Page 51 of Spoil
“It’s Mr. King to you. And yes.”
I walk away, knowing Antonio can handle two women by himself. In fact, I hear him start as my footsteps take me away from them. “Ladies, we can do this the easy way or the hard way...”
When I get back to my office, I shut the door behind me, plop on my couch and hold my head in my hands.
I’m angry at myself for putting myself in that position - of being alone with two women in a room in a sex club. I’m angry that I’ll have to tell Nell what they tried. I know it’ll hurt her, and I fucking hate that. I hate that I haven’t convinced Nell to starta life with me yet. I hate how little I get to be with them. I hate that her sisters are such terrible people. I hate how obviously manipulative her stepmother is.
When my phone buzzes, and I see a text message from Nell, I can’t bring myself to answer it. I need to calm down first. To figure out a game plan.
I promised to put both her and Danny first, and I need to figure out how to do that after tonight.
Instead, I text Declan, Serenity, Cassidy and Harrison to meet me in my office and tell them everything.
Chapter twenty-five
Penelope
Something’s wrong.
I stare down at my phone as a weight of dread settles in my stomach.
I had an inkling a few days ago that something had shifted with Daniel but ignored it. I convinced myself I was just being needy because I can’t get enough of Daniel. But three days later, I’m certain.
Something’s wrong.
His text messages have gone cold. He’s taking longer to reply, and when he does, they have none of the flirtation and banter they usually do. He’s avoiding FaceTimes. And he hasn’t mentioned getting together again.
Anxiety zips through my veins as I consider that he might be done with us.
And I’m not even sure I would blame him. I’d blame him for going cold on Danny, but I wouldn’t blame him for going cold on me. He’s done absolutely everything and more for a partner, and I can’t seem to figure out what I want. I can’t seem to figure out how I get more with Daniel and still take care of my family.
It’s kept me up at night.
They can’t afford a cleaning lady, a personal chef, and an in-home aid for Gen. Could I afford to hire all three with the money Daniel gave me? That money’s supposed to go to Danny. It feels selfish to spend it on hiring people to do what I’ve been doing for years.
Could we move in with Daniel, and I could drive here every day to take care of things? Where would that leave Danny? Driving with me? Home with Daniel? She starts pre-K next year, so maybe we could move in then?
And now that he’s gone cold on us, is that even something that he still wants?
After I feed everyone and clean up the kitchen, I get Danny set up in a bath before I pace the hallway with the door open enough that I can hear her if she needs me. I stare down at the phone in my hand. I need to know what’s going on with him. If this is it, I need to know that. I’m already sleep-deprived; if I go another night of tossing and turning, I’ll be useless tomorrow.
Maybe he’s working, and he won’t want to talk. That seems like the easiest leg in.
Me: Are you working tonight?
Thirty agonizing minutes later, Danny’s out and we’re both in our warm pajamas.
Daniel: No. At home. About to go to bed
Before I can overthink it I reply.
Me: Danny and I are coming over
I toss a few things into a small backpack for Danny and order an Uber. Twenty minutes later, we’re knocking on Daniel’s door.
He opens looking disheveled. His hairs a mess, his T-shirt is crooked at the neck, and a sinking feeling hits me. What if he’s not alone? What if he’s done waiting for me and picked someone up from The Envelope? It wouldn’t be hard. He’s gorgeous and has a club full of beautiful, wealthy, sexually adventurous women at his disposal.
I know he’s done and said beautiful things, but I also know how rich people are used to doing and saying whatever they want to get their way.
