Page 202 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
After flashing me a grateful wink, he strolls toward my compact kitchen as I dart into my room. My focus is to rummage through my limited clothing choices in the walk-in closet with the hope I’ll find something suitable to wear to the gala tomorrow night. I don’t like my choices, but with time limited, I’ll have to work with what I have.
By the time Hugo joins me ten minutes later, I’ve narrowed my choices down to three different selections with starkly contradicting hemline lengths.
“Do you have to wear a ball gown to a gala, or can you wear any old dress?”
A mortified expression slips over Hugo’s face before he shrugs. “You’re asking the wrong guy about fashion choices.” His deep drawl overemphasizes the words ‘wrong guy.’
Certain a floral printed dress isn’t the look I’m going for, I dump it next to Hugo’s backside, which is planted on my bed, before giving the remaining two dresses a final once over. One has a black tulle skirt that will show a scandalous amount of legs, whereas the other silk skirt will drag along the ground no matter how high my heels are. It seems the less risqué of the two until you spin it around. The back gapes so dangerously low, it sits half an inch below the two dimples in my lower back.
When three minutes of deliberation doesn’t get me any closer to picking, I float my eyes back to Hugo before giving him my best pleading face. “I can’t pick. I need help.”
“I don’t remember waking up with a vagina,” he mumbles under his breath before darting his eyes between the dresses I’m holding out in front of him. “Both will give Isaac a heart attack when he discovers you’re wearing it whilenotin his presence.”
I grin, loving the mirth in his tone.
“But if I had to pick, I’d go with that one.” He points to the mini dress that will show a heap of leg.
“Are you sure? I was more leaning toward this one.” I wiggle the mermaid tail dress with a teardrop back. When Hugo’s lips thin into a stern line, I roll my eyes. “All right. Scandalous leg dress it is.”
I dump the rejected dresses into my closet before shadowing Hugo out of my apartment. Although my time here was short, it still feels like home to me. I can’t wait for all the drama to end, so I can return to my normal dull existence. Although, I doubt my life will ever be classified as boring with Isaac in it. He’s anything but ordinary.
I groan when our exit of the elevator has us stumbling upon a late afternoon storm. The downpour lowers the already cool temperatures, making me wish I had packed a waterproof, fur-lined coat.
“Wait under the awning, and I’ll bring the car around.”
Not waiting for me to answer, Hugo hands me my dress bag and satchel before tugging off his business jacket so he can use it as an umbrella. After giving me a wicked smirk, he weaves in and out of the heavy foot traffic blocking him from his car, which is parked one block down. When the rain starts coming in sideways, I step back to ensure my dress for the gala doesn’t get wet.
In my eagerness to avoid the torrential downpour, I accidentally bump into someone. I’m about to offer an apology, but their snarky voice stops me. “When it rains, it pours.”
My stomach churns when the voice registers as familiar. Stupidly, I turn to face Theresa, who’s standing just out of the revolving doors of my apartment building. She has a cocky smile plastered on her face, and her arms folded under her breasts. Unlike every other time I’ve seen her, today she’s casually dressed in black slacks and a pink striped poplin shirt that’s paired with a black suede jacket. Since her gun and badge aren’t holstered on her hip, I’m going to assume she’s off duty.
I muster out a weak smirk before returning my gaze to the roadside. The tenseness of my stomach amplifies when Theresa moves to stand next to me. Her overly rich floral perfume adds to the gymnastics routine the butterflies in my gut are doing.
“Are you going somewhere?” Her thinly slit eyes drop to the dress bag I’m clutching for dear life. “I hope you informed your parole officer that you’re leaving town.”
I keep my focus on the road, praying Hugo’s car will miraculously appear. The judge didn’t put any restrictions on my bail or request for me to hand in my passport, but out of courtesy, I did inform my bail officer that I was leaving town for the weekend yesterday afternoon. He advised he wasn’t required to track my movements, but he appreciated me reaching out.
My teeth gnash together when Theresa steps into my peripheral vision, but other than that, my outward appearance doesn’t give any indication to my annoyance of her harsh glare.
“Don’t feel bad.” She keeps her tone low and aloof to ensure the other people using the awning for shelter don’t hear her. “You should be proud of your achievement.” My skin crawls when she glides her hand down my arm as she tries to falsely convey her concern. “Excluding Ophelia, the longest relationship Isaac has had was six weeks. Youastonishinglylastednearlythat same length of time.”
I roll my eyes before pacing to the curb. I should’ve known she was still tunneling the Isaac-is-a- terrible-man trench she’s been digging for the past two weeks. Relief blasts through me when I spot Hugo’s cherry red Chevelle rolling down the road, and the bucketing rain has simmered to a drizzle, so I won’t get drenched while fleeing from Theresa’s obnoxious rants.
Theresa’s snarky question is barely heard over the earthy rumble of Hugo’s engine, but it still harnesses my wish to leave. “Did he at least have the decency to break it off with you before he started sleeping with other women?”
A rock settles in my stomach. She asked her question as if she’s a scorned woman—most likely a scorned woman of Isaac’s.
My theory is proven when she says, “Because he didn’t with me. After six weeks, I was thrown out like a piece of trash.”
My lungs clench, winded by the brutal blow her comment inflicted on my heart. I’d been wondering if her relationship with Isaac was more profound than initially perceived. It wasn’t just what Ryan said in the holding cell that had my curiosity piqued. It was the fact her eyes clouded with bitterness every time she asked me about my sexual involvement with Isaac. Her jealousy is as apparent as the stars in the midnight black night.
“I’m sorry for the way you were treated, no one deserves to be disrespected like that, but people change.” My voice relays both my sympathy for what she went through and the truthfulness behind my statement that a leopard can change its spots. It just has to find the right person to change for.
Isaac has never hidden the fact that before me, he had no interest in a relationship. He also made sure anyone associating with him was aware of his intentions. Heck, he even told me the day we met that he didn’t have time for a relationship, that there’d be no calls in the morning, and no dates next week. It was a one-time-only deal, so I can’t fault him when other women don’t understand the message he’s relaying.
Any sympathy I’m feeling for Theresa blows away as quickly as the storm clouds above our heads when her evil, conniving laugh breaks the silence teeming between us. “You’re a naïve imbecile if you believe he changed foryou.” She spits out her last word like venom. “When you stop living with your head in the clouds, and you want to learn about therealIsaac Holt, call me.” She shoves a business card into my hand before pivoting on her heels and sauntering down the sidewalk that’s once again populated with foot traffic.
Her sneer is so vicious when people see her coming, they step aside, giving her a clear path to her dark blue sedan parked on the corner. Even the brawniest-looking men scamper away like cowards. Once she slips into her car, I slide through the door Hugo is holding open for me.
