“Go relax, sweetheart. I’ll be back in a bit.”
I crawl out of the nice cocoon I created in Graham’s bed and make my way toward the sweet smell of almond coming from the bathroom. A layer of bubbles are popping at the surface of the water filling up inside the huge basin. I add a scoop of Epsom salts from the glass jar resting on the edge. I remove my shirt and settle into the huge tub. It is heaven.
Once I am done, I dry off and wrap myself into a luxurious white robe that is hung on the back of the door. I feel like I just had a spa treatment without the exorbitant cost.
I make my way downstairs and into the foyer in search of my phone. I have not checked my messages since leaving Entice yesterday with Graham. The reality of knowing that someone is out to scare me is pushing to the forefront of my mind.
My phone is dead, and I trot back upstairs in search of a charger. Surely Graham is prepared and has something near his bed. I search the nearby outlets and only find lamp power cords being plugged in. I open the top drawer of the nightstand and find the ointment container that Graham used on me just an hour ago. I see a wad of cash with a money clip holding it in its perfect place. I also find a set of keys tucked away in the back. A whole hell of a lot of keys, and none that look like house or car keys either. The second drawer has an opened box of condoms inside, but none are missing. Yes, I counted. Some of the Jealousy sex toy rings slide around with each jolt of the drawer, and yes, there is a charger.
I quickly plug the cable into the free wall outlet and attach my phone. While my cell rests, I make my way into Graham’s closet in search of a clean shirt and pair of pants. Something about wearing a man’s clothes always makes me feel extra sexy.
Graham’s closet is as big as my entire bedroom back at the townhouse. Custom dressers are installed in the back with modern lighting. Rows of suits are aligned on the left-hand side, while his casual wardrobe appears to be to the right. I move toward the back wall and pull open a couple of drawers to peek inside. Belts, ties, and socks fill up several compartments. In the bottom drawer, I find two lock boxes.
What secrets are you hiding, Graham?
Beside the boxes, I find several sets of solid black clothes and a ski mask. Huh. Why would he need a ski mask? I finger through the dark clothes. Nothing appears to be designed for winter. Under the stash, I find dark ball cap style hats, a pair of binoculars, and three wallets.
Kneeling down, I leaf through the wallets and discover a different ID and credit card in each. All appear to be Graham in photo form, but none actually have his name printed on the license.
What the hell?
What is going on?
I trot back into the bedroom and grab the set of keys from the nightstand. I try each key on the two lock boxes but have no luck.
I can hear my phone come to life and the vibration sound of incoming voice messages and texts. I replace the items in their rightful places and walk back into the bedroom, keys in hand. I put them back into the nightstand drawer.
I put in the passcode to my phone and am overwhelmed with all of the notifications. Claire called me six times. Then she texted seven times. The car garage called. Zander left me a few texts. And one mystery number also messaged me. I open that message first.
Unknown: Looking forward to booking you as a date.
Unknown: Something tells me you will be a wild ride…
My skin crawls as my brain makes sense of the words. Who keeps taunting me?
With trembling fingers, I shut off my phone. During the mixer event at the mansion, I met several men who seemed eager to meet me. Why not just book a date? Maybe they tried. With my account being gridlocked with Graham, maybe someone grew restless and impatient.
I hear Graham shuffling around on the first floor and rush back into his closet to make sure everything is back in place. I grab a folded blue T-shirt from a shelf and slip it on. I slip on a pair of gray jogging pants and fold the waistband over twice to keep them from falling down.
“Angie?”
“In here, stealing your clothes,” I call out from over my shoulder. I try to keep my voice steady. He needs to think I am calm and collected. That I can handle myself. And that is what I want.
I need to figure out these texts on my own. Maybe this will help further my career. Suddenly I go from having a no-profile to being a person of interest. And why? That is what I am going to find out.
“Hey,” Graham says, squeezing me around the waist from behind, “I brought us back lots of food.”
His touch warms me from the inside out, but I cannot shake the feeling that he is hiding something major. Why does he have a drawer of discreet black clothes? What about the lock boxes? The keys? The wallets with different identifications? There is no reason why a jewelry designer would need any of these things.
I turn in Graham’s arms. “I’m hungry,” I respond with a sly smile.
“Are you flirting with me, Miss McFee?”
The man does love to feed me. “Is it working?”
My ass gets a slap, and I gasp at the thrill of having such an effect on him. “Sure is.”
“Then yes, yes I am.”