Page 63 of A Taste like Sin

me opening my eyes to a dreary view of an overcast sky from beyond my windows.

I’m alone again.

A carefully folded note waits on my bedside table, but I don’t bother reading it until I finally find the

strength to stand.

The message is simple:Had some business to attend to. Will return shortly.At the bottom of the

page, he painstakingly added,PS: I have access to your medical records. I will have mine delivered.

I swallow hard, uneasy at the implication. Not only has the bastard penetrated my life further, but

he…

Well, he got what he wanted. Didn’t he?

Thoughts of medical records aside, I drag myself into the shower and dress in the plainest clothing I

can find: a black sweater and pants. After ripping my bedsheets from the mattress and tossing them

into the hamper, I make my usual cup of coffee. Then I slam my fist into the counter so hard that I wind

up crying out and clutching the damn thing to my chest.

What the hell have I done?

Why, I had sex with Damien Villa, of course. Sex with my father’s archenemy while he’s lying near

death in a hospital bed. To put it even blunter: I gave him exactly what he wanted.

Perhaps he’ll move on to the next bored, pathetic socialite? Instead of flowers today, I’ll receive a

calling card or two reminding me of his hate for my father outside my door.

Instead, I find a small ivory box on my welcome mat.

Inside it lies a delicate strip of pink silk covered in tiny, seemingly hand-painted roses. My fingers

shake as I hold it upright. A beautiful custom blindfold sufficient enough to use in whatever game

Damien may have in store for me next. I carry it and the box inside and place it somewhere within

sight, remembering his promise to have my things brought to his place.

When a sharp, shrill tone cuts the silence, I barely recognize it as my cell phone. I answer it absently,

but the voice on the other end snaps me from my daze.

“He’s awake,” Diane says through smothered sobs. “Juliana… He’s finally awake.”

I ENTER MY FATHER’S HOSPITAL ROOM UNSURE OF WHAT TO EXPECT. FROM MY POSITION NEAR THE

doorway, I can tell he’s still in bed. But one obvious change is impossible to miss. His eyes are

open…

Only the expression in them doesn’t belong to the charming, witty man I know. Dark-blue eyes sit like