Page 27 of The Silence of Monsters

I woke up groggily when my phone rang. I groped around on the unfamiliar nightstand, knocking over a glass of water and sending more than one condom wrapper to the floor. My hair was hanging in a tangled mess in front of my face. I could barely see Salome’s name on the screen. I felt worse than the day of my courthouse nuptials when I had the hangover from hell. Right now, my whole body throbbed, and muscles I didn’t even know could be strained from overuse were screaming in protest. I groaned as I answered the call. I squinted at the time and was surprised to see it was well into the afternoon. I could hardly move, but the other side of the bed was icy cold, indicating Win was long gone. I didn’t hear him get up or sense him place the glass of water next to me on the nightstand. The small act of consideration tickled the edges of my heart. I solemnly and silently ordered the stupid thing not to read too much into the events of the past night because he was still enemy number one for threatening my mom and friends. No amount of mind-blowing sex could erase his evil deeds. I forcibly turned my attention to the phone call with my best friend.

“What’s up?” I coughed to clear my throat. My voice sounded even rougher than normal after an evening screaming Win’s name.

I heard Salome laugh. I sat up in the massive bed and tugged the wrinkled sheet to cover my bare body. I was sure I looked as utterly debauched as I felt.

“I waited for you to call and tell me how the party went last night. It was your first date with your fake husband. I know the tea from the gala must be piping hot. I saw some pictures from the event that are trending.” Salome’s tone was playful, but I could hear a hint of concern underneath the merriment. She was worried when I told her I refused to play dress-up. I had thick skin, but it was hard for anyone to constantly be found unworthy. Salome let it be known she was concerned that my feelings might be hurt, and my self-confidence could take a hit after I spent the evening with a bunch of judgmental socialites.

I looked at the mess I’d made on the floor, thinking I could really use that glass of water.

“It wasn’t too bad. Not everyone was as awful as I imagined. Although, I met a lovely young opera singer, and my new boss showed up unannounced.”

I cleared my throat again and bent over the side of the bed to pick up the evidence from the long night spent under and on top of the last man I ever pictured having sex with. Not just sex, but really, really good sex. Never in a million years would I have imagined Win being an attentive, slightly unhinged lover. There wasn’t anything he said no to. There wasn’t a position or location he was unwilling to try. He was hands on and laser focused when it came to running his empire. I was wholly unprepared for that intensity when it was directed toward bringing me pleasure.

I forced myself to focus on the conversation at hand. “Colette used the event to parade a legion of single socialites in front of Win. Including the singer who is barely in her twenties. I don’t know why Win thought faking a marriage for a few years would be enough to stop her. That woman has always been relentless.”

“I didn’t see any pictures of the two of you together. There weren’t any pictures of Win at all, which I thought was odd. He’s fine as fuck. There’s usually a whole spread of him after a big night out like that.”

I snorted. “He was busy getting me off in the bathroom and then dragging me off to his penthouse apartment so he could fuck me senseless all night. He definitely didn’t have his mind on his public image.”

I climbed off the bed and went in search of something to wear. I doubted I’d ever be able to put on the black dress again without being immediately bombarded with heated memories from the previous night. Plus, it was a wrinkled mess. The cheap fabric looked like it’d been through as much as my body had.

Salome paused, then a shriek rang through the phone loud enough that I moved the device away from my head. “You slept with Win? You got dicked down by a billionaire? Unbelievable.”

I groaned as her questions stabbed into my aching head like nails. “There was very little sleep involved. I just woke up when you called.” I sighed and walked to Win’s closet. I could commandeer a shirt until I figured something else out. “I had no intention of having sex with Win — ever. But he pointed out that we’re legally married and stuck with each other for the next two years. I already gave up sex until my birthday. If I waited until our contract was up, my vagina might shrivel up from disuse.”

“You let him negotiate his way between your legs?”

I dropped a bitter laugh. “I sure did.” After I was covered up, I stumbled to the bathroom to clean up. “Hey. I’m in the city. Can I get you to bring me a change of clothes?” My gaze drifted across the spotlessly clean marble counter and the crystal sink. “And a toothbrush.” Of course, a man like Win didn’t have an overnight emergency stash. I was probably the first woman he slept with on the spur of the moment.

“Sure. I can reschedule the client I have after lunch and bring you what you need. I’m dying to see what a Halliday property looks like on the inside. And you can tell me how you ended up doing the nasty with your nemesis.”

