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“I may know a few people that would be able to help, but I’d have to make a few calls,” he finally replied after a tense few seconds. “Wait here for me until I return.”
He stood up and I smiled at him in appreciation as he turned and walked away. He didn’t look at me as he left me alone in the study. I watched his back as he strolled out of the room, taking note of his wide shoulders and muscled frame hidden beneath his suit. After he was gone, I sagged back against the couch. I hadn’t realized how much tension I’d been holding in my shoulders until his presence no longer surrounded me.
It had worked. I’d told my story and he’d believed it, even the parts of the truth that I had stretched out. Last time, I’d sensed a sliver of disbelief in his gaze, but not today. I jumped when a butler entered the room and offered me a glass of red wine. I took it, hoping to smooth my frayed nerves and thanked him.
“No problem, miss. Mr. Blackwood indicated he would return presently and to enjoy a glass of wine on him,” the man said.
“I appreciate it,” I answered, forcing myself to soften my gaze and smile up at him. Thankfully, he didn’t decide to stay or anything and left after that.
I was left alone for a while longer before Jaxon finally returned. I didn’t lift my eyes to meet his right off the bat, allowing myself to take another sip of wine before I braved a glance up at him. He took his seat across from me once again and sighed heavily.
“I’m going to help you, but I want to discuss something with you first,” he began.
“Anything. I can’t thank you enough for your help already,” I sighed in relief.
“I made a few phone calls, including one to your boss,” he continued. His eyes flashed dangerously, and my stomach dropped to the tips of my toes.
Fuck.
I swallowed heavily.
“Did he tell you about Miranda?” I whispered.
“He did, but he also told me a few other things that you neglected to tell me,” he said firmly.
“Like what? Did he make up stories about me too?” I replied, trying to recover whatever he’d learned on that phone call. Not knowing what he knew made it even worse and my mind raced to try to come up with some tactic to recover whatever ground I had lost.
“He told me about the incident in the office yesterday, about how a certain little girl flew off the handle and yelled at her coworker in front of the whole department. He went on about that same little girl ruining his most expensive suit and how he sent her home so that she wouldn’t make any more of a scene than she already had,” he said.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” I replied, lifting my chin and digging my fingers into my thighs.
“I’ve seen the dry-cleaning receipts, Keri,” he replied.
“He was probably just clumsy and spilled it on himself,” I blurted out.
“I have a friend who works in the tech department that oversees the department of education. There’s a multitude of cameras that monitor each floor of your building, aren’t there?” he asked. He’d folded his hands in his lap. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and I suddenly found it very hard to even breathe as he stared at me.
“Yes,” I sighed. His gaze held me captive. I couldn’t look away even if I tried. Immediately, a sickening feeling gathered in the pool of my belly. He knew far more than he was letting on and I hadn’t been ready for it. I’m not sure if I felt tricked or angry that he’d figured this out all on his own, but at this point, I knew I was approaching a point of no return.
Whatever was about to happen was going to happen.
There would be no stopping it.
“Tell me. If I requested the footage from yesterday morning, what would I see?” he pressed.
I could feel my story crumbling. I opened my mouth and closed it, trying to come up with some sort of an intelligent response. I couldn’t think of a single thing. No smart-assed remark. No logical explanation. Nothing. Not even one word to defend myself.
I blushed so hard that I thought my face had burst into flames. I turned my head in a way that my hair fell in front of me, but it was too late. He’d already seen it by the time I’d looked away.
He’d caught me in a lie. He’d seen right through everything.
“I…” I began, but he cut me off.
“You lied to me again, little girl,” he said firmly. A strangled choking sound emerged from my lips and my mind went blank. Fearfully, I met his gaze and saw the same darkness that I’d seen there so many years before.
This wasn’t me asking a friend for help anymore. Any pretense that this was anything else had all but gone. The same feelings I’d felt back then came rushing back. I’d been naughty and Daddy had found me out.
“What happened the last time you lied to Daddy, little girl?” he pressed determinedly.
