Lies That Sinners Tell (The Klutch Duet 1)

Which meant Jay had either had an exact replica made, or he’d had someone—most likely Karson—break into my apartment when I wasn’t there to get this exact dress. Both options meant that he had somehow seen me in this dress. Which wasn’t all that far-fetched, considering the sheer amount of photographs that existed from that night. But I couldn’t imagine Jay scrolling through social media or any online gossip magazine to see photos of me from my twenty-ninth birthday.

I slipped the dress over my head, unable to fathom either of those options, trying to figure out whether I was supposed to be flattered or pissed off about this. It was incredibly invasive, not to mention illegal. But Jay didn’t care about breaking laws, and he surely considered all areas of my life his. I had given myself to him freely.

My hand smoothed the fabric along my body. Without the fairy wings, it looked classy, simple, elegant, sexy, otherworldly. The ruby at my throat glinted and seemed somehow redder against my pale skin and the white dress.

I slipped one some red heels, fluffing my curls ever so slightly. I’d intended on brushing out the tight ringlets for a beachy wave, but the mess of curls looked perfect with the dress.

As much as I wanted to confront Jay about the dress, I wondered if he expected that. If he was waiting for me to storm into the bedroom and demand an explanation about how it got here. I didn’t want to act out Jay’s expectation of me. Beyond that, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction if he was trying to goad me in to some kind of altercation that would end in me being punished. Of course, I fucking loved being punished, but maybe it was time I punished him right back.

We didn’t speak during the ride to the event. I normally would’ve made conversation. I was becoming more and more comfortable starting conversations with Jay. Talking about nothing. Everything. Still not asking any questions. I knew more than I’d ever thought I would. Something was changing with us. Something that made it clear that this arrangement was nothing like he’d had in the past. I was getting more from him. It filled me with elation. Excitement. Jay said he wasn’t going to protect me from his world, but he’d also made it clear he wasn’t going to drag me in to it any further.

Yet he was.

He was still taking me to dinners. Regularly cooking for me. Taking me to an event tonight that I predicted was inexplicably close to his wicked, hateful heart. That much I knew.

I also suspected that he liked me speaking to him. Liked hearing about my life. Because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have let me keep talking. He’d have told me to shut up.

Or that’s what I told myself, anyway.

He helped me out of the car when we arrived. Kept my hand in his for the entire walk into the ballroom. People mingled everywhere, everyone in gowns and diamonds, but something about the energy of this place felt different. People were talking and laughing, at ease with each other. It wasn’t stiff and uppity like the other events Jay had taken me too.

“You’re here!” a female voice cried out, a woman appearing in front of us.

She pulled Jay forward so he let go of my hand, her lips pressing to his cheek. “Here I was, thinking you’d arrive halfway through the speeches so you didn’t have to talk to anyone,” she teased, a smile splitting her face.

This woman had teased Jay. Kissed his cheek. Spoke to him with a warm familiarity that I envied. There was a large diamond on her left hand, yet something violent inside of me wanted to glare at her, to declare some kind of ownership I didn’t have over this man.

Her eyes flickered to me, warm, inviting. “And you brought a date! Up is down, down in up, I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

A man joined the woman, standing close to her, threading his hand in hers. “Honey, Jay is here, and he brought a date,” she beamed.

The man smiled at the woman before looking at us. “I see that, baby,” he murmured, voice low and sexy.

“Stella, this is Polly.” Jay’s hand was on the small of my back, and his tone was strange. As was the way he looked at this woman. This gorgeous, toned and radiant woman. Radiant. There was no other way to describe her. There was something about her that was just light.

She was wearing a long-sleeved pink dress with flowing sleeves and multiple necklaces around her neck. Barely any makeup on because she didn’t need it. She was the same age as me, maybe, yet something about her was ageless. Young and wise at the same time. She kind of reminded me of Wren.