Page 11 of Ruin
And with that, I close the door and take a breath, hoping I’ve done the right thing in forcing her to re-enter the world.
Lily appears at the door of my office exactly forty minutes later, a slightly annoyed expression on her face, which I’m happy to see. I’ll take annoyed over a frightened mouse any day.
“You demanded my presence,” she says as she walks in the door, halting when she sees Annika sitting on the couch next to my desk. “Oh, sorry.”
Annika smirks at me. “Looks like someone is in trouble.”
I frown at her before turning back to Lily. “Lily St Clair, this is Annika James. She’s been working here the longest out of everyone, and is a giant pain in my arse.”
Annika grins and bounces to her feet, her long brown hair swaying down her back in a single braid. A breathtakingly beautiful, curvy woman, she’s always been a ball of energy and had practically vibrated out of her skin when I requested her help with getting Lily settled and out of her shell. She’s the perfect one for this task - even if she is, as I just said, a giant pain in my arse.
“Nice to meet you,” Annika says, sticking her hand out towards Lily, who stares at her with wide eyes.
With how hesitant she’s been around new people, I have towonder how often she spoke to people outside of Joseph and his staff.
Perhaps Imogen would have been the better choice to help her out, as she’s less bouncy. But I have need of her this morning while I send Annika and Lily out to acquire her a new wardrobe and other necessities. Her bag had weighed practically nothing, and I’m adding that to the list of things to have a word with Daniel about. He should have ignored Lily and bought her more clothes if he wasn’t able to get more of her belongings when he’d snatched her out of that hellhole.
Unlike my brother, I don’t take no for an answer when it comes to something like providing someone with food and clothes, especially when I can see they need help.
“It’s Lily Sinclair,” Lily says quietly as she finally takes the hand that Annika has extended towards her.
“Oh.” Annika flicks a confused look my way, and I shake my head.
“Old habits. You’ll always be Lily St Clair to me,” I say, and I don’t miss the small frown on Lily’s face that disappears a second later.
I refuse to refer to her by the surname she married into. Not when the husband who bears that name is the reason she has become a shadow of her former self.
“Well, whatever your last name is, Sinclair, St Clair - they both sound the same, by the way - you’re looking at your shopping buddy.” Annika sweeps the awkwardness aside, just as I knew she would.
I watch with amusement as Lily blinks at her a few times.
There was a reason I’d gravitated towards Annika when I first met her. Her bubbly personality had reminded me so much of Lily at a time when I was missing her most. She was the head bartender at one of the bars Daniel and I own, and as I came toknow her better, we developed a friendship, and I wondered if she would be a good fit for Dark Desires.
But it was when I’d come across her at an orgy that I knew I’d found a kindred spirit. And although we fuck one another regularly, our relationship has remained purely platonic.
I wonder if Lily can sense the similarity between Annika and her former self, or if she is too far gone to realise that she is nothing more than a shell of that person.
“Shopping buddy?” Lily asks, her gaze slowly shifting away from Annika to meet mine.
I can tell she’s a little dazed by Annika’s smiling approach.
“Yep. Sebastian said you need a whole new wardrobe and stuff. And lucky for you, I love to shop. So we’re off to find you the most expensive clothes this shiny card will allow.” Annika holds up the black credit card I’d handed her a few minutes ago.
“Oh, no, you don’t -”
“Nope. Not happening. I have been given strict instructions that you need to be spoiled and I intend to follow through. I’ve booked us both facials, also courtesy of the shiny card, and we’ll have lunch somewhere nice. So go get your shoes, we’re going to take all this man’s money.”
While Annika is all smiles, there’s no arguing with the finality of her tone, and Lily looks between the two of us with a stunned expression.
I simply shrug, giving the impression that Annika is the one who is calling the shots here. When she’s really just doing exactly what I’d asked. Being friendly but not allowing Lily to hide.
Finally realising this is happening whether or not she protests, Lily sighs and turns away, shooting me that same annoyed expression as she walks back out the door. And I’ll be damned if that doesn’t get my hopes up.
Maybe this plan will work after all.
5
I WANT THEM TO HEAR YOU UPSTAIRS
