Page 74 of Purchase Power
Lucy should have been pleased that she was so special. Yet all she could do was bubble in anger that so many people were walking all over her after two weeks of isolation in this bigass house. “So you thought it all right to walk in on us? Do you usually make it a habit of walking in on your employer when he might be asleep or doing God knows what?”
“This isn’t about me, Ms. Craig.” Candace wasn’t usually so short with Lucy. Not like this. “Please understand that there are rules in this household. I have special permissions because of my long relationship with the Gabriels. If you think I’m walking in on inappropriate instances all the time, then you are sorely mistaken. Mr. Gabriel trusts me with the goings-on of his household. And his secrets, I might add.”
“Don’t worry. I know it’s all about me. Because like his mother said, I’m the whore.”
“Ms. Craig…”
Lucy didn’t care how much sympathy Candace employed in her voice. They were not past the point of no return. “So, what is this about me having to pack up and leave?”
Right. They were getting back to business. Time for Candace to square her shoulders and act like the professional she was. After all,shehad unprecedented access.Shewas trusted with the family secrets. Why, if she were ten years younger, she might be the new Mrs. Gabriel for the sole purpose of practicality!For all I know, Noah is sleeping with her, too. Maybe she’s jealous of me. She’s definitely had some opinions she’s kept to herself.Candace was older, but pleasant to look at. She had a nice body. Her submissive demeanor would be perfect for Noah.
That was the bitter side of Lucy’s psyche talking, though. The more she looked Candace in the unfazed eyes, the more she realized there was nothing physically going on between them. Candace was as sexual as a plant.
“Mr. Gabriel has requested that you step out of the house for a few days, Ms. Craig. Please understand that this is nothing against you. It’s simply not a good idea for you to be around while Ms. Merriweather is here. You won’t be able to see him much, anyway.” She paused. “He’s suggested that you stay in a hotel room in the city. He says he hopes to see you for dinner tomorrow evening, since he has business in the city, anyway.”
“So… it’s happening.” Exactly what Lucy expected from the beginning. Tucked away in a hotel room paid for by the highest bidder. A sterile but cozy location for cock-sucking and anal sex. Lucy’s new prison with a view.At least here I got to feel like his girlfriend, kinda. In a hotel room, I really will just be his fuck-bunny.
As if she weren’t already.
“Why can’t he tell me this himself?”
“Mr. Gabriel is busy with his mother. She is a woman who requires much attention to stay satisfied. Trust me, off the record…” She lowered her voice. “It’s for the best. You don’t want to be around her.”
“She’s already called me a whore to my face, thanks.” Lucy grabbed her duffel bag from the corner of the room and looked for things to throw into it. “Don’t worry. I’ll comply. That’s what I’m paid to do, right?”
“Ms. Craig…”
“It’s fine. I’ll take my things to some hotel room in the city. It’s fine! I’ll finally get to go outside and go for a fucking walk. Maybe go shopping for the first time in weeks. Go to a coffee shop and get some writing done.” Yeah, this would be great. Lucy could convince herself of that. “It’s only for a few days. I get paid either way. Not like I actually… like… the bastard…”
“For what it’s worth…” Candace took one step forward, then two steps back. Was she afraid to show too much concern for a woman paid to be a waiting hole for Mr. Gabriel to fuck?She knows, right? He’s been dicking me every fucking day. She probably hears my screams of pleasure. Because I’m a whore, and that’s what I’m paid to do…The gravity of the situation had started creeping into her veins from the day she approached the club, but it was real now. It hit her like a boulder to the face.
Noah didn’t love her. How could he? No man loved a woman he had never met before. Especially when their whole relationship was built on her sexual availability.I did the worst thing possible. I fell in love with him.
Noah wouldn’t come to explain himself or say goodbye. From the sounds of it, he spent most of the day entertaining his mother, distracting her long enough for Lucy to make her quick escape and hop in the back of the same car that had brought her there. The driver was amicable enough as they made their way to the city, the backseat window down and the frigid fresh air calming the heat on Lucy’s face.
She didn’t hear from Noah until the car pulled up to the same hotel they had stayed in a week before. His message came in the form of a short and curt text.
“I’m sorry, Lucy. Please understand. I had little warning.”
Not “no warning.” Noah knew his mother was coming. Maybe she had caught him unawares with her early arrival, perhaps not. It was damn near impossible to tell, and the more Lucy thought about it, the more upset she became.
Stupid… stupid…It wasn’t the same suite, but the décor and the view were near-identical.I’m so stupid. Falling for a man like that. There’s no way he loves me. He only wants me for my body. He only likes me when he’s inside of me.
The first thing she unpacked after removing her jacket was her laptop. She propped it on the table by the window and opened her old Google Doc.
It was still blank, but her mind was on fire with scathing creativity.
