Page 80 of Boardroom Mask

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

31

JILLIAN

“I want you to notice / When I’m not around”

— “Creep” by Radiohead

Oh.

This.

Motherfucker.

He’s got me pinned against the wall, the sick fuck, and I know he’s loving it. I can feel the evidence of exactly how much he’s loving it hard between us. I want to tell him where he can stick that—spoiler: not anywhere near me—but I can’t find the words. It’s like they’ve all gone flying out of my head.

No. No, no,no! I didn’t come here to go blank; I came here to rip his damn throat out.

I duck under Kir’s arm and shove past him, putting the desk between us. I need distance or I’m going to do something extremely stupid.

“You’re a voyeur,” I accuse. “That’s what this is. You put a camera in my bedroom. In mybedroom, Kir. Where I sleep. Where I get dressed. Where I?—”

“Where you what?” he asks, way too calm.

“Don’t you dare try to finish that sentence for me.” I point a quivering finger at the camera sitting on his desk. “We had a deal. Very clear rules. You remember those? No names, no faces, no falling in love. Nowhere in there wasinstall surveillance equipment in my fucking air vent so you can watch me undress when you’re not around.”

He perches on the edge of his desk and folds his arms across his chest. He looks almost bored. That makes it so much worse.

“You’re a stalker,” I continue. “You’re messed up and you need help. Professional help. The kind with a couch and a prescription pad. And maybe a straitjacket.”

“Are you done?”

“No!” I cry out. “I’m not even close to done! You lied to me. This is a complete and total violation. How long have you been doing this, huh? A week? Two weeks? Since the first night?”

“No.” He shakes his head. I start to breathe a sigh of relief, until he says, “Since thesecondnight.”

“Thesecond—” I press both palms over my eyes until I see stars. “Oh my God.”

“Jillian—”

“No. Shut up. I’m talking.” I drop my hands and glare at him. “This is over. Whatever this was or wasn’t, it’s done. I’m out. This was a bad idea from the very start and I should’ve knownbetter, and Ididknow better, and I did it anyway because I am apparently the dumbest woman in the universe.”

He doesn’t react. That’s the thing about Kir that drives me absolutely up the wall. When I yell, he goes quiet. When I escalate, he settles. It’s infuriating. I want a fight and he keeps giving me a chess match.

“You done now?” he asks again.

“I… Yes.”

“Good.” He uncrosses his arms and puts his hands on his knees. “Then let me remind you of a few key facts. My father sent me to kill you. You already know that. I told you myself.”

“I’m aware, yes, thanks for the recap?—”

“And what do you think happens if I don’t do it?” His brow furrows. “Think, Jillian. You’re a smart woman. Think about this for more than five seconds. If Kir doesn’t kill the reporter, what does Lukas do next? Does he shrug and move on? Does he write it off as a loss? Send a fruit basket and his heartfelt condolences?”

I don’t answer.

“No. He sends someone else. Someone who will actually do it. And that someone doesn’t climb through your window and politely ask you to kneel. That someone kicks your door in at three in the morning and does things to you that I—” He stops and covers his mouth with his hand for a moment. “That camera isn’t me getting off on watching you change clothes. Well, notjustthat. It’s also me making sure you’re still alive when I can’t be there to keep you safe myself.”