Page 86 of Lie With Me

Shit. I didn’t even think about that.

Chuckling, he saunters closer. There’s nowhere to go as he backs me into the table. “How much to go upstairs right now?” he whispers nonchalantly.

Are you fucking kidding me?

“I’mengaged. And you’re getting married tomorrow, you disgusting pig.” I try to move around him, but he blocks my way. There may not be a door to this room, but we’re beyond the sight of the entrance, hidden by the wall. “Step back right now, or I’ll scream.”

“Oh, come on now,kitty cat. Remember, I like your claws.” He reaches out to run a finger down my arm, causing me to flinch away as anger courses through my veins.

“Is everything alright over here?” My body relaxes as Tripp appears over Neil’s shoulder. He steps between us, physically pushing Neil back. “You’re a little close to my fiancée for my liking.”

Neil laughs, and it’s so sinister it causes the hair on my arms to stand on end. “I think you should pay better attention to who you get into bed with, Kennedy. She doesn’t just warm yours, you know.”

There’s a buzzing sound between my ears as time seems to slow. Tripp looks at me before his head turns back to Neil as soon as the tall bastard implicates himself as being a member of Désirer. There’s a blur of limbs, a sickening crunch, and a cacophonyof various surprised cries before time speeds up again.

“Tripp! What the hell!” Emily shouts from across the room. She rushes over to where Neil is now lying on the ground, holding his nose. She’s fresh-faced, dressed in a fluffy white robe, smelling like lavender, andwhy am I noticing these things?Neil’s nose is bleeding everywhere while Tripp stands over him, shaking his hand out while he breathes heavily.

Emily’s hands may be holding onto her fiancé, but her eyes are focused solely on Tripp, and I can see that she’s misread the situation. She thinks they’re fighting overher.

Pulling Tripp back by the shoulder, I tell him, “Come on. Let’s go.”

He allows me to pull him away, but not without shouting, “Stay the fuck away from her!”

Neither of us says a word as we flee, ignoring the multiple people staring at us as though we’ve just robbed a bank. As soon as our room door shuts, Tripp yells out, “Fuck!” so loudly that I jump. “Is he a fucking member at the club?” He storms into the bathroom, turning on the faucet to run his hand beneath the cold water.

Slowly, I walk over and lean against the doorframe, wrapping my arms around myself. “Yes.”

His jaw juts out as he clenches his teeth. I can practically feel the anger radiating off him. “When did you know?Howdid you know?”

“Last night, as soon as you introduced us. Hisvoice is unmistakable. He had his suspicions, but he watched me get out of the jacuzzi and saw my scar.”

“Did he…have you guys…” he can’t even bring himself to ask. And this is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything.

I feel small, and my voice reflects that as I answer him. “Yes.”

He slams the faucet off, bracing his arms on the vanity as he hangs his head. “How many times?”

“Tripp, I don’t think?—”

“HOW MANY TIMES?” he bellows, spinning to crowd me against the frame. Tears spring to my eyes, and I turn my head as he presses his forehead into the side of my face. His arms cage me in, and I focus on how he’s squeezing and releasing his fists.

I don’t know why, but suddenly, I’m transported back to that room in the trailer in Pennsylvania. Just a small child curled up in the middle of her bed while a man hovers over her, shouting as he unbuckles his belt.

A whimper escapes my lips, and Tripp melts against me, scooping me into his arms with a shuddered sigh as I begin to shake. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose my temper. I’m so sorry, Valentina. I’m sorry.” He keeps repeating himself over and over again while I silently sob. He carries me to the bed, laying me down before crawling in next to me.

It’s like having an out-of-body experience. I feel things, but don’t at the same time. My chest aches. My mind fights furiously to leave that little girl behind, clawing its way back to the man smoothingmy hair from my face while he whispers how sorry he is.

Tripp has never been violent, but my job has always been a problem. I was stupid to think it wouldn’t catch up to me somehow. I might as well tell him the truth. Otherwise he’ll always wonder, and I don’t want it to force a wedge between us. “Multiple times. He requests me specifically on nights he’s feeling…forceful. It started…” I pause, thinking back to when I first met Neil, whose code name is Lord King, because,of course,it is. “It must have started after Emily left you. Once a month for a handful of months. There were other times he was there, but we didn’t do anything.”

Tripp huffs and shakes his head, rolling onto his back as he scrubs at his face. “So he was cheating on her from the very beginning.” He’s silent for a moment before turning his head back to me. “What do you mean by forceful?”

I breathe in deeply and roll onto my back as well. “He likes to hurt women when he fucks them. He’s into consensual non consensual. He uses whips and chains, but not in a pleasurable way for the woman. He nearly dislocated my shoulder once.”

“For fuck’s sake, Valentina, why did you continue seeing him?” Tripp sounds horrified. His tone tells me he doesn’t really want to know, but I answer him anyway.

“Because I learned from a young age how to disassociate. Most of the other Angels can’t do that. So I let him think I liked it so he’d spare the othergirls. None of ushadto do it…but those types of clients always pay a lot more.”

Tripp pulls me to him, tucking my head into the crook of his neck. I go willingly, wrapping my arms around him even though he needs to know that what he did earlier wasn’t okay. My mind and heart are at war with each other right now, but I know he’s feeling the same way, and I don’t want to make the situation harder.

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