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“But I—”
Interrupting her protest, I repeat my order. “Go. Upstairs. And. Wait. For. Me.”
My gaze is locked on Mr. Riley until I hear the basement door close, and only then do I move and pick up the spy cam. It isn’t broken, and it isn’t turned off, but I realize it’s covered by something black—a thong. Why the hell is she taking her underwear off in front of Mr. Riley?
“Sad you missed the show?” Fisting the scrap of fabric, I force my face into a neutral expression before turning around to look at him again.
Don’t let him get to you. He’ll say anything to rile you, and you don’t know what she did or didn’t do.That’s what I keep mentally telling myself repeatedly while I look at him without saying anything. When he fidgets, I get the urge to hose him down or maybe tighten his restraints—possibly even both.
I don’t stay long with Mr. Riley. After all, there’s no point. He’s not saying anything I want to hear, and I’m not saying anything. Period. My silence still rattles him, but even that can only keep me entertained for so long, especially when I have so many questions for Mia.
Kicking off the wall I’m leaning against, I check the speakers are still connected before I leave Mr. Riley alone.
“… I love you, and I will see you tomorrow. You will look great, I’ve made sure of it. I hand-picked your suit and the tie will be tied by a professional so you won’t have to spend ages getting it right. I’ve also made sure you like the food, and the venue is definitely a place right up your alley. Everything will be perfect, you’ll see.” Mia looks up, and when she sees me, she adds. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Take care.” Then she hangs up.
I debate whether or not to ask who she was talking to, but that will just sidetrack me. That is, if she would even answer me, something I’m not feeling too sure about.
“Why did you cover the spy cam with your underwear?” I ask and throw her the black thong at the same time.
Pursing her lips, Mia says, “We needed a private conversation, and I didn’t know if you were watching.”
“And you couldn’t just tell us that?”
“No, I don’t think it would have been that easy. You would have wanted to know about what, and I know Alec is looking at the app instead of joining me most of the time. How could I be guaranteed the privacy I needed?”
Without thinking, I say, “When have we ever given you a reason not to trust us?” I barely finish saying it before I regret it. “Scratch that. You could have still asked, though. I think we’ve done a lot to show you that we will give you whatever you need.”
Yeah, I’m definitely not the one to lecture anyone about trust.
“Fair point. I’ll take it into consideration next time.” Fuck me, her lackadaisical tone is grinding on me, and I want nothing more than to take her to bed and fuck the indifference right out of her—and that’s precisely why I shouldn’t be alone with her.
I look around in a desperate attempt to locate Kas and Alec, and it’s only then I realize that all the lights bar the one over my head are switched off. It looks like we’re the last two standing.
“Where are you sleeping tonight?” I ask.
There’s a hint of a smile on her face when she replies, “Can I spend the night in your room?” I’m just about to say I’ll sleep on the couch when she adds, “With you, Coen. I don’t want to be alone.”
I feel my Adam’s apple bob when I forcefully swallow, needing to wet my throat. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Instead of answering me, the little minx licks her lips slowly and deliberately before walking upstairs and straight to my bedroom.
As soon as we’re in my room, Mia removes the clothes she wore for dinner. This is the first night I’m spending with her since the time I left her alone to play with Woofer, and I take a moment to recognize the irony of how much our roles have now changed. Now it’s no longer me that has a pet in the basement, it’s her—just as it’s her that’s likely to leave me to go down there. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Sure, the situation isn’t entirely the same, but it’s similar enough.
“Mia,” I breathe when she stands in front of me, almost naked, gnawing on her lip with a lost look in her eyes. “Do you want to borrow a tee?”
Shaking her head, she looks anywhere but at me. “Do you want me to wear one?”
“That’s not the—” It’s only now that my mind catches up to the fact that she stands in front of me, only wearing a skimpy pink thong, which makes me even more curious about the black pair. “Were you wearing two thongs?” I ask in a confused tone.
“No, I wasn’t wearing the black pair. He couldn’t see under my dress, so I only pretended to step out of them.”
I get the sense that she thinks this clears everything up, which it doesn’t. “But why?”
In a definitive tone, she says, “Not tonight, Coen.” Then Mia crawls under the covers.
Although we’ve been naked every other time she’s slept in my room, I leave my boxers on. I am following her lead. Once I’m under the covers, I keep as much distance as my bed allows.
The words Mia spoke on New Year’s Eve about what Mr. Riley did to her haunt me now more than ever. It’s not merely because she’s still wearing her panties, no. The look she got in her eyes when she absentmindedly fingered the lace on her hips was enough to make my heart feel like it was being stabbed. No one should look that spooked by the thought of removing any piece of clothing.
