Lies That Sinners Tell (The Klutch Duet 1)

“And her husband, Heath,” Jay added, shaking his hand, doing the man nod thing.

The man standing beside her was something else entirely. He was tall. Attractive. Very. Muscled, which was obvious even though he was wearing a suit. He was broad, jaw chiseled, eyes intense on the woman beside him, large wedding band on his left finger. He looked at her like she carried his heart in his hands, like she gave him oxygen. Life. There was worship in his gaze.

My heart stuttered. Jealously, ugly and cold settled over me. A longing for Jay to look at me like that. I wondered how his face would change, soften when he smiled. What I could do to cause his mouth to turn upward, to light joy in his eyes.

“Oh, my God, you’re beautiful,” Polly exclaimed, pulling me into her arms. I was surprised at the hug, but I melted into it. I didn’t hug strangers, but this woman did not feel like a stranger.

“Your dress is absolutely beautiful!” she gushed, letting me go. Her eyes went to Jay and then Heath. “We’re thirsty, and we need to talk without male presences. We need drinks.”

Heath grinned in a way that told me Polly was like this often. Jay did not grin, but he nodded once then walked away with Heath, who kissed Polly on the neck before he left. Jay did not kiss me anywhere.

“Okay, now that they’re gone, we can actually talk,” Polly squeezed my shoulder. “Jay’s never introduced me to a girlfriend before. Which makes sense, now that I’ve met you.”

My neck warmed with her words that were somehow a compliment. Yet a cold chill quickly chased that warmth away.

“I’m not exactly his girlfriend,” I replied, doing my best to not sound utterly pathetic.

She nodded knowingly. “Yes, that’s not the right word, is it? But you’re his.” There was a certainty to her voice, a surety that even I didn’t have.

“I’m his,” I agreed.

“So how do you know Jay?” I asked, desperate to change the subject. I was nervous that I’d spill too much if we kept talking about Jay and me. Surely, this beautiful bohemian woman hadn’t been involved in an arrangement with him. Something told me she hadn’t. And something else made it impossible for me to believe that she was anyone but her husband’s.

Her eyes flickered with something. “We work together. Or, he does his best not to work with me, he just lets me run the shelters.”

I blinked. “The shelters?” I repeated.

Her eyes went soft, almost pitying but not quite. If I was really and truly Jay’s, I’d know what this dinner was about. I’d know about his businesses and his beautiful friend named Polly.

“His homeless shelters,” she clarified. “He owns most of the shelters in the city. But he’s got about a thousand other business, which he most likely didn’t tell you about because he wants to keep up his villain visage.” She winked. “He doesn’t want to show you his tender heart.” Her eyes went to the bar, where Jay stood with Heath. “Or he’s trying his best not to let you know that his tender heart is yours.”

My stomach dropped as I looked from Jay to Polly.

“I know he tries his best to make it seem like he doesn’t care about anything, or anyone,” she continued. “But that’s only because he wants to hide how much he truly cares.” She reached forward to squeeze my hand. “Don’t give up on him, Stella. You’re good for him, the best. And once he stops being so scared of that, he’ll be good for you too.”

I smiled with unease, wishing I could believe her, but knowing she was utterly and totally wrong.

Things had been strange since the charity dinner. Since learning that Jay owned homeless shelters throughout the city. Ones that were being praised nationally because of the way they took care of their residents, giving them more than just a bed. They gave them safety, opportunities, a future. I’d done a lot of Googling when I got back home on Monday morning, finding out everything I could about the shelters.

The ones Jay owned. That had helped countless people. Saved and changed lives. The ones I was too nervous to ask him about. He managed brothels, was some sort of underworld king, killed people and ran some of the most successful charitable organizations in the country.

I would’ve ruminated on this all night if it wasn’t for Wren turning up at my apartment, demanding that we go out dancing because she wanted to prove to Karson that he couldn’t tell her what to do.

“Also, I’m going to grind up on a lot of guys so he can smell them on me when I see him later,” she smirked as she sat on a chair in my closet, watching me slip into a dress and sipping champagne.