Page 207 of The Sinner: James

“She’s asleep,”I say, entering Lex’s suite, one door down.

He looks at me, baffled, taking in my black sweatpants and shirtless chest.

“What about some clothes on?” he says, slamming the door shut.

Smiling, I wave him off and walk into the living room.

“Where’s the food? I’m hungry.”

“Have you ruined her?” he tosses at me behind me.

“No,” I say, sauntering to the table.

We each claim a seat.

“What about her?”

“I told you she was asleep, and I didn’t want to eat alone. I’ll order something when she wakes up. Or I’ll send her to you for a late-night snack,” I say, winking at him.

He stares at me, unsure if it's a joke.

“Are you testing me?”

I laugh, amused.

“No. I’m fucking not. Eat your damn food.”

“You’re in a better mood,” he comments before taking a bite.

“I am, aren’t I?” I say, grinning bittersweet.

“So, what’s the deal?”

“The deal is, my money is finally as good as any other sucker’s,” I say.

He tilts his eyebrows up, and for the second time this evening, he has a hard time grasping the meaning of my words.

“You’re not doing this out of vengeance?”

“No. I’m doing it out of necessity.”

We lock eyes for a moment.

“It turns out this is the only way I can do it, so I’ll just roll with it like any other schmuck who's on her list and has her on his payroll.”

“How does it fare so far?”

“She is amazing, but you already know that,” I say, a hard edge flashing through my voice.

His fork clinks–– tossed against his plate––before a wall of silence rises.

I lift my gaze.

Leaning back in his seat, he drills me with his eyes.

“You can’t have it both ways, James. I asked you,” he says, seriously pissed.

“Chill... It doesn’t make a damn difference. You think that you not being with her could erase the line of men who paid good money to have her in their beds? She’s no longer mine. Besides, this is what she does for a living. And she’s doing it pretty damn well, I might add. I’m not a fucking kid. I know how these things work, and we’re here for fun, aren’t we?”

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