Page 114 of Let the Game Begin

We got to our feet, and I adjusted my jeans on my hips. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a figure just a short distance from the chaise longue. Anna was staring at us with violently reddened cheeks and the look of someone who had just been caught red-handed in the midst of a crime.

My eyes widened, but I wasn’t overly agitated: Anna was far from the worst person who could have surprised us in that moment. I turned to Selene to let her know that we weren’t alone, but from her pallid face, I could tell that she had already noticed.

“Oh, God!” She shielded her eyes and mumbled a series of curses, completely mortified.

As I was the unmoved one between the two of us, I decided to manage the situation and reassure Babygirl. After all, Anna had seen a lot worse from me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her. Go on into the house.” I pulled her handaway from her face and Selene stared at me like it was weird of me to remain so calm. But I just knew it was pointless to angst about a mistake that had already been made.

“Wh-what?” she stammered, clutching the blue blanket, which, paired with her tennis shoes, made her look so young.

“Go inside,” I ordered her again and gave her a gentle slap on the ass. She jumped and gave me a reproachful look, but I didn’t care. Either way, she walked awkwardly away toward the French doors that led inside and wished Miss Anna a feeble goodnight.

I sighed and stuck my hands in the pockets of my jeans as Anna cautiously approached me.

She was wearing a long coat and a black purse dangled from one of her hands.

“I’ve finished up a bit late, and now I’m leaving,” she mumbled, looking down at the lawn instead of at me. She was possibly even more embarrassed than Selene, while I just stood there, casually waiting for her to have her say.

“Miss Anna—” I started, but she lifted her chin and gave an indulgent shake of her head.

“I’ve known you since you were a little boy, Neil. And I’ve never judged your choices, but Miss Anderson…” Her gaze shifted to the chaise, and she took a deep breath before continuing. “She’s not like the others,” she finished, telling me something I’d already figured out on my own.

Anna had seen countless girls coming out of my room or the pool house and had surely seen how far removed Selene was from my world and the reality I lived with every day.

“This thing,” I spun my index finger in the air, not sure how to even define the situation with Selene, “needs to stay just between us,” I ordered, and Anna nodded, though she still seemed concerned.

“Remember Scarlett, Neil.”

When I heard that name, I stiffened, suddenly cold.

“Don’t make the same mistakes with Selene. Don’t toy with her. You have so many women around who would do anything to spend the night with you, but she…” She stopped and clutched her bag more tightly to herself. “She is still very young and believes in love so much.”

“I know that. I know it very well,” I sighed and ran a hand over my face, licking my lower lip, which was still swollen from my tigress’s intense kisses.

Despite Miss Anna’s good advice, I still wanted Selene in my bed. Mostly to attend to the enormous erection that she had provoked.

“Then you have two paths before you: either let her go or start off on a new journey with her. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing.” She stood up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to my cheek, like a mother might do with her child. Then she smiled at me and left, wrapping her coat around herself to protect herself from the cold.

Start off on a new journey with her?

What the fuck…

“How do I know what the right thing is?” I called after her, not caring if anyone else heard me. Anna turned back with another indulgent look.

“If you do what makes you happy, then that will be the right thing to do.” She lifted her hand in farewell before turning away and starting to walk again.

I watched her as she moved away, her bright hair rustling in the mild breeze, her stride slow but determined, and I thought about what she had said.

What if the right thing to do for me was the wrong thing for Selene?

27

Neil

I came to my senses.

As compelling as Miss Anna’s words had been, I had realized once again that I was never going to be able to undertake any sort ofjourneywith Selene. My issues were far beyond the ordinary emotional problems experienced by regular people who lived their lives while clinging to pointless illusions.