“Yeah, you like that?” The man’s rough voice sent a wave of nausea crashing through me. “I knew you were a fucking slut the moment I saw you.”
The video was grainy, but it was clear enough to see both our faces and his cock as he pumped in and out of me. I’d barely known the guy, but Max had convinced me to sleep with him and capture it on camera.
I’d been such a fucking idiot.
“Turn it off.” I couldn’t stand the sound of my fake moans. Each one drilled into my brain and dragged me back to the dark days when I’d craved approval so much I would’ve done anything for it, including have sex with a man twice my age just so I could steal from him.
“But we haven’t gotten to the good part yet.” Max’s smile widened. “I love it when you let him fuck you in—”
“Turn it off!” Cold sweat drenched my skin. “I’ll do your fucking favor.”
The video finally, blessedly stopped.
“Good. I knew you were smart.” Max pocketed his phone. I wasn’t dumb enough to think stealing it would do anything except piss him off. He must have backups of the video stashed somewhere. “After all, you don’t want to lose your job at Silver & Klein, do you? A fancy law firm like that probably wouldn’t react well to one of their employees having a sex tape floating around online.”
The bile churned harder. “How do you know about that? How did you even find me and get my number?”
Max shrugged. “It’s not hard to track you down when pictures of you with a queen are splashed all over the internet, especially with the royal wedding is coming up. Once I discovered your new name, it took only a simple Google search to turn up what I needed. Jules Ambrose, member of the Thayer Law Review. Jules Ambrose, recipient a full-ride scholarship to Thayer Law.” His smile turned bitter. “You’re living a good life, J. As for your number…well, those things aren’t exactly classified. Paid some cash to an online service and voila. Done.”
Fuck. I’d never considered the consequences of having my connection with Bridget be so publicized. But I never expected Max would look for me after all these years. I’d feared it, but I hadn’t expected it.
“And Hyacinth? How’d you know I would be here?”
Breathe, Jules. Breathe.
Max rolled his eyes. “I’m here to have fun, J. Plus I have…business in D.C. Not everything is about you. Running into you was a lucky coincidence, though I’d planned to text you again eventually. I was just…busy these past few weeks.”
His casual annoyance was more sinister than any outright threats or violence, though he’d always disdained physical violence. It was too plebeian for him; he preferred mind games and manipulation, as evidenced by our current conversation.
I could only imagine what kind of “business” he was up to, though. I would bet my new apartment it was something illegal.
“And when do you plan on asking for this favor?” If I had to do it, I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
“Whenever I want. It could be a few days from now. Weeks. Months.” Max offered a loose shrug. “Guess you’ll have to keep a close eye on your phone. Don’t want to miss a text from me or poof, you might wake up one day to find your video online.”
My stomach hollowed. The idea of Max’s threat hanging over my head for an indeterminate length of time made me want to hurl.
“If I do it, you’ll erase the tape,” I said.
It was worth a shot.
His expression hardened. “I’ll erase the tape if and when I want to erase it.” He brushed a strand of hair out of my eye, the action grotesquely tender considering the circumstances. “You don’t have any leverage, babe. You’ve built this fancy life of yours on a foundation of lies, and you’re just as helpless now as you were when you were seventeen.” He trailed his hand down my neck and caressed my shoulder. A swarm of invisible spiders crawled over my skin. “You will do—”
A familiar voice cut in, deep and edged with hardness. “Am I interrupting something?”
22
JULES
My knees weakened with relief. I never thought I’d welcome the sound of that voice, but in that moment, I could build a shrine to it and worship at its altar.
I looked over Max’s shoulder, oxygen creeping back into my lungs at the sight of Josh’s tousled hair and lean, powerful frame.
“Josh.” I breathed his name like it was my salvation.
In a way, it was.
Max’s eyes sharpened before he dropped his hand and turned, giving Josh a polite nod that the other man didn’t return. “Not interrupting. I was merely saying hi to an old friend.” Curiosity touched his gaze as it flicked between us, but he didn’t address Josh further. “Good seeing you, J. Remember…” He tapped his phone with a smug smile and walked away.
I waited until he disappeared around the corner before I slumped against the wall, my heart racing and my dinner threatening to make an ugly reappearance.
Josh crossed the distance between us and gripped my arms. He swept his eyes over my face, concern etching tiny grooves in his brow. “You look like you’re about to throw up.”
I forced a smile. “That’s my natural reaction whenever I see you.”
The insult fell flat without the conviction to back it up. In truth, I wanted to bury myself in Josh’s chest and pretend the past half hour never happened. He wasn’t my friend, but he was a pillar of stability in a world that had suddenly flipped on its axis.
He didn’t bother acknowledging my pitiful attempt at snark. “Was he hurting you?” A dark current rippled beneath his voice and warmed my icy skin.
“No.” Not physically, anyway. “Like he said, he’s…someone I used to know. We were catching up.”
I couldn’t let anyone know the truth about Max or my past. Josh already thought the worst of me. I didn’t want to imagine his reaction if he found out I used to be a thief.
“In the biblical sense?” The current went from dark to pitch black.
“Careful, Josh,” I warned, ignoring the small flutter in my chest despite everything that’d happened. “Or I’ll think you’re jealous.”
A harsh smile carved his mouth. “I don’t get jealous.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” I straightened, basking in Josh’s concern more than I should’ve. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“For the same reason as you, I imagine,” he said sardonically. “I wanted to check out the club, but I wasn’t feeling it and was about to leave when I saw you.”
“Right.” We were near the exit, so that made sense.
Although Max had left, his presence lingered like a rotting smell, as did his ultimatum.
Did he already have a favor in mind, or would he make it up as he went along? He said no sex, but it could be something illegal. What if he wanted me to steal for him again? That being said, why was Max asking for only one favor? He’d spent seven years in jail. I would’ve thought he’d ask for more. Did he really want a favor, or was he using it as a coverup for something else? If so, what?