Dark Favors

For just one, unforgettable moment, everything in my entire world seemed to stop, and everything seemed like it was going to be okay.

Then I opened my eyes, and she was there, watching me. Paige cupped my face with her hand, and she reached out, pressing her lips to mine.

I almost told her I loved her. It was on the tip of my tongue. Even though I knew it was wrong, and that it wasn’t something I should say, I almost did it, anyway.

I almost told her that I wanted her to be mine.

Almost.

I opened my mouth, trying to ignore my brain, and I was just about to tell her when my phone rang.

“Hang on,” I said. “Fuck.”

I fumbled for my suit jacket. It was undoubtedly completely wrinkled, and probably totally destroyed. I didn’t care about any of that. I managed to get my phone out, and I answered it. There was no worst time for Amber to call with an urgent message about the gala. One of the transporters for the art that was going to be displayed needed a signature. Fuck. I had to go.

I hung up and looked at Paige.

“I have to go,” I said reluctantly, hating that I was going to leave her after everything we’d just done. We hadn’t just had sex. We’d made love, in my opinion, and it had been even better than I’d imagined it would be.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I totally understand.” She smiled at me, letting me know there was no judgment there. She said that she understood why I was going.

I thought that she did, too. She didn’t seem angry or tired or mad. She just seemed like she understood that I had shit I had to do, and that was part of what running a company was like.

Again, I wasn’t really sure how I’d gotten so lucky as to spend my time with someone like her. Paige was perhaps the most understanding human I’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was wild, and she was wonderful, and she was much too good for someone like me.

“I’ll call you later,” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, and I climbed out of the tub. I reached for my clothes, pulling them out of the tub and onto my body. “Take your time,” I told her. “And lock the front door when you leave.”

I handed her the key to the mansion, showing again that I trusted her, and then I left.

I couldn’t wait to see her again.

Chapter 16

Paige

We fucked.

Mr. Locke and I had totally, completely, absolutely fucked in the bathroom of a mansion, and I didn’t even feel bad or sorry about it. Maybe I should have. Would that have been the correct respon

se? Should I have felt bad or guilty or sorry about what happened? Should I have been uncomfortable with the way we’d handled things?

I didn’t.

I felt the opposite.

I felt good: good, and maybe a little bit wild.

After he left, I just sort of sat in the bathtub for awhile. It was a huge tub, and as I sat there, I imagined what it might be like to grab some blankets and pillows and make a little nest for myself right there in the bath. It would be quite wonderful, I thought, and it would be something nobody would ever expect.

Finally, I climbed out of the tub. I needed to get going. I couldn’t just loiter around all day when there was homework to do. As I stepped out of the tub, I heard a little noise, and I looked down. Something had fallen onto the bottom of the tub. A flash drive. It wasn’t mine. Maybe it had fallen out of Locke’s jacket. He might need it for his meeting.

I headed outside, locking up the mansion as I did. My car was parked right there, and I slid inside and took a deep breath. I still couldn’t quite believe what we’d done, but I was happy about it. That was a good sign, right?

It was good to feel sexy after fucking some guy in a random mansion. That was important. I pulled out my cell and called Locke. He answered on the first ring.

“Paige? Is everything okay? Did the key work?” He sounded out of breath. He’d probably just gotten to the office and was in the middle of something.

“Oh, yeah, it was fine,” I said. “It’s just that I found a, uh, well, it looks like a thumb drive of some sort. I wasn’t sure if you needed it today.”