Page 45 of Gluttony

Orion’s eyes meet mine and I can’t help but smile at him, whispering like we’re conspiring against the king. “Oh uh. Grumpy Daddy’s calling and he’s not happy.”

Orion leans in, his mouth at my ear and his breath dancing across my skin. “Don’t ever fucking call him that again.” Then he kisses my cheek and walks away while I giggle like a fucking school girl. Who the fuck am I right now?

Just as he reaches the doorway, he stops and turns.

“Feel free to walk around, stretch your legs out. Hayes and I have our morning run but it shouldn’t take more than an hour. The fridge is full if you need anything. Our bedrooms are off limits, though.”

Silly man should know not to dangle the forbidden fruit in the face of a bored and curious patient.

“Well, now I just want to snoop even more.” Also, them being away is the perfect opportunity to take a sneak peek into the apartment and see where they hide the Abyss. We know it’s here, we saw the Forbes interview Orion gave months ago.

But when he leans against the doorjamb and makes a point of letting his eyes roam down from my face to my legs to my feet, I forget all about the Abyss and let my lips tip up into a slow smile.

“I suggest you take a shower, too. You’re starting to stink up the room.” His words are in complete contradiction to the huge grin he’s sporting, letting me know that he’s joking. Still, a girl’s gotta defend her body odor.

“Asshole!” I throw the pillow that was laying right next to me and when I do, a streak of fire erupts in my chest. I miss him by a mile but my ribs don’t fucking care about that. All they know is that I just backstabbed them by moving the wrong body part.

In a flash, Orion is at my side. “Are you okay?”

“This is your fault, mister.” I’m trying not to laugh because, fuck me, this hurts. “You really shouldn’t pick on girls with broken ribs.”

I’m stunned when Orion glides his lips across my own and breathes out a single word.

“Bruised.”

“Still hurts. Like…a lot.” Our voices are hushed, speaking to each other in secret.

“You’ll survive, pretty girl. If you need help with the shower, you can wait and I’ll wash you myself.” Oh, that sounds like a great time.

My stomach, the traitor, picks this moment to break our little cocoon.

“Eat, we’ll be back in a bit.”

For once, I do as I’m told. I eat, finish my water, and decide nature is calling and she’s an impatient bitch.

It takes me a lifetime to shuffle to the en-suite bathroom, the vibration of every move like a shard poking at my chest. I seriously want to kill the dude who did this. As I sit on the toilet and let nature do her thing, my mind wanders to my attacker.

“You’re going to pay for that, Bowie.”

Nobody knows I live in that place. Mickey and I were fucking careful, we’re the only people who have the address.

It wasn’t the guys…obviously.

As I reach for the paper to wipe myself, I remember the conversation from last week, the night Hadley tied me up to the faucet. Mickey said he’d take care of it.

Surely…no. That’s counter productive, he’d never jeopardize the con by getting me hurt.

I grit my teeth as I quickly wipe and flush the toilet then wash my hands. This bathroom is everything I ever wanted growing up. Both a shower and a bath, two sinks, and a nook in the wall where shelves host color coordinated towels. I’ve pictured their place a thousand times trying to imagine the environment they live in and I have to say the earthy tones are predictable but also perfect for them.

I can’t believe I’m actually here…

That’s when it hits me.

No. No fucking way.

I shuffle back to my temporary bed and look around for my phone. My tray is still on the table, all contents on my plate and in my glass empty. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and try to calm the fuck down. I’m sure I’m overreacting and this is just my imagination and a fuckton too many serial killer documentaries under my belt getting the best of me.

When I open my eyes again, I scan the area and see it. A small rectangle poking out from under the pillow. The simple act of leaning over and grabbing it makes my rib scream out in protest. This is gonna suck for the foreseeable future.

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