gained confidence, eventually overcoming her fear of going out alone at night, even though she rarely did anymore.
Fast-forward to New York City and the Miss Teenager pageant. Pike had crossed the “appropriate” line soon after he had entered her room. Now Julie realized it was wrong to have let him come up. Her previous instincts about him had been correct. He was someone to watch out for. But this was the night of the contest! They had seemingly become good friends. She was just beginning to trust the creep.
Now that he had entered her personal space uninvited and even aggressively, fear clutched at Julie’s heart.
“Pike,” she cried. “Let me go!”
“Stop playing hard to get, sister!” he murmured as his mouth crushed to hers in a kiss that rivaled smooching a bonobo in mating season.
Suddenly fear yielded to anger. Everything Eddie had taught her came rushing back. Taking him by surprise, she swung her arms up, knocking his arms away to the side.
“I am not…” Julie began.
Her next move was a full frontal shove, slamming him with a double-palm strike to the shoulders that backed him up a foot, almost dropping him to the ground.
Pike stumbled and shook his head, dazed.
“Playing!” she cried.
Before he could recover, he never even saw her left hand coming. It smacked flat against his cheek in a slap that rocked his head left.
Julie’s heart was thumping through her chest, her pulse racing madly. She stood there ready for a counter. Ready to fight. She could not lose.
