Page 106 of The Stranger

“Obviously,” I begin evenly, “with someone else.” Wow, where did that come from?

“Who?” he almost bellows.

“Alejandro.” I pivot and make for the door—vite! vite!—despite my Bambi-esque legs.

25

PRIMROSE

Oh, bloody hell, I think as I hurry away. I can’t believe I did it again, that I let my body rule my mind. I let his mouth rule the entirety of me! Aural and oral, the whole shebang. But at least we didn’t…

I love nothing about how this situation makes me feel.

Dominant Dad turns Naive Nanny Nympho.

The ridiculous phrase I hurled at him rattles through my head. It was meant to be an insult—something I accused him of thinking about! But, right now, I’m wondering if the outburst was subliminal. There seems to be more than a drop of truth in it. He is a little domineering, and I seem to be into the dynamic.

It’s utter stupidity—complete selfishness.

I try very hard to ignore the way my body still throbs thanks to his mesmerizingly talented tongue as I hurry by a console table and its tastefully styled objet d’art. My steps suddenly falter as my brain’s early warning system detects a gecko on the wall high above it.

I hyperventilate a little, but eventually peel myself from the opposite wall and hurry onward. I know I said I’d take Sylvie to the pool, but what I want to do is get into bed and pull the blankets over my own head. This isn’t me, this creature who can’t control her own impulse. I’m the person who always does the right thing—even when there’s no one watching.

Five minutes with Luc, and logic, principles, and my sense of decency all fly out the window. But that’s on me. I am entirely the author of my own undoing.

Alejandro, why the heck did I have to mention him? I think with an internal groan. It must’ve been the noise of the lawnmowers, not that the reason makes any difference. I shouldn’t have said it—I just let my mouth run away with me.

No thanks, M. LDH, I won’t need your services again. I just need to make sure I’m not broken by spreading my sexual wings, starting by shagging one of your men, m’kay?

Spoiler alert: it was not m’kay. It was not m’kay at all.

I should’ve been less specific—I shouldn’t have used Al’s name. Should I warn him? Urgh, I can’t admit I’ve used him as bait, inadvertently or not, because then I’d have to admit to—at a bare minimum—having those kinds of conversations. With our boss.

Cringe.

I might as well just admit that we’ve smashed. Banged. Screwed. Got down and dirty. Did the deed. Because we have, no matter how I’d tried to tell myself it didn’t count.

Get your head on straight—bring back Prim Primrose, please!

And what if I do warn him, and he turns out to be a gossip? The news might spread, maybe even to the tabloids. This family—my family—don’t deserve that. What the heck am I going to do?

“Did he rip you a new one?”

“Argh!” My hand flies to my mouth as I almost collide with Zoe as I round the corner. “You nearly gave me a flippin’ heart attack!”

“You’re not crying. That’s a good sign.”

He doesn’t make me cry. He makes me sing.

Her eyes flick over me and land on my neck. “You gonna tell me who the artist is—was it Alejandro?”

“No!” I clap my hand over the hicky. “Honestly, I don’t know where the bruise came from. I haven’t been anywhere, and I haven’t done anything.” Lies. “I just woke up this morning looking like this.”

“Girl.” Her mouth twists.

“It’s true. So unless there’s a ghost in this house, I’ve got nothing.”

“A vampire.”