Page 22 of Under His Control

“That answer is still a strong possibility.”

“If you decide not to do it, what then? I have to spend another night here and catch the bus home tomorrow?”

I almost offer to drive her home but I stop myself.

“Yes.”

She takes a long breath then glances at the door.

“And you want me to stay in your house for the whole day? You’re OK with that?”

“Would you rather sit on the porch in the cold?”

“I’m just making sure you’re comfortable with this decision.”

“I’m not comfortable with this decision but I’m late for work and this is the best I can do for now. Go inside and wait until I get back.”

I turn away from her and head back to my car, pulling out of my driveway quickly before I change my mind.

Doubt gnaws at me on my way to work. Why did I take on this unnecessary grief? The answer I gave Penelope yesterday was the right one.

I don’t owe her anything. My obligations to her ended when I divorced her mother. If I lend her money, I’ll be tethered to her for who knows how long as she pays me back.

That’s if she’ll even do it.

She’s too afraid of Cedric Rourke to piss him off because he’s a criminal. She won’t see me as a threat or a priority. Even though the loan is for her protection, I’ll still be the fool who rewarded her for ruining my life.

My jaw clenches, my grip tightening on my steering wheel. She already took so much from me. How can I give her more? She owes me after what she put me through.

The arrest, my public humiliation, losing my job and career when everyone—even my mother—considered me a liability. What’s worse was how fucking close I came to losing my freedom too.

Shortly before my trial, there was a scandal about a case similar to mine. Some investment banker’s son got accused of a violent sexual assault against his girlfriend. He walked free despite overwhelming proof he did it.

People were angry, especially when it broke the news the guy did it again to another woman. THE WEALTHY NEVER PAY FOR THEIR CRIMES was the running theme in the media, and the prosecution wanted to make an example of me to prove that wasn’t true.

Things were looking grim despite my lawyer’s best efforts. My options were: give in to Alyssa’s ulterior motive of getting paid off to drop the charges, or face prison time. Thank fuck that video proved my innocence.

Alyssa’s false rape accusation and her serious attempt to send me to prison was bad enough. The worst part was Penelope’s participation. She meant a lot to me, and I thought I was important to her too. Clearly, I was wrong.

While Alyssa paid for her lies, Penelope never suffered any consequences because of her age at the time.

She was right that apologetic words aren’t enough.

Far from it.

The only way she could make up for what she did is if she paid for her betrayal too.

8

Penny

Jacob’s dark blue sedan is long gone but I’m still on the porch recovering from whiplash.

A cold breeze rushes past me and widens the gap in the front door. I take the hint and step inside the house, pushing the door shut. The thud is loud in the silence.

I don’t know what to do with myself after I remove my boots and winter wear. Five minutes ago, I was in another panic spiral about my desperate situation, then Jacob threw out a lifeline and rescued me.

Technically, he hasn’t yet.