Page 125 of Escorting the Mogul

COLE

“Hey, Cole.”Jenny kissed me when I arrived at the pool. She smiled at me and asked about my day.

But the smile didn’t go all the way to her eyes. Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it.

Something was going on with her. Some energy—it felt like tension—radiated from behind the smile. She was forcing something; I could feel it. But what? My father’s damn words rang in my ears. He’d planted a seed, which was precisely what he intended.

I couldn’t put my finger on what seemed off about Jenny. No one would notice it but me. James and Audrey seemed oblivious to it while we enjoyed the pool and the ranch’s delicious food. Still, Jenny and I were so tuned in that I knew she was hiding something. She was right beside me, but she seemed untouchable, a million miles away.

Was she thinking about running again? Had I pushed her too far?

Did she think it wasn’t safe to stay with me?

We had drinks under the stars, relaxed in the hot tub, and talked about fly-fishing, the bison Jenny and Audrey had met, and the upcoming wedding. No one said a word about anythingbeing amiss. I half-expected Audrey to pull me aside and ask what was happening with Jenny, but it didn’t happen. So I was left with this weird feeling that something was wrong but that I was the only one who could see it.

For her part, Jenny appeared normal enough. She laughed when someone told a joke. She cooed over Gigi, the bison she’d met that day. She held my hand and kissed me. But Jenny—myJenny—wasn’t there. The Jenny next to me in the hot tub had a look of thinly veiled panic. She was with me, but she wasn’twithme. I didn’t know how to explain it. I’d never been in tune enough with another person to experience something like this, so part of me doubted myself.

She’s fine. You’re being paranoid.But being paranoid wasn’t my thing; at least, it never had been. Maybe falling in love with her and the fact that she’d already run out on me once had left me wary. Perhaps I was looking for problems when there was nothing wrong.

But still, the feeling persisted.

It was getting late. Jenny yawned.

“You ready to go back to the room?” I asked.

“Sure thing.” She linked her arm through mine, staying close.

Once we got inside, a spark of hope lit my chest. Maybe Iwasjust imagining it. Maybe everything was fine, and I was just looking for problems where there was nothing.

But then we made love.

Maybe it was because of all the shit going on in my head, but our sex seemed like it was about something more than mere penetration. It was the most physically intense experience of my life. Something was going on below the surface. We started with Jenny sucking me off, but it was more than that. She was trying to take everything I had. And I couldn’t get enough. The blow job led to sex—hard, driving, intense sex. I pounded into Jenny, giving her everything I had, and she seemed to relish it. Butwhen I exploded, reaching my release, I felt desperate. I came, but it wasn’t enough. I felt like I needed to brand her, to do something to mark her as mine for the whole world to see.

I felt raw, on edge, unsatisfied despite the depth of my pleasure. So, I was relentless. When I made Jenny come again, I wanted her to squirt for me. I wanted to own her from the inside out. When she came and gave me what I wanted, I initially felt satisfied. IknewJenny had never orgasmed like that before—she’d seemed shocked by her own body. But there was something else going on. It was that deeper connection that we had. I was giving myself to her while taking her. She was giving herself to me while takingme. It was physically intense, but there was also an edge to the exchange, a palpable desperation.

It felt like she was slipping away from me, and I didn’t know why. Being in the depths of pleasure with her, claiming her body, didn’t make the nagging feeling go away. It only made it worse.

Afterward, as we lay together, Jenny rested her head on my chest. She seemed more peaceful. I thought that maybe everything was okay.

Maybe, I thought as I drifted off to sleep.Maybe.

I wokeup because of the light. The room was pitch black except for one annoying beam, blinking and brightening the room. I squinted my eyes open. Jenny was hunched over on the other side of the bed, holding a phone.

Myphone.

I didn’t say anything. Instead, I lay there, watching. What the hell was Jenny doing on my phone? She’d never shown the slightest bit of interest in it. She never read over my shoulder, watched me as I checked my emails, or read a text, nothing.She’d never acted like she was jealous or suspicious. Why would she? She was my whole world, and I didn’t have the slightest bit of interest in anyone else.

But she was interested in my phone now. Her thumbs flew over the keyboard—she was writing something.

Instead of calling her out, I closed my eyes and waited. She didn’t know that I’d seen her. Before confronting her, I wanted to see what the hell she was doing.

After a few minutes, she put the phone down and quietly crept to the bathroom. I waited until I heard the door close, then grabbed my cell. Nothing was new in my messages, emails, or search history. Whatever she’d done, she’d covered her tracks. But actions taken on cell phones were quickly discoverable, especially if you knew where to look. I went into my deleted messages and found the ones she’d just sent.

My heart stopped.

She’d sent a text to Ramos.

She was posing as me.

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