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I can’t sleep, both fearing he’ll come into my room and hoping he does. I hate how pathetic I am that one tiny brush of lips on my cheek has overturned the assault that preceded it. Or was it an assault? He made me touch him, but it was me that kept my hands on him. I should know. Every other woman on the planet would know whether they’d been assaulted or not, but I’m not like any other woman on the planet. I’ve led a life so restricted and sheltered that I don’t even know how to feel. I curse my father for everything he has done to me and for what he has made me into. I can’t hate Mercier for what he did to me. Just like the rest of the world, he saw what he wanted to see and went for it. Mercier doesn’t know me. He thinks he does. He sees what the rest of the world sees when he looks at me, but just like I can’t see him, he can’t see the real me.
He took from me, but he also gave me something. He made me into someone else on the outside. He told me the outside world wouldn’t recognize me. Maybe it’s time to make myself unrecognizable on the inside, too. If these three men think they are taking from me, I’ll let them, but I’ll learn from them too and make myself into the woman the world already thinks I am.
They think I’m Lucinda Waldgrave. Slut, whore with the angelic face and most desired woman in the world. What Mercier doesn’t know is that the angelic part of me is the one part I want to rid myself of. I’m tired of being scared. Mercier told me he’d turned me into a dark goddess. Sinful. Maybe it’s about time that I become her on the inside, too.
Mercier has ignited a fire in me and I’m not planning to let it be reduced to embers. These men think they own me, but no one does. Not anymore. for the first time in my life, I belong to only myself.
17
DACRE
Bobby, the concierge of my parent’s apartment block, gives me a small wave as I hurry through the reception area. It’s a miracle he’s not called my parents to tell them I’m here, but perhaps he doesn’t know that my parents ostracized me. After all, it’s not common knowledge. To the world, we are still the perfect family. It hasn’t escaped my notice that Lucinda’s father and my father are practically the same. Same rich bastards that think that because they have money, they own people. Well, I plan on bringing my father down and if I can use Peter Waldgrave’s money to do it, then all the better.
I’m almost looking forward to spending a day babysitting Lucinda. I couldn’t care less about her, but I plan to spend the time setting up interviews for internships on Wall Street. I spent all last night listening to Nix complain about what a bitch she was. He’s on a one-way trip to nowheresville if he doesn’t get over this bullshit with her. I, on the other hand, plan on making my trips to the city count. School’s going to be over in a matter of weeks and I fully intend to score an internship. Maybe this ruse we have going will work and I’ll make ten million dollars, but I’m not stupid enough to pin my hopes on it. Besides, not everything is about money. I want power too. I want to build a business so colossal that I bring my own father to his knees. Ten million dollars will help, but it will only be a start. I need the right connections too.
The elevator doors open and I step directly into the Penthouse foyer. Immediately, I sense there’s something wrong. There’s a chewing gum wrapper next to the aspidistra that sits on the side table. Sure, it could be Mercier’s, but something tells me he’s broken the first rule and brought someone up here.
Sure enough, when I open the door, there’s a whore sitting on the sofa.
Anger rages inside me at the sight of her. I was very explicit. No visitors and no fucking the apartment up. I should have known I couldn’t trust Mercier with something of this magnitude. I mentally curse Nix once again for bringing us all into this pile of shit and then washing his hands of it right at the start.
Ignoring the whore, I walk through the apartment. “Mercier. Get your ass out here.”
He appears from the master suite, naked except for a towel around his waist. Water runs rivulets down his chest, tracing a path over the black of the tattoos. “What’s up, bro?”
I curl my hands into fists. “We are in the middle of a fucking insane operation to both hide and then collect ransom on the most famous woman on the planet and you’ve brought a whore up here, that’s what’s up. You are going to get us locked up, you knobhead.”
He grins at me in a way only Mercier can. He’s a complete lunatic. “She’s actually really nice. You should meet her.”
I grit my teeth and try to control my breathing as he waltzes past me into the living room.
“Alexander Dacre, meet Sinful. She’s quite special, isn’t she?”
I flick my eyes over to the woman on the couch. She has an allure that I’ve never seen in a hooker before, but that doesn’t change the fact that she shouldn’t be here. He didn’t find her on the street. No street walker looks this good. Not that it matters. She only has to catch a glimpse of Lucinda, and this whole endeavor burns to the ground, taking us all with it. I take a hasty glance around the open plan apartment. At least she’s nowhere to be seen. I could clear up this mess before she comes out of her room. Maybe this isn’t a complete disaster. I don’t know what Mercier was thinking. He was thinking with his dick, obviously. I stride round him and grab the hooker’s arm, yanking her to her feet, causing her to let out a surprised yelp.
“Sorry, love, but you can’t be in here.” I pull out fifty dollars and shove it in the pocket of the leather jacket she’s wearing. She stumbles over the edge of the sofa as I drag her out. I open the front door and push her through. Stupid bitch lets out another cry as she bangs her arm on the edge of the door frame, then stumbles into the aspidistra, sending it crashing to the floor. The pot it’s in smashes and dirt covers the marble flooring. Anger ticks through me at the mess she’s made.
“What the fuck! Are you fucking blind?”
No
No fucking way. It can’t be.
The girl turns to me, tears creating black rivers of mascara down her face. I stare at her, desperately hoping I’m wrong and that she isn’t who I think she is.
“Mercier. What the fuck did you do?”
“Play nice, Dacre.” He nudges me out of the way and takes the girl back inside.
“Please tell me that isn’t Lucinda.” I eye up the dark hair with a side shave, the make up - meticulous apart from the dark rivers streaking her face. Black eyelashes framing brown eyes. Brown, not blue. Deep plum lips that have me thinking things that are dangerous. Blonde wholesome angels aren’t my type, but women that corrupt have me hard. Women that have danger in their eyes. Women that look exactly like Lucinda does right now. I know Mercier has done this on purpose to bait me. It’s a sick fucking joke. I don’t have time to lose my shit over a woman. Especially not this woman, but Mercier has made her into something delectable and I really fucking hate him for it.
I can see all her curves from her perfect tits over a svelte waist with the skintight dress. Below it she’s wearing knee-high boots. She looks like an extra from Pretty Woman. No, she looks better than that. Way better. Classy and slutty at the same time. It’s a fucking heady combination and my particular kryptonite. Fuck Mercier and fuck Lucinda. I’m already seething as I slam the door behind us and fold my arms, waiting for an explanation.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Mercier trills spinning her around. My mind roars with how easy he is with her and how easy she is with him. She leans into him as though I’m the bad guy here. Me! I don’t expect the roar of jealousy that floods through me. I don’t give a shit about Lucinda. I only care about the money she represents, but as she clings to Mercier as though he’s her savior, something breaks within me. I don’t know if I’m more mad that he’s fucked up the most gorgeous woman in the world turning her into a temptress whore or the fact that she seems to actually like it, or him.
I’ve been gone twenty-four hours. What else has he done to her in that time? Despite what I said to him yesterday about doing what he wanted with her, I thought Nix’s warning would be enough for him to keep his hands off her, but clearly I’m wrong.
Fury surges in my veins, but I try to temper it back. “What do you think you are playing at?” I grab Mercier and pull him away from Lucinda. She startles for a moment, then sits back on the couch. In the background, the sound of the TV drifts across to the kitchen where I’ve pulled Mercier.
