My body becomes all hot and bothered, waiting for him to appear out of thin air.
He never does.
As if that wasn’t tortuous enough, I now have the carnal memory of last night. Each step is a reminder of how ruthlessly he fucked me. There’s a lingering ache that even a long bath in my hot tub couldn’t fix.
Everything was unforgettable and perfect up until the moment it was over.
I felt his walls go back up as soon as he finished and pulled out of me. Having him turn his back to me hurt, even though I had no right to feel that way.
Before he could give me his favorite speech about the rules, I beat him to it.
After I had gotten out of the bathroom, Nathan wasn’t in the room. I found him drinking on the balcony. He lookedunapproachable, his invisible fortress up high. Instead of saying goodbye, I silently left his place.
I haven’t heard from him since. Not even to ask if I made it home safely.
“Because that’s what boyfriends do,” I whisper to myself. “And he’s not that to me.”
Strolling up to my desk, I put my purse on it and switch on my laptop. I’m typing in my password when a knock sounds at my door.
“Come in,” I say.
Rashmika, the freelance investigator, pops her head in. “Hey, you got a minute?”
“I do.”
Opening the door, she steps inside fully and marches to the chair across from me. “I made some progress in Nathan’s case.”
I’m instantly on alert. “Tell me.”
“I asked around the hotel and one of the waiters saw someone slip the technician an envelope. He couldn’t see the person because it was dark outside. All he saw was a man in an expensive suit with his back turned to him.”
“So, someone paid the technician to display the texts during the presentation.”
“Yes,” replies Rashmika. “That’s my bet. The person after Nathan was attending the party. It could be any one of his enemies or someone from his company.”
“Can’t you meet the technician and force him to tell who the man was?”
“That’s the problem. He was a last-minute volunteer named Aadesh. They can’t find any other information like a phone number or an address. The main person hired to handle all the tech stuff had an emergency and was a no-show.”
I slump against my chair, muttering, “Crap. Then we’re back to the drawing board.”
“No.”
“What do you mean?” I frown at Rashmika.
“I have another lead.” She smirks. “The waiter said he saw the two of them in the back garden around seven-ish in the evening. I was able to bribe the security guard to share the CCTV footage of the hallway with the entrance during that time. I’ll be watching it to see who all went to the garden and came back inside. There’s only a handful of people who can be after Nathan. We’re bound to recognize them.”
Hope sparks inside my chest. “Give me the name as soon as you find out. You have the list of his rivals that I shared with you, right?”
“Yes.”
“It could be any of them.”
“Don’t worry, I will find the person.”
“Thanks, Rashmika.”
Nodding, she stands up and leaves. As soon as we catch the person responsible, we’ll have one less threat to worry about. All we’ll need to focus on is strengthening his public reputation and securing his CEO position.
