Page 20 of Sexting the Silverfox

She’s leaving.

The thought of it hits me like a ton of bricks. My chest hurts, and I need to catch my breath before I say anything.

“I’m going away for a couple of days,” Audrey mumbles, averting her eyes.

“Is that so?”

She gives me a sour look. “It’s not like I owe you an explanation, Jason. It’s my life, and it’s my business.”

“I never said it wasn’t. But you seem to forget who you’re talking to, Audrey. I think I deserve a little more credit because I’m not buying what you’re trying to sell me here, honey.”

For the longest minute, Audrey’s gaze drops into what I can only interpret as a painful combination of fear and shame as she struggles with the decision to tell me the truth. She knows I won’t settle for anything less.

The mere fact that she’s literally about to skip town tells me there’s a side of Audrey I’ve yet to see, which only intrigues me further. And seeing her like this only makes my desire to protect her grow stronger by a thousandfold. Something has scared her badly enough to push her into packing her bags and leaving town in the middle of the night.

“I’m sorry,” Audrey says as she finally looks up at me, her eyes filled with tears. “I’ve been trying to keep it together, to work it out on my own. I don’t think the building manager took my emails seriously.”

“I certainly did. They added more security staff to the nighttime shifts,” I tell her.

“It’s not just that. Men are watching this place, going up and down each floor. One of them knocked on my door the other night. They were persistent. I can feel their eyes on me whenever I come in and out of the building, and I don’t want to be paranoid, but I simply don’t feel safe anymore, Jason. I don’t know what else to do except to get away from here for a few days.”

I take it all in, quietly paying attention not only to what Audrey is telling me but also to what she isn’t telling me. Because I can sense she’s leaving important details out of her story. There is definitely a secret that she’s working hard to protect, but I don’t want to yank it out of her. I need Audrey to feel comfortable enough to tell me without any pressure or coercion.

“Can you describe these men?” I ask. “Are they the same guys every time? I can have my security team comb through the CCTV footage.”

“Yeah, I can describe three of them. There may be more. Mrs. Ashel said she saw a couple of them, too, on different days. But she carries a mace spray in her purse and walks around with the confidence of a UFC fighter.”

“Audrey, starting tomorrow, I’m going to add more security measures to the building,” I tell her. “Whatever I can get my hands on that is sold on the civilian market, that is. Biometric identification technology, special access codes, anything and everything until you feel safe in your own home again.”

“But that will be a huge expense for you,” Audrey mutters. “What’s the point of buying a building if it brings more costs than profits in the long term?”

“Actually, the expense itself is a short-term issue. Long term means I have happy and comfortable residents who want to stay longer, especially in the leased units,” I shoot back with a confident smile, already doing the math in my head about how I’m going to flip certain funds around in order to cover such an upgrade. It’s worth it, though. If it brings Audrey some peace, it’s worth it. “That being said, you’re not going anywhere.”

Audrey gives me a startled look. “I am. I’m not staying here tonight.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t clear enough. You’re not going anywhere on your own. You’re coming home with me.”

“What? No, I don’t want to impose. Jason, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“Oh, for—”

“Out of the question,” I insist with a playful smile. “Spend the night with me. Lily’s already asleep. You’ll be somewhere safe. You’ll be with me.”

“Jason …”

“I’m not asking you to move in with me.”

It’s not exactly the worst idea I’ve had since I met her. I’m not the type to rush into anything, but there’s something about this woman that beckons me to do more, to work harder, to be better than I was before.

“Just for tonight. Maybe tomorrow night, too, or until we figure out who these men are and what business they have here. That’s all.”

For a split second, I notice a fleeting twinkle of fear in Audrey’s blue eyes. It’s different from before, and it resonates with something inside of me, a suspicion that I’ve had for a while that’s been lying dormant in the back of my head, a suspicion that Audrey is afraid I’ll find out something about her past, something she doesn’t want anyone to know.

Whatever it is that she’s holding back, it could connect to this stalker issue.

“Fine,” Audrey finally concedes. “I’ll spend the night if it’ll shut you up.”

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