Page 95 of The Woman

I nod slowly, calm in appearance. Meanwhile, on the inside, I’m picturing wrapping my hands around his bony neck and choking him to death.

Sucking in a deep breath, I ask, “Why didn’t you tell them I knew?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He waves a hand in dismissal. “I wouldn’t report my own grandson, and I wouldn’t allow them to do anything to you. I just needed her dealt with, and I’m happy to hear it was a success. Now, your focus will be even better. And our peers are none the wiser.”

I hate that he’s talking about Avery like she’s not an intelligent, beautiful person who doesn’t mean the fucking world to me. If it weren’t for my father and the group of men working with him, she would have been forever changed, conformed to fit his standard of what is acceptable.

Casually, he turns toward his computer like he’s returning to work and didn’t just drop a bomb on me. I’m seething, barely able to hold myself back as I stare daggers through him.

I need to remain in control, though. If I act irrationally and do something stupid, I will likely lose my job and any connections I’ve made. My position allows me more freedom and possibilities, and I can use that to help my father. My actions would affect him as well.

I force my hands to release the chair and breathe deeply, trying to settle my turbulent insides. I have to consider what this means for us. We know who it was who reported her now. It’s no longer some faceless mystery we have to look out for. And he believes she has been changed. Technically, he did nothing wrong. In fact, he made sure nothing happened to me.

It doesn’t take away the feelings of being blindsided by him, but it does help me feel slightly less murderous toward him. I turn without saying a word, walking to the door.

Just as I reach for the handle, he speaks again. “It was for your own good. You know that, right?”

Gritting my teeth, I don’t even bother facing him again and dip my head once before stepping out and heading to my office. It’s better if I let him believe I agree with him.

Once inside, I engage the newly installed lock to my office and then slump into the chair behind my desk.

“I’m back.”

The bathroom door opens, and out walks Avery, dressed in a pink sundress, looking like a fucking ray of sunshine. The storm that was brewing inside me begins to settle, and my tense muscles slowly start releasing.

I still have her. She’s fine.

Avery approaches me, her features turning concerned when she observes my furrowed brows and serious face.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, stepping into the space between my legs.

I pull her to me, holding her close with my hands on her ass and letting her proximity soothe me.

“It was my grandfather. He’s responsible for reporting you.”

I feel her body go still in my arms. “Really?”

“He saw you on my laptop the same day I did.”

I’m still not quite sure why he didn’t immediately come to me and tell me what she was and demand I turn her in. A test, he had said. Perhaps because his woman had turned out to be a WOUN, and he wanted to know if I’d do the same as him.

“Well, I guess it’s good that we now know who it was.” She drags her nails down my back, but I can hardly feel it through my suit jacket. “You had thought it was your father at one point, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that it was your grandfather, right?”

I hum in response, looking up at her. “You seem awfully calm about this.”

A shrug lifts her shoulders. “I do feel calm.”

Exhaling, I lean back in my chair, my gaze still glued to her alluring eyes that look a little more lavender today.

“I guess it’s better to know one’s enemy rather than live in fear of the unknown. But I don’t feel calm.”

I feel worked up, like I need some sort of release.

An ever-present desire for her simmers below the surface, where I usually keep it in check. Otherwise, I’d be taking her multiple times a day. But ever since I got her back, I’ve been allowing it to seep to the surface more often, letting instinct take over no matter where we are.

I keep my eyes fixed on Avery as I shift my hands from her ass and run my fingers up along the skin of her thigh, dragging her dress up with them and then back down again. I repeat the process, going a little higher the next time.

The corners of her lips pull to the side right before she scrapes her teeth over the bottom one. She knows my intention before a word is even spoken.

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