“What do you want?” Grant’s voice was frustrated as he looked at me for a brief second. There was unabashed lust in his eyes and my body cried out in remembrance of the previous night.
“We have a problem.” Tyler pursed his lips. “We need to talk. Now.”
“Fine.” Grant let out a huge sigh. “I’ll be back.”
“Go and have a shower, Evie.” Tyler said to me softly.
“What?” I stared at him in confusion.
“Go and have a shower and get dressed.” He ordered me as Grant walked out of the room.
“Who do you think you are?” I said softly, not getting why he thought he could boss me around.
“I don’t think, I know.” He took a step towards me. “If you know what’s good for you, you will go and have a shower and put some clothes on.”
“Why?”
“Because that way, you don’t have to sleep with Grant again.”
“What?” My voice rose.
“Everything okay?” Grant looked back into the room. “What’s going on?”
“Evie’s just telling me what she wants for breakfast.” Tyler didn’t even look back at Grant. “Go down to the study and I’ll meet you there.” He looked back at me for a few seconds and I could feel my chest rising quickly as I stared at his face. In this moment, I could see the ex-cop in him.
“Why did you leave the police force?” I asked him softly.
“What?” He frowned.
“Was it because you didn’t like having to take orders?” I rolled my eyes. “You seem to think you can just boss everyone around. I’m surprised Grant lets you talk to him like that. You seem so insubordinate.”
“You think so?” He grinned at me. That wasn’t the response I’d been expecting to receive. His grin surprised me and delighted something in my soul. He was truly in a state of delight at my comments. His eyes were light and almost jumping at me. The smile on his face took me aback. It took him from a serious, hard man to an even more sexy and humorous figure. Why did he have to be so sexy?
“If you were my employee, you’d be fired for the way you talk to me.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not your employee then.”
“I hope that Grant doesn’t fire you in the study.” I gave him a wide smile, showing him that I meant the opposite of what I said.
“I don’t think I have to worry about that.” He laughed and ran a finger down my cheek. “If he fired me, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”
“You shouldn’t be doing that anyway.” I gasped as we stood there staring at each other. “You shouldn’t be touching me.”
“Why not?”
“Tyler, I’m here with your boss!” I pursed my lips and stepped back. “You’re being highly inappropriate.”
“I am?”
“You shouldn’t be touching me or propositioning me.”
“I’ve propositioned you?”
“You want to sleep with me!”
“What’s wrong with that?” He winked at me and licked his lips.
“I’m not a toy.”
“Do you not want to be with me?”
“I’m not that sort of girl. I don’t go from bed to bed.” I could feel my face heating up. “Imagine if Grant heard you.”
“I don’t care if he hears me.” His eyes narrowed and the smile left his face. “What you did last night was stupid, you know that right?”
“I don’t need you lecturing me.”
“Why not? Because you have a brain?”
“Excuse me?” I gasped and reached forward to push him away from me. “You’re a jerk. What I do or don’t do is none of your business.” My hand connected with his chest and he grabbed it and pulled me towards him.
“You have no idea Evie. You have absolutely no idea.”
“What do you want from me? Is this some sort of game you’re both playing with me?”
“I don’t play games.” His lips came towards mine. “Let me kiss you.”
“No.” I swallowed and whispered back, my lips a mere inch from his. “You can’t.”
“I can.” He pressed his lips against mine lightly. I felt a sliver of electricity pass from me as his moist lips caressed me. “I can and I will.”
“How did Eugenie die?” I whispered against his lips as he pulled back. All of a sudden all I could think about was the girl on the mantelpiece. My body was throbbing. My brain was fuzzy. My skin was on fire. And my heart was thudding. I stared at him and waited for his answer. I wasn’t sure why I brought her up as opposed to telling him off for kissing me. Maybe because my lips were still tingling from his touch.
“It’s a long story.” He paused, his features darkening.
“I’ve got time.”
“It started the way your story started...” His voice trailed off and his eyes darkened, turning from blue to black.
“What do you mean?”
“She went to a club to make a little money.” He shrugged. “She fell into the hole.”
“What hole?”
“The hole of depravity and sex.” He sighed. “Do you know how the tale of Little Red Riding Hood ends?”
“She’s saved from the wolf.” I said slowly, my heart racing. “The woodsman comes and saves her.”
“No.” He shook his head, his eyes sad. “That’s the rewritten version. In the original version, the French version written by Charles Perrault, Little Red Riding Hood is tricked by the wolf and she ends up being eaten. There is no one there to save her. At the end of the real story, all that is left is a fat wolf.”
“What are you trying to say?” I frowned. “What happened to Eugenie? Did Grant do something to her?”
“If I were to tell you I wouldn’t be a good employee, would I?” He nodded his head slowly. “And I’m already close to getting fired, as you so delicately pointed out.” He stepped back and walked to the door. “Go in the shower Evie. Shower and get dressed.” He walked out of the room briskly and I stood there in shock, my body shaking in fear. This was not a joke anymore. I was in serious shit. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I needed to find a way to get out of here. And I needed to find it quickly. I certainly didn’t want to be anyone’s dinner.
Chapter Two
You ever watch those horror movies and watch as the woman runs right into the hands of the villain. You sit there and watch her slowly walking through the house and you want to scream at her to go and hide in a closet or jump into a car or call 911 or do something, other than walk towards the person that’s after her. It happens in every horror movie. You sit there with your heart in your hands, your brain screaming at the woman begging her to stop being so stupid. You think to yourself, if that was me, I wouldn’t be sticking around or grabbing a small kitchen knife. I’d be hiding or running. It’s so easy to watch movies and think that. It’s a lot harder to be in a situation of danger, and know what to do.
I’m not stupid. I know that something is off in this house. I know that Grant and Tyler seem like they are bad news. I know I was dumb to come back with Grant after knowing him for barely ten minutes - and even dumber for having sex with him. I know many people would find it hard to believe that I’m not a slut or someone that has casual sex a lot. I don’t. And I’m not even sure why not. I don’t have anything against casual sex. In fact, I rather enjoyed being with Grant last night; even though I was now starting to question myself.
“Leave, Evie. Grab your clothes and leave.” I muttered to myself as I stood there. I couldn’t seem to move my feet and I knew that a part of me didn’t want to leave. A part of me wanted to find out what had happened to Eugenie. I was an investigative reporter. At least that’s what I wanted to be. How could I leave now that there was a real mystery right in front of me? I know, I know. I’m dumb. I should have fled right away. But I was also intrigued by Tyler. And I hated myself for it. It made me feel cheap. I walked to my phone and quickly called Hailey, she’d know what I should do.
“Hey, it’s me.” I whispered as soon as she answered.
“Where the fuck are you, Evie?” Hailey sounded upset.
“I already told you that...” I started and she cut me off.
“I can’t believe that you hung up on me last night.” She was fuming. “Where are you?”
“I’m still at Grant’s house.”
“Who the fuck is Grant?” She screeched.
“The guy I met last night.” I said softly. “Look, I don’t think I should leave right now.”
“Oh my God, do not tell me you had a one night stand and now you think it’s going somewhere?” Hailey was shouting. “I knew this was a mistake. Please Evie, just come home.”
“Hailey.” I walked towards the bathroom so that the two men couldn’t hear me. “I don’t think a one night stand is going anywhere.”
“So you had sex with him?” She screamed.
“Hailey, stop it!”
“Was it good?” She said softly. “I hope it was the best sex of your life because I am going to kill you when I see you.”