He was lifeless.
I didn’t like it at all.
After a few days, he lightened up a bit. When he came to the bedroom after work, he was the worst. After spending an hour with me, he usually came back around, probably because he wasn’t thinking about the mess she left behind.
I knew all too well what it was like to lose someone. I was young when my parents died, but I was never the same after they were gone. I don’t have a foundation, with the exception of Joseph. Ariel wasn’t a mother to him, but she was inside his circle deep enough that she was definitely family.
I didn’t want him to lose that. He already lost so much as it was.
But I didn’t know how to fix it. I’d already tried talking to her once, and she was so disgusted by me that she could hardly look at me. How would I persuade someone that didn’t trust me?
Crewe was in a particularly bad mood that morning. He was silent, and his shoulders were tighter than usual. He showered in less than five minutes then brushed his teeth with an irritated expression. He didn’t bother to shave, which told me he was either too stressed to remember or he just didn’t give a damn.
“Everything alright?”
Crewe looked at my reflection in the mirror as he finished securing his tie around the collar of his shirt. He didn’t dance around the topic like he used to. If something was on his mind, he didn’t beat around the brush. “Ariel is coming by to pick up her things.”
“Ooh…” Now it all made sense.
He folded down his collar then pulled on his jacket.
I didn’t feed him empty lines to make him feel better. He didn’t bullshit with me, and I didn’t bullshit with him. “Anything I can do?”
He held up his forefinger before he turned to the stand-up dresser against the wall. It reminded me of something out of a fairy tale because I’d never seen a dresser like it anywhere else. Men usually just had closets. But Crewe had so many clothes and accessories that he needed every nook and cranny. He opened the door and pulled out a black ensemble, a lacy bustier and a matching thong. “Yes. Be ready for me when I walk through that door.” He tossed the racy outfit on the bed then gave me a quick kiss before he walked out.
My mind wasn’t on the lingerie or his expectations of what I would do when he finished work. I was thinking about Ariel, the root of his sadness. I could fuck him as many times as he wanted, but that wouldn’t put him back together.
He needed both of us to be happy.
“What are you doing?” Dimitri asked when I stepped out of the front doors.
“I’m a free woman. I can do whatever I want.” I saw Ariel’s car pulled up to the steps in the gravel roundabout. A black Audi with tinted windows, it perfectly matched her infuriating personality. “I’m just waiting for Ariel.”
Dimitri narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
I couldn’t expect any of Crewe’s men ever to trust me again. “I want to convince her not to leave, that’s all.”
Dimitri continued to stand with his hands in front of his waist, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. “I’m watching you.”
I rolled my eyes and stood near her car, knowing she would leave soon. Crewe never walked his guests to the door, so I didn’t expect him to do it today. Knowing him, he would stay in his office and down a glass of scotch. He wouldn’t want to interact with anyone, not even me. So my chances of getting caught were slim unless Dimitri wanted to piss me off.
Ariel walked through the front doors minutes later, a small duffel bag over her shoulder. Her sunglasses were already on, and she wore a black dress with matching heels. For no longer having a job, she looked awfully professional.
When she noticed me, she halted in her steps. Her glasses hid her expression from view, but I pictured how threatening her eyes must have looked. She started moving again, taking the stairs until we were level with one another. “Get away from my car.”
I ignored the insult. “Ariel, I need you to stay.”
“Now you have him all to yourself, wrapped around your finger. No, you don’t need me for a damn thing.” She opened the passenger door and placed her stuff on the leather seat. She shut the door then turned back to me, her expression still grim.
“Ariel, he’s devastated. He acts like he’s fine with it, but trust me, he’s not.”
“I’m not happy about the arrangement either, but that’s how it has to be.”
“But it doesn’t have to be that way. Look, I’ll do anything to make this work. Please stay for Crewe. Don’t punish him because of me.”