Page 193 of The Sinner: James

“And what is this, Lex? Huh? What she’s doing right now. Isn’t she someone’s whore, anyway? Is this supposed to make me feel warm and fuzzy toward her? Proud, maybe? Respectful? What part of your body are you thinking with? Is it your hard dick? If she wanted my respect, don’t you think there were better ways to earn it than selling her body to other men?”

He looks at me, his eyes glinting with sadness.

I let out a bitter chuckle.

“Or do you think I should feel special somehow just because I was the only one who couldn’t buy her? Is that it?”

A sigh of frustration escapes his lips as he folds his arms across his chest.

“I don’t think she planned to fuck people for money. You said she had a job lined up when she left. Well, I’m sure it didn’t take long before she figured out she couldn’t get anywhere with it. She must’ve stumbled onto this call-girl shit and rolled with it. And she was probably lucky to meet the right man to start doing it with. This could’ve ended badly. She could’ve been on the streets or in a strip bar. Or worse.”

I finish buttoning up my shirt.

Rushed, I run both hands through my hair, a long exhale leaving my lips.

“Well, she’s good now,” I say dryly.

“Is she?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“What do you want from me, Lex?”

“I already told you, but you can’t get it in your fucking head, can you? Listen to your fucking heart. There’s a reason you can’t let go of her after all this time.”

I shift my gaze down. Rubbing the back of my neck, I slowly shake my head.

“I can’t… She’s not that woman anymore,” I say, raising my eyes.

“How do you know?” he asks, the words exploding on his lips. “And why the fuck do you care? What makes you think she’s worse than you and me? You want her innocence back? Fine. When was the last time you were innocent? Do you remember? ‘Cause I don’t. Was it when we were teens and fucked older women? Or was it when we slipped a wad of cash in their bikinis to have our dicks sucked in a strip club? We were never truthful to women. We’ve always played games. Had you been honest with the women you’d kept around because it was convenient to you? You weren’t exactly truthful with Rain, either. When things crumbled for her, you looked the other way, buried yourself in a club, and put your cock into someone else’s mouth.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have taken you to that place,” I toss at him sarcastically.

“Yeah... Maybe. Or maybe I didn’t need to witness it to know it. I have a good grasp of you, James. Sometimes, I know more about you than you do. I also know women, and I can tell she’s been alone since she left. You think she has a lot of friends? Or perhaps you think she has one of those dimwit boyfriends who pretend they don’t know their women fuck someone else for a living?”

I flick my eyes up, pain clawing at my chest.

“What difference does it make?”

He searches my eyes for a moment.

“Have you ever wondered why she is lonely?”

I wave him off, irritated, and start fastening my belt.

“It doesn’t matter,” I murmur.

“Do you think she’s ever loved any man other than you?” he asks, a touch of emotion tinging his voice.

I cut my eyes at him.

“Well, for one, she likes you a lot...” I say.

“She does. And she likes Ed too. She always did. But she only loves you, and you treat her horribly.”

9

RAIN

My gaze lingerson the window.

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