Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“Maybe it was a hobby to you, like some kind of a fetish to buy women with your money,” I blurt out.
“Just because I paid your brother, you think I’m trying to buy you? Aren’t we getting a little too overexcited?” Adam asks. “I had no idea you were his sister, by the way. So it was literally impossible for me to use him to get to you.”
“I don’t have to go that far to reach that conclusion. The money you left me was proof enough,” I say.
“What money?”
“The bills you left on the nightstand in the private room that night?” I can’t believe he’s trying to pretend it didn’t happen. I mean, show a little respect for my intelligence.
“The money on the nightstand . . .?” Adam frowns, looking like he’s straining to remember.
Wow, he’s a pretty good actor.
“Oh,” he says, his face a mask of horror and comprehension. “That’s what you thought the money was for?”
Katie
“What do you mean?” I ask.
So, he’s realized pretending to forget about the whole thing didn’t work, and now he’s trying a different tack.
I’ve got to give the guy credit for trying.
“I mean, that money wasn’t . . . It wasn’t for the . . . sex, if that’s what you think. God.” Adam drops his head to his hands, looking like he’s ashamed. “I can’t believe you thought it was for that.”
“What was it for, then?” I ask flatly, expecting to hear some kind of a lame excuse from his mouth.
Well, at the very least, he knows he fucked up, and he’s admitting it now. This is progress, I suppose.
“I . . . Do you remember the bra you were wearing that night?” he asks.
“What?” I stare at him. I didn’t expect him to start this conversation by asking about underwear.
“Yeah. I . . . Uh, I think I was a little too rough when I was pulling it off you, and I made a hole in it. I just wanted to, I don’t know, cover the cost of replacing it for you.” Adam sighs. “Looking back now, I can see how it must’ve looked, from your perspective.”
I remain quiet while I consider Adam’s explanation. There was a small hole in that bra that I noticed, like, one whole week after The Succubus . . .
“Fuck,” Adam curses. “It didn’t occur to me that you might not realize what the money was for.” He lifts his face and gazes at me with frustrated desperation. “I was an idiot.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, my mind going wild as I try to remember the details of what happened that night.
I’d laugh at this crazy misunderstanding, except the getting-paid-for-sex thing really messed me up. That money made me feel dirty.
“Completely,” Adam says.
“You really thought a bra cost five hundred bucks to replace?”
“Your bra matched your panties, so I thought you were going to have to get new panties, too.”
“So,” I rephrase my question, “you thought a bra and a pair of panties cost five hundred bucks?”
“They don’t?” Adam asks with a sheepish smile.
“I guess some designer brands do sell them for that much. But no, generally, an underwear set doesn’t cost five hundred bucks.”
“Well, you looked like a million bucks in them, kitten,” Adam says.
I laugh at his attempt to be funny and smooth at the same time. I’m glad he’s taking this well.
Adam smiles as he gazes deep into my eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you were going to see it that way. It was dumb. But I was nervous. It was the first time I ever went into a private room.”
“Really?” I ask incredulously.
“Really.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
Adam laughs and dimples appear on his cheeks. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Thank you.” He reaches out to touch my hand. “And again, I’m sorry.”
“I don’t remember you being this nice that night,” I say.
“Well, that night was different. I saw you, and—” his eyes glint with desire as he speaks “—I had to have you. It was this . . . overwhelming need. And you were just such a perfect little submissive.”
I blush.
The way his fingers tighten around my hand, the way his voice gets just a little bit hoarse . . . I believe him.
I believe he really wanted me. He didn’t just pick any random girl in the club.
“What’s different about now?” I ask.
“Now, there’s a lot at stake. There’s my son—our son—to protect and look after. And also . . .” Adam smiles a little smile at me. “You seemed angry at me. Now I know why. But I didn’t want to make you completely hate me, so I had to play it safe.”
“It almost sounds like you actually sat down and came up with a battle strategy.”
Adam chuckles. “Strategy is the most important key to winning the battle. A good strategy can make up for almost any flaw.”