Page 69 of The Forbidden Billionaire
I tut as I walk down the hallway toward her bedroom. “You’re supposed to wait near the door,” I scold. She doesn’t say anything, and I stop in the doorway.
She’s standing at the bottom of the bed, her hands on her hips. I follow her gaze and blink as I see several items of underwear on the duvet.
My pulse speeds up. Why did she get those out? Not… for me?
“I…” Her voice trails off.
I look back at the underwear. It’s a beautiful set—a black satin teddy with lace cups, a garter belt, and a pair of black stockings.
Then my gaze falls on the long, pink object lying next to them. I didn’t see it at first because her duvet is pink and purple and it blended in with it. I walk forward, stand beside her, and stare at the item. It’s a vibrator.
Thoughts flick through my brain as if they’re on a Rolodex, but I can’t make any sense of the scene.
I look at Aurelia. She’s frowning. “What the fuck?” she says, obviously puzzled. The items aren’t piled on the bed in the middle. They’re laid out ritually. She reaches out a hand toward the vibrator.
Understanding flares like a firework inside me, and I catch her arm. “Stop.”
“What? Why?” Her face flushes. “I’m just going to put it away.”
“You didn’t get the items out?” I ask quietly.
She shakes her head.
“You’re sure?”
She looks back at the bed. “No. I think I’d have remembered. The underwear was in the chest of drawers. I haven’t worn it for months. And the…” She points at the vibrator, then glances at me, embarrassed. “I haven’t… for a while. That’s so weird.”
“Do you have a housekeeper? A maid? A cleaner who might have found them and left them there?”
She shakes her head again, her brow furrowing. “Hannah always comes on Mondays. And anyway, I never leave anything out. Why would she have got them out of the drawers?”
All my emotions drain away, to be replaced with liquid calm. “Come with me.” My voice is hard, and she looks at me in surprise, but I don’t have the time to reassure her. Instead, gripping her upper arm, I pull her with me, out into the hallway.
“Luke!” She stares at me, baffled.
I back away, looking down the corridor to the rooms further down the hall. Is he still here? I turn and half drag her into the living room. “Get your purse,” I bark, gesturing at where she left it on the table.
She retrieves it. “Why? Where are we going?”
“Just do as I say. Put your shoes on.” I wait for her to do so, looking around the room. There are no broken windows, but then we’re over twenty floors up. He must have entered via the door with a key card.
I place a hand in the small of her back and guide her to the door. She watches me slip my shoes on, then open the door.
“What’s the matter?” she asks. “What’s wrong?” A touch of panic lifts her voice an octave.
I guide her out and follow, and close the door behind me, then take out my phone and dial 111. When a woman answers and asks which emergency service I want, I say, “Police.”
“Luke,” Aurelia says.
I ignore her and talk to the woman on the other end of the phone as I propel Aurelia down to the elevator. “There’s been a break-in,” I tell the woman, and I give her my name and Aurelia’s name and address.
Aurelia stares at me, jaw dropping, as I press the button. “It’s the penthouse apartment,” I say. While I wait for the carriage to arrive, I explain that personal items have been left on the bed, but so far there’s no other sign of an intruder.
The doors slide open, and I put out a hand to stop them closing as I finish the conversation.
“A car will be with you very shortly,” the woman says.
“Thank you.” I end the call.
