Page 49 of Revenge Puck

But it’s also perfect—because Juliette means it. And she wants me. And she’s too naïve to realize this slow burn seduction is anything but innocent.

Which means everything is going to plan.

NINE

JULIETTE

Aaron Bishop’s mouth.

Aaron Bishop’s voice.

Aaron Bishop looking like he was trying to resist me…

I unlock my apartment, kick the door shut behind me, and lean back against it like I’ve outrun a ghost. My heart does that stupid floaty thing as I stand there, breathing heavy.

Press a hand to my chest.

Take a few moments before dropping my keys on the little table in my entryway, lifting my hand, and checking to see if my cheeks are as hot as they feel.

They are.

“Get it together, Juliette,” I grumble. “This isn’t amateur hour. You’re a grown woman; you’ve seen plenty of attractive men.”

I kick off my heels, walking farther into my apartment, still irritated with myself for being so affected by Aaron and the shape of his lips.

Human Resources would not care about his sultry, hooded eyes. Or the way his voice had gotten quiet when he called me kind. Or how my nervous system has apparently decided he makes my knees weak.

“This date was a mistake. Huge.” I scowl into a mirror as I work the buttons at the front of my pretty dress—the one I’d thought was demure enough not to give him the wrong idea.

Let it fall to the floor in a puddle and stand in my strapless bra and underwear, palm my phone to dial the one person legally qualified to talk me off a ledge or push me directly off the end of it.

Blaire answers on the second ring. Her face appears on her screen though she’s in bed, and for a few seconds, I’m presented with the ceiling as she gets comfortable.

“If you’re calling to tell me you committed a felony, I fully approve. It’s literally about time you did something illegal.”

“You don’t even know what I’m about to say!” I laugh.

She rolls her eyes. “You have been responsible since birth. You recycle. You separate laundry. Also, remember that time you apologized to a barista for ordering during a rush and tipped her with a Starbucks card? So, whatever you’re about to tell me, I support.”

I hesitate. “I might get fired.”

“So soon?” Blaire sits up straighter, bolstered by a stack of pillows behind her.

I laugh again, walking into my bathroom and flipping on the light.

“I didn’t mention this to you because I wasn’t sure you’d approve, but…” I inhale a gulp of courage. “I had dinner with Aaron Bishop tonight, and when I say I practically had an orgasm from breathing the same air as him, I’m not exaggerating.”

“First of all, I’ve been telling you to fuck him for what—weeks now? Since he became your Hall Pass? Second, I love this for us. Iloveirresponsible Juliette. Third, who’s going to find out if you don’t tell anyone?”

Lots of people.

These things have a way of getting out—don’t they?

“Start by telling me how you ended up seeing him tonight and why you never warned me, I would have been on call.”

I prop my phone against the mirror while I rummage for a make-up wipe. “Because I wasn’t sure if he’d cancel, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

Blaire’s sigh is dreamy. “And he didn’t, because he knows a good thing when he sees it.”