Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 88228 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88228 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I check the tag that I’ve already ripped off the bustier and reply quickly with the item number as the comments and likes continue to roll in.
Again, I check my reflection in the mirror.
You’re a fraud.
I gasp. Where did those words come from? I hear them in Addie’s voice, though she didn’t comment on my post. I’m not a fraud. Besides, this bustier is flattering. No one can deny that.
I quickly whitewash the idea from my mind, grab a jacket to cover the bustier, and head to the bakery. Braden didn’t say anything about dinner, but six thirty p.m. usually means a meal. I’ll take one of my favorite baguettes.
After grabbing the bread, I return to my apartment and check my post.
Damn! The thing has exploded. Nearly a thousand likes!
And comments galore. I scan them quickly, looking for potential deletions. Addie will have a field day with this one, but I don’t find anything from her. Good. She’s been quiet for the last several days. Clearly, she doesn’t want me to block her any more than I want her to block me. We need to keep apprised of each other.
Is it possible that I could one day be as big an influencer as Addison Ames?
You’re a fraud.
I ignore the words once more.
Christopher will be here soon to pick me up, so I go to my room and quickly run a brush through my hair. I love the feel of it over my bare shoulders. Will Braden like my bustier?
Then a knock on the door. I throw on my dark-brown suede jacket once more before answering it.
Christopher stands there, wearing his usual black. “Good evening, Ms. Manning.”
“We’ve talked about this. Please call me Skye.”
“Right. Skye.”
“I’m ready.” Then, “Oh, wait a minute. I picked up a baguette for dinner.” I grab it off the table and follow Christopher down to the Mercedes parked outside my building.
“How’s Penny?” I ask him. I miss my puppy so much, but my gift from Braden has to live at his penthouse, since my place doesn’t allow pets.
“Adorable as ever, though she’s a handful. She’s definitely keeping Sasha on her toes.”
I smile. “Have you taken her on a walk?”
“Several short ones. She’s only two months old, so her attention span isn’t great, but she has to learn to go to the bathroom outside.”
“I can’t wait to see her.”
We’re silent for the rest of the ride. I find myself unconsciously pushing my toes against the floor in the back seat, trying to make Christopher drive faster. I’m eager to see Penny, but even more than that, I’m electrically charged to see Braden.
I can’t believe I almost ruined what we have earlier today.
Be ready for anything.
Braden’s words when I left his office. My nipples harden against the leather of my bustier.
Be ready for anything.
He’ll probably want to punish me for barging into his office, interrupting an important phone call, and then lobbing accusations at him.
It’s no less than I deserve.
Anticipation grips me as Christopher pulls into the underground parking lot of Braden’s building.
It grips me as we walk to the elevator.
It grips me as we ascend to the penthouse.
It grips me as the elevator door opens into Braden’s place. I expect Sasha and Penny to run to greet me.
But they don’t. Where are they?
I turn to Christopher to ask, but he’s not there. How does he disappear into thin air?
“Braden?” I call out tentatively.
Silence.
“Christopher? Annika? Marilyn?” He may have others who work here, but I don’t know their names. “Penny? Sasha?”
Again, silence.
I sigh, walk into the kitchen, and place the baguette on the island countertop. No smells of cooking, and the stovetop is sparkling clean. I open the refrigerator door. Just basic staples, no dinner waiting to be heated. No drinks poured.
This is my punishment? No dinner? No dogs?
No Braden?
I leave the kitchen and walk to Braden’s bedroom. I knock, but no one answers. So I turn the doorknob slowly and enter.
“Braden?”
Silence greets me again, so I walk into the room. I inhale. An aroma. I can’t place it.
The bed is made, and when I gaze upward, I see the remnants of his harness thing have been removed. Fresh spackle and paint have been applied over the holes in the ceiling where the contraption once hung. That’s the aroma. Fresh paint.
A sliver of relief surges through me. I wasn’t excited about the prospect of being harnessed and suspended above Braden’s bed. Clearly, though, he just had the contraption removed today. Possibly even after our meeting in his office. Why?
“Braden?” I say again.
I walk to the bathroom, which is also vacant. I open his giant walk-in closet, but only clothes and the smell of his cedar shoe rack greet me.
Obviously he’s expecting me, or Christopher would not have come for me.
“What’s going on, Braden?” I say out loud.
Since the room is empty, I jerk when I actually get a response.