Page 85 of The Sinner: James

I light a cigarette.

Lex’s eyes stall on my face as he observes me in silence.

“It’s been more than two hours. Care to fill us in?” he says.

“There’s nothing, really.”

He brings his glass to his lips and takes a sip before setting it down.

A slow smile lifts the corners of his mouth.

“How long have we known each other, James?”

“Since we were six,” I say, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

“Exactly. So, don’t play coy with us. How was she?”

“We haven’t had the chance to…”

I pause.

“She’s still a virgin if that’s what you want to know,” I say, holding Lex’s eyes and stifling a grin.

He stays quiet for a second and then laughs.

“Oh, man… I can’t believe this. She sucked you off,” he says, wrestling with disbelief.

Glancing away, I try to hide my smirk, a flashback of her sitting on her knees in front of me jogging my memory.

“How was it?” he asks curiously.

I swing my eyes back to the table.

Ed’s lips curve into a knowing smile.

“Nothing to write home about,” I say dryly, faking coldness.

They look at me suspiciously.

“She’s hot like the dungeons of hell,” I finally say, grinning from ear to ear, and their faces light up. “And different,” I add, washed with pleasure just by thinking of her.

“Hmm... Different, you say,” Lex says after a few more moments, searching my eyes.

I purse my lips.

“Mm-hmm.”

“You might lose your head over her,” he says.

“In what way different?” Ed asks.

“In the worst kind of way...” Lex murmurs. “The kind that lures you with her heart and fucks you like a goddess before she breaks your heart. Am I right, James?”

“You’re fucking right…” I say, nodding slowly, no longer looking at them, my gaze pinned on my drink. “She has no fucking idea how much power lies within her,” I add as I put my cigarette out and look around.

I take a long breath.

“So, who do we have in the house tonight?” I ask, eager to move away from the topic.

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