Page 24 of Tempting Frankie
“Go on up,” I tell her, squeezing her hand. “Take as long as you need with your sister. I'll wait here.”
Chapter 10
Francesca
Ienter our shitty apartment, my head spinning from Alexander's kisses and the weight of what I'm about to tell Kat. The doors barely closed before she's on me like a fucking pit bull.
“Where the hell have you been?” Kat shrieks, her eyes wild. “I've been calling and texting for hours! You never stay out this late for work. Christ, Frankie, I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere! I even called Vivian’s answering machine to see what the entire fuck happened to you. Did you want me to fucking resurrect the goddamn Pinkertons?”
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” I say, holding up my hands in surrender. “It's been a crazy night. And day. And…fuck, I don't even know anymore.”
Kat's nostrils flare, her jaw clenching. “Spill. Now.”
I collapse onto our threadbare couch; the springs groaning in protest. “You might want to sit down for this, sis.”
She crosses her arms, glaring. “I'll stand, thanks.”
I take a deep breath, steeling myself. “Remember that mystery client I told you about? The one who booked me through the Infinity app the other night?”
Kat nods, her brow furrowing. “Yeah, the loaded guy who wanted the girlfriend experience. What about him?”
“Well, it was Alexander Steele.”
The silence that follows is deafening. Kat's mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water.
“He bought the night from the mystery client and then bought my time, exclusively for the next three fucking months.”
“Holy fucking shit.” Kat collapses onto the arm of the couch, her eyes wide. “Did you…I mean, did you guys...?”
“Fuck?” I finish for her, laughing humorlessly. “Yeah, we did. Multiple times. And let me tell you, that man knows how to use his tongue in ways that should be illegal.”
“Holy fucking shit, you damn daddy fucker,” Kat repeats, shaking her head. “Wait a fucking minute. Three months of your time exclusively? What does that even mean?”
I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of Alexander's territorial gaze even now. “It means everything, Kat. Anytime, anywhere. Whatever he wants whenever he wants it.”
Kat's eyes widen even further, if that's possible. “Jesus Christ, Frankie. You're basically his personal sex slave? I mean go off, I guess. Blink twice if you need me to pack up all our shit and we go into hiding.”
“It's not like that,” I snap, feeling defensive. “He's different. I don't know how to explain it. It's like he sees right through me, you know? Like he knows exactly what I need before I do.”
“Okay, but still. Three months is a long fucking time. So you just drop everything no matter what and run when he calls?”
I bite my lip, bracing for the explosion. “About that…I'll be living with him. At his place.”
“What the actual fuck?!” Kat jumps up, pacing the tiny living room. “You're moving in with Cameron's dad? Are you out of your goddamn mind?”
“Look, I know it sounds crazy?—”
“Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it, Frankie! This is next-level insanity!”
I stand up, grabbing her shoulders to stop her frantic movement. “Kat, listen to me. He's not just paying for my time. He's paid our rent for the entire fucking year.”
Kat freezes, her mouth hanging open. “He what?”
“You heard me. A whole year, paid in full. We don't have to worry about getting evicted or scraping together cash for bills. We can actually breathe for once.”
Kat sinks back onto the couch, her head in her hands. “I don't know whether to thank you or slap you.”
I sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “How about neither? Just try to understand. This could change everything for us.”
