Page 42 of Lie With Me

“Let me be very clear, Len. I love you like a sister, and I will support you no matter what path you decide to take. You aren’t tied to this club; you know that, right? I only ask if I should be worried because for as long as I’ve known you, all you’ve cared about is making money and keeping clients happy. But if you’ve found someone that makesyouhappy…as long as you’re careful, I’m happy for you.”

I know her words come from a good place. I was a mess when she found me in a strip club not long after I moved to the city. Luckily, I hadn’t started sleeping with the clients there yet, and she scooped me up and gave me a job at Decadence before training me to work at Désirer.

Carmela is like my unofficial big sister; if she notices something is up, something usually is.

Unexpected tears sting my eyes, and instantly, she’s pulling me into her arms. “Oh, Len. What is it?”

“I really like him. We don’t even really know each other. All of our encounters end with us having sex or being sexual, so I don’t know if we’re just reallygood together physically or if there’s actually something there, Cara. All I know is that I can’t sleep with clients anymore without feeling sick to my stomach. Heisintense. It scares me. I feel like I could drown in him and be happy while I suffocate.”

Her hands run up and down my back as she chuckles quietly into my ear. “Sounds like something more than just being physically compatible. You’ve never been in love, Len. But it seems like you may be on your way.”

“No.” I shake my head on her shoulder. “That’s impossible. People don’t fall in love that fast. They fall in lust, not love. You taught me that.”

Pulling away, I wipe my tears as she tucks my hair behind my ears and cups my cheeks. “Look at how thegreat love of my lifeturned out. I don’t have all the answers, Valentina. Most men are too intimidated to approach me, let alone stick around to get to know me. Plus…you know. My point is, I’m not all-knowing. There is nothing wrong with falling in love.”

“Exactly. Look at what happened to you. Men likehimcan’t date women like me. Youknowthat.”

“It isn’t the same. Not by a long shot.” She lets go of my cheeks and grabs my hand, lifting it to show me the sparkling diamond on my ring finger. “This could be real, Len. And it’s something you deserve. So why not give it a chance?”

“Because I don’t want him to get hurt. And I don’t want to get hurt, either.”

She laughs and pulls me in for another hug as shegroans into my ear. “Ah, but that’s the thing, Len. The men with money can usually make all your problems go away. I know that doesn’t sound very romantic, but just remember that Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty were all saved by rich men with loads of money who took care of their problems. And they all lived happily ever after. Sometimes, you just need to swallow your pride.”

We walk out of the changing room together, parting ways as she goes to her office, and I head to one of the exits to have security call me a cab. Her words stick with me the whole ride home.

As I walk into my apartment, my phone dings with an incoming message. Smiling, I dig through my purse to grab it, assuming it’s Tripp asking if I’ve made it home yet.

My smile quickly vanishes when I see that it’s not.

He will find you. When he does, he will kill you, and I will be free.

Tripp

Valentina doesn’t respond to my messages on Thursday or Friday morning.

Whenever I pick up the phone to call her, I pause and end up not going through with it. She makes me feel like the car we’re driving has lost its brakes, and we’re waiting for the inevitable crash. This has always been one of my biggest problems regarding women.

I fall fast, and I fall hard.

Valentina has taken every moment to remind me that there can’t be anything real between us, yet she’s taken steps to make me feel better about our arrangement.

Still, I can’t help but wonder what she does on the nights I don’t go to Désirer. Is she being truthful and really not sleeping with other men?

Can I trust her?

I’m paying her enough to help me carry out the lie she created, and since she’s Ginny’s best friend, Iwould really like to think she has good intentions and isn’t going to fuck me over.

She hasn’t taken a dime yet.

Powering down my computer at the office, I’m surprised to see her number flash across my phone screen as if my thoughts summoned her.

“Hello?”

“Your mother got my number. So much for not digging into my life.”

“Hi to you too, Viv.”

“We’re expected for dinner at your parents’ house tomorrow.”