Page 172 of Damaged Mogul
“Everything that’s transpired between us since you landed in LA took me by surprise.”
“It’s the same for me. I was expecting an insufferable chaperone, instead I ended up with a brooding billionaire hottie.”
I chuckle.
“Let me explain why I haven’t been in touch,” I say.
“Okay.”
“I haven’t allowed a woman to get this close in a long time. Things between us have been fast and furious. I struggled to make sense of it. After my brother-in-law’s birthday party, I wanted to be with you so damn much. That raw need scared the shit out of me.” I pause. “So, I didn’t call. Yesterday was hell. Still, I could’ve texted or called to let you know what I was dealing with. But I was too busy wrapping my head around how you went from being a stranger to a woman I wanted to fall asleep with.” I weigh my words. “I had a shit night’s sleep and it wasn’t because of Monday’s media circus. It’s because you weren’t nestled in my arms. After Friday and Saturday night, it was a hard habit to break.”
Silence stretches on the other end.
I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure the call didn’t get disconnected.
“Lily?”
“I’m still here.” Her voice comes out breathless. “If it’s any consolation, Michaela noticed the bags under my eyes because I had a terrible night’s sleep. Apparently, my body needs the closeness of a brooding hottie to fall asleep now. A few daysago, I could sleep alone in the hotel’s king size bed the minute my head touched the pillow. I had a restless night, tossing, and turning.”
“I fucking miss you.”
“I missed you too.”
Music to my ears.
“Do I get to see you tonight?” Her tone is bubbly and bright.
“I’ll do you one better. We’re going out. There’s a theme party taking place at a club I’m a member of, and I’d love for you to accompany me.”
“What’s the theme?”
“Angels and demons.”
“That sounds fun. Good girls and bad boys.”
I’m about to burst her bubble.
“There’s nothing nice about tonight’s party,” I say. “It’s bad girlsandbad boys.”
“Oooh. What’s the name of the club?”
“Dark Compulsion––”
“That sounds like fifty shades of mysterious.”
“More like fifty shades of kinky.”
“Kinky?”
“Yes, kinky.”
“As in… lewd?”
“As in darn right depraved,” I say. “Once you step over the threshold of the club, expect over-the-top, obscene, and indecent.”
“Oh.”
I keep talking. “Dark Compulsion is an exclusive high-end adult club. It’s annexed to the Quintus Hotel. It’s where the crème de la crème goes to play. Most of the people you met at Rhys’s birthday party are members.”
