Page 11 of Vow to Hate You

“How’d you know I was here?” she hissed.

I smirked, staying silent. I knew for weeks when she’d be here.

“You’re an asshole for doing this on Char’s birthday,” she stated as she crossed her arms. “She’s going to feel guilty.”

“Guilty for what?” I countered, ignoring the pestering thought that she was right. Charlotte was nice, and I didn’t want to ruin her birthday. But I had to do it today since I didn’t know how long Talie was planning to stay here. “We’re happily married, according to everyone. You should have been so happy to spend time with me after being gone for so long.”

She scowled. “Fuck you, Damian.”

I strode forward, backing her into the elevator wall. Shock flashed in her eyes when I rested my palm next to her head. “You were practically begging for my cock at the club. You loved what I was doing to you on the stage.”

She tried shoving me away, but I didn’t budge.

“That was before I knew who you were,” she spat out. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” I lied, trying to shut down the image of licking the vodka off her body. “But unfortunately for both of us, we’re married. So you’re stuck with me.”

The bell dinged, and the doors opened before she could respond. I grabbed her hand again, stepping out of the elevator. When she tried snatching her purse from my other hand, I moved it out of her reach as we walked down the hallway.

“I need my phone,” she bit out. “I have to text Char.”

“Not yet.”

I let go of her hand once we stopped in front of my door. Fishing my keys out of my pocket, I unlocked the door, motioning for her to go first. She moved forward rigidly, and for some fucking reason, nerves filtered through me. I’d never brought a woman back here. I shook it off, following her, and shutting the door behind me. After twisting the lock, I slid the deadbolt, hearing her curse under her breath when I put my keys back in my pocket.

I turned around to see her peering around my studio apartment. It wasn’t huge, but since it was only me here, it worked perfectly. Everything was all in this one room, apart from the bathroom, which was in the back of the apartment.

The kitchen area was to the left of the front door, and the dark gray granite counter spanned the entire wall. In front of it, there was a small island with a couple barstools. The brown cabinets were a few shades darker than the hardwood floor. Everything was modern, the appliances all stainless steel.

Behind the kitchen was the living area with a white couch and a tv mounted to the wall. A rounded glass coffee table sat in front of the couch, with a small matching end table on the side of the couch.

On the other side of the room was my king-size bed. The comforter was black, and the four-poster canopy bedframe was solid oak. There was a matching oak nightstand on each side of the bed, with a dresser on the wall. The walk-in closet was huge, and the door was near the dresser.

After looking at everything, she finally turned to face me.

“I’m yourwife,” she spat the last word out like it was acid on her tongue, “not your prisoner. You can’t keep me here.”

“Once we have lunch tomorrow, then you’re free to do whatever you want. Well, within reason, of course. As my wife, you still have an image to uphold.”

“Says the dick who works at a club where you lick alcohol off random women,” she retorted.

“Why do you think it’s so secretive?” I asked, tilting my head. “I can do what I want without anyone knowing. And I don’t just work there—I own it.”

Surprise flickered over her face as she stared at me in silence. I didn’t tell her the reason I loved it was because it was a place for me to dance. I didn’t participate in the theme nights very often. And Talie? She was the first woman I brought to the stage.

“Own it?” she repeated, a devilish glint hitting her eye. “I don’t think your father would approve of what you do there. Does he know?”

I grinned at her attempt at blackmail. “You know, both of our parents thought you were at that university for the past four years. They believe you’re working an internship right now. How do you think they’d feel if they found out it isn’t true?”

“That’s where I was.”

“No, it wasn’t. I flew over there to find you. Imagine my surprise when I showed up at the school you were enrolled at, and none of the administration knew anything about you?”

A muscle in her jaw flexed. “You never emailed me about that.”

“I was waiting to use it when I needed to.” I leaned against the locked door, crossing my arms. “You say a word about my club, and I’ll make sure your father knows you’ve been lying to him the last five years.”

I didn’t need to expand on that threat. Even if she was married to me, her father held a lot of power in our state and along the East Coast. If he knew Talie had lied to him, not only would he do everything he could to make sure she behaved, but he would also most likely focus more on Charlotte, so his youngest daughter would never disobey. Having his daughters embarrass him was something he didn’t tolerate.

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