Okay, maybe not. That would be weird, right?
Definitely weird.
I mentally scratchedsoaking in the tub of the man who took your virginityoff my to-do list.
My muscles groaned in protest, which reminded me I definitely needed to cancel my ballet lesson for today.
After brushing my teeth, I walked back into the bedroom then pulled on my jeans, minus panties because those were missing. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I almost didn’t hear a knock on the door.
The door opened slowly, and a man peeked his head inside the room, startling me. “Miss?”
I hurried to fasten the button on my pants. “Yes?”
He pushed the door open the rest of the way. His dark hair was styled to one side and there wasn’t a speck of lint on his tailored black suit. “Your car is ready.”
His words sent my pulse skyrocketing.Caspian was telling me to leave, and he didn’t even have the balls to say goodbye.I narrowed my eyes and rushed past Suit Guy then out the door, only to end up on the mezzanine overlooking the massive foyer. There were at least twenty other doors out here, and I had no idea which one was Caspian’s room. For all I knew, it wasn’t even on this floor. It wasn’t like I remembered walking upstairs last night. Bracing my hands on the polished wood railing, I stared down at the swirled, black “D” design etched into the center of the white marble floor below. Everyone knew the Donahues. Their money was as old as money itself. My family was old money, too, but not like this. Our home was nice. Theirs was a museum for interior design.
Was I pathetic enough to search every room until I found him just because he bruised my pride? Then what? I beg him to let me stay? My father had always said that begging was beneath me.
My father.
Panic filled my chest. My family could never know about this. It would destroy everything.
I didn’t let my thoughts linger on that for long. Instead, I did the smart thing and went back into the guest room, grabbed my heels and corset off the chair and pulled the jacket over my shoulders.
“My car is here?” Not a driver hired to bring me home.Mycar.
The man in the suit pulled his lips into a thin line and nodded once. “Yes, Miss.” Suit Guy was obviously not here to make friends. Or maybe he grew tired of escorting Caspian’s conquests out the front door when he was finished with them.
Was I a conquest? Did Caspian have conquests?I tried to remember any rumors I’d heard about his sex life but the guy was a mystery with secrets as dark as the bottom of Crestview Lake.
“All right then.” I inhaled a breath then tossed my heels onto the bed. He might have been able to send me off without as much as a goodbye, but I wasn’t leaving without giving him something to make sure he didn’t forget last night. I looked back at Suit Guy. “Lead the way.”
***
The large iron gates at the end of the driveway eased open as I approached.
“Call Lyric,” I told my Bluetooth as I pulled out and headed toward West Street.
No answer.
“Text Lyric.”
A male voice with an Australian accent—which was so much better than the factory-set robotic female—answered back. “What do you want to say?”
“Answer your phone, hooker. You’re never going to believe what I did.”
She was going to die once she found out. She’d been teasing me about Caspian since the first day I met her, the day he pulled me out of the lake.
I touched the Spotify icon on my display screen and turned up the volume to myGot me in my feelingsplaylist the rest of the way home.
The minute I walked in the door I was suffocated by a thick sense of dread. My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe, though I wasn’t sure why. Perhaps this was what guilt felt like. Until now, I’d never done anything to feel guilty about.
My mother was sitting on the sofa with her back straight and one leg crossed over the other. She looked as though she were ready to drag out a cigarette and start smoking again any second now. My father was pacing back and forth, running a hand through his hair. There were two policemen standing behind the sofa with notepads in their hands.
All this because I stayed out all night without texting them first.
Dad rushed across the room and grabbed me by the shoulders, studying my face and staring into my eyes. “Tatum. Thank God.” He pulled me into a hug, apparently satisfied with my appearance.