Chapter 20
Twenty
I woke to the sunrise blaring through the windows. My body felt deliciously liquid, my skin still singing from his touch.
I sat up and found an empty space beside me where Alfie was supposed to be. My heart lurched. Where was he? I felt stupid at my own disappointment. Of course he wasn’t here. A challenge was a rare beast and now the challenge is over.
I took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in my throat. Last night had blown my mind into the stratosphere, but now, in the cool, calm light of day, I could see how reckless it had been.
I got up and looked around for my clothes, remembering they were still downstairs. Crap . I looked around for a robe but nothing. Okay, I’ll just wander around naked in a Presidential Suite. I can do that.
I headed straight for the bathroom. The en-suite, like the rest of the place, was a sea of beautiful monochrome.
It was Alfie Tell in décor form. White tile lined the floor and walls, with twin basins set in an obsidian counter that ran the left wall.
The far end of the room was taken up by a shower big enough for four.
In the centre of the bathroom was a vast hexagonal tub raised up on a bed of marble, with three sharp marble steps leading up to it.
I thought of my own bathroom—the old slipper tub, the terrible water pressure, my sister’s underwear drying on the radiator. This was a whole different world.
I pulled a fluffy white towel off the rack and wrapped it around myself, feeling instantly less vulnerable.
I relieved myself and then decided to confront my appearance.
The hair was bad. So, so bad. I spent a few minutes working out the bobby pins from the tangles.
My make up was a wreck too so I removed it with some wipes helpfully provided by the hotel.
I looked red-faced and sad. Trying to fight the rising well of emotion, I grabbed the spare toothbrush and vigorously scrubbed Alfie’s kisses out of my mouth.
When I was as good as I was going to get, I took in the final result. Usually fresh-faced and happy, today I looked like crap. Doing the walk of shame was bad enough but doing it looking like a train wreck? Tacky, Lola, really fucking tacky.
I stared at myself hard. I was hurt. I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t.
I blew out a breath, resolving to sort through my thoughts later.
For now, I just had to get out of here. I left my reflection and opened the bathroom door to search for my clothes, when I was met by a pair of steel grey eyes. I let out a scream and jumped back.
“I must say that isn’t how women usually react to me.”
I stared up at Alfie’s amused smirk. He was wearing suit trousers and nothing else. Even his feet were bare.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted out and he arched an eyebrow that said, Lady, you’re in my suite . “I mean, I thought you’d gone.”
He studied me hard for a minute. Had he wanted me to think he’d left? Was he trying to see if I was upset? “No, I was just downstairs. Elliot was dropping these off for you.” I noticed for the first time the small white paper bag in his hand. He handed it over and I peeked inside.
“Are these my birth control pills?” I pulled out the small pink box. Yeah, they were the same ones.
“No, they aren’t yours but they are the same kind of pills that you take. You didn’t have yours with you so I had Elliot bring some.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. It was several long moments before I could talk. “Okay...and how did you know what kind of pills I take?”
“I had Elliot access your medical records.”
“No, you didn’t.” But from the look on his face, he definitely had.
My fists clenched at my sides. I took a deep breath as I tried to process this new violation.
Elliot knew everything about me now, every intimate detail of my life and body.
A fresh wave of outrage hit as I realised Alfie had that information now, too.
I didn’t know which thing to land on first—anger, humiliation.
..I wanted to cry. As I looked at Alfie, I realised that he wouldn’t understand any of what I was feeling.
“Elliot isn’t just your driver, is he?” I asked, unable to hide the shake in my voice.
“He’s a lot of things.” His lack of concern for what he’d done infuriated me, but I pushed it down. I was determined to stay calm. I couldn’t lose my shit while wearing a towel.
“Alfie, you can only get those pills on prescription. How did you get them?”
“Money.” Right. Money. It bought you everything.
“Alfie, this is a thousand kinds of fucked up. You can’t just go around accessing people’s medical records. It’s illegal.” It was also morally wrong but I doubted he’d care about that.
“I was trying to be helpful.” Bullshit. “I presumed you wouldn’t want to miss a pill.”
“I don’t, but?—”
“Good. I was just trying to be considerate. I’d have thought you would be grateful.
