Page 29 of Pretty Poison

I release a laugh, my legs meeting the edge of her bed. Rounding it, I sit at the foot, my eyes never leaving hers. “Liana, you shouldn’t be ashamed; it’s something to relish in. Though, in my experience, I’ve never been caught in the act. You, however—”

“Don’t say it,” she interrupts, giving my arm a playful slap.

“All I’m saying is if you ever want a helping hand, you know where to find me.” And with that, I leave for my bedroom. My cock is hard, the throbbing sensation intensifying and sending an uncomfortable feeling through me. It makes releasing it from my slacks all that much better.

Settling myself into bed, I let the images of Liana play through my mind on repeat, and they help me release the stress of today.

Something within me begs for her to take me up on my offer; I want to watch firsthand as she reaches her climax and comes down from her high. I can only imagine she’s disregarded it for tonight, but I’m optimistic she’ll let me know next time. If she doesn’t, I may have to walk in on her again.

Fourteen

LIANA

“I know I agreed, but can we reschedule? I’m not feeling too great today.”

If I could leave my room, I would, but the embarrassment of Dario walking in on me last night still lingers; my cheeks will forever flush at the memory. His words reel through my mind like a broken record, haunting me:“If you ever need a helping hand, you know where to find me.”The mere thought of himhelpingme sends a rush of heat throughout me, settling in the pit of my stomach in the form of untamed, fluttering butterflies.

Kat stands in my doorway, her face displeased at my words. “You’ve been putting this off for days, Lia. Trust me, you’d rather get the introduction class over and done with before the wedding. It’ll be less stressful that way.”

I nod, not wanting to drag this out, and trudge to my closet.

I’d completely forgotten that I agreed to take Remi’s introduction training class. He mentioned it upon my arrival, saying he expected me to see him within the week, but I never did. Instead, I asked Kat to arrange it so I wouldn’t back out, and now that the day is here, I regret asking.

Snatching an all-black gym set from its hangers, I head into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

I quickly put on the outfit, plait my hair into two French braids and walk back into my bedroom after discarding the clothes into the wash basket.

“Look,” Kat says, approaching me swiftly with a reprimanding expression on her face, but a sympathetic tone leaving her lips, “it’s not the worst thing in the world, I promise you that. Remi might seem like a hard-ass with no respect for anyone, but I assure you it’s the complete opposite. He’s a tough nut to crack, sure, but he’s a softie on the inside—you just have to respect him and he’ll respect you. Disrespect him, and he’ll hold the biggest grudge, and he’ll die with it. He loves his job with everything he has. In his eyes, if you were to decline his invitation to his training class, he’d view that as disrespect. Believe me, you don’t want that.”

I sigh. “I’m not trying to disrespect him; I just—I’m not good with new people. Remi and I haven’t had enough interactions for me to feel comfortable around him. Actually, I haven’t had interactions with anyone besides you, Maze, Dario and their parents. Everyone else here is a total stranger to me.”

“They’re strangers until you take the time to get to know them, Liana. If you keep yourself cooped up in your room, that’ll never happen.”

A small laugh falls from my lips. “I guess so.”

“Come on, I’ll take you down to the house.” She holds her hand out, waiting for me to take it. When I do, she eagerly pulls me out of the room, down the hall and stairs, and outside, only for us to be ambushed by Dario.

The second his eyes meet mine, another flush of heat spreads throughout my body. As his eyes trail down my body, the hunger within them returns.

“Today’s the day?” Maze asks, revealing himself from behind Dario.

“Yeah, I’m going to take her, make some quick introductions and come back. We can leave for our scan after that,” Kat says, guiding us down the front steps.

“I’ll take her,” Dario says, taking a step closer.

“That’s okay,” Kat replies, her tone void of any emotion.

“It’s mid-day, Katerina. Even if you were to leave now, I guarantee you’ll be a little bit late. The streets are jam-packed.”

She looks at me as if waiting for my approval, a sense of pleading in her eyes. Finally, I nod and she offers a smile.

“I’ll come to see you afterwards, okay?”

“With the gender, I hope,” I say, my tone filled with happiness.

She leans closer, embracing me. “Of course,” she whispers before releasing me and joining Maze.

“I hope it’s what you both want,” I add, as they walk to Maze’s car.

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