PLASTIC

Chapter Twelve

Cat had never seen herself looking the way she looked in the mirror. The woman staring at her was a stranger. An absolute transformation was the only way to describe what they did to her. The artwork on her face was perfect. The makeup artist didn't use a lot of makeup but applying the right combinations on Cat's skin made her look flawless, natural, and appear to have a surreal glow.

She took out makeup removal cloths and cleaned her skin. After she took a hot shower, she crawled into the bed and struggled to fall asleep. The night was eventful, and she was trying to gather the last vestige of peace in her mind to figure out her next step. Even though she knew she would move her things from Ari's condo, she decided it would be best to allow him to bring her things to her. Cat was never going back to that place after she found out from Ari himself that he would take random women there for s*x.

Cat took four showers that night. Every time she thought of living and sleeping in a place that he used exclusively to f**k women in and nothing else. She felt utter disgust. Ari was a disgusting man. The way he treated women was disgusting. He explained to her that he had a reason why he could not fall in love and he explained to them that he would never date them. The women constantly looked at him as a source of revenue and nothing else. He explained to her that most of the women he fooled around with were gold diggers. There was no way he could fall in love with someone who only wanted him for his money.

She sat for hours listening to him explain his position and then begging for forgiveness. Ultimately, she decided to go to a hotel for a few nights to sort out what was going through her mind. Ari begged her to stay with him in his home. He pleaded with her to understand that he never once betrayed her and that she was more precious to him than anything. Cat listened to him and kissed him on the cheek as she walked out on him.

*****

Lost in thought, Cat didn't realize that Noah walked into the breakroom. He sat down next to her and that drew her out of her mind.

"Are you ok?" His question caught her attention.

"Yeah, I'm good." She replied in a short to the point answer.

"I'm not here for Ari. I'm just concerned about you." Noah reassured her.

"Everything is good." She lied. Cat knew Noah was Ari's family and his best friend. She didn't want him to get off easy for being so stupid. For a man who was an actual doctor, he made a really dumb decision. What man allows his lady to stay in the space he used to lure and f**k other women in?

"Common sense isn't common to everyone." She could hear her father making that statement when someone did something really stupid and no one could understand why.

For two weeks, she went to work and tried to behave like everything was fine. She went out to shop for groceries. Then went to the beach to walk, enjoy the sunset and forget about her troubles. Cat could feel some of the weight of the situation lifting from her when she ran into Israel. At first, she tried to walk by him without saying a word. Of course, guys like him were accustomed to getting whatever they want. Cat decided to go back to her SUV and leave. She didn't want anything to do with him.

"Hey, you. Where are you going?" He called after her. Cat continued to walk like she didn't hear him. She knew he had something to do with the woman who started all of the problems between her and Ari. She saw her vehicle and ran to it. She unlocked it with her keys and just as she was about to open her door, he grabbed her. She was unprepared for how strong he was. As much as she tried to resist him, he had her. Israel tried to kiss her.

"If you fight me, I will hurt you and no one is going to believe you over me." He threatened and bragged. Cat didn't give a rat's ass about what he was saying. She fought with all her might. She felt one hand slide in her pants. He grabbed her ass and then slid his hand under her bra to grab her breast. God no. Please don't let this man r**e me. She began to panic because he had her pinned inside the door where no one could really see what was going on unless they were close by. His hand was on her mouth. Cat felt light headed. The way he was holding her made it difficult for her to breathe. When she felt like she would pass out, something pulled him off of her. She was partially lying on her seat and the center console. She felt herself being pulled up when she opened her eyes. For some reason, she expected to see Ari but the person who helped her was Noah.

*****

Cat was eternally grateful to him for saving her life. She knew if Noah hadn't shown up when he did, she would surely have been rapped and could have potentially been killed. They called the police and filed a complaint. Noah knocked Israel on his ass and went off on him when he regained consciousness. He was highly disappointed in his friend.

"What the f**k do you have to do with any of this?" He spat the question out at Noah.

"I saw her walking on the beach and decided to leave her alone. I knew she was hurting but wasn't ready to talk to anyone yet. Then I saw your crazy ass chasing her. What the hell were you trying to prove man?" Noah yelled at his longtime friend.

"Ari is always parading women around. He never cared before if I hooked up with them after he was done with them. I thought she was fair game just like all the rest of them."

"Man you are really pathetic. When have you ever seen Ari in love? He loves her. You saw how he looked recently. I have never seen him look so haggard and depressed. The last time he looked like that was when you f****d his fiancée you stupid douche bag." As Noah screamed at his friend, a picture began to form in her mind. Ari had been hurt by a woman before. That was the reason he would not get close to those other women. Even though she was still mad at him about the whole condo thing, she had a better understanding of what was going on. Noah tried to slap Israel around some more, but the police would not allow him to hit Israel. She followed Noah to the police station to make sure the report was file. Once they were finished taking her statement, Cat went to her loft to figure out what to do next.

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