Page 105 of The Sinner: James

The server brings our drinks.

He pauses until the woman sets them on the table and walks away.

“And that’s not to mention the worst part....”

“Oh, there’s the worst part?” I mutter sarcastically.

Frowning, I bring my drink to my lips and toss it back, emptying the glass in a gulp.

“You use your brain and your heart, James, and I know you’ll get it right, but she might do something you’re not even considering right now. You’re just as much fun for her as she is for you. It’s dangerous and mysterious, and you fuck her everywhere, and anywhere you can get your hands on her because you can’t be with her in the open, and you don’t want to play house with her. But what if the novelty of your cock wears off one day, and she gets tired of hiding and fighting her mom and dad and being on the lookout all the time? Or she starts thinking about some sucker’s steady paycheck, someone who can take care of her, worship her, make her babies, and be at home with her? Not a man who runs a multi-billion-dollar corporation and has his dick sucked off in his office by the hottest interns.”

He pauses and takes a swig of his drink while I suck in another drag off my cigarette.

“You know women... better than I do,” he says. “You know they like alpha males as much as men like sports. But most men are not athletes, and most women don’t know how to deal with an alpha male. That’s why they watch them from afar, fuck them occasionally, and go for the easy guy when they want to settle down because being on their toes all the time and high on cock becomes too much after a while.”

I ash my cigarette before gesturing in his direction.

“How often have you watched those people in the back room, Lex? Those fucking men who nail women half their age are not alphas, and they are exactly the easy kind you’re talking about, yet they fuck and cheat like everybody else.”

“Yeah... but their women don’t know that. And even if they do, they choose not to believe it. Plus, I’m sure they go home and slobber over some princess to make her feel good about herself and keep the charade going.”

I tilt back in my chair, thinking about it for a moment.

“I know all this, Lex, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, I don’t want to get Daryl Morgan involved. I’ll figure something out. And rest easy. I’m not making any plans with her. We fuck. We enjoy ourselves. She’s barely nineteen. Yeah... She might change. It’s inevitable. I’m not looking five years down the road. And I don’t want to get married either, so that’s that.”

17

RAIN

“The food isin the oven, sweetie.”

My mom’s voice echoes in the other room.

“I’m good, Mom. I already had a salad at Eve’s,” I say, rushing through the foyer and dashing away from the living room where Mom, Dad, and Daria are watching a movie.

I walk straight into the bathroom, strip off my clothes, and check my neck for hickeys.

Someone raps on the door.

It can only be one person.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” I say, turning the shower on.

I let the water run, waiting for her to walk away, my heart beating in my mouth.

She stops knocking.

Thank God.

I breathe a sigh of relief before slipping into the stream of water. I wish I didn’t have to wash his scent off me.

I take my time in the shower before reluctantly stepping out, patting myself dry with a plush towel, shrugging into a white robe, picking up my clothes, and walking away.

I stop briefly to drop my clothes into the washing machine and sneak into my room.

Quietly, I open my laptop and start typing.

My ears perk up, trying to catch every little noise.

---