Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
I lift a brow. “Date?”
This gets another blushing reaction from her. It also gets me a frustrated sigh. “You know what I mean.”
“Actually, I don’t. Do you want this to be a date? Because if it were a date, I’d find a way to get you out of that dress later,” I tell her as I motion to her perfect tits on full display beneath the fabric.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Not a date. And you will not be seeing what’s under this dress.”
Oh, but I already have, sweetheart.
I let her win for now and change the subject. “Where does all your money go?”
The smirk on her face is wiped right off. Fear flashes in her eyes briefly before she steels her gaze. “What are you talking about?”
“I looked up your address.” And then I napped under your bed while you slept. “You live in the fucking ghetto.”
Her lip curls up. “Did I seriously dress up on a Saturday morning for my soon-to-be ex-dickhead-boss to berate me about every single part of my life?”
“Just answer the question. The rent on those places is like two hundred bucks a month or some shit. Scum lives there. Not…” I wave at her as if to imply exactly what I mean. Diamonds like her don’t belong in the rough. Diamonds like her need to be polished and cared for. Diamonds like her are meant to shine without fear of always getting dirty. “Not people like you.”
She casts her gaze out the window. Her jaw flexes as she desperately clenches it closed as if to fight off emotion within her. A tear hastily snakes down her cheek but she discreetly wipes it away. With her eyes elsewhere, she responds, her voice ragged. “I like it there, okay? Can you drop it?”
No.
I can’t drop it.
Not until I know why.
“Are you hiding from someone?” I demand.
She jerks her head to gape at me. “Why would you ask that?” Then, her nervous gaze flits across the restaurant. As if she’s looking for the very person she’s hiding from. I notice because it’s in my nature to notice these things. That and because I now notice everything about her.
“That building accepts rent in cash only. Month-to-month lease. The superintendent is a scummy asshole who doesn’t like to pay taxes. I know this because I called.” Of course I called. I attempted to pull more information from him. According to the raspy voice over the phone, he didn’t know shit about the snobby lady in three-twelve.
“You’re a stalker,” she huffs.
If she only knew.
Before I can reply, the server comes back with several loaded plates. They all won’t fit on one table, so he drags another one over to us. For a good five minutes, Violet stabs at her food making sure to keep her mouth full, probably so that she doesn’t have to talk. When she swallows, I speak again.
“Where is all your money going?”
She glares at me. “This is none of your business. Thanks for breakfast, but I need to go.”
Earlier, I rifled through her desk at home while she slept. I’d flipped through her bank statements. Tracked where her money went. During each pay period, she pulls out over a grand in cash. Twelve hundred dollars of her hard-earned money every two weeks. I know at least a few hundred of it goes to the scuzzy building she rents from. The rest…I need to find out. My eyes narrow as she stands and yanks her coat from the chair. I know where she’s going. To the farmer’s market near the office. Like clockwork. Her receipts show a purchase from there every Saturday.
“Violet.” My voice is husky with regret. I don’t mean to upset her, but she’s a pretty puzzle I’ve just gotten my hands on. I want to put her together and see the picture she makes.
“Mr. Max—”
“Gray.”
Her brown eyes harden as she shrugs her coat on. “Just let me be. Two weeks and I’ll be out of your hair. I’d appreciate it if things went back to normal. Back when you didn’t even know my name.”
Guilt surges through me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been this way. I’m not like most men. I don’t do relationships. I don’t mingle and try to get along with people. Everything I do has purpose. Everything has reason. All of the other bullshit along the way is just complicated and messy. Highly unnecessary.
But Violet?
She’s necessary. For what? I’m not sure. All I know is that I need to know every detail about her. If I don’t unravel all of the parts of her, I’ll go fucking crazy. Usually, when I get hyper-focused, it’s on a project. A deal. An assignment. I analyze data and zero in on my target. I make shit happen. My focus has only ever been on a woman once before. And that was Adara. When I made it my mission to know her so that I could complete one of the most difficult assignments I’d faced in my life. I picked her apart. Studied her. Then I used her.