Page 76 of His Beloved Princess
“You said she has someone,” I pointed out, frowning because, in my head, his remarks didn’t make any sense. He was trying to tell me something, but I was never good at riddles while he was a master.
“Does she?” He lifted an elegant eyebrow at me, flashing me a charming smile. “I don’t think her victim is prepared to play her part.”
“Prepared?” I echoed, blinking in confusion. He only chuckled, finishing his glass again.
“Yes, Mrs. Thorn,” he nodded, leaning back into his chair, “prepared is the right word. It has to be.”
“Andreas, you’re losing me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shrugged, feeling useless in helping him come up with something, yet he looked like he had everything sorted out.
“Bastian would never in his life force any woman to do anything,” he stated confidently. He took a deep breath, staring at the wall behind me, where the TV was turned on, but the sound was muted. “Sarah has to train that woman to put on one hell of a show for the judge and the public. She has to say the exact words and phrases and cry at the right time. It has to be perfect.”
“You’re talking about it like she’s training someone for a match,” I remarked, feeling slightly tipsy from all the alcohol I had drunk.
“Exactly.” He winked at me, a victorious smile appearing on his lips. “She has a woman willing to confirm her story, but because she didn’t experience it, she needs to be able to handle everything exactly by the book of a victim of sexual assault. And it requires time.”
“Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. It was too much for my liking. Too many assumptions and speculations.
“It’s the only explanation,” he replied, scanning my face. “Otherwise, we would’ve already drowned under a pile of shit.”
“Okay, let’s just say you’re right,” I uttered, still not entirely agreeing with him. “What’s the plan?”
He was quiet for many minutes. We drank our drinks; my first was nothing compared to his fourth. He was deep in thought, and I didn’t want to interrupthim while he was plotting our next move, so I was musing about my responsibilities.
“Arrange me a meeting with Zoe Botegga,” he said out of the blue, making me flinch. I was thinking about my morning exercise and an upcoming lunch with Derek, and for a moment, I forgot I was still in Andreas’ office.
“How do you know Zoe?” I asked, surprised that he knew about my best friend. “And for what?” I added when he only flashed me a secretive smile.
“You’ll see, Mrs. Thorn,” he responded with a wink, teasing me with my new last name. I couldn’t get used to people calling me that, and he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to remind me they were talking to me when I didn’t react the right way. “But we need some place private where no one would expect us to talk about it.”
“Ideas?” I raised my eyebrows, expecting him to give me an address for some of his properties. But as was very often the case with him, I was mistaken.
“Bastian’s club, at eleven tonight.” He checked his watch, opening the laptop on the right side of his table. “I have some work; meet me there with her.”
“In the BDSM club?” I confirmed just to be sure I heard him correctly. It had to be a misunderstanding. He wouldn’t want to meet with a police officer and his brother’s wife in his brother’s kinky club.
“Yes, there. Now go, please. I must finish this.” He waved at me with his right hand already tapping on the keyboard. I rose to my feet, flabbergasted by this turnaround. I was already on the threshold, ready to call Zoe to ask her about Andreas’ weird demand when he called my name again.
“I forgot to thank you, Electra,” he said, and I frowned, not understanding his words once more. I often felt stupid around him, but it was starting to get really annoying. He noticed my confusion, so he at least bothered with a simple explanation. “Thank you for coming here today and helping me with Sarah. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
“To have someone who absolutely doesn’t understand how your brain works listen to you?” I teased, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
“What can I do? I’m uniquely impressive. You should’ve already known that.” He winked at me and returned to his computer while I sighed theatrically, leaving him and his monstrous ego to work.
I had an interesting job to do. My best friend and I never had secrets, and I knew about her boyfriends, loves, and one-night flings. However, there was something in Andreas’ look that made me wonder.
Was there something I didn’t know about?
36
The Other Woman
Electra
From the back seat of a limousine, I watched the VIP entrance into Bastian's club. Four cars were parked outside, and only one bouncer stood at the metal door.
The place was packed to the brim when I was here for the first time, but the situation was different on a Wednesday.
I inhaled a deep breath, impatiently tapping my fingers on my thigh. I didn't know how to dress appropriately, so I chose black leather pants and a white top with a black jacket. I hoped it was okay for a secret meeting. I didn't want to catch unnecessary attention.
