Page 42 of The Penalty

I guess being an heiress wasn’t as glamorous as it sounded.

“Understand what?”

The uncertainty evaporated when her forehead dropped to mine.

“Bennet likes to play this game where he picks someone out of a crowd for me to seduce.”

I felt one of her hands slide to my lower back.

Uh oh.

I am the furthest thing from a prude. However, getting this cozy with not just my boss, but the director of the entire communications department, seemed like a bad idea.

I’m probably misreading this.

We weren’t doing anything inappropriate. We were literally just standing here. Anyone would think I’m propping up an inebriated friend. I’ve probably stood this way with Killian hundreds of times and didn’t even bat an eye.

“Who does he want you to seduce here?” I was genuinely curious.

“Dante’s girlfriend.” Her arm slid all the way around my waist, turning me so we both faced Dante Milano, another one of our tight ends. His girlfriend, Meghan, was talking to Tracey.

“Any particular reason?”

Hannah looked at me and grinned. “Do you want the real answer or the one he told me to tell you?”

My jaw dropped on an incredulous laugh. “The real fucking answer, please and thank you.”

Uncertainty and regret washed across her features. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. I’m sorry. It’s unprofessional and—”

“Hey. You know you can tell me anything if you want to. I’m like a vault. Besides, I asked you to smuggle my underwear out of my desk drawer without anyone at work knowing.”

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. And then she threw her head back in laughter. “Oh my God, you’re right.” Our little scene caught the attention of a few players briefly. “That was a…that day was weird.”

Weird is one way to describe it.

“Okay.” She swayed a bit. I held her tighter. “I can trust you. Just don’t tell Xavier. He’ll get mad.” Her words came out in a rush. “Unless Bennet tells him, which he probably will, then it won’t really matter. Xavier can be mad at him.”

Listening to her ramble in a stream of consciousness floored me. This is new even for Drunk Hannah. The absolute fascination I have with this whole situation is off the charts.

“Sure. My lips are sealed.”

“The real answer.” Hannah pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Bennet thinks it would be hot if you and I hooked up. I do, too…”

I nearly lost my footing. Guess I wasn’t misreading it.

“Not full on sex. A heavy make out session.” Her voice had a rasp to it I’ve never heard before. I don’t know what my face looked like but it made her giggle. “He’d want us to do that until he tells us to stop.”

What world am I living in right now? Hannah Pruitt, the posh, savvy, heiress to the Caldwell family business and fortune has a dirty side that rivals my own. And here I thought the most surprising thing I’ve learned about her recently was that she’s a submissive.

Might as well go for the main prize. “What was the answer he told you to tell me?”

She rested her head on my shoulder. “That I had to seduce Xavier.”

Victoria

My entire body went rigid. “What?”

Hannah’s head lifted sharply. Her brown eyes grew wide. She almost sobered up completely when she saw me fuming.

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