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Without a reply, I put my palm on her lower back, escorting her up the back staircase into the alley. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to see me leaving with her. Once outside, she spun around, the fringe on her black flapper dress swaying. She opened her mouth to speak, but I spoke first.
“To answer your question, there was an incident and we’re leaving.”
* * *
On the way home, I stared at the road, knuckles turning white on the steering wheel. I was too annoyed to speak, and Maddie didn’t ask anything until the gate opened and the car drove up the driveway. She watched wide-eyed out the windshield.
“He’s not home, don’t worry.”
“Okay.” She relaxed back.
One of the four-car garage doors glided up, and I pulled in. When I came to a stop, I cut the engine, letting the door close before I spoke. “He texted me earlier and said he was staying at a friend’s house.” I reached into the back seat, grabbed her bag, and got out. Maybe I shut the car door a little too forcefully, but I was doing my best to remain calm, as I did in most situations. It was the art I’d mastered in law school. I strode around to the other side of the car, opening her door.
She stepped out, smoothing her dress before peering into my eyes. “You slammed the door. You’re not okay.”
I closed hers gentler. “I’m fine.”
I led her through the mudroom into the kitchen, setting her bag on the table in the breakfast nook. Meandering to the cabinets, I leaned back on them, crossing my arms over my chest, meeting her gaze. She’d not moved since stepping into the room.
“You can relax.”
“Are you going to talk about it at all?” She sighed, taking several cautious steps closer. “Did I upset Vinny or Dimitri?”
Lifting a hand to my chin, I stroked the neatly trimmed stubble I’d grown on vacation. “No.” Against my better judgement, I continued, “I caught Gian taking photos of you when you took an order to a table.”
She cupped a hand over her mouth.
“Then, he went to the back, and I followed him.”
She took a few more steps closer. “What was he doing with them?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t let him get that far.” I shrugged. “But it’s nothing you need to worry about. You’re not going back to work there until it’s handled.”
“Okay.” Picking up her bag off the table, she hung it on her arm, and walked toward the back staircase. I expected her to ask more questions. I knew she wanted to, but she didn’t.
“We need to drive separately to the office tomorrow and you need to go home after.”
“Okay,” she called out over her shoulder when her foot stepped onto the bottom stair.
6
BAD GIRL
MADDIE
Another sleepless night in the Whitman mansion. I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, but my mind was wandering. I picked up my phone, scrolling through the abyss of social media. To no avail, I was still wide awake and there was no sign of activity from anyone online. My arms collapsed lazily on the mattress, my phone tumbling out of my hand.
Rolling on my side, I tucked my hands under my cheek, staring at the double window on the back of the house. The sheer curtains danced in the ceiling fan breeze, and I spaced out before hearing a distant splash. Flickering my gaze toward the sound, I pushed the blankets back and tiptoed over, peering down at the pool.
James’s head popped up in the shallow end. He swam to the wall. Twisting around, he pushed off, swimming a lap toward the deep end. I watched for several minutes as his enormous arms cut through the saltwater. He was simply mesmerizing, and I longed to be down there with him. I’d planned to be bad tonight. I wanted to be, but he was clearly bothered, and I didn’t want to upset him.
I waltzed to my bag, taking out the same bikini I’d worn in the photos. Maybe it’d distract him from his thoughts. I changed into the swimsuit, got a towel, grabbed my phone off the bed, and trekked through the house to the patio door. I wasn’t trying to sneak up on him, but I closed the door softly so as not to disrupt him.
He’d picked up the pace, swimming faster until he saw me approaching. He stopped in the middle, slicking his hair back with his palms, then wiping droplets from his eyes. “Did you do that on purpose?”
An evil grin painted my face as I held out my hands to the side and rotated a deliberate, slow circle, giving him a view of my rear in the G-string bottoms. “You like it?”
He rolled his tongue over his bottom lip, taking in my presence. The way the beaded water rolled down his chiseled torso in the pool-light glow made my heart jump. Slicking his hair back again, he stalked me as I set the towel down and phone on top of it. I perched on the ledge of the pool, slipping my feet into the water. He meandered even closer.
