Page 106 of The Villain

“Oh. My. Gosh,” Tera breathes in wonder. “You are so winning this one. He’s going to be so mad.”

I nod, my smile turning feral. I want him mad. I want him to be jealous and possessive. He’ll know exactly how I feel about him. Seems fair to me. The landlord is just collateral damage when it comes down to it. I want to know how far Shade’s willing to go. He’ll have to research the entire complex to find who has them.

“Uh, what’s going on?” The landlord tries to regather his wits as he eyes my half-naked body.

“Does Shade know you don’t care about nudity?” Tera bites her lip to contain her grin, ignoring the man standing next to us.

“He’ll learn.”

“Wait,” she bounces in place. “I’ll grab Andi and drive her back to her place so you can play with him more. Without her there, he’ll let loose. Then, I’ll meet up with you at your new place!”

Tera starts squealing and dancing around in excitement.

“Sounds good.”

“Or you could come inside,” the landlord licks his lips.

I give him a dead-eyed stare. “No.”

He swallows hard, arousal forgotten, and closes the door.

“Ok. Wait in here until I have Andi,” Tera whispers in an excited rush. “I’ll position for the shot of his face, give you the sign, take his picture, and then bail out.”

I nod with a grin. I’m always ready to take a game up a notch.

“This is so epic!” She squeals and darts out the door.

As she leaves the red head tenant passes her while digging in her purse. She glances up and does a double-take over my half nude form.

“Are you locked out? I have some extra sweats if you need something to wear while you wait.”

I tilt my head to take her in. She’s wary and grudging with her concern. It’s an interesting mix. She’s also speaking to me despite her obvious discomfort. Not very many people can do that with me.

“I’m playing a game,” I offer just to see what she will say.

“Oh,” she starts laughing lightly. “With the guy that carried you around?”

“Yes.”

“You’re brave. If you don’t win I’ll buy the drinks.”

She passes me without waiting for a reply. I eye her in speculation before regaining my focus.

I pace to the door and crack it open to watch for the sign. It takes a few minutes for her to get Andi into the car. She looks as excited as Tera is as they whisper to each other like children sharing a secret. Andi sits in the passenger seat and watches the door I’ll come out of with an expectant grin.

Tera positions and holds her hand behind her back with three fingers up. She starts counting down. When all of her fingers are curled, I walk out as casually as any other day.

At first, Shade is watching Tera with a scowl. He flips her off. Tera continues taking pictures while he’s oblivious to me.

Andi’s jaw has dropped in amazement. She must not have believed Tera about how far I’d go in this game. She starts bouncing and clapping as I pass her.

“Yes!” Her scream of joy is muffled through the window, but it’s clear.

I keep my focus on Shade.

His face swings towards me with irritation. At first, his cheeks start to flush, and he licks his lips, taking me in as I walk towards his car. He looks like he got sucker punched. Then his brows lower, and his jaw begins to clench. He looks around the parking lot for people as his hands tighten on the wheel.

Tera gets into her car quickly and drives away.

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