I paused, fingers poised over the “Send” button. Everything within me screamed to go to her, to be at my sister’s side. But I’d been told I could go overboard, and I was trying to heed her words.
“Fine,” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “But promise me you’ll call Preston or me if you need anything.”
“I will. Promise.”
I released a tentative sigh of relief. There was nothing and no one more important to me than my little sister.Nothing.
“And Hunter.” Her voice was soft, despite the sounds of chaos in the background. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you called. If you change your mind and want me to come home, I will.”
“Okay. But I’ll see you in a few weeks for your birthday anyway.”
“Okay.” I tried to infuse my voice with a calm I didn’t feel.
We ended the call, and I tossed my phone across the bed.
A fire? Fuck. She could’ve been hurt—or worse. And contemplating the possibilities had my heart squeezing in my chest.
Knowing sleep would be impossible now, I figured I might as well shower and get some work done. There were emails to be read, new data to analyze, and it wasn’t like I had anything better to do. I scrubbed a hand over my face and pushed off the mattress.
I grabbed my dirty clothes from the floor, tossing them in the hamper as I headed for the shower. Still no sign of the woman I’d brought home, which was surprising. A welcome surprise, actually. Typically, it was difficult to get them to leave.
I shrugged and stepped beneath the warm spray of the shower, letting it wash my cares down the drain. Flashes of the night before came back to me, and I searched my memories for her name.
Cynthia? Cindy? Sarai? Shit.
I struggled to remember whether her name actually started with a C or an S. It wasn’t like we’d done much talking before coming back to my place—we’d met at a club. We’d both been drinking. Her intent was clear, as was mine. Whatever-her-name-was, we’d had one hell of a time judging by the state of the apartment this morning.
I pressed my palm to the cold tile. What was wrong with me? I never forgot a woman’s name. I never got too drunk to care.
Lately, though, I didn’t seem to care about much of anything. Sex had become routine, boring. I had yet to find a woman who could hold my interest for long.
I shut off the water and dried my body, wrapping a towel around my waist. I selected one of my favorite Tom Ford suits and a freshly pressed shirt. But when I pulled out the drawer where I stored my cuff links and watches, I stilled.
Half of them were missing—the most expensive ones, if I wasn’t mistaken. My Hermes, the Omega, the gold cuff links that were my favorite.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding.”
And with a sinking feeling in my gut, I wondered what else she’d taken.
A quick inventory told me a piece of my designer luggage was missing. That and my wallet—which I finally discovered, discarded beneath the couch. All the cash was gone, but the cards remained.
Whoever she was, she’d been smart. She’d certainly played me for a fool.
I clutched my phone, debating what to do. Debating whether to turn her in. There had to be enough fingerprints and DNA for them to track her down, yet…I hesitated. I didn’t think my father would be happy if he found out about this—further evidence of what a disappointment I was. What a failure I was in his eyes. And as much as I didn’t want to need his approval, I also didn’t want to prove him right.
Besides, I wasn’t so much upset about the things. I didn’t need them, and I could easily replace them. It was the fact that she’d robbed me of my sense of security; she’d taken advantage of my trust. She’d set out to screw me in more ways than one.
I’d always been a bit jaded when it came to relationships and love. But now I was going to be a hell of a lot more selective about the women I slept with. I was going to be smarter about who I invited into my bed and into my life.
* * *
“What the fuckare you thinking, man?” Toby asked a few weeks later as we exited the conference room for a break.
We’d been in negotiations all morning, trying to secure a new app for our portfolio. You’d think we’d have all the leverage since we were offering to back a fledgling health and wellness app, but this kid was being a stickler about some of the finer points of the deal. I got it—it was his baby, but we needed to get it done.
I said “kid,” but he couldn’t be more than five years younger than me. Still, there was a vast difference in our experience. He didn’t understand that we did deals like this all the time. That he wouldn’t get a better offer than this. He was talented, that was for sure. But apps were a dime a dozen right now.
