But first, I need to clean this up. She can’t know I drugged her or suspect I searched her house. She needs to wake up believing she just had a crazy Friday night.
We drank too much. One thing led to another. She passed out before we could finish what we started in the kitchen.
I open the refrigerator and pop two more beers, draining them over the sink and leaving the newly emptied cans on thecounter and table. Next comes the wine. One bottle is covered in dust, and the other has a screw cap. The screw cap goes down the drain.
An open box of stale crackers sits next to a block of cheese with a paring knife stabbed through the top.
I hack off a chunk of cheese and prepare a carefully crafted scene of drunken revelry. Then I wipe the flour from the counter and take a few minutes to put things where I found them.
I pause on my way to the door, checking on Chloe one last time. Her arms are clenched to her chest, goosebumps forming on her skin. I grab the throw blanket draped over the back of the couch and slowly cover her torso and legs.
After all, I have to protect my assets.
Walking out the door, I ignore the voice in the back of my head insisting I’m deceiving myself.
Not really a surprise when I’ve built my world on lies.
Chapter 10
Chloe
Sunlight slices across my face like a hot blade. My head throbs in rhythm with my pulse, and a low, insistent drum beats behind my eyes. My mouth tastes like I fell asleep sucking on pennies.
Groaning, I roll over and press my face into the pillow.
Pillow?
I don’t remember going to bed. I don’t recall Kolya leaving either.
What happened? Did we…?
Cracking my eyes open, I find myself on the couch, covered by the throw blanket that lives on the back cushion and lying on the small pillow that I keep on the recliner.
He didn’t even venture into my bedroom. What a gentleman.
Memory fragments flash through my mind. That brief but intense kiss. His fingers moving inside me.“Good girl.”
Well, maybe not such a gentleman after all.
And I’m not sure I mind.
Heat envelops my body, followed immediately by a wave of disbelief.
I can’t believe I let that happen. Can’t believe Ienjoyedit as much as I did.
His hands on me in the kitchen, steering me into the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever had in my life, and then…nothing. Blackness.
I cringe. How embarrassing. I must’ve passed out. Which is weird, because I never do that.
“It happened.” I test the reality of the words against my pillow.“He wanted me. Like that. No one’s ever wanted me that way before.”
Dragging myself upright, I wince as blood rushes to my head. The world tilts sideways before settling back into place. Bright morning sunshine continues to streak through the edges of the blinds, jacking my headache up to twenty out of ten on the pain scale.
My body feels hollow, as if someone scooped out my insides and replaced them with cotton. How could I have allowed a virtual stranger to do those things to me?
A one-night stand. Not even. We didn’t actually go on a date.
I tally up yesterday’s contributing factors. Too much wine after a stressful day. A reaction to my disappointing date with Greg. The flat tire. That creepy sedan. Events that, when stacked together, prompted me to behave out of character.
