Page 59 of Masked

“Sounds good. Thanks for calling. I had lunch with Darci today. She told me something that made me… uncomfortable.”

He was quiet, giving her space to continue.

“She said this was the apartment Elise lived in when you first met.”

He cleared his throat, and she knew she’d made him uncomfortable. “It was. How do you feel about that?”

“Like you should have told me up front. Or at least at the point that we got sexually involved.”

“Does it change things?”

She’d been trying to think about that all day and so far, hadn’t come to a conclusion. “I don’t think so. But it feels like you were trying to keep it from me. Is that why it took so long for you to get it ready?”

“I don’t want to talk about that. I told you it was dusty and needed a refresh. But if you don’t like the nice apartment, I’m sure we can find you something else within your budget.”

She winced at his harsh tone.

“I’m sorry. That was an asshole response,” he said after a minute of awkward silence. “It’s not something I want to talk about, but I can see how finding out from someone else that it was her apartment would be jarring. No one has lived in it since she moved out. How do I help you process this?”

She sighed. “You don’t. It’s something I need to process on my own. But thank you for being honest. That’s really all I need.”

“Fair enough. It was hard walking in there the first time, and I almost sold it and bought something else just for you, but that would have taken weeks. So, I had it redecorated instead. We can look for something else.”

She gasped. “Noah, no. I do not need you to buy me another apartment. You already won with me agreeing not to pay rent until after our contract is up.”

He laughed. “There’s nothing to win or lose here, sweetheart. But my five minutes are almost up. Is there anything else we need to talk about?”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me either, my sweet little slut. Make sure you’re ready for me when you’re done with work, because I plan to further your education a great deal.”

“Yes, Sir,” she murmured as she climbed naked into bed. “I’m already ready.”

“Yeah? If I showed up right now, would your cunt be wet and ready for my cock?”

She whimpered at his dirty words and snaked a hand down between her legs.

As if he could see her, he tsked his tongue. “No touching, naughty girl.”

“How…”

“Your breathing changes when your clit is being played with. It’s a dead giveaway. Now keep your hands away from what belongs to me and go to sleep, Reva.”

“Yes, Sir. Goodnight.”

She hung up and fought the urge to give herself the orgasm he’d made her hungry for. That was the power of Noah. He could have her hungry and aching for relief within just a few minutes of talking.

But she also liked the game he was playing and didn’t want to disappoint him. So she asked her smart speaker to play the latest episode of her favorite soothing podcast and rolled onto her side and willed herself to sleep.

Chapter 15

Noah

Noahtoucheddowninthe middle of the afternoon and headed straight for Reva’s apartment. As he was walking into the lobby, a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Coming to see your whore?”

Noah had never hit his children, but it took all his willpower not to punch Parker in the face.

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