Page 36 of Pretty Little Thing

Eight

Clive

Well,that’s never happened to me before.

I’ve seen sub drop before but they’ve never literally dropped to the ground in front of me. At least I know my reflexes are still good.

My chest is still pounding. Seeing her — Nora Payne herself — facing a St. Andrew’s cross. Her hands raised above her head. They weren’t even tied. She kept them there, willingly obeying me. She wanted to submit to me.

She felt amazing in my arms. Her little body is tighter than I thought it’d be. Soft, pale skin beneath her clothes just waiting to be turned pink.

The bathroom door opens and some redhead walks out. I grit my teeth, honestly starting to get a little worried. Three other women have gone in and come back out since Nora rushed in there. Maybe I should grab Judy and ask her to go check on her.

Finally, the door swings open and I push off the wall. Nora stops the second she sees me standing by and her eyes drop to her shoes.

“Are you all right?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says. “I just needed a minute.”

Her eyes refuse to lock on mine. She’s obviously not all right. Not yet.

“Hey—” I touch her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Don’t worry. Trust me, these people have seen far worse.”

Her smile presses on, feigned as it may be. “Oh, no. I’m cool. I’m fine.Really.”

I hold out her jacket. “You forgot this up there…”

“Oh!” She takes it from me. “Thank you very much.”

We take a step back to keep from blocking the bathroom door. Nora nudges against me by accident and I catch the subtle scent of her perfume. It struck me earlier by the St. Andrew’s cross and my nose has been begging for another hit of it ever since.

Nora backs off, quickly moving to a more open area to get out of the way. I follow her, still not entirely convinced that she’s okay.

“So, what’s next?” I ask. “Was there another scene you were curious about?”

“Scene?” she asks, furrowing her brow.

I grin. “You really are a beginner.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, a scene is basically a—”

“Actually, Clive,” she interrupts, “I think I’m just gonna take off.”

A protective surge stuns my gut. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Things just got a little too real on me for a Wednesday night, ya know?” She chuckles and awkwardly pushes her hair behind her ear. “I should go and try to get some sleep.”

“Right.” I check my watch. Still a bit of time left on my break. “Where are you parked?” I ask.

“In the garage down the block,” she answers, throwing up a hand. “But you don’t have to—”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” I say over her.

“Clive, I’mfine.”

“Come on.”

---