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Twirling the rose between my fingers, I walk over to my window and lay it along the edge of the frame.
Taking a deep breath, I pull a soft black knit cardigan out of the wardrobe and put it on, wrapping it tightly around my shoulders. My phone vibrates in the pocket of my jeans. I reach in and retrieve it, hoping it’s Jaxon.
Don’t be stupid. He’d never text. Jaxon much prefers to hear how his voice affects me. I stare down at the message filling my screen, my heart thumping.
Ryan: I can’t wait to pick up where we left off. Meet me at 401 John Spenser Street at noon.
I have no idea who or what is at that address, and I’m not about to find out. Not with him, anyway. My hands shake as I tap out my reply. I spent most of the night perfecting my plan, and even though I’m confident that it’s going to work, there’s so much that can go wrong.
Me: I was just about to text you. How about we meet at the Elemore? I’ve booked a room under the name Hannerbray.
Ryan: I’d prefer somewhere a little more private.
Me: And I’d prefer somewhere a little more mutual.
Ryan: Fine, but I’ll book the room. Cancel your reservation. I’ll be in touch.
I slide my phone back into my pocket and sigh with relief. Phase one complete. Now I just need to wait to see what name he’s booked under so I can call Jess. Within a few minutes, Ryan texts me back.
Ryan: John Stevens, room 202.
My hands shake as I forward the text to Jess. God, I hope this works. All I can think about is how many ways it could fail. I could end up dead. Don’t think about that. Jess will be watching. She won’t let anything happen. You’ve got this.
“I’ve got this,” I mutter. I grab my purse and stalk out the door, wishing I really felt that confident.
I stand outside room 202 an hour later, trying to summon up the courage to knock on the door. Just as my fist is about to hit the door, I spy Ryan out of the corner of my eye, heading toward me. He smiles and nods approvingly at my dress, slowing to a stop when he reaches my side.
“Are you joining me?” he asks, reaching for my hand. “I have a meeting I need to get back for in an hour.”
“I thought this was your room,” I mumble, confused. He leads me back down the hall to the elevator, away from the safety of the cameras and Jess’s watchful eye.
“I booked two rooms, Charlotte. If there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, it’s never trust a woman. No offense,” he adds, smirking. Flustered, I begin to panic. If he notices my change in behavior, he doesn’t comment.
As the elevator doors slide closed, he wastes no time letting his hands wander all over my body. Before I can comprehend what’s happening, we’re standing outside room 304. He swipes his key, unlocking the door.
He walks inside, then turns around to give me an odd look.
“Are you coming?”
Nodding, I stumble forward. He smirks, enjoying my nervousness. My heart pounds as I follow him into the room. Wiping my sweaty palms against my thighs, I rack my mind for a way to get out of this. I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t going to go well for me.
“Now, if I recall correctly, we were in the middle of something,” he mumbles. My body freezes as his hands touch me, crawling over my body in a way that makes my stomach turn. I feel sick, and I have no idea what to do. Panic rises inside me as his fingers fumble with the buttons on my shirt while his tongue laps at my neck.
“Wait,” I whisper, trying to push him away.
“I’ve waited long enough for you,” he replies. His fingers tighten around my wrist as he twists it behind my body. I gasp, pain ripping through me as he forces me onto the bed. “I don’t like being made to wait, Charlotte, but I seem to be doing a lot of that with you.”
“I just want to take this a little slower,” I whisper. “We’ll enjoy it more.”
“Trust me, I’ll enjoy it just as much like this.” He forces his mouth against mine as I cry out. I feel my shirt rip as it’s torn off my body. I struggle against his weight as he chuckles in my ear. My fighting is just turning him on even more. His phone begins to ring. Relief sweeps through me as he pushes himself off me, cursing. Angry, he retrieves it from his pocket. Holding it to his ear, he barks a greeting down the line.
“Fuck,” he mutters, kicking the wall. “Okay, please tell him I’m on my way.” Still cursing, he hangs up the phone. “My appointment is early. If you wanted a way out of this, you’ve got it.”
I struggle to get off the bed and onto my feet, grabbing my shirt to cover my chest. Moving the hair out of my eyes, I try to catch my breath, my heart pounding, as he gathers his things.
“If you tell anyone about this, I guarantee you’ll live to regret it. I don’t need to tell you how powerful I am in this state, do I?” His eyes narrow and I shake my head, not doubting for a second that he’d kill me if he needed to.
He’s been gone for less than five minutes when there’s a soft knock on the door. I jump up, not sure what to do. Who the fuck knows I’m here apart from Ryan and—
