Page 96 of Hide and Keep

I shut the door on her and pull in the deepest breath my lungs can manage.

She’s the problem. She’s the fucking problem. There was no reason for her to show Eighmey up like that. There was no reason for any of her bullshit. She’s the one who told me to watch her from afar. I watched her! From afar! It was only those last twenty seconds that I didn’t. Is she that insecure that she can’t stand to have the attention off her for twenty fucking seconds?

Yes. Yes, she is.

After a tight grin goodbye to Eighmey, I leave the park without looking for Ever’s shoes. I’m sure her spoiled ass has a hundred other pairs.

Suddenly unconcerned with being seen in bare feet, Ever tears from my Bronco before I’m even in park.

“Hey!” I bark at her. “Wait ’til I’m—”

She slams the door so hard, my wallet cries.

Bitch.

Edwin materializes as soon as I make it inside, asking if I’d like the chef to heat up my dinner.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” I say while hiking up the stairs, Ever’s pussy cream hidden behind my thigh. “Miss Munreaux and I will be right down.” I have to make sure she actually made it to her room first.

“Miss Munreaux has chosen to dine in her room tonight.”

I halt my ascent. “Mr. Munreaux okay’d that?”

“Mr. Munreaux is out for the evening and wishes not to be disturbed.”

My phone pings with the notification for Ever’s door. She’s in there.

I don’t have to endure her shitty-ass attitude through an entire meal.

“All right. I’ll take hers to her—”

“She already took her food up with her.”

“She did?” I don’t have to see her for the rest of the night. “Well…” I head back down, fitting the crushed box into my pocket. “Then I guess I’ll be in the dining room whenever Chef Ryan’s ready.”

After Ryan watches my first bite, he leaves me in the enclosed dining room to enjoy my seared scallops atop a bed of baby spinach drizzled with spiced pomegranate glaze in complete solitude. The massive room with pillars in each corner and paintings lining every wall feels even bigger without anyone else in it. And lonelier. Ever has to sit in here and eat her meals by herself whenever Arthur is out? For how social she is, I get the feeling she doesn’t have any real friends. None that she brings around here anyway.

Probably because she’s a narcissist with bad manners, no humor, and a leaky pussy.

Technically, I don’t know if it leaks all the time. I’m just assuming that’s why she’s always after dick, any dick, because another thing she seems to lack is standards. She wants my dick and I’m “the help.”

Does Ever want my dick? Just because she was wet for me, doesn’t mean she necessarily wants to fuck me. She’s certainly drawn my cock enough times to convince me she does.

Doesn’t matter. Ever Munreaux’s not getting anything of mine. Except my loath—

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out to see it’s Ever’s door again. Is she coming down here?

I immediately glance at the door and roll my shoulders, trying to appear…indifferent.

I don’t care whether she eats with me or not. It’s not like I want her to.

But I can’t deny that her company would make this meal a little less boring.

Another notification lights up my screen. Her door. Again.

She went back in? Alone, right? Because she’s not allowed to have guys over.

But if Arthur instructed Edwin not to disturb him, and a guy showed up, it’s not like he could do anything about it.

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