Page 63 of A Villain’s Lies

“What did you say?” I stop and look back at him.

A slow and steady smirk covers his lips. “You look good, Avani.”

“Thank you.” I give him a nod and continue to the front counter. When I get to the register, I prepare the dress, adding tissue paper and sliding it into its protective bag as I hear her voice again.

Glancing up, I see her place a soft kiss on his lips. He doesn’t pull back or tell her to go away. Instead, he kisses her back before she spins around and heads straight to the dressing room. The minute she is in there, he glances over his shoulder to me, then winks and looks back as she holds out the dress she took off for him. Grayson takes it and walks over to me, my heart beating out of my chest with each step he takes.

Can he hear the beating of my heart?

Would it be loud enough?

I hope to God it’s not.

I don’t want to give myself away.

When Grayson reaches me, he places the dress on the counter, and his eyes find mine. “Are you always late to this job as well?” A bit of humor laces his question and I internally smile.

I take the dress and prepare it the same way as the other one.

“No,” I answer and look up at him. He raises a brow in surprise as he nods.

“So you did it to piss me off, like everything else.”

My mouth opens to say something, but I close it again when she steps up beside him.

I don’t even know her name.

I think I did at the beginning, but I’ve let it go because all I can see is him.

Standing there is a different man from the one I knew a year ago.

Her hand slides around his waist as she leans her head on his shoulder.

“I’m getting both. We couldn’t decide,” she gushes, looking to Grayson.

“What my baby wants, she gets,” Grayson says with so much, urgh… Who knows what that was?

I hold back the gag, just barely.

“Charlotte, do you need anything else?” he asks, not looking my way.

Charlotte.

She kind of looks like a Charlotte too. If there is a way to look like one. I guess what I really mean is it suits her.

“No, I think this will be perfect for tonight.”

“Good.” Grayson smiles at her. She doesn’t look back at me as she leans on him. He does, though.

His eyes haunt me in more ways than one.

I wish I could rid myself of them.

I hate that I wake up dreaming about him.

Dreams that are both good and bad.

“How would you like to pay?” I direct to Grayson.

---