keenly aware of her eyes on her back, watching while she
learned, while she played. Watching her every move. In the car
now, the exotic scent of her expensive perfume was utterly
intoxicating.
“I can practically hear your thoughts like you’re shouting
them,” Claire complained. “But don’t spit them out. Just don’t
think them at all. Overthinking only gets you into trouble.”
“I was thinking about you,” Haley blurted. “About us.”
“No. No, no, no. There is no us.”
“Claire…”
“No.” She shook her head so fiercely that a strand of hair
detached from the pins holding the waterfall of blonde back
into a tight twist. She was dressed, as usual, in black, but she’d
picked a tastefully tight, knee-length black dress and a black
blazer. It wasn’t a power suit of any kind, but Claire rocked it
like it was. “No,” she repeated, tucking the strand back in
place. “I made it pretty clear that yesterday was a one off.
Believe me when I say it’s not going to happen again.”
“So you just had a massive lapse in judgement? Give me a
break. You enjoyed it.”
“What I felt about it is irrelevant. What you felt is
irrelevant. There aren’t feelings. There are only facts. Facts
and agreements and contracts.”
Haley clenched her hands between her knees until they
ached. “How’s this for a fact? That is total bullshit!”
“I’m not giving you a list of reasons,” Claire snapped.
Beside them, in the passing lane, a car zoomed by going even
faster than they were, although that didn’t seem possible
without defying the laws of gravity or breaking the sound
barrier.