My gaze scanned the mostly white bathroom. It was beautifully decorated, but there was no soul in the space at all. The entire apartment felt that way. If Winnie hadn’t left her mark all over Win’s wing of the manor, it would be the same. They were places for Win to live, but neither of them felt like a home.

“I honestly have no clue how I got here.” Salome knew me well enough to understand I wasn’t only talking about the intimate change in my relationship with Win. “I don’t belong here. That’s for sure.”

A soft hum came out of the phone. “I was about to remind you, that man still thinks your sister killed his brother. And his mother is a lunatic. Getting laid is one thing, but you need to protect that tender heart of yours. I don’t want you to read more into things with Win the way you always do with the other losers you date. You aren’t dealing with those street dogs anymore. You’re facing off against a wolf, Channing.”

“I know.” I tried to comb my hair with my fingers and got nowhere. I dug through Win’s drawers until I found something I could use to untangle the mess. I glanced toward the walk-in shower and blushed when pictures of being pressed against the glass wall as Win moved behind me flashed through my mind. I really let go of all my inhibitions last night. “I’m sure Win sees sleeping with me as a means to an end and nothing more. He has a public image to maintain. Eventually, someone is going to dig up our marriage license, and the fact that we’re legally married will be news. He won’t risk being caught running around on his wife. Bad press is bad for business. If the shareholders think he’s going to lose part of the company in a divorce, they’ll make life incredibly difficult for him. I’m his only option for a lot of things at the moment.” I could never forget the way his family blamed mine for their greatest loss.

My best friend was silent for a drawn-out moment. When she spoke again, her tone was serious with a hint of warning. “Men who can make the world move at their whim always have options. And nothing you’ve told me about Win Halliday leads me to believe he’s simple. I’m all for you getting railed by a billionaire, but you are famous for always giving more than you receive. You need to let that man spend his money on you while you’re married to him. Get you some of those expensive purses and exotic vacations. Stock up on designer shoes and fancy jewelry. None of your other men were able to spoil you. You’ve always tried to buy your way into someone’s heart. But if you catch feelings for him, I see nothing but heartache for you in the future.”

I didn’t tell Salome there was no need to worry about catching anything from Win. Whatever I felt toward him had been simmering under my skin for a long time. Those emotions weren’t strong enough to bust through the veil of hatred that covered the Hallidays. So far, that veneer remained impenetrable. However, after last night, I couldn’t deny that cracks were forming on the surface.

I opted to change the subject rather than talk about my penchant for terrible decisions when it came to my sex life. I rattled off the address of the high-rise and asked, “When do you think you’ll be able to get here? If you have time, I’ll take you to lunch once I don’t look like I went on a bender in Vegas.”

“I’ve got a client processing and another coming in for a cut. It’ll be like an hour or an hour and a half. If you can’t wait that long, call Roan to rescue you. He’s off today.”

I paused for a bit and gave myself a curious look in the mirror. “Why do you know Roan’s schedule?” Salome and I had spent several happy hours at my ex-husband’s bar. The two of them were always cordial. But I didn’t think they were close enough to know each other’s comings and goings.

“Uh… I saw him earlier this week, and he mentioned his days off in passing. I gotta go. I need to finish up here so I can save you. I’ll text you when I get to the building. I know the door attendant won’t let me up without a secret password or ancient talisman.”

She hung up before I could question her further. I stared at my reflection, trying to gauge how I felt about my best friend and my favorite ex-husband having a relationship that didn’t involve me. Roan and Salome were both amazing people. Each of them loved me in different ways when I was at my worst. They were both strong and independent. And there was zero question that they were two of the most gorgeous individuals on the planet. I’d never noticed any sparks or obvious chemistry between them. Considering they were my closest friends and chosen family, if they had developed something beyond friendship, it wouldn’t be surprising if they hid it from me. I made a mental note to bug Roan about it when I hadn’t been railed within an inch of my life. He wouldn’t lie to spare my feelings the way Salome would, even if I were reading too much into things.

I found a bottle of mouthwash and swished some around. I was going to text him about his poor morning-after protocol when my phone rang again. I figured it would be Win checking in but, to my surprise, it was Winnie. The teenager was supposed to be in class since it was the middle of the day. Her school had a strict no-phone-during-class policy, and since she’d only recently gotten her privileges back after being grounded, I doubted she would risk calling me over nothing.

I hurriedly swiped to accept the call and immediately asked, “Are you all right?”

“No!” Winnie was sobbing hysterically. “I saw a monster, Aunt Channing!”

---