Page 62 of The Wives of Hawthorne Lane
“What are you doing here?” she demands, forcing herself to remain calm, not to let him sense her fear.
“Just thought I’d drop by for a little chat.”
“You can’t just show up at my house! Seth is home,” she lies. “He’ll be down here any second, so you should just—”
“Audrey, I know Seth isn’t home. His car isn’t in the driveway.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not home. Maybe his car is in the shop. Did you think of that?”
“No,” he responds, infuriatingly calmly. “Is it?” Audrey hates the amusement that dances in his eyes as he challenges her obvious lie.
“Y-yes,” she stammers.
“Well, in that case…” Colin cracks open the basement door and yells up the stairs, “Seth, would you come down here a moment? I think Audrey would like your assistance with something.” He cups his hand to his ear theatrically, leaning toward the stairs. “Nope. Nothing. Guess he must have left.” Colin slams the basement door shut once again and stands in front of it, sealing off Audrey’s only hope of escape.
“Now that that’s settled,” he continues, “I think it’s time we had a little talk.”
Audrey doesn’t respond. She can’t find the words.
“You remember our last chat, don’t you?”
She nods.
“Well, it would appear that you’ve forgotten the message. I think I was clear with you, was I not? When I call, you are expected to answer. And yet I’ve called you several times, and it seems that my phone number remains blocked. That’s not very nice, Audrey. Not to mention inconvenient. It’s left me with no choice but to come here and talk to you in person.”
“What do you want, Colin?”
“I think you know what I want.”
Colin’s eyes slide over the curves of her body, and it leaves Audrey feeling exposed. She wraps her arms around her bare midsection.
“Oh, no point in getting shy with me now.” Colin laughs.
The easy, bubbling sound of it sparks a fury in Audrey. “You have to leave. What happened between us was a mistake. A mistake I won’t be making again. It’s over, Colin. You need to understand that. I’m married.”
Colin’s eyes harden to stone; a muscle in his jaw twitches. “Now you care that you’re married? It never seemed to bother you before when you were taking your clothes off for me like the whore you are.”
The words hit Audrey like a slap across her face.
Colin steps toward her, closing the gap between them. He runs his hands along her Lycra-clad hips. “Why can’t you just play nice?”
Audrey pushes away from him, her long dark ponytail swishing over her shoulders as she vehemently shakes her head. “Don’t touch me.”
“Wouldn’t it be a shame,” Colin says, feigning thought as he taps a finger against his chin, “if Seth were to find out about the ‘mistake’ you made with me?”
The sound of her husband’s name in Colin’s mouth is the final straw for Audrey. It’s gasoline on the spark of rage he’s been stoking inside her, and it sets off an explosion.
“Don’t you dare talk about my husband to me. You’re not even worthy of speaking his name. And if you ever show up here again, if you ever put your filthy hands anywhere near me, I’ll tell Georgina everything. I swear to you, I’ll do it. You seem to forget that you have something to lose here too, Colin.”
Colin smirks, and it takes all of Audrey’s self-control not to reach out and smack the smugness off his face. “I’ve always found that fiery side of you so sexy. But there’s something you’re mistaken about.” The smirk is gone, and Audrey never thought she’d be so sorry to see it go. The stony severity left in its wake is far more frightening. “You do not call the shots here. And I have nothing to lose. You’re going to tell Georgina about us? Go right ahead. But I warn you, you’re going to be disappointed by her reaction. She already knows. Maybe not that it’s you that I’m fucking this time, but she knows that our marriage is not a…traditional one. That I come and go as I please.”
Audrey’s eyes grow round, her mouth agape.
“You look surprised,” Colin comments. “Poor Audrey—did you think you were the only one? That you were special?”
Audrey doesn’t reply as she watches the only card she was holding slip between her fingers.
Colin steps so close to her that their chests are nearly touching, and then he reaches out, brushing his fingers over her ponytail. “So beautiful,” he breathes.
