Page 57 of Make Believe

“You guys didn’t need to come,” I say sheepishly with a sniff.

Jessie and Harper share a look. “Erika said it was an emergency, so yeah, we did,” Harper explains.

“But, um,” Jessie adds nervously. “We ran into someone else in the hall. He said he had to speak to you.”

They move aside…and then there’s Rafferty, standing right in front of me.

I squeak, unable to do much else.

“We’ll, uh, give you guys some space,” Erika says, ushering my friends out. I just stare at Rafferty until I hear the front door open and close, signaling that we have the apartment to ourselves.

“How did you find me?” I blurt out.

He chuckles ruefully and shakes his head. “You’re my employee, remember?”

My face burns. No, I had quite forgotten that. “I’ll pay the money back,” I mumble, unable to meet his eyes.

“Why would you do that?” he asks. His calm demeanor is killing me.

I wince and hug my knees to my chest. He’s just standing over me as I try and do my best to disappear. But he’s betweenme and the door, so escape isn’t going to be as easy this time around.

“You know why,” I rasp. “I tricked you. It was all a lie.”

“Was it?”

“Yes!” I snap, finally glaring right into his eyes, fresh tears falling down my face. “Weren’t you listening to Logan? It was all a plot to get revenge on him for humiliating me. For him never once treating me with respect despite all the times I let him fuck me. For him treating me like I wasnothing.”

For a moment, Rafferty is still. Then he nods and goes and sits on the chair at my desk, facing me, his hands clasped between his knees. “And how were you going to do that? Do you have photos of the two of us in compromising situations? Videos? Sound recordings? Did you have someone spying on us at the party last night? Or when we met?”

I swallow and shake my head. “No,” I say softly. “That was the plan, but…”

“But you didn’t actually go through with any of it,” Rafferty says. I don’t understand what he’s saying. But I realize he’s right about one thing.

“You were paying me,” I say.

“Yes,” he agrees. “As a personal assistant. Were you going to prove that wasn’t your job?”

“I could have,” I say with a shrug, looking away again.

“But you didn’t?” he prompts. “Are you going to?”

I shake my head more vigorously, squeezing my eyes shut as more tears leak out. “No, I swear!” I cry pitifully. “I wasn’t going to do anything. I wasn’t ever going to tell you. I-I changed my mind.”

He sighs. “Then pardon my confusion, Kadence, but what the hell’s the problem here?”

“Iusedyou!” I yell at him, angry that he’s making me spell out my failings so cruelly. “I knew who you were that first night,and I seduced you to try and ruin your family name so I could get revenge on my heartless fuck buddy! I lied! I took advantage of your very real bisexual awakening! I am nothing but scum and Logan is right—youshouldreport me to the police!”

My words hang in the air for quite some time as I pant. We stare at each other.

“Do you want me to be disappointed?” Rafferty asks.

“Yes!” I reply incredulously.

He nods once. “Fine. I’m disappointed that my son hurt you. He’s going to have to work very hard to earn my forgiveness on that one. I’m disappointed you left without allowing us any time to talk through not just the events of this morning but also what happened last night. I’m disappointed that you scared me when I searched the house and couldn’t find you. I’m disappointed that my boy still seems to be in that bed and not wrapped in his Daddy’s armswhere he belongs.”

He actually looks a little pissed off by the time he finishes speaking. I blink, trying my best to digest his words.

“W-what?” I say eloquently.

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