Page 38 of Betrayed in the Dark
Knock. Knock.“Hi, I have everything wrapped up front whenever you’re ready!”
Lisa’s voice sends a large bucket of ice water over Madeleine as, within only seconds, she completely removes herself from me, quickly smoothing out her dress and hair.
“Thank you, Lisa. We’ll be right there. Just wrapping up!” she tells her.
“Great,” Lisa replies, her heels clacking against the floor as she walks away.
Madeleine turns her back to me, hiding her face in her hands. “Fuck,” she breathes, the regret in her voice punching me right in the center of my chest.
“Madeleine—”
“No.” She shakes her head, her black hair dancing across her shoulders. “We shouldn’t have done that. I…” She clears her throat, straightening her shoulders. “I won’t be making that mistake again.” Without looking back, she unlocks the door and exits the dressing room, swiftly getting as far away from me as she possibly can.
It takes five salespeople to help us carry all the bags to the Escalade, where we manage to fill every last inch of trunk space.
Absolutely daft, if you ask me.
I slide onto the seat next to Madeleine. She tucks her phone into her purse and scoots a bit closer forward toward Reginald.
“We’ll be doing a drop-off today before heading home,” she tells him.
“Of course,” he answers.
She sits back beside me, folding her hands on her lap, and looks straight ahead. I check the time on my watch, noting I still have an hour before my call.
“A drop-off where?” I ask.
She turns to look out her window, giving me the silent treatment.
I clench my jaw. “As your bodyguard, it’s my job to know where we’re going.”
“And if we were going somewhere dangerous, I would inform you.”
I roll my neck, my muscles bunching with tension. “I think we should talk about what happened back there.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Really? Because the way you moaned makes me think—”
She spins in her seat, clasping her hands over my mouth. Her eyes dart to Reginald, panic on her face at the thought that he might have heard me, and it almost makes me laugh. She reaches over me and presses a button, causing the privacy screen between us and Reginald to lift into place.
Once it’s sealed, she drops her hands and turns in her seat, sitting forward. She reaches up, pressing her fingers into her temple. “Let’s get something straight. The only thing that happened was a lapse of judgment on my part. And it won’t happen again.”
I lean closer to her. “Tell me you weren’t wet.”
A flush spreads up her neck, providing the only answer I need. “I wasn’t wet.”
“You’re a bad liar. Your body gives away every secret.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not lying.”
“So, if I check now, I’d find you as dry as the Sahara Desert?”
She quickly crosses her legs. “Even drier.”
I laugh, slapping my leg.
“What’s so funny?”
