Page 123 of Sinner

Any who knew me very well or even remotely would say there was no heart to give and I’d truly believed that for most of my life. It was a practical thought. You didn’t kill people, even though they’d deserved to die and consider yourself love worthy. I also wasn’t suggesting what we were sharing was budding love. Likely far from it.

She was too precious, too vulnerable to fall for a monster like me. Although I’d gathered even more of a sense of her resilience. She certainly knew her way around the art of manipulation.

Including with me. Only to a degree, but it was duly noted.

“Tell me what you said to Dorn,” I finally said to her since she’d yet to bring up the subject.

Jessica glanced at me with her soulful eyes, a smile slowly curling across her face. “For me to know and…”

“That’s not fair.”

“Who said I played fair?”

I laughed at her admittance. “I don’t know. Perhaps you bent the rules to your liking in various reality games, but your actions were still considered acceptable.”

Her laugh was subtle yet kept the man inside of me very hungry. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. I’m damn good with Photoshop and Mr. Franklin can be a very bad boy. Just like you told me. I simply pushed the issue, which allowed him to see the light.” She lifted her arm into the air, waving her open fingers as if a bright light had appeared from the shadows.

I kept my eyebrows lifted.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Stephanie is dating a detective and he did her a favor perturbing the man. I know there will be no charges, but the act convinced him to write a retraction.”

“Very nicely done. My kudos.” How could I not laugh at her creativity?

“Thank you very much. Perhaps I learned from the master.”

I took a deep breath, still smelling our sex. It was fascinating to me that up until meeting her, I’d simply accepted the plague that had befallen me as a child. The weight of having demons reside in my soul had never seemed like a difficult cross to bear.

Until recently.

How ironic I’d found the one woman who could soothe the beast, yet she had a dark creature inside of her as well. However, shewas still light to my darkness. Yes, the bullshit was cliché, but appropriate.

“Did it help?” she asked and the young woman with high hopes that I’d seen so many times came shining through. Her eyes were wide open, the look on her face hopeful.

“Yes. The sales suddenly spiked and my guess is by tomorrow, the stocks will have risen significantly in value. I owe you,” I told her and lifted my glass.

She laughed. “You owing me. Hmmm… Then I want the job at your company. I’m extremely good at what I do and the honest truth is that you need me.”

The woman had no idea that my cock was already fully aroused, eager to fuck her again. I mulled over the answer before giving it to her. “You have it. Welcome to the Blackwell Group.”

“Really?” Shock outweighed every other emotion. I was reminded of my own youthful eagerness a long time ago as she jumped nearly off the couch, crowding my space. “You’re serious?”

“I don’t lie, especially about business, little lamb. You earned your place by sending your resume in.”

She frowned seconds later. “No contest?”

As much as I wanted her safely under my protection, she wasn’t ready to be a member of the Obsidian Society. Not yet anyway. “Postponed for an indetermined period of time. We have work to do that precludes that adventure for now.”

Her frown intensified. “Well, when it’s back, I want to be a part of it. In fact, I demand to be allowed.”

I chuckled softly and took her hand into mine, pulling her knuckles to my lips. She sighed as I pressed kissed across each one, finally leaning back once again into the soft cushions.

“I’ll consider it.”

“Try hard or I’ll be a thorn in your side.”

So many things that she said allowed me to laugh. This was one of them. “I’ll try and keep that in mind when I’m disciplining you for your caustic mouth.”

She feigned being shocked. “I don’t belong to you.”

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