Page 29 of Sinful Palace

7

Willow

Footsteps echoedin the hallway outside my door. My heart began to race. I sat up, straightened my shoulders, and tightened my short black silk robe around my waist.

Before the door opened, I pulled a tiny part of the robe over my left shoulder, making it look like it had loosened naturally and fallen. Not enough to show any cleavage. Just a hint of pale skin. A little tease.

Logan stepped inside a few seconds later. He put his bag down, took off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair near the entryway. Finally, he turned his attention toward me.

“Have you heard anything new about the Rutherford situation?” he asked, nodding toward the TV, which was playing a political news channel.

I shook my head. “Not really,” I said dejectedly. “Apparently there’s a small chance Jamie Torrance might be indicted in a few weeks, but that’s about it.”

He nodded slowly and started loosening his tie. I looked away, hating how such a simple action could be so sexy on a man like him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his gaze lazily skimming my bare shoulder before dropping lower, obviously hoping to see more. I shifted in my spot, allowing my robe to drop a little lower.

I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for my new plan to manipulate him, because he’d actually been nice to me over the last few days, while the Rutherford scandal raged on around us. He hadn’t put me in the glass box at all, he hadn’t yelled at me or threatened me for forgetting to address him ‘properly’, and he’d mostly left me to my own devices, allowing me to cry and mope around in bed all day if that was what I felt like doing.

There was also the fact that he’d saved me over Teddy, looming constantly in a dark, sticky cloud of confusion. As much as I tried to remind myself that he only saved me because he owned me and didn’t want anyone else to damage his property, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he might’ve actually done it because he cared about me. The way he pushed me up against the shipping container that night before kissing me like his life depended on it didn’t make it any easier to discount that theory.

It felt wrong to turn around and attempt to manipulate him now, given all of that, but I knew I had to snap myself out of the conflicted state. I had to remember he was the enemy here. That meant I had to do whatever it took to get out from under his thumb, even if that involved channeling my inner bitch and being as sly and cunning as possible.

There was no room for guilt. No room for any feelings at all.

“Has my mom tried to contact me at all?” I asked, looking back at Logan. He still had my phone, so he got all my messages, emails and calls.

He hesitated, scratching his chin. “You’ve had a few calls and messages from her advisors telling you to stay out of the limelight as much as possible while all this scandal bullshit is going on.”

My lips tightened. That wouldn’t be hard. I wasn’t even allowed out of the glitzy confines of Wonderland, anyway. To other guests and visitors, it might seem like a palace containing all the decadence and hedonistic amusements one could possibly desire, but to me, it was a giant gilded prison.

“Did you reply to them for me?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. You’ve had a few messages from your friends, too. Rowan, a couple of girls from college, and some people from the Order. They just wanted to see how you’ve been doing with everything that’s been going on. I replied to them all for you.”

I sighed and looked down, briefly chewing on my bottom lip. “So… nothing from Mom, right?” I asked, realizing he still hadn’t answered my initial question.

“No. Sorry.”

“Oh,” I murmured. I guess it made sense. My mother was still furious with me for blowing her life up.

“You’ve had a ton of messages from your dad, though,” Logan went on.

My eyes flew up to meet his. “Oh? What has he been saying?”

“Same shit every time. He keeps begging you to forgive him for what he did.”

“Right,” I muttered, shoulders stiffening.

My father could try to win me back all he wanted, but I would never forgive him for selling me to pay off his debts. There were certain lines a person should never, ever cross, and trading their child’s life for their own was definitely one of them.

“I didn’t reply to any of them,” Logan said, finally pulling his tie off and draping it over his jacket on the back of the chair. “I figured that’s what you’d prefer.”

“Yes. Thank you,” I replied, twisting my fingers in my lap. “How was your day at work, anyway?”

A faint expression of surprise crossed his face. He was probably wondering why I was suddenly being so civil toward him. Friendly, even. I cringed inwardly, hoping I wasn’t making my true intentions too obvious. I’d never been a good actor.

“It was fine, I guess,” he said with a shrug. His brows dipped in a small frown, and his arms and chest stiffened slightly as he unbuttoned the top of his shirt. “I hear you had a little chat with my mother while I was gone.”

My pulse suddenly picked up again. Black fear swirled around me, so stark I could taste it, smell it, feel its icy darkness seeping through every inch of me. Somehow, I’d forgotten the blindingly-obvious fact that Logan could hear every word I said via the recording device on my collar. I guess I was just so used to wearing it that it completely slipped my mind that it was even there. Still, it was an idiotic mistake.

---