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Her face tightened and she blinked back more tears.
Lucian continued. “He’s in love with a woman who looks remarkably like you. He’s trying to seduce her and he used you to enhance his skills in the bedroom. If he succeeds, you’ll never hear from him again.”
Her shoulders shook as she cried silently. “How do I know you aren’t lying to me?”
“Because I’m in love with the woman he’s after. He sent you here thinking you were a close substitute in her absence. I’m sorry, but you’re not. You see, when you love someone, only their touch will do. It’s only in their scent you find intoxication, their kiss that tastes so perfect. It has nothing to do with you, but everything to do with her.”
“Believe it or not, I know what you mean. I felt the same way with him. I loved going home and still being able to smell him on my clothes.”
“Will you tell him about our discussion?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to believe. I thought he cared for me, but if what you say is true, well, I don’t want to help him. It’s just, I may seem stupid to you, but I don’t really believe he would do that. You’re a stranger. He’s not.”
“A stranger he sent you to fuck. Does that sound like the actions of a man in love with you?”
She was silent. Poor girl really did have her heart wrapped up in that little fucker. Lucian wasn’t stupid enough to say anything that shouldn’t go back to him. There was a huge chance love would outmaneuver reason, and she would help Parker again no matter how Lucian warned her.
He sighed. “Look, I can’t tell you what to do. I can’t even convince you of what I know. What I can do is make you a promise. I promise you, Sherry, that if you do what he asked, if you confess things that happened tonight in mixed company, it will only work to screw us both. When you speak to him next, I predict he’ll try to persuade you to lie about what we did. He’ll want to hear that I easily fell into bed with another woman and he’ll try to convince you to say so in front of the woman I love in order to push us further apart. The problem is, the further she is from me, the closer he can get to her, and where does that leave you, Sherry?”
He didn’t want to say much more. Who knew how sane Sherry really was? The last thing he needed was some jealous, confused hooker going after Evelyn.
“What do you expect me to do?” she asked.
“I expect you to go to him the next time he calls, which you will. I’d advise you not to, but I can see it in your eyes that you’ll need to see for yourself what a prick he is. I don’t really expect anything from you, Sherry. Except for your honesty when it comes to reporting back to him about what we did this evening. The only reason I touched you is because I’ve been drinking and I mistook you for someone else. The moment I realized you weren’t her, I stopped. Nothing happened because I will not do that to her.”
“Who is she?”
“Someone I hope you’ll never meet. And, Sherry, I’m a nice guy, but I’m also a powerful guy. Whatever you and Hughes have going on is between the two of you. I’ll be able to find you if I want to. Don’t get her involved and make me find you. You’ll regret it. Do you understand?”
The girl’s expression fell from intent focus to terror. She scooted toward the edge of the chair.
Cutting her some slack he said, “Put my key on the desk and you may go.”
She stood, slowly walked to his desk and dropped the key. With her back to him, she slipped on her coat and took her time doing up the buttons. As she turned, she said, “Thank you. I have everything I came for. I hope we never meet again.”
“As do I.”
A moment later the door closed and the elevator pinged softly. Parker must have acquired a key during the brief time he worked at the hotel as a bellhop. Lucian knew he could no longer waste away his evenings drinking. He needed his mind sharp.
Parker Hughes was not a man to underestimate. His ploy tonight had only showed Lucian that having the odds tipped in his favor was not enough. No, Parker would do everything he could to fuck him over, and Lucian would never underestimate him again. If he couldn’t go to Evelyn, he needed to get the hell out of Folsom.
Chapter 18
Flight Square
A square in which a piece can move in order to escape an attack
