But first I have to make that situation happen.
“Take a day.” I hate that she didn’t immediately agree. Hate that I have to wait to put this perfect plan into action. “Think it over.”
“But—” She starts to speak, ready to tell me no yet again, so I grab her face, pushing the corners of her mouth closer together with my thumb and fingers, watching as her lips curve out in an exaggerated purse that makes it almost impossible for her to talk.
“I said, think it over.” I stare into the wet heat of her mouth, wishing this night was ending differently. “I’ll give you fifty thousand more.”
Her eyes go wide at the number and I know I’ve got her.
Duchess is highly motivated by money and I’m not afraid to use it against her.
Especially not when it will get me what I want.
Along with some minor conveniences, like having her warm willing mouth close by.
Yet another thing I will have to wait for.
I slide my hand from her face and force myself to take a step back. I don’t want her to think I’m eager for her presence.
I’m not.
But I am ready for what her presence will bring.
The false sense of security it will instill in the men who doubt me.
They’ll think I finally have a weakness they can exploit and it will make them reckless.
Stupid.
And I can’t wait for it to happen.
“Come.” I open the door to my office and walk out. “It’s time to go home.” The sooner she goes home, the sooner she’ll see the value in what I’m offering her.
No more living in a shitty apartment. No more taking the bus to work. No more unpaid cell phone bills.
The decision should be simple, and maybe it is. Maybe Paisley is smarter than I give her credit for.
Maybe she knows I will offer her more if she holds out.
I smile at the possibility as I retrieve her coat from the closet and carry it back out to where she stands in the foyer, eyes far away. I help her slip the cheap wool over her arms then move in front of her to slide the buttons into place.
It’s not something I would normally do, but I need to figure out how to make this look real. It’s the part of my plan I’m least confident in.
I don’t know how to make it look like I care about Paisley, because I don’t care about anyone.
It’s a weakness I learned could be exploited early on in a lesson I will never forget.
“You need a new coat, Duchess.” I work the belt at her waist into a knot, my fingers sliding over the loosening seams as I bundle her up against the cold.
Her eyes don’t meet mine. “I need a lot of things.”
“You could have everything you need.” I step closer, keeping my eyes on her face the way an infatuated man would. “I can give it all to you.”
Paisley’s gaze finally comes to mine, soft and guileless. “Why would you do that? Why does it matter if people think you have a girlfriend?”
“My reasons aren’t yours to know.” There’s hypocrisy in the statement.
I won’t be sharing my motives with her, but I fully intend to discover what brought Duchess to Yvonne’s stage, and what has her here, continuing to seek out an amount of money most people would already be spending.