Page 30 of Black Sheep

The distinct purple-foiled stack of condoms on the dresser.

My breath expels from my lungs in a harsh rush as I whirl to face B.

“Who is she?” The question is redundant because I already know the answer.

“I told you, she’s our latest client. I tried to tell you about her when I came to your place—”

“What is her name?”

“Cleopatra McC—”

“What the fuck is she doing here?” My whole body clenches, her name a cattle prod direct to my core. I swing back around to stare at the screen.

B inhales sharply. “Wait a second. You know her?”

Yes.

No.

I slam my open fist against the door. On the screen, Cleo’s head snaps up, her brows furrowing. The confirmation starts a throbbing in my chest.

Jesus.

“Hello?” She eyes the locked door, her face wary.

“Open the door,” I growl at B. “And I asked you what the fuck she was doing here.”

She frowns. “Pretty much the same reason everyone in this building is here.”

Rage fires up my spine. “Be careful, B, don’t fuck with me. Or the next button you push might just reap the results you least expect.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle it. I can also handle some answers right about now. So?”

“Open. The. Fucking. Door.” I can access the door code from my laptop in my office downstairs. Or I can find an assistant to get it for me. Doing either will take too long.

My gaze flicks to the screen. She’s risen up on her knees and crawled to the edge of the bed, her gaze still fixed on the door. “Hello?” Her voice is huskier than usual. As if she’s been crying.

My gaze slices back to B. Her lips press together in a mutinous line.

“I’ll open it. As soon as I get some assurances—”

“Fuck your fucking assurances. Give me the code to the fucking door, B. Right now. Or I’ll find someone who will.”

She stands her ground, her gaze implacable. “Tell me you’re not going to do something…unwise, and I will.”

I’ve fired people for less than the insubordination being displayed right now. But I need the door opened before my head explodes. I take a breath. “I know her. She’s…” Mine. “I fucking know her, alright? Open the door.”

She nods, skirts around me, and punches the code into the door panel. The door clicks. I grab the handle immediately, almost alarmed it might lock again before I can get in.

“I want the code to that screen disabled in the next ten seconds. No one watches her. No-fucking-one. Is that understood?”

“It’s understood.”

I nod. Inhale. I start to push the door open. A thought stops me dead cold. “Has anyone else been here? With her?” The words fly like bullets from my throat, even though I’m not sure how I’ll handle anything other than a no.

“No.”

A tsunami of relief shakes through me.

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