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Please, don’t let Char notice.
Except, he let out a dark chuckle that said he had a pretty damn good idea what exactly had kept me awake until the early morning hours. Actually, come to think about it, I wasn’t sure when I’d actually gotten to sleep.
At some point, I’d just passed out, unable to handle another orgasm crashing through me. When Vance had said I’d beg for him to stop, he hadn’t been joking. My entire body ached when I’d woken this morning, as though I’d done a million crunches the day before and my muscles needed rest.
However, rest wasn’t in my future, it seemed, since Char needed my help on a job.
“I thought you said they’d be here at nine,” I complained before taking a sip of the unsweetened iced tea that I’d ordered at the trendy little shop. The place sold all vegan items, and even Char had struggled to keep a straight face when he’d spotted a sandwich piled high with green alfalfa sprouts, avocado and no meat or dairy of any sort.
“They come here after a yoga class. Sometimes the class runs long. Drink your tea and behave yourself.”
I rolled my eyes and looked around the shop, at the women who all carried expensive bags that shops kept behind locked glass cases normally. They laughed with one another, eating weird raw foods that I didn’t recognize.
What would it feel like to be that carefree? To just go to places like this without a single worry?
It was strange, but ultimately a worthless thought since I didn’t think I could ever have that. Even if I kept my false name, even if I got out of this mess with Lorien, I always had to keep watch over my own shoulder, worry that someone figured out who I was, that someone would try to use that against me.
At least Char found me helpful, though. When I’d asked why he needed me, he’d explained that this wasn’t the sort of place men could go on their own. They tended to stick out, which was the last thing Char wanted.
Just then, the bell above the door rang as two women walked in—the ones we were waiting for.
Rachel and Dilaura Hatchet, the only two surviving siblings of Lorien. Despite being siblings, they really didn’t look much like him. They smiled together, yoga mats hung over their shoulders from straps, wearing trendy and expensive workout clothing that didn’t look as though they’d ever sweated in them before.
The sight of them took me back for a moment, because they were just like me. Daughters of a crime family, girls born into a world that didn’t respect them beyond their ability to create heirs for men in power. They didn’t look all that bothered by their position, of course, but I hadn’t either before I’d known better.
Anything can be accepted if someone doesn’t know they have other options.
The girls went to the counter, but the woman working in the back had already started their drinks. As usual, Char’s information proved flawless, the action showing they came here often.
After they paid, they turned toward us, where the seating area was. When they neared, I played my part.
“Excuse me,” I asked with my friendliest smile. At least this was a part easy for me to play. If Char had wanted me to be some badass, I’d have struggled far more.
Rachel, the older sister, paused and looked at me. Her expression remained guarded for a moment as her gaze moved over me, slowly, taking in all the details.
Which even I knew we’d nailed. I wore a trendy name brand dress, had a purse on the table worth five grand, and had forced my feet into heels that had cost nearly a thousand. Between that and flawless makeup—even I could do that much on my own—I looked exactly like they did.
Rich.
Rachel smiled back, telling me I’d passed. “Yes?”
“Did you just come from yoga?” When her gaze sharpened, I let out a soft laugh. “I just moved here and I’mdyingto get back to my yoga practice, but I just can’t find the right place. You look like you probably know the best places to go to, so I was hoping you could give me some help.”
After a short pause, Rachel’s smile returned. She pulled a seat out across from me and sat in it, her sister following suit. “How can I say no to a fellow practitioner in need? My name is Rachel, and this is my sister, Dilaura.”
“I’m Emily,” I offered up, the fake name sliding from my lips with ease. Using fake names wasn’t new to me, so they were one of the few lies I could tell without problems. “And this is my brother, Trent.”
Char flashed that dazzling smile he had, the one that could melt even me. Even if I knew it was fake, that it meant nothing, it still could make my heart beat faster.
Especially because he never looked atmelike that.
“It’s nice to see girls who take good care of themselves,” he said. “We came from California, and girls there are something else. I was afraid I’d miss out on seeing bodies like that anymore. Thank you for proving me wrong.”
Wow.If I heard a line like that, I hated to admit that it would probably have worked for me. I’d have fallen for it, especially because Char had this way of looking at a person, at smiling at them as though they were the only things that existed in the entire world.
And this burning feeling in the pit of my stomach started, growing with each word he said, each flirty look.
Was this jealousy?
