Page 35 of Lair

“No, that’s not—” He raises his hands, eyes squinched shut, and takes a breath. “Look. You don’t know him. He’s dangerous—”

“Dangerous?” I roll my eyes. “Okay, that’s enough. I’m done. Goodnight, Jason.” I begin to shut the door.

“Arie, please—”

“Goodnight, Jason.” Click. I growl out a groan deep in my throat, head thrown back. Why can’t I just enjoy this moment?

I fall back on the bed and reach for my phone to call Cailee. Celebration time.

Her sleepy voice answers on the seventh ring. “Arie? You do know it’s, like, six in the morning, right?”

“Yes, but you have to hear what just happened!” I squeal, and I can all but see Cailee sit up in bed, brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“He took me on a date.”

A groan.

“No, listen. He took me on a ride in a submersible. At night. It was amazing—”

“A submersible?”

“I know, right?! And then he kissed me. Oh my God—”

“Jesus. Is this why I haven’t heard from you in days?”

“No, that was Emmie poisoning me—”

“Emmie what?”

“Don’t worry. Adrian booted her off the boat.”

“Adrian? He’s Adrian now?” She sounds like she has her face in her hands. “Girl, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do. He’s not—”

“An asshole?”

“Well...”

“Yup.”

“Okay, he’s intense. But he’s not like that. It’s like... there’s something driving him to be that way...”

“Uh-huh.” Cailee has an infuriating ability to vocalize her eyes rolling. “Never heard that one before.”

“Okay, I know how it sounds. But he’s a good guy. There’s just... something going on underneath. He was trying to tell me tonight...”

“You mean when he wasn’t trying to show you how rich he is?”

My turn to roll my eyes. “Ha ha. Very funny. You can shut up now.”

“Just sayin’,” she snorts. “Sounds like someone’s been enjoying herself...”

“Shut up!” I whine, pounding the bed with a fist, and she breaks down in a peal of laughter. When she finally recovers, there’s a wheedling tone in her voice. “I just want you to be careful, okay babe?”

“I know.” Then, a slow grin creeping up my face, “Did I tell you about the clothes he got me?”

I pose with them later, holding them over my body in front of the mirror. One slinky, shimmering outfit after another. It’s only when I dip into the bottom of the last bag that I find the several sets of lingerie. My jaw drops. They’re gorgeous—lacy confections in black and red, sheer and slashed into sensuous designs. Babydolls, bustiers, submissive strappy bralettes. A black lace harness teddy with garters catches my eye. The very sight of it makes me blush. I chew a nail, picturing myself in it.

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