I had to drop a few ice cubes in my coffee to cool it off quickly enough to be able to slam it and rush to the front door. I was out of it and disoriented, feeling a strange sense of detachment from reality as I fumbled for my keys on the hook.
Sleep deprivation is a bitch.
I braced a hand against the door, wondering if it was a good idea for me to even drive in this state, far less wield a chef’s knife. I’d gotten a few hours of sleep before the insomnia hit and a few the day before, but that made for a few hours of sleep in forty-eight hours, and the nights that came before that weren’t exactly filled with deep slumber either.
I was a kind of tired I’d never felt before, absolutely exhausted to the depths of my soul. I’d worked so hard for so fucking long to get to where I was and the prize at the end of the path was this.
I was burned out.
Anxious.
Exhausted.
Alone.
I sat down heavily in the middle of the foyer. Why had I worked so hard to hire competent people, to train them to value my own exacting standards, if I couldn’t take a day off when I felt like this?
In a daze, I picked up my phone and called my second-in-command. The fact I was calling instead of texting would immediately set off alarm bells. I wasn’t sure I’d ever called Deshawn before.
“You okay, boss?” Concern laced his tone.
“Yeah. But I think I need a sick day. Can you handle tonight by yourself?”
He immediately said, “No problem. You know if you ever want to…take a few days…or weeks off, I’ve got everything under control, right?”
I thought I’d done a pretty good job of hiding how badly I was fraying when I was at work, but there wasn’t much subtlety in his message. I’d never asked him to cover anything before because I didn’t really take time off.
I sighed, not wanting to micromanage, but needing reassurance. This was a big dinner. He would’ve taken the lead on most of it anyway, but I would’ve been there if anything went wrong. “You’ll call me if there are any issues?”
“Sure thing, boss. You sound rough. Go get some sleep. I’ve got this.”
He did have it. He was absolutely capable and confident enough to handle it.
After we hung up, I practically crawled back upstairs, groaning when my phone rang just before I made it under the covers.
I assumed it was Deshawn calling me back with a question and hit the green button without focusing on the screen.
Instead, Ophelia’s sultry voice poured into my ear. “Maia, darling, I’m in a bind and need a favor.”
“Not a chance.” If it was an emergency, she would’ve led with that. I could tell from her tone this was one of her mad schemes.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.” I could picture the exact way she was pouting.
I rolled my eyes. “Last time you asked me for a favor, I agreed to watch a dog that it turned out had been kidnapped and belonged to Rob Lowe. I almost got arrested.”
“Yeah, but that worked out well for you.”
I might’ve taken the private detective who’d apprehended me home that night once we’d sorted it all out.
“Whatever. What do you need?” She wouldn’t drop it until I at least let her get the question out.
“One of my clients needs an escort tonight and he’s looking for something…particular.”
A nervous thrill zinged down my spine, but I hesitated, unsure whether I was in the right headspace to take a client.
“What doesparticularentail?” I asked to buy myself time to think.
“Anonymous. Blindfold. Wants to check in and make sure you’re comfortable and then if you’re willing to move forward, some noncon. Wants you to seem…uncooperative.”
