Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 58442 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58442 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
“You’re yelling at this poor girl like you’re going to take it a step further.”
“I’m not a woman beater, cousin. And this is none of your business.”
“I just told you, I’m making it my fucking business.” I turn to the woman. “Has he hurt you?”
“Hurt her?” Julian snaps. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It’s a simple question.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “He thinks I tried to steal his watch. But why would I do that? I’ve got nowhere to take it.”
I step right up to Julian, look him in the eye. “If you hurt her or treat her badly, you’ll answer to me. What’s your name?” I turn back to the woman.
“Chastity.”
“We’re in the room right at the end of the hallway. That way.” I point. “If you need me, come and get me. I’m Raiden.”
“I think we’ll be okay.”
I prod Julian in the chest. “Treat your date with some goddamn respect.”
“I did a bad thing, Raiden. Shit. A selfish, ugly thing. But that doesn’t mean I’m a woman beater.”
“I’ve made myself clear.”
I leave his room, walk quickly down the hallway, thinking about going back there and smashing him across the face, sending his mouth full of fake-smiling teeth scattering across the room.
Back in our room, I pace up and down, hands opening and closing into fists.
“Do you know her?” Aurora asks.
Both of us are still in our masks, even privately, as though we need that shield.
“Who?”
“The woman. Chastity.”
“Never met her,” I grunt.
“You seem… angry. This seems… personal.”
I laugh coldly. “Could say that, yeah.”
She approaches me cautiously, as though I’m a wild animal, as though she thinks I’m suddenly going to explode. Perhaps I am.
“That was your cousin, yeah?” She gently touches my arm.
I stop pacing. “Yes. And my friend. At least, I thought he was.”
“What happened? We don’t have to talk about it… but it might help?”
“He stabbed me in the back,” I growl. “He used my trust in him to lead me down a dead-end business deal, stole almost everything I had in liquid cash, left me with a hundred grand, my car, and my apartment.” I grind my teeth. “I might sound like a spoiled rich man to you, Aurora, but I worked hard for my fortune. I bled for it. I killed for it.”
I sit on the couch, shuddering in anger.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Aurora sits next to me, her hand on my arm.
“We shouldn’t get too close, remember,” I grunt.
She sighs and snatches her hand away. “You’re just saying that because I won’t fuck you, I can’t be nice to you?”
“I don’t want you to make another mistake,” I tell her.
“You can be a real douchebag sometimes.”
“It’s a skill,” I mutter.
“You’ve clearly been practicing for a long time.”
She folds her arms, lips pursed. I almost reach out, wrap my arm around her, and tell her I’m sorry. I know she was just trying to help.
But I’m not the vulnerable type. I don’t talk about my feelings, my time in the Marines, or any of that.
With Aurora, however, keeping my defenses up is far tougher than it usually is. Far tougher than it should be.
CHAPTER 17
AURORA
We sit in steely silence for a few minutes. I almost open my mouth several times to say something, but what would be the point if he’s just going to snap at me? Plus, I’m under no obligation to be here for him emotionally.
My job is simple. It’s black and white in my contract. I need to make other people believe. Not him. Not myself.
“What now?” I ask, finding the silence uncomfortable.
“We’ve got no obligations until the ball later,” he says. “We could drink like others do, or use the bowling alley, or mingle with the others. We could do dares and participate in sex parties.”
I say nothing. None of that appeals to me.
“Whatever role you need me to play, I’ll play it,” I murmur. “You said you were down to your last one hundred thousand, and you’re paying me fifty.”
“Correct.”
“I thought that was a meaningless amount of cash to you. A throwaway amount.”
He shrugs. “It’s not. But you need it more than I do. You and your grandma.”
I move up on the couch and place my hand atop his. Heat burns through his body like he’s going to set his suit and mask on fire. “What do you want to do?” I ask.
“I don’t want to,” he growls. “But I should apologize for being such a grumpy ass.”
“Hey, don’t be silly.” I nudge him. “If you apologized every time you were grumpy, you would never finish saying sorry.”He chuckles. It feels good to help him let go of some of his rage.
“Does anything I’ve told you about sound appealing… the sex parties? Mingling with the other guests?”
I try to hide my natural reaction. “Uh… it could be?”
He laughs again, even more carefree this time. “You’re not a very good liar, Aurora.” He wraps his arms around me in a show of affection. “How about we hunker down and watch some scary movies until it’s time to perform again?”