Page 61 of Sticky Fingers

Chapter Twenty

Sonia

“Oh my God,if you got any browner they wouldn’t let you back in the country, Sonia!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” I ask Kathy, standing in front of her with my bag still slung over my shoulder.

Only then do I notice that she’s looking at my skin appraisingly.

“Oh, right. I have a pretty nice tan, don’t I?” I laugh and then throw my bag on the couch.

Although these past few days were as dreamy as they were wonderful, in a way it feels good to be back in my apartment. And I missed Kathy and her seriousness as well. Thank God I let her have the apartment while I was away—she kept the place safe and tidy, and this way I can see her right away.

“A tan?” She laughs as I close the door behind me. “Babe, you look like you were sunbathing in a frying pan. Even if it suits your figure.”

“Thank you.” I laugh again, plopping myself down on the couch and propping my feet up on the coffee table.

I feel exhausted. Sure, Malcolm has a private jet with all the comforts and whatnot...but having sex all throughout the flight wasn’t easy. All those naked acrobatic feats require a lot from your body, especially if you’re doing it all in a place as a tight as plane’s cabin.

Not that I’m complaining.

“I take it that your little getaway went well?” Kathy asks me, sitting on the small couch opposite to mine.

She’s wearing loose sweatpants and a blue tank top; her hair looks all messy, and I notice a hint of bags under her eyes. Her skin seems a bit puffy as well, and her voice sounds mellowed out and tired. She must have been working all night—no matter how many times I tell her to take it easy, Kathy sure is an A-grade workaholic.

“It went perfectly,” I whisper lazily, stretching my back while I offer her a smile. “A private island... Can you even believe it? I knew that Malcolm was a billionaire...but to have an island like that, just to himself.”

“And the boxes?”

“He burnt them.”

“WHAT?! Is he insane?!” She jumps to her feet, her jaw hanging open. “What if the Picasso really was in there? He would have burnt it!”

She looks at me, eyes wide open and fists clenched, and then she cocks one suspicious eyebrow. “Or...did he know you just had some cheap-ass paintings in there? Maybe he figured it all out. He might be playing you, Sonia.”

“I don’t think he knew,” I admit, remembering the way Malcolm simply threw everything into the fire.

The tone of his voice, the way he looked into my eyes...and those three little words that made me weak in the knees.

I love you.

He sounded so earnest, so genuine...

I know that to climb to the top, Malcolm had to be cunning and ruthless. I know that. But in that moment, he looked just like someone I could trust with my life.

Jesus, when did things change between us?

When this little game of ours started, it was all about the fun. I’m that kind of girl, you know? I take it easy, one day at a time, and I don’t overthink anything.

I never think ahead, and I don’t like making plans that’ll take a long time to execute. I like moving fast and without thinking twice.

But with Malcolm…

I don’t know when or where it happened... All I know is that someplace down the road, it stopped being just about the fun.

It became about something else. Something I couldn’t really put my finger on...until Malcolm told me he loved me.

That’s when I realized it went from just fun to...love.