Page 45 of Faithless
Her nod was hesitant, and my heart broke as she searched for judgment in my eyes. “I have two aunts who’ve been married over twenty years,” I said. “Well, neither one is blood-related to me, but they’re still my family, and I love them. Oh, and I have three uncles who are with each other plus a woman, my other aunt.” I grinned at Paige’s open-mouthed shock. “So yeah, my family’s pretty big. And there’s all kinds of fun relationship combinations. It’s pretty great. Just more people to love and support you.”
“I…wow. Pardon me, ma’am. I’ve never heard of such dynamics.”
“Like I said, you don’t have to censor yourself around me. I’ve heard it all, due to the sheer amount of people in my life. I find silence to be pretty eerie, if I’m being honest.” The only kind of silence I liked was the steady roar of my motorcycle and the wind in my face. Fuck, it had barely been a day and I already missed riding something fierce.
“Can I ask where you’re from, ma’am?” Paige asked.
Shit. I bit the inside of my cheek, remembering what Torr said last night. The staff could report anything suspicious to Nella. I had to be more careful and probably already spilled too much.
“Blakeworth.” I silently prayed she had worked somewhere else and wasn’t familiar with the elite families. “A cousin helped us with our resort application as a wedding gift, and we were thrilled to be accepted.”
“Congratulations!” Paige’s tone betrayed nothing as she applied a final swipe of lipstick before she capped the tube and stepped away. “You’re all finished, ma’am. Is everything to your liking?”
I leaned toward the mirror, inspecting the look. She put wispy green feathers in my lashes and stuck small green gemstones at the corners of my eyes to contrast with my pinkish-purple irises. My eyeshadow was a dark, smoky purple and my lips the color of a ripe plum.
“Thank you, Paige. I love it.” I turned to smile at her. “You do great work. I look like a sorceress.”
She dipped her head in respectful nod. “If I may say, ma’am, thank you for the opportunity to work with you and…to talk with you. I felt inspired while creating your look, and, well, I enjoyed doing it.”
A warm glow filled my chest, and I smiled so hard I was sure I’d crack the lipstick. “Thank you for the conversation. I enjoyed talking to you too. Maybe I…” I stood from the chair, smoothing my hands down my dress. “Maybe I could keep you to myself while I stay here. Would that be alright with you?”
Paige’s mouth gaped open and closed a few times before she bowed her head. “I would be honored, ma’am! I…I’d love nothing more than to assist only you. I, holy shit!”
Her muttered curse made me laugh. I liked this woman, and while I would remain cautious about what I told her, I felt like I could trust her. “How should I go about that?” I asked her. “Just tell Nella that I want you assigned to only me?”
“Yes, ma’am. Her extension is by the phone on the side table in the foyer. You can just leave a message for her, and she’ll see to it.”
“Perfect. Say, does that phone make outside calls?”
Paige shook her head. “No, ma’am. Only within the resort for whatever services you may need.”
I thought so, but it was worth a shot.“Thanks, Paige. And you can call me Rori, by the way.”
She blinked. “Ma’am?”
I shook my head. “Don’t know who that is.”
A smile pulled at her lips, and she looked from side to side like she was about to say something utterly scandalous. “Alright, um…Rori.”
“It’s fun to be rebellious, isn’t it?” I grinned at her and did one last check in the mirror. “Thank you again.”
“It’s my pleasure.” She did a little curtsy. “Will you be coming back here after the event? I can prepare your room for bed.”
“That would be amazing, thank you.” I didn’t know exactly what all that entailed, but she seemed excited to do it.
A knock on my bedroom door had us both turning around. “Come in, Torr,” I called, recognizing the signature pattern of his rapping.
A few seconds passed before he appeared. Despite picking the smallest bedroom, it still had its own mini foyer, sitting area, walk-in closet, and luxurious bathroom before the actual room with the bed in it, which was also stupidly big. Torr’s heavy footsteps bypassed all of that to stand before us, and damn, what a sight.
He was in his workout pants and sneakers, topless except for the towel around his neck, which he used to wipe the sweat from his forehead and neck. His skin was flushed, breaths ragged like he literally just stepped off the treadmill. After barely talking to me for a full day, I couldn’t imagine why my room was his first stop after the gym and not the shower closest to his own room.
“Hey,” I said, keeping my gaze firmly above his collarbones.
“Hey, Ror.”
Torr dropped the end of the towel he’d been using to wipe his face. He studied me from head to toe, mouth flattening with displeasure. I tried not to take it personally. I looked fucking hot, thanks to Paige. It was the whole rich-lady facade he hated, not howIlooked in particular. Still, it stung that he looked at me with such disapproval.
“So, there’s a dress code for this gladiator fight?” he grunted out.
