Page 35 of Kill for a Kiss

Clo clasps her hands together, pleased. “Wonderful. We’ll leave in an hour. Do you mind fixing my hair, Elle darling? You’re the only one who can get my curls exactly right.”

So after a short walk, we’re at her vanity where I spend the next moments styling Clo’s hair to curled perfection, the way she prefers. All the while, she tells me about her old best friends, Jade and Mimi, and their adventures together as old friends. How they lost their closeness when life got too busy for all of them. And how ecstatic she is that, after over two decades, Mimi’s back in her life through Kaye. She tells me all about how happy she is that I’m in her life because I remind her so much of Jade, who sends her paintings from time to time.

That makes me happy too. Though, I avoid looking at myself through the vanity mirror while I stare at Clo’s reflection, beamingat me, with her perfectly coiled curls and perfectly crafted smile.

***

The car is a glittery red sports car, exactly the kind of car I’d expect Stan to drive. The interior smells like leather and faintly of smoke.

Stan slides into the driver’s seat. I reach for the back door, instinctively going for the seat behind him, but Clo’s voice cuts through the warm morning air. “Elle, dear, sit up front with Stanley.”

I freeze, fingers brushing the handle. Clo’s already stepping into the backseat. Glancing toward Stan, I see him already watching me, smirking, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel.

“Wouldn’t want to make her mad,” he says, amused.

So I slip into the front seat beside him. My tights brush against the console as I buckle in, smoothing the fabric down with careful hands.

Clo hums her approval from behind us. “Much better.”

The engine hums to life. Stan drives us out of the estate, the winding road weaving through sun-dappled trees. The windows are down just enough to let in the warm breeze, fresh and floral.

Clo speaks from the back, about vineyards, expansions, and a grand unveiling in autumn. One she’s been planning for a long time. Planning, huh…?

And then it hits me. She planned this. She wanted me beside Stan on purpose. My stomach knots. Stan must sense it too, because he shoots me a look like we’re in on a joke neither of us agreed to. But, where I feel tension blooming under my ribs, he simply leans back, clearly going along with it.

“You comfy?” Stan asks.

I nod, shuffling in my seat. “Yeah. Your car’s nice.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “You don’t have to fake beingimpressed, Elle. We both know I’m the main attraction here.”

My lips twitch into a reluctant smile. “Right, of course.”

From the back, Clo sighs softly, sounding pleased. “You two get along so well.”

Stan grins. “Like a dream.”

Maybe it is a strange, sun-warmed dream, too vivid to be real. If it is, when do I wake up?

“Elle,” Stan says. “I can’t stop thinking about the way you held onto me.”

I freeze. My hands curl in my lap, fingers tightening. Behind us, Clo says nothing. “It was fast,” I manage, trying to sound indifferent. “You told me to hold on.”

Stan hums. “I know. But I didn’t think you’d hold onlike that.”

I glance at him, taken aback.

His grin is wicked. “Like you didn’t want to let go.”

A strangled sound escapes me. “You’re imagining things.”

“Oh, Elle,” he drawls, handling the gear shift with maddening ease. “I could feel every little squeeze.”

I can’t breathe. My whole body burns. Clo doesn’t speak. I try to redirect. “Shouldn’t you focus on driving?”

“Multitasking, babe,” Stan says, undeterred. “Besides, I was thinking next time I take you for a ride, I wanna see just how much tighter you can hold on.”

I choke on a gasp.