“Not even close.” His words are filled with a menace that has me stepping back.
Lucas looks away from me and focuses on the wall, like he’s heard something. I’m following his gaze.
“You can go now.” He dismisses me without even looking at me and I know I’ve messed up.
“Lucas.”
His head swings to me at the mention of his name, but there isn’t the same person there. This one is angry and dark.
“It’s Master Lucas, and I said get out.”
His words hurt, but they really shouldn’t. I curtsy. “Master Lucas.”
Oh, God. My head is a jumble. I’m walking around trying to keep it together. I don’t know if I want to cry or scream. How can anyone make me feel so much?
“Are you okay?”
I grip my chest, as Hannah who’s dragging Jessie with her, ambushes me in the hall.
“Of course I’m okay.” I’m breathless, flustered.
Hannah’s blue eyes widen as she’s staring at my lips. Color splashes across my cheeks. She couldn’t know he kissed me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“There’s blood on your lips. Did he hurt you?”
I suck in my bottom lip and taste Lucas’s blood. I release my swollen lip. “No, I must have bitten it.” I lie. My stomach tightens as his blood sits on my tongue. There is something powerful about tasting his blood.
Oh, God. There is something wrong with me. This place is doing something to me.
“So did you find out about Vicky?” Jessie asks, keeping her voice low.
“I’m sorry.” I shrug, knowing I’d failed to find out about her. My mind is consumed with a kiss when it shouldn’t be.
Disappointment drapes both their shoulders.
“I don’t think she’s hurt. I think she was just sent home.”
“But you don’t know that for sure,” Hannah speaks quietly.
She is right, I don’t. Jessie’s soft brown eyes are filled with worry. It isn’t meant to be like this for us girls. None of us deserved to be worrying or upset or even afraid. This is meant to be a time of love and laughter.
“You’re right, we don’t know. I think that’s why we should find out.”
Hannah perks up. “How?”
I grin. “We snoop.”
Hannah’s smile is instant. “I knew you were trouble the moment I saw you.”
Her words have me laughing. “Me? Trouble?” I quiz and she nods. I didn’t consider myself trouble, but since arriving here, I seemed to be in the middle of it all.
It didn’t matter, what mattered right now is finding out what happened to Vicky, and I will find out even if that meant playing nice with Master Lucas.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LUCAS
My heart pounds as my father enters the study. I hold the rag to my nose, hoping he doesn’t see the uncertainty on my face.
“You had company?” He closes the panel and while his back is to me, I try to switch off my emotions.
“It was nobody,” I answer. I don’t sit down in my seat in case he wants to.
“It was definitely someone. Female. A gentle voice. She is familiar with you, she didn’t call you, Master Lucas.”
Calculating eyes focus on me.
“One of the ladies. Yes, but it’s unimportant.”
I decide to sit, to give myself something to do as he scrutinizes me.
“I hope she isn’t responsible for your face.” He waves his hand in the direction of my face. There is a tug of his lips. “I could have her hands for that.”
Blood pools in my shoes as I imagine Ella being hurt. “No. It was Henry. You can take his hands.” I offer.
My father narrows his eyes in warning. “What were you fighting about, a girl? Is that why one of them was sent home?”
Nothing gets past him. But the irony that he thought we were fighting over a girl isn’t lost on me. I wonder what he would do to Henry if he found out that he is gay. It would most certainly have Henry out of his favor. The thought of telling him is enticing.
“No, it was about Alex.” I stick as close to the truth as possible. He is bound to have heard about Ella being re-tested, nothing got past my father, so I could use that to my advantage. “I caught him with one of the ladies who I had re-tested. I just wanted to extend the warning to Henry. But, you know Henry, he doesn’t like to be told what to do.”
My father’s cunning eye never leaves my face and my heart rate picks up. Can he detect the half-truths?
There is a deafening silence. I steal the moment by placing the rag to my nose, which feels like it’s stopped bleeding.
My father releases me from his stare. “Declan’s wake is today, so I will return officially then. I’m looking forward to meeting all these ladies that seem to be causing quite the stir.” The last part is said with a smile. I didn’t want my father to meet them. I didn’t want him to meet Ella.
“It will be their pleasure, father. They might find you more enticing than me.” I throw the rag in the bin.
“You have your father's charm. I think it’s time you turned it on.” He walks to the panel. “I’ll see you at the wake.” My father disappears and I sit for a few moments staring at the wall.
Declan’s wake might be an opportunity to see if someone doesn’t arrive. Maybe see if there is a bad feeling amongst people, but first I need to do something.
I ring the lab that we have on our payroll. I’ve never used them before, I’ve never had to, and I hope whoever I get to speak to doesn’t tell my father. But it’s a risk I’ll take.
“Yellow Grange Laboratories.”
“Master Lucas Andrew O’ Faolain the third speaking.” I ramble my title and I can hear the shuffle of the phone.
“Master Lucas, one moment.” I hate being put on hold.
“Master Lucas, what a pleasure to be a service to you.” A male voice speaks into the phone.
“I have a finger that I would like analyzed. Can I send it today?” I keep it short.
“Of course, is it just the finger?” He sounds a little unsteady now.
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Of course, Master Lucas. I will wait personally for the delivery.”
“Good. One final thing. This is between us.”
“Yes, Master Lucas.”
We will see how loyal he is. I hang up feeling pretty certain he will run back to my father, I just hope I have some time to figure out who the finger belonged to before he did that.
I leave the study and go straight to my bedroom. There are no giggling ladies in the hallway for once. Kicking the door closed I start to strip as I make my way to the shower.
The cold water has my body taut as it hits my back. It’s freezing and I keep the cold water pounding onto my body until it nearly becomes unbearable.
Switching over to hot, I tremble and shake. I stay in the one spot until it subsides. The warmth replaces the chill in my bones.
Blood from my face swirls at my feet before disappearing down the drain.
A grin grows on my face as I picture Ella watching me when I sucked my fingers. She was shocked but turned on too. My body hums when I think of the kiss, it wasn’t much of a kiss, yet I felt it. My shaft grows and thickens as I fantasize about her, wanting me and touching me. I picture her as I take my cock in my hand, and start to pump slowly. My free hand shoots to the shower tiles as I hold myself up.