Page 27 of Lust

While I’d normally be relieved at Brent’s absence, this time I feel queasy. No Brent means Gary will feel like he has an open invitation to hit on me. Or worse. But I don’t dare beg Brent to come after this exchange.

Without another word, I carry the necklace back to my room. Even though the note didn’t instruct me to strip, I take off all my clothes before I put it on. The diamonds glitter and shine in the last few rays of sunlight that stream through the crack in my curtains. I can’t even begin to count the number of carats this thing must have. The gold that holds the gems presses like a heavy collar around my neck.

There’s no way Mr. Hansen bought something this expensive. I’ve only ever known one person who could possibly afford something like this, but there’s no way it’s him, either. That would be too good to be true.

Aaron

Even though I wanted to wait in the parking lot and watch the party on my phone, I force myself to stay in my suite, observing in the comfort of a hoodie and sweats. Ruby arrives a few fashionable minutes late, Manuel by her side. Both of them look great, but paired with a navy blue velvet dress, Ruby’s necklace is what turns everyone’s heads. Maybe I went a little overboard; I just couldn’t help myself.

It doesn’t take long for Gary to notice her arrival. He practically jogs over as soon as he realizes she’s there. And then the motherfucker touches her necklace. Touches it with his greasy, disgusting fingers. Ruby gracefully brushes his hand away. My blood simmers. He doesn’t let up, though. He keeps after her, talking close to her face and slowly corralling her toward a corner of the room. Once he seems to think he has her trapped, he reaches out and slides a hand down her side, around her hip, and down—

Ruby nimbly steps away, waves her fingers in his face, and makes a beeline for Manuel at the bar. My blood boils. Watching Ruby evade her disgusting boss makes me want to light the clubhouse on fire. Sure, she can hold her own, but she shouldn’t have to. Time to distract the asshole. Time to revise my master plan.

I send a quick email, then call Delilah. She didn’t work at the diner today and her son’s at a sleepover, so she’s spending the evening working on Arrow Black development.

“I have another job for you.” No friendly greeting needed.

She laughs. “Thank God. I was getting bored watching Eros solicit nudes.”

“Did he succeed?” I’m mildly curious. This is advanced behavior for the AI.

“Not yet. Everly says she wants to meet him first.”

“Then I think we have a success story. Tomorrow, we’ll let Jonah know it’s time to schedule a date. Meanwhile, you’re about to get your own match on Arrow Black.”

“You mean I’ll be testing Eros myself?”

“Nope. You’ll be chatting with a man named Gary, and you’ll convince him that you’re falling head over heels in love.”

She sighs dramatically. “I guess we both know that won’t be hard for me to do.”

“There’s a reason I hired you,” I laugh. “Just be on alert. As soon as he takes the bait, you’ll get a match alert. Then just turn on the charm.”

“Am I required to send nudes if requested, boss?” The humor is clear in her voice.

“We aim to please the customer.” I grin. “But there’s no rule that says they have to be your own.”

Her laugh reminds me what a great choice I made hiring Delilah. She’s certainly a diamond in the rough.Thank you, Brent.At least the man has good taste in women.

My attention returns to the party just in time to see Gary check his phone, then excitedly start swiping. Perfect little puppet. I wait until he finally pockets the device again, then log into his profile and find Delilah.

Match. Check.

Time to let the lady work her magic.

Speaking of magic, Ruby and Manuel take the stage moments later for the annual Henchley’s talent show. I turn up the sound. Manuel’s a decent singer, but Ruby kills it, even earning a standing ovation from a portion of the crowd.

Hell yeah. That’s my baby.

My fingers twitch with the urge to touch her. I don’t know how much longer I can watch her every day without going insane with lust.

Then Gary and three other managers get up and do a campy rendition of an NSYNC song. They jump around on stage like drunk teenagers, bumping into each other and singing horribly off key. The crowd goes wild, clapping and cheering and stomping so loudly that I turn down the volume and search the crowd for Ruby to distract myself from their ridiculous antics.

Gary’s group is followed by the award ceremony. The whole thing is clearly a stupid setup, because they win first place, each one of them receiving an idiotic statue of a dill pickle. It had to be rigged. Why else would the organizers have four of those pickle statues on hand? But Ruby still looks totally deflated. I even see her fingering the diamonds of her necklace, as though reminding herself that she still has something good going for her.

Damn right, baby. And you’re about to have a whole lot more than that once I get rid of everything that’s standing in our way.

Chapter 12

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