Page 81 of Silk and Sirens

Clearly dismissed, I went to stand.

“Oh, and Aeris …”

Fuck.

“Yes?”

“I’ll have Renley send you the details for your next client. They have some time-sensitive information we need, so work fast.” Her smile turned saccharine. “That’s not going to be a problem, is it?

I swallowed the bile that threatened to rise, hating her more for making me fuck them than when I was told to kill them. For turning my body into her favourite weapon. “Of course not.”

“Good, but just so you know … If I find out you’re keeping secrets from me …” She paused, letting the threat settle between us. “Well, we both know how that conversation ends, don’t we?”

Chapter 34

Caden

“This place is cute,” Vivienne said, her lie revealed by the wrinkle in her nose. “What happened to the Ivory?”

“They fucked up our table.”

Vivienne pursed her lips. They were painted a deep purple that made her skin seem almost ghostly. “Well, I guess this place will do,” she finally relented, tugging off her coat to hand it to our waiter before ordering a bottle of the most expensive wine on the menu. “So, where did you hear about this place?”

“My cousin.”

She nodded, waiting for me to continue. I didn’t.

“Well, as long as you don’t choose seafood. I’m highly allergic.”

I nodded along, pretending like I gave a shit about a possible rash or trouble breathing.

Vivienne was beautiful, I couldn’t deny that. But that beauty seemed forced. Artificial, even. Every smile was calculated, like she practised in front of a mirror. She was soulless, a carbon copy of whatever the latest beauty trend was.

Nothing like Aeris, who was a storm caught in human skin.

I forced a smile, already bored of the performance in front of me. “Shall we order?” I asked, letting my gaze drift over Vivienne’s shoulder. There was a reason I’d changed the restaurant at the last minute, and that reason sat over at the bar flirting with an older, sweaty man with an impressive gut.

Anger swirled, hot and violent. I barely refrained from storming across the room, throwing Aeris over my shoulder, and leaving.

Even after a week, I was still pissed at Langdon for letting her leave that night. The only reason I hadn’t smashed his face in the ring was because he’d been the one to install the tracker on her phone, not to mention the cameras I now watched religiously every single night.

Aeris had become my new favourite show.

The real, unguarded moments she thought no one could see. The soft, secret smile she gave her glittery trinkets. The way she lit up when she video-called her nephews. The quiet laughter she shared with her sisters.

And especially the way she touched herself in the dark. Her knees bent, fingers dipping between her folds as she brought herself to an orgasm.

Even when she wasn’t trying, she was a fucking seductress.

“And for you, sir?”

It took me a second to register that the waiter was speaking to me.

“Whatever she’s having,” I said dismissively. I was only here because her mother was trying to sink her fangs into our empire. Vivienne was nothing more than a polished pawn in that game, one I planned to destroy as soon as I got what I needed.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Vivienne purred, crossing her long legs beneath the table. Her foot slid deliberately up my calf, stroking slowly, and I had to palm the sea glass in my pocket to not react with violence. “Your father didn’t tell me nearly enough when I asked about you at the mixer.”

“What did he say, exactly?” I asked, letting her flirt. Letting her believe this was going somewhere.