” Wait, why am I the guilty one here? He took the packet out of my hands, pulled out a sheet of pills, popped one, and held it out to me.
I took it, staring at the tiny pill then back up at him. His face was a blank mask. It hurt.
Last night was so perfect and now...I sighed and turned back into the bathroom. He followed me.
“Seriously? You’re going to watch me take it?
” He folded his arms. Apparently that was a yes.
“Fine.” I stuffed it in my mouth and bent to drink from the tap.
I swallowed. He was eyeing my mouth so I opened it and the bastard actually checked inside.
As he double checked I hadn’t skimped on the birth control, it suddenly clicked in my head what this was about.
“This is because we didn’t use a condom, isn’t it?”
He gave a short nod, his face still set in an impenetrable mask. “I have to be careful.”
I rolled my eyes, not giving a damn how immature I looked.
“Yeah, I get it. You’re a meal ticket. But with all due respect Alfie, I’m not looking for a man who puts a tracker on my phone and illegally hacks my medical records to be my baby daddy, no matter how good he is in bed.
” His eyes flashed in surprise but I didn’t give a damn if I’d offended him.
So much anger was bubbling under my surface I felt like I was about to puke lava. “Can you step out please?”
“Why?” He narrowed his eyes, as if he was envisioning me crouching over the toilet, puking up the tiny pill.
“I have to pee.” It was a lie, I didn’t. I just couldn’t look at him any longer.
“Oh. Yes, of course.” He stepped out and I slumped against the unforgiving obsidian countertop.
I wasn’t surprised. That was what bothered me the most. I wasn’t surprised that he had broken the law to invade me in such a personal way.
In a way, I understood his logic. I had no doubt he had hypergamous gold-diggers nipping at his heels everyday, just waiting for the chance to get knocked up by one of the world’s richest men.
I understood he needed to protect himself, but it still hurt that he would put me in the same box as those kinds of women.
I looked up at the large circular window. The rising sun cast a rim of orange light, the bright colour looking out of place in the stark room. I turned and caught my reflection. I adored my red hair but the vibrant shade of it looked out of place here too.
With a sigh I turned to the door, ready to face him. I found him sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his folded hands. He looked up when I entered, a searching expression on his face.
“This is fucked up, Alfie.”
He was silent for a long moment before giving me a short nod. “I acknowledge that.”
“Does that mean you won’t do it again?”
“No,” he answered without hesitation. “You knew what I was when you went to bed with me. You can’t pretend to be shocked by my actions now.” Was he right? Had I brought this on myself? I squeezed my eyes shut. This brain pattern felt way too familiar.
Without risking another glance at him, I headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” I heard him rise from the bed but I didn’t dare turn back. If I looked at him, I’d never leave.
“I’m going to find my clothes, then I’m going home.” My fingers closed around the door handle, but no sooner had I opened the door than his arms were around me.
It was so quick. One moment, I was opening the door, and the next, I was pressed up against it. He gripped my wrists and yanked them above my head to hold me up against the door. He was everywhere, pressing into me from behind, swarming my senses.
“Stay. I’m not done with you yet.” Oh God. I gave an experimental tug on my wrists, but he was immovable. The knot of my towel was starting to slip and I pressed myself up against the door, desperate not to let it fall.
“Please, let go,” I said softly. He released my wrists immediately and my hands flew to my towel, holding it to me. He didn’t step away though, and kept one hand against the door, preventing me from leaving.
“Are you really going to leave over this?”
“It’s not just the act, Alfie, it’s the manipulation that runs through your veins thicker than blood.
I did this dance with Adam a thousand times.
I know these steps. He behaved badly, I confronted him, and somehow it all ended up being my fault.
You hacked my medical records without my permission.
Why would you think it was okay to do that? ”
“It rarely occurs to me to consider how another person might feel about my actions. I want to know where you are so I’m having you tracked.
I wanted you to take contraception so I obtained some.
” He spoke with a smooth authority that infuriated me.
I clenched and unclenched my fists, determined to keep myself together.
“Did it maybe occur to you that I might understand your concerns? If I’d known this was a problem, I would have told you myself what kind of pills I take. You wouldn’t have had to hack my records.”