Page 24 of Tempting Little Thief

So Tall and Tattooed dug a little deeper. The Aston was stored the minute I stepped out of it, which means he memorized my plate number in the six seconds he saw it, but not only that. Our security couldn’t figure out where the search came from?

Interesting.

Well, interestingly irritating.

As I watch the clock tick toward game time, my phone screen lights up with a silently delivered text, and I glare at it a long moment before clicking on the unknown sender’s message.

Unknown: Shame, Rich Girl. Thought we were on the same page.

My lips press into a small smile, and I lean back in the chair.

Me: Should I know who this is and to what it is you’re referring?

Unknown: Cute. In a bratty, not at all attractive type of way. You know who this is, and you know what I mean. James Bond. His lips. Your skin.

I fly to my feet, spinning and flicking my gaze along every inch of space beyond the glass window. No sign of a black,moppy mess in sight. He can’t possibly be on the grounds. Eyes flick from my screen to the glass and back.

Me: Careful. Stray dogs get put to sleep.

My warning falls on deaf ears, or maybe dumb ones, as he responds in kind.

Unknown: Listen. Bad pussies don’t.

The innuendo couldn’t be clearer. If I were less trained in the art of composure, my jaw might have fallen open, and a laugh might have followed.

He’s ridiculous.

Clueless.

He’s also quite bold and, yes, clearly lacks any sense of self-preservation, but bold nonetheless. So he thinks he’s capable of wearing me out, of “putting me to sleep,” does he?

Me: I create rules. What gave you the impression I would follow any?

I wait for that instant response, for his quick wit and ready remark.

It never comes, and irritation turns in my stomach at an irrational, not to mention uncharacteristic move such as that one.

The clock ticks its final second, and I quickly reclaim my place behind the desk, but my mind is reeling, my fingers twitching with the need to tap the trigger of cool steel.

So, Dom knows I was somewhere I shouldn’t have been.

Tall and tattooed knows who I am and where to find me.

My dad knows I don’t agree with his decision.

AndI knowthose are all facts, meaning there is nothing I can do about all the above.

What utter bullshit is that?

Boiling with irritation, I flip on the gem-covered switch in front of me.

“Good morning, Greyson, Rocklin Revenaw here …”

My smile is wide, my voice welcoming.

Not a care in the fucking world.

Chapter 5

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