Page 47 of Secrets & Lies

REAPER:

Kinsley, did I lose you?

I sat there, lost in my thoughts. Then my phone pinged again.

REAPER:

Don’t make me bang on your door and wake your neighbors.

Now he was going to be an obnoxious asshole again. I had no doubt he would, too. As I was getting ready to type my response, reminding him he wasn’t my boss, my phone rang. Taking a deep breath, I answered it.

“We can add impatience to the list of your negative traits,” I said, trying to sound confident.

“You categorizing my traits, kitten?” His voice was low and sexy, making me sigh.

“I’m collecting information. I prefer to know who I’m dealing with. Especially if they exhibit mental disorders. Cluster B comes to mind.”

“Really, and what would that be?”

“A simple Google search will give you all the info you need. Or, better yet, as I said earlier, call Marcel. He can explain it in great detail, I’m sure.”

“Maybe I’ll do that, but you could help by summarizing it for me.”

“You’re such a weirdo. Cluster B mental disorders are characterized by dramatic and erratic behavior. Sound familiar?”

“Hmm, dramatics, you say?”

“Look, I’m no doctor, so it’s best to consult with a professional for a proper diagnosis.”

“Like Dr. Marcel,” he said, his voice laced with humor.

“Exactly. Don’t even get me started on narcissistic personality disorder.”

“And you think I fit that description? I’m impressed. You’ve done some homework here.”

“It’s easy to see—especially the inflated sense of importance and the deep need for excessive attention and admiration. Should I go on?” I asked sweetly.

“By all means, please do. I could listen to you talk for hours. But what I’d love is to hear you scream my name as I—”

“What on earth is wrong with you?” I exclaimed. “You would go there, and you wonder why I won’t go out with you. You’re such an asshat.”

“We’re going to need to work on your language. It’s quite unattractive.” His voice grew stern again, less playful.

Struck a nerve, good. We’re even now.

“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll make sure to curse like a fucking sailor anytime I’m stuck in your goddamn presence. Could you ask whatever fucking question you have so I can go to bed?”

What is wrong with me and my mouth?

I vowed to make an appointment for myself with a professional first thing tomorrow morning. Continuing to egg on Aleksandr King wasn’t the brightest idea. Somewhere deep inside, I knew that.

But then, I’d never been particularly good at learning unless a hard lesson was attached to it. Thinking about learning from him made my thighs quiver.

“Ahh, how sweet. You do want to be in my presence. I’m touched, but very well, since you seem to love the wordfuck, your next question is: What is your favoritefuckingposition? How does my kitten like to befucked?”

“Wow. Let me think. That’s a hard one.” I clapped my hand over my mouth.

Idiot. Walked right into that one.

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