Page 50 of Dirty Little Sins

I didn't know what had set off Vincent, but the whole thing was making me uncomfortable. It was time to make my excuses and get the heck out. I needed some space to breathe and figure all of this out.

"Zia," he repeated.

"What time is it?" I jumped from the bed and began searching for my discarded clothing. As much as I didn't want to face the real world, I still had some work down at the restaurant before I could call it a day.

"Almost eight."

"Fuck. Seriously?" We'd lost more time than I'd thought. "I need to meet with Julie and go over what I missed. My director too. He's probably pissed that I disappeared after the shooting today. I didn't even check to see if we were done before I came here."

Vincent grabbed my arm and pulled me back down towards the bed. "You can't go yet."

"I have to." If I couldn't tell he wasn't letting me go with the tight grip he had on my wrist, I could see it in his eyes that we weren't done. But I couldn't stay. My stomach trembled with nerves I didn't understand. If I didn't get out of here soon I couldn't promise I'd be able to keep it together.

What had I been thinking anyways? Everything was already on the line and getting too involved with Vincent this quick wasn't going to make that situation better. I had to tread carefully. I'd already been warned by the network that I would be watched and that any hint of anymore scandalous behavior would result in my immediate dismissal. That stupid morality clause they'd made me sign had me pinned down.

I was walking on a tight rope with Vincent and I knew it.

When the phone on the nightstand vibrated we both glanced at it. Since mine was still buried in my purse somewhere, this call wasn't for me. I blew out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Time to get back to the real world and its normal limitations.

Without releasing me, he swiped the phone from the table and stared down at the screen.

"I have to take this. It's Houston. Maybe he has an update on our case."

My stomach tightened.

While that intrigued me, I remained focus on my escape. So many thoughts, regrets and ideas were firing inside my mind all at once and I was starting to feel the overwhelm again. I definitely needed some time alone to pull myself back together.

I was willing to compromise if that meant he'd let me go. "I'm going to the bathroom to dress. Take the call. Then we can figure out what's next."

"Don't even think about running again," Vincent warned as he swiped the screen to take the call. "Houston," he said as he released his grip from my wrist while giving me a look that commanded I do as he say. "Please tell me you have something, otherwise I'm going to have an issue with the interruption."

I couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but my brain was still focused on the look he'd given me. The commanding one that should have either made me cringe or pissed me off instead of making me want to mutter, yes Sir.

Instead of escaping into the adjoining master ensuite, I slipped out of the room and into the half bath off of the suite's entry. I dressed quickly and immediately began the hunt for shoes and purse. I caught a glance of my mussed up bed head hair in the entry way mirror and cringed. I forced myself to turn away and ignore it, forgoing trying to fix it at this point. My suite was only a few yards away. I could attack it there before heading downstairs to the restaurant.

However, I wasn't going to make a run for it as much as I wanted to, but I would be ready to bolt as soon as he got off the phone. I did want to know if there was an update on my blackmailer. If only for some assurance those pictures were never going to see the light of day.

As I slipped the found pumps onto my bare feet another buzz sounded, signaling someone was at the door.

Good grief. He had more people coming and going in his life than I did.

I glanced in the direction of the bedroom where I could still hear Vincent talking on the phone. I should just ignore it. It wasn't my door to answer.

The door chimed again. Maybe it was important. I crossed to the door and looked out the tiny peephole. There was a young woman on the other side. Averyyoung one. Long blonde hair down to her waist. Everything inside me told me not to open that door. That whoever this was, she could wait for Vincent.

But...

Curiosity. It's a real serious thing. It crawls along your skin and immediately starts to itch until you absolutely have to scratch it. I reached for the door before I even realized I was going to do it and pulled it open.

Blonde, beautiful and probably not legal greeted me on the other side in a too tight minuscule dress, thigh high designer boots and a smile that looked positively wicked. If this was some kind of girlfriend situation he'd neglected to tell me about, I was going to kill that sick mother fucker.

"Hi," I mumbled as I grappled with my sagging confidence and vicious thoughts.

The smile on her face transformed into confusion as her gaze slid up and down as she took in my appearance. "Who are you?"

"Zia." I swallowed thickly, barely able to get my name out.

"You must be the new side piece," she said sweetly, her tone low and full of insinuations.

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