Page 38 of His to Possess
“What are you doing here?” he demands, and I really don’t like the way he’s talking to her.
“What business is that of yours?” I ask, pulling her closer, because fuck this guy and his narrowed eyes. He looks familiar enough for me to assume I’ve seen him around the club, but his name isn’t coming to me. From the way he’s looking at me, though, he’s very much aware of who I am.
“Do your parents know how you’re spending your evenings?” the guy asks, and Lilah actually sways a little on her feet.
“It’s none of their business, either,” I tell him. “And I’d like to remind you of the confidentiality agreement you signed when you joined.”
He glares at me. “That’s my business partner’s daughter you’re parading around here.”
“Stepdaughter,” she whispers, but there’s a bite to her voice. Some little hint of the fire she usually shows when she’s arguing with me. “And no, they don’t know I’m here.”
I take a step closer. “If they should find out, it will be pretty clear who told them. So I’d watch yourself.”
If he knows who I am, he also knows I sit on the board of this establishment and I will not blink at getting his ass kicked out. Confidentiality is one of the most important guidelines of the club, right behind consent. I glare at him, letting all my emotion show in my eyes.Don’t fuck with me, asshole.
He’s still scowling, but he takes a step back. “I hope you’re doing well, Lilah,” he mutters. “Your parents have been concerned.”
She snorts under her breath. “Sure they have.”
I increase the pressure on her back. “We were just leaving,” I tell the douchebag. “Enjoy your evening.”
He doesn’t respond, but I feel his gaze on our backs as I march her out the door. She remains stiff under my hand as I fetch our coats and lead her outside to where my driver is already waiting. We slip into the back seat and she immediately slides to the end of the bench, getting as far away from me as possible. That sends a stab of hurt through me.
She’s just concerned about her parents finding out she’s been at a sex club,I tell myself.
But something about the encounter rings an alarm bell that’s loud enough to cut through my hurt. She saidstepdaughter.
“Lilah, when did your mother get remarried?”
I didn’t think it was possible for her to get even more rigid, but she does.
“Days after the divorce became finalized.”
“Shit. Seriously?”
She nods, gaze locked on the darkness beyond the window. “Heaven forbid she manage by herself for any length of time. She had the new hubby lined up within days after we…left my dad’s.”
This is the closest we’ve come to discussing the things I learned from Veronica and Jane. I reach out for her hand, hoping I’m not pushing it. “What happened, Lilah? Why did your father—”
“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” she says, her voice shrill. “Can we just go home, please?”
I take some comfort in her referring to my penthouse as home, but not enough to ease the worry coursing through me. Something is wrong, and I hate that she won’t tell me what it is.
“You can trust me, love.”
“I learned a long time ago that I can’t trust anyone,” she mutters, so softly I have to strain to hear the words.
“Fuck that,” I say immediately. “I don’t know about anyone else in your life, but you can trustme.”
She doesn’t answer, just stares out the window at the dark streets as my driver ferries us toward home. As we sit in the silence of the backseat, my plans for the evening shift. Seducing Lilah is definitely out of the picture. I need to show this woman that she can trust me, that I’m here to help her. That I actually give a shit. Whatever I have to do to prove that, I’m going to try.
The first thing I’m going to do though? Call Jane and figure out who the hell Lilah’s stepfather is.
* * *
Lilah goesstraight to the guest room when we get to the penthouse, mumbling something about a headache. It’s strange how quiet the house feels after her door clicks closed. I spend most nights here exactly like this—me and a glass of whiskey, news or sports on television if I need to wind down, the financial channel always on in the background when any market around the world is open. Solitude never bothered me before. But now that Lilah is here, the still silence feels wrong somehow. Heavy.
I fix a drink and take it to my office, shutting the door behind me just in case Lilah gets up. I loosen my tie as I collapse into my desk chair then pull out my phone.
