And I’ve always let her.
That’s not the only thing she’s stolen from you though, is it?
Pushing the thought aside, I smile up at my assistant. “Yes, Alice?”
Shooting a quick look over her shoulder before hunkering down beside the chair I’m sitting in while activity buzzes around me, she gives me a faintly strained smile. “I finished compiling the email group from the guest list like you asked,” she whispers before taking another cautious look around. “I attached the file link you sent me but I had totestthe link before I did that so I could make sure it would work and…”
“You read them.”
When I finish her confession for her, Alice looks like she wants to jump out the window. “Ms. Blackwell, I wouldneverintentionallyinvade?—”
“Millie.” I give her an overly bright smile. “I think after the things I’ve asked you to do over the last few hours, you’ve earned the right to call meMillie, don’t you?” Alice started atthe firm the same day I did. She was hand-selected by me from a pool of qualified candidates to be my administrative assistant. She hasn’t worked for anyone else so there are no loyalties to divide. No reason for me to worry about her sounding the alarm before I pull the trigger. “It’s okay. I’m not angry. As a matter of fact,I’msorry to involve you, Alice. As it turns out, you’re the closest thing to a friend I have, right now.”
As if on cue, Paige lets out another laugh, the sound of it narrowing Alice’s gaze ever so slightly. “Tell me what you need me to do,” she says quietly while reaching for my hand. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
“Just hit send.” I squeeze her hand when she gives me a puzzled look. “Don’t worry. You’ll know when.”
“Millie, sweetheart, we have to leave now if we don’t want to be late. The photographer is waiting for us at the church.” When I look over my shoulder, my mother is shooting Paige a cool look from across the room. “Paige, you’ll have to order your own car when you’re finished and hope the photographer has time for a few family shots before the reception.”
“Okay, Auntie.” Even though she looks like she wants to argue with my mother, she doesn’t. “I’m sorry I was so late getting here this morning.” Paige flicks the briefest of looks in my direction. “I stayed the night at Dean’s and we forgot to set an alarm.”
When she says Dean’s name, the make-up artist giggles, giving me a good idea of what they’ve been whispering about.
“It’s quite alright, dear,” my mother reassures her, even though her tone states the contrary. “But we need to get Millie to the church and into her dress for pictures before the ceremony—this is her big day, after all. You understand.”
Even though I’m not sure anyone else heard it, the emphasis my mother put on the wordheris not lost on me andfor the first time, since this whole thing started, I feel the sting of tears crowd the back of my throat.
“Of course,” Paige tosses me a sweet smile over her shoulder. “You can yell at Dean for keeping me up all night at the reception, Mills.”
The make-up artist giggles, right on cue.
“Oh, Paige…” My Aunt Renée lets out a sigh that sounds half exhausted, half exasperated. “Why you insist on continuing to carry on with that man is beyond me.”
“Because, mother, he’s ridiculously hot, has a big dick,andhe knows how to use it.” Paige laughs at her mother’s scandalized expression before flicking me another one of her sweet smiles. “Right, Millie?”
Now everyone in the room is staring at me, her implication obvious.
“I wouldn’t know.” Setting my plate on the coffee table in front of me, I stand slowly while I brush imaginary crumbs off my hands. “I’d never be so desperate that I’d sleep with my own cousin’s boyfriend.” Holding her gaze for a few more seconds, I turn to look at my mother who’s staring at me like she has no idea who I am.
That makes two of us.
Before she can ask me what I’m talking about, I give my mother a calm, reassuring smile. “Alice and I will be downstairs, waiting in the limo,” I tell her before I start moving toward the elevator. “You’re right—I don’t want to be late for my big day.”
FOURTEEN
Imake it to the church with less than thirtyminutes to spare. To tell the truth, when I woke up this morning, I had every intention of rolling over and going back to sleep because fuck Paige.
She doesn’t actually care if I’m there or not. She served me up as her plus one for the same reason she dragged me to Millie’s rehearsal dinner—because she knows bringing me to family functions annoys her mother and because she gets a weird kick out of leading me around by my dick.
Not that you’ve ever complained before. Matter of fact, you can’t run fast enough when she snaps her fingers. Every time she goes radio silent, you swear it’s the last time you’re going to let her in and every time she turns back up you say yes. Why is that?
Because I’m a glutton for punishment.
That’s why.
Picking up my phone, I check the time.
It’s after noon.
