Page 52 of House of Payne

Part of her appeal is in knowing that I’ve already planted the seeds of doubt.

When the time is right, I will pull London in, and she won’t know what hit her.

She will welcome it.

Knowing that I will be the one to corrupt her shouldn’t have me this excited, but it does, and it’s all I need to lean away from Katia. She leans back, snaps the buttons back into place, and links her fingers behind her.

Suddenly, I’m not looking at the woman I’ve been fucking but the assassin who has been born and bred to carry out my dirty work.

“I’ve been scoping the property,” Katia says evenly. Her dark eyes study me intently. “We shouldn’t have any problems with the diner. I think the old man will probably be happy to have it off his hands.”

She and I both know that isn’t true.

While I haven’t laid eyes on London’s father, I know that borrowing that much money had to have been hard. For a man like that, it was a Hail Mary intended to save his business. Knowing he would lose it anyway had to hurt even more than knowing Carlisle humiliated him in front of his daughter.

I don’t take any pleasure in this aspect of running a business, but it’s a necessary evil.

I’m not in the business of making exceptions, not even for the father of the woman I intend to seduce and corrupt.

I’ll just have to find a loophole in London’s contract that gets me what I want while ensuring that she honors her word.

And how are you going to do that? She only agreed to serve her time in exchange for the diner and her father’s safety.

I shuffle some papers around the desk, my mind racing. “Stand down. I’m pursuing other possibilities.”

Except none have the strategic advantage that the diner has.

It’s at the center of the city; one of the most lucrative spots around.

The Fitzpatricks will settle for nothing less, unless I can figure out a better location that’ll make them forget about it.

Katia nods curtly. “Will there be anything else?”

I spare her a cursory glance before sliding my gaze back to the paperwork. “No, that’ll be all.”

Katia turns and leaves the office, the door clicking shut behind her. I stand and walk to the cart on the other side of the room. After pouring myself a generous amount of whiskey, I lift the glass to my lips.

I pause and smile at the thought of London serving me a drink in a skimpy little outfit while handcuffed. Then I stare out the window, at the world outside bathed in the silver glow of the moon. I down my drink and let it burn a path down my throat before settling in my stomach.

The next few hours are quiet as I leaf through the papers and scroll through documents on my computer. By the time I’m done, I have a crick in my neck, and the blood roaring in my ears is even louder. With a little more force than necessary, I push back my chair, cross to the door, and step outside.

I wander through the club and picture London as one of the girls here.

She’ll fit right in whether she knows it or not.

I’ll make sure of it.

Chapter Thirteen

London

My eyes burn with unshed tears.

Frowning, I peer at my reflection in the mirror and dab a little more concealer under my eyes. Then, I spin around and eye the uniform draped over the edge of the bed. I hold it up to the full-length mirror, twisting to and fro to picture myself wearing it.

It’s a dress that falls just above my knees and cinches around the waist and bust. The material is softer than anything I’ve felt, but it still doesn’t change all the strings that come with it. As I peel off my sweatpants and sweater, I marvel at how quickly my life has changed.

A few hours ago, I was in bed with Noah’s arms wrapped around me and a lump in my throat. While he slept soundly next to me, I laid there, staring at the ceiling and wishing the walls didn’t feel like they were closing in. After hours of tossing and turning, I’d flipped onto my side to watch him sleep.