Page 7 of Liars and Liaisons

After a few seconds, he recoils. His shoulders stiffen, and his tongue retracts before he releases me entirely.

His voice is still that harsh whisper when he speaks again, staring down at me like I’m a stranger. “This is a private area. You shouldn’t be here.”

Unkempt, dark umber hair falls over the top of his mask as he looks at me. The top four buttons of his white shirt, partially obscured by the tailored black suit he wears, are undone.

A part of me wonders if I’m interrupting him, and red-hot embarrassment scalds my face. Of course he came here for sex. Clearly, it’s in no short supply, and men like him prefer an easy route when they’ve gone without for so long.

“You need to leave.”

I blink. Like he’s an apparition I’m trying to dispel.

He blinks back. The fire makes his eyes glow, almost like they’re green instead of brown.

“Let me rephrase,” he says, taking a step forward. Still whispering.

His eyes are now hard, angry, and I wonder if the people on the couch hear him. I wonder if they’re looking at us now, what they’re thinking.

“Youcan’tbe here.”

Somehow, I manage to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth. “I can’t?”

“I’ve said it three times.Get.Out.”

“Out?” I don’t know why I repeat the word. Maybe I’m too busy admiring the way his lips curl around each syllable, having not realized how much I missed him.

Maybe I’m still in shock, trying to process the orgy I’ve found him in.

I should ask whyhegets to be here, but the words don’t come. I’m not used to him being so abrasive.

“Are you suddenly hard of hearing or just being deliberately obtuse?”

“Deliberately obtuse,” I echo, then smack my hand over my mouth. “I didn’t mean to say that.”

His stare darkens, and he drops a quick glance down at my dress. Cold seeps into my pores until his attention returns to my face.

“Are youdrunk?”

“I don’t… think so?”

“Fuck me.”

My mouth parts, ready to agree, but the words die on my tongue when his hand lashes out, gripping my bicep tightly. It seems like mere seconds pass before he’s dragging me across the room and throwing the exit open, enshrouding us in bright light. Gasps come from behind, but his hold doesn’t allow me to turn and look.

He pushes me through the door, his eyes murderous. I trip over my dress, pulling the skirt between my fingers as anxiety throbs across my temples. My brain struggles to keep up with what’s happening.

“Voyeurs pay double,” he snaps, pulling himself back into the room.

I open my mouth to reply, but he just slams the door in my face.

2

Sweat laces my palms,and the erratic thud of my heart against my ribs is all I can focus on for several moments.

I bring the tips of my fingers to my lips, staring at the closed door for a few silent beats. The VIP party behind me continues on, moans and the sliding of skin against skin filling the air, but I find myself unable to move.

Stuck in place, my mouth tingling from the onslaught of that kiss.

A kiss that, for the first time in weeks, halted the monstrous tune that had been playing on a constant loop in my mind. Bewitched me entirely, as if the aggressor had stolen my heart right from my chest with her soft hands.

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