Page 61 of Allure
“I can only imagine. How you holding up?” Raven asked.
Delilah pulled her attention away from the TV and stared at the phone, wondering if her friend could actually see her. “I’m fine. We’ve been hitting the ground at all speeds with Sirens to make sure it goes up in time, given the crap going on with Garrison Inc. Um, actually I want to email you the employee interview questionnaires and the questionnaires we have set up for membership. Do you mind looking them over?” She kept the conversation work-related because she knew how easily Raven would be able to tell that something was off and she didn’t want her worried. They need all their energy focused on Syra right now.
“Yeah, shoot that over to me and I’ll go over it and add whatever notes I may have.” Raven mumbled something away from the phone just as Kat got out of the restroom. “I have to go, girlies, but keep me updated and let me know if I can help with anything.”
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Delilah turned off her TV, tired of hearing the focus on the sex tape.
“This is ridiculous,” Kat sounded annoyed as she texted away on her phone. “I’m so angry this happened. These parties vet who they invite in, you think it was a guest? What did they use if everyone had to check their phones? This sucks for Syra, but it’s going to be even worse now for us in the lifestyle.”
And it might jeopardize Sirens.
Delilah ignored the thought. She cleared her throat. “It’s going to be weird now. At least until this dies down, they’re going to be beefing up security. Hopefully Marco and Asli can use their influence to get the video removed and find out who leaked it so they don’t show Syra’s face. I’m sure there’s a legal case there too.”
“I wish she had stayed. We could have binged rom-com movies and stuffed our faces with ice cream and junk food. We haven’t done that in a while.” Kat smiled just as her phone pinged and she cursed. “Shit, I forgot I had stuff getting delivered to Sirens because my silly self forgot to change the address on the shipment. Do you—” she was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing.
She had the brightest smile on her face as she answered the phone, making Delilah think it was the guy Kat had met at Orchard Tree. The three of them all had a good time and had gotten lucky that night. It seemed, however, that Kat was the only one whose luck had expanded past that night, and Syra, too, minus the sex tape.
This doesn’t change anything, Brooklyn.
Delilah pushed that night to the back of her mind and stood up, needing to do something.
“Jasper Steele!” Kat shouted into the phone. “You don’t call or write. I’ve missed you, hold on though.” Her laughter was infectious. She moved the phone away from her face, bringing her attention back to D. “Do you want to come with me to pick up the packages?”
Delilah waved a hand. “Stay, I’ll grab them and come back,” she volunteered. It would give her something to focus on that wasn’t Brooklyn or the other thoughts swirling in her mind. “It’s not like a bed frame or some huge shit, right?” Kat shook her head. “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll grab it and we can do the rom-com and junk food when I get back.”
Kat gave her two thumbs up as D grabbed her car keys and headed for the door. She heard a squeal of excitement and what sounded like congratulations as she closed the door behind her and headed for the car. Jasper and Kat’s friendship went all the way back to her time at Lush. He’d been the one to introduce her to the lifestyle, and while D had thought the two would end up as a couple, it seemed Jasper had found love in someone else.
Delilah got into her car, her mind trying to force Brooklyn to the forefront. The night had been seared in her memory. The red dress—the lights, the soft whimpers that made D want to throw out all her rules and give in to what they had both wanted beyond that night.
She’d been so caught up in her head that the sight of the man sitting behind her caught her completely off-guard. She never had time to put up a fight against him as something sharp pinched her skin, making her sleepy.
“You weren’t the one I wanted, but you’ll have to do.” His voice sounded harsh in her ear as she stared at his face in the rearview. Every self-defense lesson she ever had filled her mind all at once as whatever he hit her with made her eyelids heavy.
If they’re showing you their face or taking you to another location, you’re less likely to come home alive. Fight like hell.
Syra chewed her bottom lip as she walked into the lobby of Marco’s home. Link made sure to escort her till she was in the elevators before he left her alone. She could feel him constantly looking around when he picked her and her friends up at Spencer’s and drove them to Delilah’s first and then here. It felt like he was bracing for someone to jump out of the bushes and attack. She appreciated him being hyperaware, but it made her nervous. Between the new missing person and the sex tape, she felt like she was waiting for some bogeyman to grab her or to really expose what she’d done with Marco and Asli to the world.
She rubbed her arms, unable to shake the notion that she’d been violated. She wasn’t embarrassed by what she’d done—shit, she had sex in public places, and with everyone having a cell phone ready to record everything they saw, in the back of her mind, she knew this could be a possibility. And maybe if that’s what this video had been she’d still be pissed, but not so surprised by it. People never had an issue posting someone’s private moments online for the world to see.
Orchard Tree was supposed to be safe, though. This event and what they were doing was supposed to be in a safe space with like-minded people who understood privacy and consent. Someone had come in and recorded her most intimate moments—the catalyst that brought her and her men together and tried to ruin it.
Quite frankly, it pissed her off.
Her phone rang and she ignored it. She left Delilah’s just as Raven called. She knew her friend was going to want to check in, but all she wanted to do was get to Marco and Asli—feel their arms around her and figure out how to erase this and how to make sure no one figured out it was her.
Her phone rang once more, and she cursed, pulling it out. She was surprised she even had service on the elevator, and when she saw Joel’s name on the screen, she wished she didn’t. She hit ignore, knowing she didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with his bullshit today.
As soon as her phone stopped ringing, the text messages started up:
Joel: I wouldn’t ignore me if I was you.
Joel: Pick up the phone, Syra.
Joel: If this is how you’re going to play it, I have no problem exposing how much of a whore you really are.
Joel: I’ve seen the video and I have more of it.
Syra’s face blanched at the last text message. The elevator doors pinged open, and as soon as she was out, she unlocked her phone and saw all the videos and photos he sent her. Some of them had been taken from her home, in the privacy of her bedroom. It was her getting out of the shower, completely naked, because that’s how she slept sometimes, pleasuring herself. The images were in black and white, but she knew she was looking at herself.
