Page 37 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
“That little slut should have stayed home.”
Time seems to slow down as the air stills around us. “Mind your fucking words, Mr. Brandon. Or I will find a way to do it for you.” In my mind, I’m strangling him, watching him fight for his last fucking breath. Heat explodes in my chest as I watch him suffer, and I’m desperate to end him right here.
But in reality, he’s nearly untouchable. At least in our current state, surrounded by hundreds of the city’s wealthiest. The slimy fucker from our first meeting with Burt at the Plaza steps closer, as if to intervene.
“I’d advise you to keep far away from my staff, Burt. Don’t fucking test me.” Giving myself one last moment to enjoy the trepidation on his face, I turn and head back to our table. I grab my jacket off the back of the chair, say my goodbyes, and make my way toward the exit. On the way, I check my phone to find a text from Kaleb letting me know they’re at the penthouse and asking me to find her shoes.
While I search, I send a quick text to Renaldo to let him know my bid for one of the auction pieces and ask him to handle it in my absence. After I find her heels scattered along the hall, I pick them up and make a call to our driver.
What the fuck had happened between them to make Liliana react like this? Had he hurt her? How did they even know each other? Worries race through my mind like snowballs, growing larger with each unanswered question. By the time I arrive at our building, a little of the tension leaves me knowing that I’ll see Liliana soon and can check for myself that she’s alright.
The sounds of breathy moans and pleas reach my ears when I exit the elevator, and I can’t stop the little pang of jealousy that shoots through me.
I pour myself a glass of whiskey and head to the balcony, shutting the door tight to drown out the delectable sounds coming from the bedroom. If this were any other night, I’d be pleased. Liliana is here, in our home.Is it the events of tonight that sour this moment, or that she’s chosen Kaleb?
Not wanting to find out, I take a sip of my drink and enjoy the cool night air. I drain the glass in one go, wishing I’d brought the whole bottle. Temptation. That was my Liliana. But I couldn’t just waltz into Kaleb’s room and hope to join their lovemaking, could I? No, she was too vulnerable. Maybe if she’d come here under different circumstances I would, but not tonight. Maybe not ever.
Now I’m even more desperate to talk to him, to find out what pieces of the puzzle she might have exposed that could help us see the big picture. How were we supposed to protect her without knowing what darkness lurks beyond the light?
The sound of the door sliding open interrupts my pity party. Kaleb carries the bottle of whiskey and an empty glass. He leaves the screen door open in case Liliana needs us, then he sits and pours us each a healthy amount of whiskey.
We don’t speak. Instead, we stare out at the city lights and sip our drinks.
“How is she?” I finally ask.
“She’ll be alright, in time.”
“Did she tell you what happened?”
“Not in so many words, though I have my suspicions,” he growls. “What happened tonight… I don’t think it was the primary cause. She knew Burt before the gala, and whatever transpired between them was bad enough to put her in a full-blown panic. He must have touched her tonight, because shescrubbed her arm so hard, I thought the flesh would fall right off. Then she asked me to make her forget.”
His words cause my already dark mood to plummet. That disgusting piece of filth thought he could touch what was ours? We might not have been around in her past to protect her, but we sure as fuck were now.
“What did Burt have to say?” Kaleb asks, finishing his whiskey and pouring himself more.
“Nothing good. He did say something that was odd, though. He said, ‘That little slut should have stayed home’.”
Kaleb’s knuckles turn white as he grips the glass hard enough for it to shatter. “Please tell me you made him bleed for that.”
“Unfortunately not, though the night isn’t over yet. I was too angry to understand at the time, but now that I’m thinking about it, it doesn’t make sense. She should have stayed home? As in, she shouldn’t have come to the event, or is he talking about something more specific?” It didn’t add up for him to mean the gala. I don’t even think he knew she worked for us until tonight. A memory flashes, making me sit up straighter. “When we were in Massachusetts, she mentioned something about a farm. She seemed equal parts terrified and repulsed when she brought it up. Perhaps that’s where he knows her from. Maybe that’s what Calantha alluded to in the club application, where Liliana protected her?”
“I doubt Burt will tell us anything, though I’d be happy to try to get something out of him if we decide to go that route,” Kaleb says, his voice shifting, turning darker with the taste of violence. “Message Elliott. If anyone can find a connection, it’s him.”
Liliana’s high-pitched scream reverberates through the apartment as I unlock my phone.
Forgetting everything else, we jump to our feet and race to his bedroom. Kaleb throws open the door, but all we find is Liliana fast asleep on the bed.
“No. No. No. Get off her!” She’s tossing frantically, kicking and flailing like she’s fighting a ghost. And that’s exactly what she’s doing.
“Lily,” Kaleb says in a low voice, but it doesn’t stop her thrashing.
I call her name, hoping she’ll recognize our voices and settle because touching her in this state will skyrocket her fear. When she doesn’t respond, I try another tactic.
Kaleb kneels on the bed now, inching toward her thrashing form.
“You’re safe, Petal,” I say soothingly.
Following my lead, Kaleb reassures her too. “We’ll protect you, Blossom.”
