Page 58 of Never Tell Lies

He studied me hard for a minute. Had he wanted me to think he’d left? Was he trying to see if I was upset? “No, I was just downstairs. Elliot was dropping these off for you.” I noticed for the first time the small white paper bag in his hand. He handed it over and I peeked inside.

“Are these my birth control pills?” I pulled out the small pink box. Yeah, they were the same ones.

“No, they aren’tyoursbut they are the same kind of pills that you take. You didn’t have yours with you so I had Elliot bring some.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. It was several long moments before I could talk. “Okay...and how did you know what kind of pills I take?”

“I had Elliot access your medical records.”

“No, you didn’t.” But from the look on his face, he definitely had. My fists clenched at my sides. I took a deep breath as I tried to process this new violation. Elliot knew everything about me now, every intimate detail of my life and body. A fresh wave of outrage hit as I realised Alfie had that information now, too. I didn’t know which thing to land on first—anger, humiliation...I wanted to cry. As I looked at Alfie, I realised that he wouldn’t understand any of what I was feeling.

“Elliot isn’t just your driver, is he?” I asked, unable to hide the shake in my voice.

“He’s a lot of things.” His lack of concern for what he’d done infuriated me, but I pushed it down. I was determined to stay calm. I couldn’t lose my shit while wearing a towel.

“Alfie, you can only get those pills on prescription. How did you get them?”

“Money.” Right.Money.It bought you everything.

“Alfie, this is a thousand kinds of fucked up. You can’t just go around accessing people’s medical records. It’s illegal.” It was also morally wrong but I doubted he’d care about that.

“I was trying to be helpful.”Bullshit.“I presumed you wouldn’t want to miss a pill.”

“I don’t, but?—”

“Good. I was just trying to be considerate. I’d have thought you would be grateful.”Wait, why am I the guilty one here?He took the packet out of my hands, pulled out a sheet of pills, popped one, and held it out to me. I took it, staring at the tiny pill then back up at him. His face was a blank mask. It hurt.

Last night was so perfect and now...I sighed and turned back into the bathroom. He followed me.

“Seriously? You’re going to watch me take it?” He folded his arms. Apparently that was a yes. “Fine.” I stuffed it in my mouth and bent to drink from the tap. I swallowed. He was eyeing my mouth so I opened it and the bastard actually checked inside. As he double checked I hadn’t skimped on the birth control, it suddenly clicked in my head what this was about.

“This is because we didn’t use a condom, isn’t it?”

He gave a short nod, his face still set in an impenetrable mask. “I have to be careful.”

I rolled my eyes, not giving a damn how immature I looked.

“Yeah, I get it. You’re a meal ticket. But with all due respect Alfie, I’m not looking for a man who puts a tracker on my phone and illegally hacks my medical records to be my baby daddy, no matter how good he is in bed.” His eyes flashed in surprise but I didn’t give a damn if I’d offended him. So much anger was bubbling under my surface I felt like I was about to puke lava. “Can you step out please?”

“Why?” He narrowed his eyes, as if he was envisioning me crouching over the toilet, puking up the tiny pill.

“I have to pee.” It was a lie, I didn’t. I just couldn’t look at him any longer.

“Oh. Yes, of course.” He stepped out and I slumped against the unforgiving obsidian countertop. I wasn’t surprised. That was what bothered me the most. I wasn’t surprised that he had broken the law to invade me in such a personal way. In a way, I understood his logic. I had no doubt he had hypergamous gold-diggers nipping at his heels everyday, just waiting for the chance to get knocked up by one of the world’s richest men. Iunderstood he needed to protect himself, but it still hurt that he would put me in the same box as those kinds of women.

I looked up at the large circular window. The rising sun cast a rim of orange light, the bright colour looking out of place in the stark room. I turned and caught my reflection. I adored my red hair but the vibrant shade of it looked out of place here too.

With a sigh I turned to the door, ready to face him. I found him sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his folded hands. He looked up when I entered, a searching expression on his face.

“This is fucked up, Alfie.”

He was silent for a long moment before giving me a short nod. “I acknowledge that.”

“Does that mean you won’t do it again?”

“No,” he answered without hesitation. “You knew what I was when you went to bed with me. You can’t pretend to be shocked by my actions now.” Was he right? Had I brought this on myself? I squeezed my eyes shut. This brain pattern felt way too familiar.

Without risking another glance at him, I headed for the door.

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