Page 52 of Retribution

Smiling, I admire the thought of Thorne Ballet as an official scholarship participant, where the most passionate and driven of people will be allocated free tuition and get to thrive and exceed their expectations.

“Those damn dimples, Indie,” he teases, squinting his eyes in a seductive way.

He lifts his fingers to his lips and runs them along his lip line, never removing his gaze from me.

Dropping the smile, I grow annoyed at myself for even acting like this would be an option.

Absolutely not.

“I’m sorry, Reed. I can’t help you.”

I open my purse and fish a twenty dollar bill out. As I go to place it on the table, his huge hand covers the top of mine. I gasp at the intensity diverging from my hand, up my shoulder and through my veins. My nipples begin to bud at the feeling as I snatch my hand away, dropping the bill and rising from my chair.

“Please, Indie.” His desperation radiates through his voice.

His eyes are full of hope, need and desire. It feels like I’m walking through an animal rescue shelter, each animal looking at you, trying to communicate how badly they want to come home with you. It makes it hard for me to turn away, my feet frozen in place.

Lifting my purse higher onto my shoulder, I shake my head regretfully.

“I’m sorry, you’re going to have to find someone else. Goodbye, Reed,” the last of my words barely above a whisper.

Almost running along the sidewalk, I keep my head low.

I can’t bring myself to think about the past hour, the constant push-pull I feel towards him.

Unbelievably, I began to consider his offer, it’s completely absurd.

I quicken my pace to get to my car down the street, beginning to dig around in my purse for my keys, glancing inside the bottomless pit that may as well belong to Mary Poppins.

My attention is elsewhere when I hear a loud car horn and I lose the ability to function.

To breathe.

To save myself.

Chapter 15

Reed

Of course, she didn’t take my fucking offer.

I mean it’s not exactly like I even apologized for the way we met. In fact, I provoked her and made her seem like she was to blame at all which, needless to say, she wasn’t.

It was all me.

Pulling out my phone, I text Harrison to make him aware she didn’t take the offer.

She didn’t even ask how much I was willing to pay her, I know she’s not well off financially and with her now being on her own, without the shithead fiancé, I thought she’d jump at the chance.

Reaching down, I pick up the bill that Indie dropped and tuck it away in my pocket, I’ll return it to her when I next see her.

I leave my now cold cappuccino and stand up, straightening out my navy blazer and adjusting the cuff links. A car horn in the distance draws my attention for a moment before I continue on my way.

Without being able to return to the office for a while, my only priority right now is spending my time with Willow, or what little time I may have left.

We’re already on our way to her favorite diner out of town, listening to Willow’s choice of music, the Encanto soundtrack.

Turns out, it was the last movie that Allie had taken her to watch at the movies and she is adamant that she must listen to the songs every day for the foreseeable.

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