Page 47 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
“You first,” she replies with a devilish smile. “Go get changed, then I want to know everything.”
Kaleb
“Do you really think calling her Blossom is a good idea?”
Aiden stands in the living room, looking out at the city. From his question, it’s clear he’s remembering our night with Lily. Taking her right here against the glass would be an entirely different experience in the light of day, and I hope we’ll get to experience it for ourselves.
As much as I might want to, I can’t ignore his comment. “Oh, it’s not a good idea. More of a hellishly stupid one, I think. I’ll work on it. But I also think we need to discuss telling her.”
“No. You know how much of a struggle it was at work when she found out I was at the club that night. If she knew we both were, there’s no way she’d forgive us. It would only make her uncomfortable, and by the sounds of it, she’s had enough of that in her life already.”
This entire situation has been eating me up inside. I want her to know I was there the night of the lock-in, but I can also see where Aiden’s coming from. Whatever her past might be, it’s clear that she went through some shit. The last thing I want to do is add more to it. As much as I want her to know, it’s not worthhurting her. She deserves so much more from life, and Aiden and I plan to give her everything. What’s one little lie in the face of all that?
“Alright. I’ll try harder. Now what else did you want to tell me?” It’s only been thirty minutes since Lily left and already the penthouse seems empty. She’s spent one night with us, the real us, and already she’s like a permanent fixture in our lives.
“Elliott called earlier this morning. He has the call logs for Burt’s phone, but without knowing what we’re looking for, it might take a while.”
“Shit. Let’s have him focus on the day surrounding the gala. If Burt has some sordid connection to Lily, then it’s possible he’d have contacted someone after seeing her. If that doesn’t pan out, we can try another tactic.”
Aiden nods. “Already done. Now we only need to wait.”
Three days pass with no word from Elliott. Three excruciating days without a solid plan to protect the woman who dominates my every waking thought. To make matters worse, I’ve been out of the city all week for work. Allegiance Medical, the company we recently won a contract with, had their warehouse burned down.
At first, we thought it was an accident, but from what the investigators are saying, the fire was premeditated. This is the part of owning a business that no one ever talks about. It’s common knowledge that when running a business, you have to deal with competitors, but what do you do when that turns sour? When your rivals make it an unfair fight, what’s the protocol? Do you fight fire with fire or step back and let them win?
With what happened to Allegiance Medical, Aiden and I have to determine if the cause relates to us or with them. Aftereverything that happened with Burt, something tells me we can’t rule out that he might have had a role in this.
As it is, we went up against several companies in order to get this contract, so the list of suspects is far larger than we’d hoped.
The hardest part has been dealing with all of this without Lily at my side. It feels like I abandoned her. I promised her we’d figure out a relationship between the three of us, and then I just left. Granted, it wasn’t entirely of my own choosing, but now I’m stuck hours away with no end to my suffering in sight.
My phone rings, breaking me out of my miserable thoughts. When I glance at the screen, I’m surprised to find Lily’s name. I swipe to answer without another thought.
“Lily. I was just thinking about you.”
She laughs, and I can already picture the rosy hue of her cheeks. “I’ve been thinking about you too. How are things in Pittsburgh?”
“Slow. Allegiance Medical lost a lot of their supplies, so if I’m not fielding questions on that, I’m talking with the police department about trying to find the asshole who did this. Hearing your voice has been the highlight of my week, actually. How are things at the office?”
“Chaotic. Though I’m sure it’s not nearly as bad as what you’re dealing with. Did the owner show up yet? Aiden mentioned they were sending someone from their national team to help spearhead the issue.”
“We met an hour ago. They’ve added a few more names to the list of suspects and got rid of even more, so at least we’re getting somewhere. I’d give anything to be back home. After Saturday night, I’ll admit that it’s harder to be apart from you than I expected.”
For a few seconds, I’m only met with silence, and part of me worries that I’ve been too forward. Maybe she’s having second thoughts? Fuck. It’s too complicated to figure out from so faraway. I really should be there. But before I can say anything more, she responds.
“I feel the same, actually. Even though traveling isn’t unusual for either of you, this time it feels different.”
Relief floods me as her words sink in, washing away every single doubt. Reassurance is a funny thing. Such a small gesture, but shit, does it make a world of difference.
My phone beeps, and I pull away to check it.
“Shit. Aiden’s calling. I’ve got to take this. I’ll call you later?”
“Of course! I hope he comes bearing good news.”
“Me too,” I reply with a smile. “Chat soon, Lily.” I press the button to switch the call, more hopeful than I’ve been all day.
I fill Aiden in on the reports from the police, explaining my conversation with the representative from Allegiance Medical. Apparently, their top suspect is the company we competed with just a few months ago, the one that lost out on the contract. HealthRx. Having never heard of them before our bid, I was shocked to find their name come up again.
