Page 52 of Bitter Desire
My world had been divided up into nothing but pre-Honey and after-Honey.
Life after Honey was better. Stretching on in a way that made my days and hours endless, but these were marked with moments I could never forget, even if they were small. The way Honey looked when she woke up, her hair tousled and eyes heavy with sleep, that smile on her face when she had her first sip of coffee, or the way she ran to me when she spied me waiting for her outside of whatever coffee shop she was working in that day.
The smell of her, the taste of her soft skin, that intoxicating way she moaned my name when I was inside of her. God, it was all perfect. That kind of perfection could make anyone’s days stretch into an endless fog of pleasure and peace, each day dissolving into the next. I knew for as long as Honey was mine life would be just as it was now.
Happy. Content. Peaceful.
But that was when it was just us. Whoever had started this game had come barging into the world we’d made. Now there were three players, and the happiness Honey and I had found together was at risk under the weight of whatever it was this unknown player wanted.
My gut told me what they wanted: They wanted Honey.
But why?
The club would have answers. That was where it had begun all those weeks ago–the second I saw Honey standing in the low light of the Great Room. Possibly further back, the second I wanted her in the early morning light of the coffee shop we had met in. How far back did this even go?
If I wanted to know, the club was the place to start.
I hummed at Connie. “Always a pleasure to hear your voice, Connie. I need a suite for tonight.”
“Will you be alone, or…” her voice trailed off and I could hear the unanswered question in her voice. She wanted to know if Honey was coming.
“No, she’ll be with me.” No use in hiding the fact that I would bring Honey with me. If it started at the club, or if Zeus had his hand in this—he’d find out anyhow. Better to head straight in than fool myself about any element of surprise. Nothing happened in the club that Zeus didn’t know about and by default, that meant Connie would know as well. If they saw me coming I’d have a better shot at seeing their play before it was on the table.
“Excellent. That brings joy to my cold heart. I knew you two would be perfect together.” I could hear her smile through the phone and for a second it was hard not to relax into that smile. Connie’s smiles were rare. Even one over the phone.
“You have a good eye,” I agreed. “She’s been a perfect fit. I’m bringing her in tonight for a little bit of relaxation. It’ll do us both good.”
“I’ll book the most expensive room then. Nothing but the best for you and Honey.”
I exited the elevator and started towards my office, raising a hand to Addie when she glanced up at me in surprise. She had thought I was still in the Catskills. Thought I’d be there for another two days, and I could see the surprise on her face.
“Thank you. We’ll be arriving by six.”
“I’ll have dinner waiting. Till then, Law.” The line went dead as Connie hung up the call and I pocketed my phone, coming to a stop in front of Addie’s desk.
“You’re back already?” she asked, putting down the pen she’d been writing with. “What happened?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I lied, because I was watching her face. Something was wrong. Addie was normally happy and bubbly, an energy rolling off her so easily that it steamrolled you into wanting to agree with her. But that energy was missing right now and that was...concerning. Taking a closer look at her I saw there were shadows under her eyes, her normally perfectly done hair was disheveled, the length of it hastily shoved in a ponytail and her clothing had wrinkles in it. Had she slept in what she was wearing today?
What the fuck? Addie never looked less than perfect. If she slept in her clothes whatever she was dealing with was big.
I frowned and put a hand down on her desk. “What happened here?” I asked.
“I asked you first,” Addie shot back, crossing her arms. I saw some of her spark come to life now, but it wasn’t real. It was deflecting.
“You slept in your clothes, so I can sidestep that.”
She rolled her eyes and looked to the side. “It’s nothing big.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said, taking a step back and pointing a finger at the agenda in front of her. “My office, now. Bring that with you.”
Addie sighed but picked up the agenda and followed me into my office. I let out a sigh of relief the second I crossed the threshold into the room. It was a space that was familiar, regulated. Nothing happened in this space that I wasn’t in control of. It felt good to walk back into this after the clusterfuck of the past 48 hours. Addie was silent as she took the seat in front of my desk and I settled behind it, watching her carefully. We were both silent as we stared at each other and I saw that despite her calm demeanor Addie had her agenda in a death grip, the white of her knuckles showing up stark against the black leather of the book.
Something was wrong. Something big.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Addie’s eyes darted away from me and to the windows behind me. She swallowed hard. “Nothing, boss.”
