She did her best to ignore him as she sipped at her tea.
“Are you going to tell me why you dragged me all the way here at this unholy hour,” asked Reed, “or are you going to make me guess?”
I have an offer for you.
“An offer? I’m already suspicious. What is it?”
H-u-d-s-o-n wants you as his plus-one at his parents’ charity gala.
“Hudson.” Reed said it slowly, like he was sounding it out. “Turner?”
Do we know another?
He laughed a short, startled laugh. “That’s the reason we’re here?Thisis the big conversation that couldn’t happen over text? You want to whore me out to one of your little trust-fund buddies?”
Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not w-h-o-r-i-n-g if you like him.
“I never said I did.”
So, you don’t want to go?
“No, I—” He groaned and pressed the heel of his hand to his eye. “Do you know where I was last night? I was with Grayson. Do you know what he was doing? Practicing. On a cadaver. So he can try not tomurder youwhen he cuts you open.”
Hearing it out loud made her blood run cold.What’s your point?
“My pointis that there are more important things going on here than whether or not Hudson Turner has a date to his little high-society ball.”
I know that.
“Oh, do you? Because it doesn’t fucking seem like it.”
Why do you think I’m doing all of this? J-e-s-s-e needs k-e-t-a-m-i-n-e to do the surgery. H-u-d-s-o-n agreed to provide it. For a price.
Understanding dawned on Reed’s face. “Me.”
She nodded.
“People aren’t currency, Viv.”
Does that mean I shouldn’t bother sending H-u-d-s-o-n your tux measurements?
“Shit.” He fell back against the couch. “You know, all of this is going to catch up with you eventually. You can’t keep bribing your way out of every problem you run into.”
Says who?
“This is what I’m talking about.” He jabbed a finger at her. “You’re too arrogant.”
I’m confident.
“You’re messy. If you go down for any of this, so do I.”
Don’t be dramatic.
“It’s not dramatic, it’s the truth. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out I’m your direct line to the House. How long until Walsh pieces it together? You and I both know he’s not going to let Grayson get anywhere near you with a scalpel.”
On the bench outside, Thomas spiked his empty coffee cup into a nearby trash receptacle. He looked restless—impatient—his right knee bouncing. Their eyes met through the glass and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.
She didn’t know which was worse—that she’d kissed him, or that she couldn’t stop thinking about it.Torturingherself with it. What did she expect? Of course he’d spurned her. Vivienne Farrow wasn’t for loving. She wasn’t warm or sweet or good. Most days, she wasn’t even sure she was human. Reed told her people weren’t currency, but everyone in her orbit was there because they’d been bought and paid for in one way or another.
