Page 58

After James introduces me to his assistant, I ask him where I can find the bathroom.

“Hold on.” He hands his bag to Andrea, who’s quick to grab it. Same with my coat after he helps me out of it. “I’ll walk you there.”

“No, no, please.” My neck heats again. I’m his property, not his child, for Christ’s sake. But since he’s giving me that narrowed look of remember who you belong to , I add, “I’ll be back in a second. Really.”

Andrea says nothing at our exchange. James hovers. His tattooed hand clenches at his side, out of her sight.

“Straight down the hall and to the right,” he grits out. “Hurry up. We have a lot of meetings and material to catch up on.”

“Of course, Mr. Hawthorne.”

His jaw tics. He has to be hard. It must hurt.

Too bad I can’t drop to my knees and help him…

Right this minute.

“Go.” My salacious mood must be evident because he dismisses me, the flick of his wrist humiliating and hot. “Where’s Topher?” I hear him asking Andrea.

“In his office, buried in work. That’s what he said. He also asked to see you.”

“I’ll go through my emails and call him. If he comes over here, let him in.”

“Will do.”

“About Miss Monroe’s papers…”

Their conversation continues out of earshot while I head toward the restroom. The ominous feeling from before lingers, and I keep chalking it up to nerves. Excitement of the unknown.

Fear? No. No fear over here. Not an ounce of it. I cross the hallway, tilting my head into this associate’s office. Nodding at and greeting a gray-haired woman who’s gripping a bunch of folders and passing by me.

I act like I belong here because I do. I’m James’s. I’ve been studying hard. I’ll study even harder at school—if that’s where our plans lead us.

I have and will earn my place here.

It’ll be okay.

No fear.

The restroom is the cleanest I’ve ever seen. And quiet. Empty. I do my business. Flush. Wash my hands.

About to reach for a paper towel.

“Hello, sacrifice.”

Frozen. I am so frozen in place that I can’t breathe.

Where’s my bravery when I need it?

Too late. Topher flips the lock on the restroom door. My ex-boyfriend stalks toward me until he’s standing behind me. Staring at me through our reflection in the mirror.

James would be outraged if he were here. At Topher’s audacity to cage me in between his arms.

He’ll be furious at me too for letting Topher get this close. I just gave my opponent a huge advantage. An absurd amount of it.

I’m sure that’d infuriate him more than anything. My failure.

The thought of his deep scowl and disapproval is a slap in the face. I give myself a mental shake, turning in what little space Topher has left between us.

My hands are flat on his chest, and I push him.

James’s training sessions have made me stronger.

Problem is, Topher’s angry. Real angry. His teeth gnash. His eyes have flames burning in them. It’s nothing like his father’s wrath.

Topher’s anger is unleashed. Uncontrolled. Juvenile in every sense of the word.

Another shove. He hardly budges.

“Get the fuck off me.”

“How about no.” He lowers his face to mine.

“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me why you’re here.

Why you’ve been fucking my dad.” He comes closer, his nose almost touching mine.

I have the strongest urge to bite it off his stupid face.

“Why he’s been hiding it. Tell me everything right the fuck now, Ophelia. ”

As I stare him dead in the eye, I run through my options.

Screaming would have someone running to help me in a matter of seconds. James, even. He’d break through the door. We’d make a scene. A really, really terrible first impression.

Sticking my heel in Topher’s foot or kneeing him in the balls are good alternatives.

Thing is, it won’t get me the information I need.

Like what if he knows more than he lets on.

What if Oliver told him where he had gone the night before?

Since he isn’t half as calculating as his dad, I poke the dumb bear.

Dumb bears are prone to slip-ups.

James taught me that too.

“Hmm, let’s see.” I smirk. He twists his lips in a snarl. “First, he actually fucks me.”

As I predicted, emphasizing that word gets him even more worked up. Topher growls, his eye twitching. “You know I couldn’t.”

“James does it really well. Like really, reallyyyy well.” I pretend he said nothing.

His words are as inconsequential as he is.

“Your dad takes me in every hole, Topher. I can’t believe I thought you and I could ever be together.

He’s so big. Some days, it’s impossible to walk straight after his fat cock splits me in half. I can’t imagine anyone could compare.”

“Whore.” His fingers snap on my chin in a punishing grip.

That’s it. The first piece of information I suck out of him.

No grinding his hips to mine. No tearing my clothes.

He’s terrified of James.

If Oliver told him he’d come to visit us last night, Topher wouldn’t have been scared. He would’ve known he had leverage on James.

He would’ve assaulted me.

Even with James’s connections and incriminating photos, an accusation like murdering Oliver Morgan could ruin his reputation. Could send him to prison.

