“Why were you moaning in the shower?”
I gasped. Oh God, he had heard me. Mortification crashed over me. There was no way I was discussing anything that occurred in the shower with him.
“Get. Out.”
Ignoring me, he pushed off the dresser. “You know, I thought you might be lonely since Maksim had to leave again.”
“I can assure you I’m not.”
“From the sounds you were making in the shower, are you sure about that?”
When his gloved hand came up to push a damp strand of hair out of my face, I smacked him away. “Don’t you dare touch me!”
“How long are you going to hold a grudge?”
Staring at him, I slowly shook my head. “You’re truly psychotic, aren’t you?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“You kidnapped me! You’re aiding in holding me hostage!”
He chuckled. “Since Maksim is paying you and not ransoming you, you’re not a hostage.”
“Fine. I’m a captive.”
He tsked, which made an odd whispery sound in the mask. “We both know you’re neither of those. You were free to walk away earlier this afternoon, and you still are. All you’d have to do is call Maksim.”
“Yeah, well, that’s bullshit considering I signed an NDA.”
He shook his head. “That’s not about keeping you here. It’s just protecting his privacy should you choose to exercise your right to leave.”
And then it hit me. “Wait, how did you know he offered to let me go? Were you sneaking around in the shadows listening in?”
The Beast chuckled. “No, Dr. Whitfield, I wasn’t creeping in the shadows. As one of his advisors, Maksim made me privy to what he was going to say to you. I do work for him, remember?”
As I thought about Maksim’s brothers and Oleg, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you still wearing the mask?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” When I didn’t respond, he dipped his head to bring the mouth of the mask against my ear. “To keep the fantasy alive.”
“I have no fantasies that involve you.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Absolutely.”
“You lie to me, and you lie to yourself.”
“You’re an egomaniac.”
“When you were making yourself come in the shower, were you thinking about Maksim or me?”
“Fuck you.”
“I would love you to.”
Jerking my chin up at him, I said, “I wish it had been Maksim I was thinking of.”
“Why? I’m the one who made you come last night.”
