Page 25 of The Sinner: James

I had my first escorts as a teenager and got a good taste of them while they were spilling over from my father.

Growing up, I went through a large assortment of prissy girls, the princesses who’d been invited to our parties.

No matter how well-behaved and taught they were, they found me irresistible and couldn’t say no to me, so they dropped their panties and let me have some fun with them.

Getting women to my liking has never been a problem.

In time, I got a better grasp of who I was and picked them dirtier and dirtier, knowing full well that some immaculate angel won’t cut it for me.

Once in a while, when fucking women like that amounts to nothing, it dawns on me there must be more than that out there.

But somehow, I doubt there’s someone there for me, so I put the thought to rest and do what I do best.

I fuck. I move on. I don’t dwell. And I never settle.

“She kissed you?”

Ed’s eyes pop wide, almost falling out of his head.

“Mm-hmm. Clean kiss. No tongue.”

“Does she know who you are?” he asks.

“She has no fucking idea,” Lex chimes in.

“And you let her go?” Ed asks.

“I did, and you should too.”

I toss my drink back, swallowing the liquor quickly.

“I’m going home,” I say, pulling out of my seat even though the night is still young.

“So early?”

“Yeah. I’m not in the mood to do anything else tonight.”

Lex rises to his feet and joins me.

We stroll across the club, people nodding at us as we leave Red’s.

Ed follows us shortly after.

“I drive,” I say.

Lex hands me the keys.

Minutes later, we exit the town and turn left, heading to the Dark House.

I roll the window down, and the air whooshes in.

It’s chilly outside.

The evenings get colder with every passing day as the summer draws quickly to an end and fall nestles in the meadows.

We drive in silence, sunk in thought.

Twenty minutes later, we roll past a wrought iron gate and take the gravel road through large clusters of trees before reaching the mansion.

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