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“Very nice to meet you, and to have some life in these old halls.”

A gray, very plump cat leaps onto the counter, meowing and catching me off guard.

“Oh, that’s just Buttercup. Don’t mind her. She’s a whore for attention. Get down, Buttercup. Shoo!”

I smirk. “She’s alright, aren’t you, girl?” Scratching behind the cat’s ears, I wait for Kathy to clack away on her keyboard.

“Alrighty, you’re paid in full for the month, but as we discussed, if you find lodgings elsewhere or a house for rent before the month is up, I’ll refund you. That’ll be no problem at all. Let me get your key. You’re in room… ten.”

Another cat winds around my right ankle, startling me.

Kathy jingles a key over the counter, calling my attention away from the black cat purring and marking me with hair.

“They like you. They typically don’t like anyone,” Kathy says, and my belly warms.

Kathy shoos the cats away, to their dismay, and then shows me to my room.

When I’m inside, I drop all my bags and take a moment to let my surroundings wash over me.

There’s a perfectly made, king-sized bed, a couch, a small kitchenette with a fridge, and a bathroom.

Once inside the bathroom, I revel in the spa tub and walk-in shower, even though the place looks outwardly as if it has never been updated.

I don’t hesitate to shower, taking longer than usual because the hot water never seems to run out, and then blow-dry my hair.

I take a moment to run my gaze over my curvy body, considering the idea of sinking my fingers somewhere lower, even though my stomach is begging for food.

I’ve always had a high need for sex and all things that brought release; I blame it on my past and things I’d rather not dive into so soon into my new chapter, so I brush off the idea and haunting memories and shove into clothes.

After Googling the nearest place that’ll deliver, I order a personal pizza and a soda, which arrives with Kathy’s smiling face, who tells me she’ll be going home and that the night clerk’s name is Jenna.

She shows me how to call down to the desk, and then I’m snug in bed, pizza on my lap, with my iPad in hand.

I’ve been diving into all things Valdrich Industries since I got the job, and the one thing that snagged my attention was that the CEO hasn’t been seen in years, almost like he fell off the side of the planet.

It’s intriguing enough that I’ve been trying my damnedest to get my hands on any information, to no avail.

I growl, toss my iPad, and reach for the remote.

Maybe the man’s a recluse?

I can’t blame him.

After dinner and a sleeping pill, I shut off the lights and snuggle into the overstuffed duvet.

Typically, a nightcap of vodka is what soothes me and keeps the nightmares at bay, but I didn’t have the heart to see what the mini-bar prices were for a small Tito’s.

Oxygen is sparse. I gasp and push up on the lid above my head. Tears roll down my face with enthusiasm. I was asleep. I don’t know what I did to make him angry this time. I bang my fists on the lid of the enclosed space.

Help!

He’s going to kill me!

I snap awake, breathing heavily as it takes a minute to realize where I am.

Mockingbird Inn, I tell myself.

New chapter, I think, as I try to ground myself back in reality and step away from the past.