Oddly, I’m panting. I clench my thighs together, trying to ignore and relieve some of the pressure inside of me. I feel oddly… like I want this woman to go away. I know that it’s illogical, and that she hasn’t done anything to me at all. In fact, I like all of her movies. But still… I don’t want her here. I don’t want her around.
As if he’s subconsciously granting my wish, Beckett emerges from the bedroom about ten minutes later. I scramble out of the pantry, pressing myself against a wall near the fridge and hoping he doesn’t accidentally brush against me. His firm, muscled body gleams with sweat in the moonlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and I find my mouth dropping open a little at the sight.
“Feel free to use the shower before you go,” he calls back over his shoulder. He opens the fridge and grabs one of those fancy plant-based energy drink things that he drinks. I honestly don’t recognize half the contents of the man’s kitchen—it’s like he’s on ten different food fads at once.
The actress emerges. She’s prettier than the millionaire’s daughter who was here three days ago, I decide. There’s something soft and vulnerable about her as she looks at Beckett, whose back is turned, and my heart goes out to her.
Don’t you know? I want to ask her. Don’t you know he can never care about you? It’s not in his nature.
That’s not how the sins work.
That’s not how this man works.
“You sure you don’t want me to stay the night?” she asks, pouting a bit.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Beckett replies. He drains the bottle of energy drink without even looking at her, then tosses the bottle into the trash with one hand and picks his phone up off the kitchen counter with the other. It’s locked with a fingerprint and facial recognition.
He unlocks it, looks at the latest news feed, then rests it back on the counter as the actress says, “Oh, all right then. I’ll just… go.”
He leaves the phone on the counter and walks toward the woman, his steps languid and unhurried. Quickly, while the screen is still unlocked, I dart forward and brush my finger over the screen. He’s facing away from me, and this is the first time I’ve gotten the chance to take a peek at the contents of his phone. I can’t waste the opportunity.
There are a bunch of apps I don’t recognize—a lot of them having to do with stocks or bonds or trading. No games, which is unsurprising.
Come on. There’s gotta be something useful here…
I glance up as I hear noises and find that Beckett’s kissing the actress again. He kisses like it’s his job. A job he’s good at, sure, but not something he’s got… passion for. Does this man not care about anything?
The woman doesn’t seem to sense anything amiss. Whatever he’s doing to her is making her moan again, her voice getting breathier.
My stomach clenches, and I swallow hard. This would usually be the part where I’d slip into the pantry and stuff my face full of chocolate, but—I can’t. I have to keep digging through his phone while he’s distracted.
While they do whatever they’re doing, I turn back to the cell phone. There has to be some mention of the other six sins in here, right? From what I’ve heard, they were all created at the same time. So while they’re not actually related in any way, they’re sort of like brothers. Brothers stay in touch with each other, right?
“Mmm, I get it. I know what you need,” Beckett purrs, his voice commanding and sophisticated but also savage, like a hungry wolf. A jolt of heat shoots through me, and despite my best efforts, my gaze drags upward as he turns the woman around and she braces her hands on the counter. “That’s right. Hold on for me; that’s a good girl. You’re greedy for me, aren’t you?”
Something about the way he says greedy makes my stomach do a strange little twist, and I watch his face as he starts to touch her. I can’t quite see what he’s doing with the counter in the way, but he’s standing behind her with one arm around her, his other hand down between her legs. She’s whimpering and crying out in pleasure again, and something in me throbs so badly I think I might die.
“Admit it,” the towering man growls. “You’re greedy for me, you can’t get enough.”
“Yes.” She moans her agreement. “Yes, yes, yes…”
Beckett’s green eyes flare, and he inhales deeply, like he’s sucking something out of the air. His eyes are glowing, truly glowing, and my breath catches as I realize—he’s feeding off of it, off of her greed. And then he’s pouring it right back into her.
He’s not sleeping with all these women for himself, or at least not just for himself. It’s not just because he’s greedy. It’s about making them greedy, making them want more and more and more, dangling them on a string and keeping them just close enough to starving to make them claw desperately when he deigns to give them attention.
For the first time, I see Beckett look truly alive, sucking up this woman’s greed like it’s a drug, and I’m in so much shock that my fingertip has gone completely still on the phone’s screen.
My entire body feels like it’s on fire, and my heart is beating so hard it actually hurts. I’m supposed to be doing recon, searching through his phone while he’s distracted, but I’m the one who’s distracted. I can’t block out what’s happening right in front of me, can’t look away or even blink.
The woman sobs with pleasure, her back arching as her eyes flutter shut, and my throat goes utterly dry. Beckett pulls back, looking smug, commanding, and sated, and it makes me feel so desperate for something I can’t even name that it feels like I can’t breathe.
Frick. I really need to get moving on this assignment.
I can’t stay here too long.
Not with Beckett making me weirdly turned on. Not with being strangely… jealous, almost, of the women he’s sleeping with. I’ve never felt this way before, and I don’t intend to keep feeling this way, thanks.
Tomorrow, I need to make a move.
Chapter Six
Trinity
The next morning, I swipe one of Beckett’s many credit cards from his wallet while he’s in the shower.
Instead of following him when he leaves for work, I go to the nearest department store and use the card to buy a very nice suit for myself, and snazzy briefcase to go with it.
Yes, I’m aware this is technically stealing, and it’s wrong, but Upstairs will understand, surely? I’m stealing from a guy who can certainly spare it, and I’m using the money for a good purpose.
Maybe I’ll just keep this part out of the report to Anderson though. I haven’t contacted him yet, and I’m not sure whether I should be giving him progress reports or if I should only call him in case of a real emergency, but either way, nothing’s really happened yet. I’ve just been Beckett’s weird stalker roommate that he doesn’t even know he has.
Once I actually look the part of someone worth Beckett’s time, I go to his company’s building and head right up to the floor where he works, staying invisible until I reach his office so that nobody tries to stop me and ask me what I’m doing here.