But no. Topher’s cock isn’t anywhere near me.

I laugh at him. “Too afraid to show me how small you are? Or…” I laugh again, the sound derisive. Topher’s fingers bite harder into my chin. “You’re afraid of Daddy? Of taking his whore? Of course you are. He’ll fuck you up if your miserable penis comes anywhere near me.”

“I could kill him. I’m entitled to. Then I’d ruin you, whore.”

“He’s so far out of your league, it’s laughable.” Topher hates it when I laugh, apparently. So I keep at it. “He’ll ruin you before you have a chance to say Daddy, you hurt my feelings .” The last part I say in a baby voice, pouting at the end of the sentence.

“Bitch.” His fingers will leave marks at this rate. I won’t allow that. Grabbing him by the throat, I squeeze. He loosens his hold on me, marginally. “Fucking cunt. I’m not fighting him alone.”

God, he’s easy.

“You and what army?” I imagine James’s disappointment at me morphing into pride for being able to extract information while I’m being cornered like this.

“Who do you think told me that I had the right to kill Dad if he ever stepped out of line?”

“Who?” Go on, loser, speak.

“You’re a dumb one. You’ve been up there for weeks and have been nothing but a whore to him.” A few extra seconds. After that, I’ll fuck him up. “Then he brought you here. Parading his whore. And you’re still clueless. Just like you were the whole time we were dating. An idiot.”

“Care to enlighten me, then?” It’s a hardship, pretending that I’m hurt rather than showing him what I really think of his loser ass. I drop my hand from his throat to convince him that he’s gotten to me. “Since you’re the alpha male and all. Should I open my legs to you?”

“Nah. I’m over you. Maybe the other two would appreciate the offer.”

Other two.

Camden and…

Oliver.

The pile of ashes in our backyard.

Fuck, I can’t laugh now. Have to rein it in.

That’s it. I don’t need any more information from him.

I raise my foot without Topher noticing, being sneaky about it. Here it is, another second and I’ll impale his expensive dress shoe, down to the bone.

“I’d be doing you a favor.” His mocking voice stops me in my tracks. “He’s using you. Has he told you you’re nothing but a womb? A vessel to put a baby in, then dispose of?”

I know James wouldn’t do that. I know he loves me as much as a man like him is capable of loving another person. He’s given me every bit of him. Whatever’s there, beneath his chest, it’s mine.

Topher wounds me regardless, as he reminds me of James’s words from a lifetime ago. The memories debilitate me. The memories are a punch to the throat. A kick to the gut.

He didn’t want to do it to Topher’s mom, and yet he sort of did it anyway.

That’s what the men in these families do.

Who’s to say he won’t change his mind about me?

“Aww, look at you. Poor little girl.” Despite his derisive tone, the vein in Topher’s temple throbs. He’s just as pissed as I am. “He forgot to mention that, I see.”

I remain silent while my body slowly wakes up from the shock.

“If you beg nicely, I might let you live.” In my periphery, I notice both his hands have slammed on the sink. He better not touch me again. I’m this close to killing him as it is. “Don’t worry. Even if you’re carrying his baby, we’ll take care of that.”

“Take care of that?” The words are venom on my tongue.

“In the unfortunate case that you are pregnant, we’ll have you abort whatever freak he might’ve put into you and?—”

That does it. That fucking does it.

I have no idea whether I’m pregnant or not. I’m pretty sure I’m not.

Still. Still .

No one touches my would-be baby. As imaginary as they might be.

My heel sinks into the top of Topher’s shoe. My nails dig into his neck.

He cries out, the loser, even though my heel hasn’t torn through his shoe.

Yet.

“Whore.” He staggers back. His face is twisted. I straighten to my full height, taking a step toward him, my hand firm on his throat. “You’re dead. I’ll kill you.”

“You won’t, you loser. You failure.” The emotional pain gets pushed aside.

In its place, my survival mechanism kick in.

“You’re forgetting you’ll have to go through your father first. A much better kisser.

A better fuck than you ever could’ve been.

Smarter, sharper, kinder. A better man in every sense of the word. ”

Topher opens his pathetic mouth to speak.

I stab his chest with a finger. I’m nowhere near done.

“He has bigger brains and an even bigger cock, no doubt about it. He’s everything you’ll never be.

So thank you for using me, Topher. For bringing us together.

Being your stepmom isn’t the highlight of my life, but I’ll do it for James.

Nothing will please me more than putting you in your place. I’ll ground you for fucking life.”

I laugh. It sounds a little unhinged. Topher’s mouth opens again.

“Ophelia.” One violent hand slams on the door, silencing both of us. “Let me in, or I’m breaking down the door.”