Now, Please(24)

“They must’ve cleaned up. Here, I’ll walk you,” Rodge said, holding his hand out to the right.

I started walking left. “No thanks.”

“Hunter is putting a lot of faith in you,” Rodge said as he followed me.

“I can make it on my own, Rodge. I don’t need an escort.”

“No, it doesn’t seem you do.” His voice dropped an octave, taking on a rougher tone I hadn’t heard him use before. “You’ve done just fine moving in on my man. What you need is a roadblock.”

Invisible ants crawled up my spine. That sounded like a threat.

I started walking a little faster, glancing down at my map.

“I’ve worked very hard on Donnelley, Olivia. Very hard. And in one night—one night—you unraveled everything I’ve meticulously put together. It’s disappointing.”

“Hunter’s a smart man. He knows your tricks, and he’s combating them with a more effective method.”

“You think you know Hunter, do you?” He chuckled, a dark, grating sound. “No one knows my son like I do. He’ll cut out the throats of those closest to him to get what he wants. You think he’s letting you learn a new hobby right now? He’s not. He’s using you to get this mark. After that, he’ll return to just using you for sex. Not that I blame him. I’ll bet you’re a wild little thing…”

I clutched my computer bag a little tighter. “He was completely honest about the situation with Bruce. You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.”

“I see. You like being used, do you? It turns you on. Then maybe you should try the man who created the boy…” Rodge put a firm hand on my shoulder.

Small arms of fear wrapped around my middle. I shrugged him off, fighting panic.

He won’t do anything. He’s trying to scare you, Olivia. He’s trying to get under your skin.

It was working.

“I’m not going to lose this deal to a sniveling little boy, Olivia,” Rodge continued in that rough, low voice, walking so close to me that his side brushed mine. “I can make it worth your while. Name your price.”

“I’m not for sale.”

“Aren’t you? Then you let my son treat you like a prostitute for free?”

I recalled Hunter’s continued warnings that he wouldn’t love me. That I shouldn’t care for him, because he wouldn’t return the affection. Part of me wondered if what Rodge implied was at least partially true. And I hated myself for even considering it.

“I’ll let you think that over,” Rodge said, slowing.

His presence drifted away as I walked around a bend. Practically running, I looked around to make sure I was alone, and then staggered into a cluster of trees. Leaning against the bark, I took deep, sob-choked breaths, trying to calm down. Working to erase that smooth, taunting voice from my head.

I knew what I was doing with Hunter. I knew why I’d given him a chance, and it wasn’t trading skin for money. It was different. He’d broken his protocol for me—he hadn’t made me sign that contract in the end. That had to count for something.

So why did I feel so gross?

I wiped away the angry, self-despising tears and composed myself. Rodge was good at getting under people’s skin. I couldn’t let him win by doing it to me.

I put on a blasé mask and walked into the area housing the man-made lagoon that looked just like the one I had sat beside yesterday. Bruce was sitting at a table near the water with an array of papers spread out in front of him.

“Hey, I was just—” Bruce cut off as his eyes scanned my face. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I shrugged off my bag and turned my face down. Obviously the mask wasn’t a great one.

“If Hunter gave you grief about doing this, we can schedule—”

“No, no.” I waved him away as I pulled out my computer. “Hunter’s fine. I just ran into Rodge. He’s…less than thrilled I’m taking face time away from his favorite client.”

I laughed, playing it off like a joke as I brought out my phone. “This is a nice place.”

Bruce glanced around before returning his gaze to my face. Concern had his brow furrowing, but he didn’t push. Instead, he nodded and said, “Yeah. I thought you’d picked it out. Women are always drawn to pretty things. Or so my wife says, at any rate.”

I smiled, letting his unassuming company clear away the dark places Rodge had brought out in me. “Pretty and shiny. Remember that when you need to get her a present.”

“Oh yeah. After twenty-five years of marriage, I’ve learned that lesson.”