It wasn’t about that. It was about everything else that came with this opportunity for revenge.
“Unlikely,” I said.
“You want to protect her.”
Maybe I did. But it wasn’t about what he thought. “For the purposes of our bet,” I paused, “It’s fair this way.”
“And we all know how I like to play fair.” He winked. I pinched the chopstick tightly in my hand, then let go of my grip. I couldn’t let him see me tense. “How about this,” he added, “I will only take measures you would take yourself.”
“Agreed.”
“And you must only take measures you believe I would take.”
Which meant that nothing had changed. Aldrich knew that I, too, had followed Haley to the boarding school. These words proved it.
I could no longer pretend that Aldrich was only in my past. We were entwined once again. After going to the Dahlia District every moment that I had free, trying to think quicker, better, faster than him, you could almost say we were friends. I hated that, but it was a necessary part of our bet.
At the office, after some phone calls and emails, I turned on the Greenhouse live stream. It was five in the afternoon, nearly evening. Haley was beginning to stir. Her hair was a mess of wavy black curls tossed across her pillow, and her eyes were ringed with makeup leftover from a hasty cleansing the night before. The more I got to know her, the less resolve I had to keep my guard strong against her. There was power in her sexuality. She knew how much strength she had when she moved her body, calling to me, begging to be conquered and forced to submit.
But I knew one truth: the revenge, hersurrender, would be sweeter if it were her choice. If she camewillingly.
I punched in her phone number and sent a quick text:Morning.
On the screen, she lazily dragged an arm over her nightstand, then picked up her phone.
Good afternoon, she replied.
Let me get you breakfast, I sent,On-site. Not a date.
Meals are provided to the servers, she responded.
But not from the gourmet kitchen on the club side, I said, taking a wild guess that they might have a separate kitchen for the staff.Not a date. A friendly meet for an afternoon coffee.
What an offer! Are you trying to seduce me?she sent.
She put the phone on the nightstand and started undressing. The curves of her hips outlined by the cotton panties made my mouth water.Always, I sent, but she ignored the alert. She pulled off her shirt, her breasts bouncing free, my hands itching to grip them. Then she looked at her phone. She rolled her eyes at the text, and a faint smile crossed her lips.
I punched in another text,If it makes any difference, I won’t be visiting the club tonight.
She started to type, then stopped and erased. Finally, she sent:You don’t want to have fun?
I have obligations, I sent. What kind of obligations, I would leave vague. She didn’t need to know that it had nothing to do with work. That those mysterious obligations were nonexistent, but a way to make coffee seem more appealing. To achieve this thought process, I wouldn’t be there in the evening; she might as well see me now.
Her shoulders sagged. It had worked.
Coffee sounds good, she sent.
Another boundary defeated.
***
By the time I sent Haley a text that I was waiting in the restaurant, it was seven o’clock. The club would open in another hour. I expected her to be in lingerie and a robe, to treat our outing like an early work session. I was partly right. Her face had her usual shades of makeup, but with her hair straightened down her back. She wore tight jeans and a v-cut shirt that amplified her small cleavage. Ballet flats were snug on her feet.
She took the seat in front of me. “You know I can give you a credit for the meal. It won’t cover the entire entree, but it would take care of some of it.”
I smiled, though I didn’t say anything.
“Obligations?” she asked. “Dare I ask?”
