Page 95 of Taming Scarlet

“What friend?” I asked, and I didn’t have to conjure up fake confusion this time. I had no idea what he was talking about.

“Drea,” he said, spitting her name like a curse. “She cornered me and told me that I was a creep. And I needed to go before she called the police.”

“Why would she do that?” I asked.

“Because you told her I was a creep.”

Okay.

Guilty there.

“I said you were watching me,” I said. “I think… I think she must have taken that the wrong way. I didn’t mean that I didn’t… like it,” I said.

That felt like it came off on a false note.

So I wanted to rush to change the conversation.

“Gene, do you have a sweater? Or a jacket?” I asked. “I’m so cold,” I said.

“Oh,” he said, looking me over, and I didn’t like the way his gaze lingered on where my robe split.

“Or a blanket, maybe?” I asked, letting my voice go small and sweet. I let myself tremble harder, and watched as he looked a mix of sympathetic and frustrated.

I could deal with frustrated if it just gave me five extra minutes. Each one counted.

I had no clue how long I’d been knocked out for.

Hopefully more than half an hour.

Someone would know I was missing by then.

Steps would be taken to find me.

The spa had cameras. Someone would request to see them. Drea would definitely recognize Gene if she’d been the one to threaten him.

Then, well, I would imagine my father had his address, or the police could find it.

Though, yeah, I was clearly not in hishome.

Maybe I was hoping for too much that someone would find me before Gene got ideas about doing the things to me he’d clearly been obsessing about for years at this point.

“Fine,” Gene said with a sigh. “I’ll be right back.”

With that, he disappeared out the swinging door he’d entered through, and I was finally alone to look around again, wondering if there was anything around I could use as a weapon. When he came back with the sweater or blanket, I could complain that my shoulders hurt, and see if he would take off my binds.

Then, if I could distract him, and maybe grab for what looked like an old glass bottle of vodka, I could crack him on the head with it and run.

If this wasn’t Gene’s home, then I couldn’t reasonably assume Julian would find me.

I had to try to save myself.

Decision made, I deliberately kept my gaze off of the bottle as Gene came striding back in, holding a freaking bath towel in his hands.

“This is all I could find.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It will help. But… but I can’t hold it around me,” I said as he draped it over my shoulders. Like the towel was on my side, it slid right off my shoulders. “Could I… could you…” I said, wiggling my hands.

“Um…”

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