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“That is not the truth!” I cry. “I don’t know what kind of circles you run in, but the city is huge. I catered an event the other night filled with CEOs and investors. A ton of important people. It’s where I met my boss, actually.”
“I thought you had that maid job lined up weeks ago?” she asks, nose wrinkled in confusion.
“I did,” I say. “But my boss—future boss, at the time—was at the event that night. It’s the first time I saw him. And…”
He wore his tux so well that I could almost ignore the fact that he was a privileged asshole. But now, there’s no ignoring the chaos he has brought into my life. If I’d seen him for what he truly is from the beginning, would I have even bothered taking the Uber to his house the next morning? Or would I have cut my losses and got out of town?
It scares me that I’m still not sure what I’d do. What I want.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Lana says.
I blink, breaking out of my thoughts. “What?”
“Your crush.”
My mouth moves soundlessly around a whole series of retorts that just won’t come.
“It’s really bad,” she continues. “I knew you were in trouble when you were talking about him the other night with Alexis. Youlikehim, Ray.”
Finally, the ability to form words returns to me. “No! Absolutely not. I don’t. He’s vile.”
“Aren’t they all?”
“Not like this, Lana. Really. He’s… different.”
“That’s even worse,” she says. “You’re young and still looking for adventure. I can see that getting with someone like him could be exciting. But just like I’m not going to throw away my life because I’m bored, you shouldn’t throw yours away because you want an adventure. Climb a mountain if you need some excitement. Don’t saddle yourself to a man who cares more about his mansion on the beach than whether or not you’re happy.”
“How do you know where he lives?”
She smirks, though it’s tinged with bitter sadness. “Mitchell told me. He called as soon as he dropped you off. Went on and on about how he’s going to make enough money to buy us a place like that.”
The air fryer dings when it’s done, and Lana turns around and opens the drawer. With tongs, she plops my crisped burritos onto a ceramic plate. When she turns to hand it to me, I grab onto the plate, but Lana doesn’t let go. She draws in close, her voice low.
“Promise me you’ll be careful, Ray.”
“You already warned me the other night,” I say with a forced laugh. “I know.”
Lana shakes her head. “I’m serious. Promise me.”
Can she read my mind? Is that why she’s so worried? Does she know that Kirill was right this afternoon? That even as I called him a monster, I was seconds away from diving into his bed and letting him turn me into one, too?
Then why are you still thinking about staying and letting me show you how bad I can be?
I think I’ll die with that question on my lips.
“Rayne,” she snaps. “Promise me.”
I groan. “Fine. I promise, okay? Can I have my burrito now?”
Lana gives me a stern look. Then she releases the plate.
“Thank you. Now… go drink some coffee. And take some aspirin,” I say over my shoulder. “You’re going to feel like shit tomorrow.”
“What’s new?” she quips back.
But I’m not sure it’s much of a quip. I think it’s another piece of the truth.
* * *
