Page 39 of Sins of Seduction
You leave them aching and alone.
One day they’ll see,
The whore that you are.
They’ll recognize your sweet lies
No longer dying for a taste of you.
Pretty little Raven
She was yours for the taking
And again,
You chose him.
One day that choice will cost you
And you’ll watch him bleed
In the ashes of the world you built.
Raven was on the other side of her desk while Danielle was still plastered to the wall, but that didn’t feel like enough space was between them. Danielle’s lilac and jasmine scent had buried its way into Raven’s nasal cavity, making it almost impossible to see clearly. Raven’s vision was blurred as desire replaced the blood in her body. She had to physically fight to keep herself behind the desk when she could feel Danielle’s need lingering in the air.
Raven looked down at her fingers. They were still coated in the cream she had coaxed out of Danielle and had half a mind to see what she tasted like, but Raven knew if she did that, there would be no stopping what her and Danielle started.
What are you doing, Raven?
The thought had been on repeat the moment Danielle had guided Raven to touch her—she couldn’t even remember how they had gotten there. One moment Raven’s mind had been wrapped up in Lea, and the next she wanted to fuck Danielle with a need that bordered on obsession. Raven always thought Danielle was beautiful, but this crossed too many lines she wasn’t sure they’d be able to repair.
A dull throb settled in between her eyelids—the first sign of a headache coming—and she cursed under her breath. This was the first headache she had since she went to the hospital, and she’d been on point with her hydration and taking care of herself. Jax made sure she had her protein shake along with a gallon a water a day, amongst other things, since he’d been staying with her.
Raven winced at the thought of Jax. They hadn’t been official, but this was going to complicate things for all three of them. She wasn’t sure how Jax would take this news, and whatever progress they made might have been blown to shit, and Raven might have fucked up whatever chance they thought they had at a new beginning.
Raven chanced a glance over to where Danielle stood and braced herself. She wasn’t sure how her body would react to looking at Danielle, and when Raven saw the hurt on Danielle’s face, she felt like complete shit. Raven knew better and usually had a better handle on herself. She shouldn’t have let things get this far.
“Danielle,” Raven turned to fully face her.
Danielle shook her head. “Is this because of Jax?” There was a bitter hint to her tone that made Raven pause. Danielle had never mentioned any dislike for Jax, but it made her wonder if she missed something completely with Danielle.
“This was more than an impulse,” Raven meant it as a question, but it came out more as a statement, and when Danielle didn’t say anything, she cursed under her breath. “You’re my friend, Dee, and I never should have crossed that line with you.”
Danielle exhaled loudly and pushed off of the wall. She walked toward the other side of the desk, placing her hands against the wood. “I know, but if he wasn’t in the picture?” Her tone was hopeful this time. Raven hated that she had to kill that hope.
“Even if Jax wasn’t in the picture. This,” Raven waved a hand between them, “it’s an HR nightmare. While you’re my friend, you still work for me.”
“It’s a sex club,” she snapped.
Raven shook her head, laughter slipped from her lips, but it lacked humor. “Just because I like to fuck doesn’t mean I don’t have boundaries that need to be respected.” Raven crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed that there were some people out there who believed that because she had a healthy sexual appetite they were entitled to her. That was never the case.
That seemed to deflate the fight out of Danielle. Her shoulders dropped as she looked back at Raven. “You’re right. I’m feeling a little on the spot right now and embarrassed. If you think we can’t work together anymore, it’ll suck but I—”
Raven rushed over to the other side of the desk and grabbed Danielle’s shoulders, turning so she faced her. She had no desire to let Danielle go. The woman had been so embedded into the day to day of Lush and her life, it would be the equivalent to missing a limb for Raven. She wasn’t sure Lush’s continued success could happen without her.
“Dee,” Raven used her old nickname for her, hoping it would show her there were no hard feelings or awkwardness. “If you still want to work here, the job is always yours. We can completely forget about what happened, but I will need to let Jax know, full disclosure.”
“That makes sense, I’m really sorry. I don’t know what happened.” Danielle bit her bottom lip, looking so unsure of herself it made Raven pull her in for a quick hug.
