Page 197 of Toxic Temptation
She’s so focused on him that she hasn’t spotted me yet. Her hands shake as she tries to maintain her grip on the sheet.
I should feel sorry for her—a woman alone, cornered, vulnerable in her own bedroom. But every time sympathy threatens to surface, I think about why we’re here.
And the bloodlust rises up in me again.
“Do you know who I am, Shana?” Kovan steps into the light fully, letting her get a good look.
Recognition dawns in her eyes. “Kovan Krayev.” Her throat bobs with a nervous swallow. “Wh…what do you want?”
“Just a conversation. Maybe a small favor.”
“I c-can’t help you with anything.”
“Actually, I believe you can.” He moves closer, hands clasped behind his back in a deliberate way that frightens even me. “You’re a board member, yes? That comes with voting power. Influence.”
“You don’t understand what you’re asking?—”
“Oh, but we do.” I step out of the shadows, unable to stay quiet any longer. “We understand perfectly.”
Her head whips toward me. The sheet falls forgotten as her jaw drops. “Vesper?”
I move to Kovan’s side, drawing strength from his presence. “Good evening, Shana. Love what you’ve done with the place. Very… extensive.”
“How dare you break into my home!” She seems more outraged by my presence than by Kovan’s. “You little?—”
“I’d choose your next words very carefully,” Kovan interrupts. “I don’t appreciate anyone speaking disrespectfully to my woman.”
My woman.Those two little words sear through me like a shot of whiskey. I feel every inch of skin, every simmering nerve. I’m alive in a way I’ve never been before.
What is this man doing to me?
I shake my head to return my attention to the task at hand.Focus, Vesper. Focus.
“This is breaking and entering,” Shana continues, scrambling to cover herself again. “It’s illegal. You can’t just?—”
“Know what else is illegal?” I cut her off. “Embezzling hospital funds. Profiting from human misery. Letting children die while you line your pockets. That stuff is highly frowned upon, Shana. Judges and juries donotlike that sort of thing.”
She straightens, some of her old arrogance returning. “Do you have proof?”
I can only blink. Having the guts to deny it, when we’re obviously very sure of what’s happening, is astounding. “What?”
“Proof,” she repeats. “Of these wild accusations you’re making.”
Kovan’s arm slides around my shoulders. “Funny you should ask.” His tone is conversational, almost friendly. “We do have proof. Lots of proof, for all kinds of things. DNA proof, for instance, confirming your youngest son isn’t actually your husband’s.”
I turn to stare at him. “Huh?”
He doesn’t break eye contact with Shana, who’s gone pale as parchment. “We also have photographs. Lots of those, too. You and your… What's the appropriate term? Lover? Fuck buddy? It’s honestly impressive how you and Jeremy have managed the whole thing—I wasn’t sure I’d catch you alone tonight, given how busy your social calendar is when Michael’s out of town.”
“You’re lying.” But her voice wavers.
“I don’t lie about business,” Kovan says mildly. “Speaking of business, I also have a copy of your prenup. Excellently drafted, by the way. Very thorough. In case of adultery, the wronged spouse gets everything. The house, the cars, the kids, the beach place in Malibu you’re so fond of. Tell me, Shana: Are you prepared to lose it all?”
She climbs out of bed on unsteady legs, wrapping the sheet around herself. Standing upright, she looks older. Smaller.
Human.
“You want me to resign from the board?”
