Chapter 31 – Aster
ASTER
Lily opens the front door, and my heart stops. She’s even more stunning than I thought possible. The dress hugs her perfectly, emphasizing her cleavage in a way that ensures all I can think about is burying my face in it. Her hair is in loose waves, and I can’t wait to wrap it around my hand later.
I told Lily the gift was selfish, and it was, but I also may have inflicted my own torment for the rest of the night.
“You’re…” I struggle for words as she closes the door behind her. “Wow.”
“You look pretty dapper yourself.” She grins, facing me and fiddling with my bow tie. She pulls me to her, and after a kiss far too quick, we head to the car.
“And you look like royalty,” I tell her, opening the passenger door, and she gasps.
“Did you dress me like a princess and I didn’t even realize it?” I shrug, shutting her inside, then round the hood and get in the driver’s seat. “You know, we also have to be doing recon tonight,” Lily reminds me as we buckle in and I pull onto the main road.
“Have you not noticed by now I’m an excellent multitasker?” I reach over and slip my hand under the slit of her dress, resting it on her thigh. Did I ensure the slit was on the left side for this exact reason? Yes, yes I did.
“This is important, Aster.” She grabs my hand, removing it, and I pout her way. “If your hands are on me, it’ll be really hard to concentrate.”
A smile spreads across my face at her admission. “It would be painful for me to go the entire night without touching you.”
“Well, good thing you’re a masochist.”
A laugh rumbles out of me. “You know me so well, baby.”
My eyes are trained on the road, but her gaze sears me. “Let’s just save the hanky-panky for later, okay?”
“Lillian.” I place a hand over my chest. “At least buy me dinner first.”
She reaches across the center console, fingertips skating my arm. “Or I could be your dinner instead.”
A gasp escapes me, and I glance her way briefly. “Are you planning to torture me the rest of the night with your dirty talk and sexy body?”
She giggles, hand falling away far too soon. “It’s called foreplay.”
“I’m not above pulling this car over and fucking you in the back seat.” I grip the steering wheel tight, my knuckles turning white as blood heads towards my dick. “So be very careful about your next words.”
“Fine.” She exhales shakily. “I will stop the torment.”
“For now,” I clarify.
“Oh, so later I can torture you?”
Biting my lower lip, I grin her way. “Only if you promise to make it hurt.”
Her eyes widen, and she squeezes her thighs together, then shifts in her seat to face out the window. Looks like I’ve won this round.
Thirty minutes later, we’re pulling up to the Westerford mansion.
Lily and I secure our masquerade masks and exit the car.
The large door creaks as the security guard lets us inside.
The decor is as ostentatious as before, but they’ve altered it for Halloween, and the theme is rather…
spooky. The taxidermy “art” is gone, replaced by similarly styled pieces made with human skeletons.
Real? Fake? Who knows. They’re comparable to the one Lily found from Frederick Vetrel and the one in the ballroom.
I rest my hand on the small of Lily’s back and ask, “So, what now?”
“We should split up,” she suggests.
“What? We’re on a date.”
“A fake date. And we’ll cover more ground if we separate for a bit.”
I slide a hand in her hair, and force her eyes to meet mine. “Fake?”
She bites her lower lip. “You know what I mean.”
“Shall I locate a closet to fuck you in to solidify how not fake this date is?”
“Calm down, Grim.” A pretty smirk spreads across her lips. “We can go for milkshakes after if you want the true date feel, okay?” She winks, then kisses me on the cheek.
“How very PG.”
She cocks a brow. “Well, you did tell me to stop the dirty talk.”
Lowering to her ear, I murmur, “Never stop the dirty talk.”
Biting her lip, she retreats, my hand slipping away. She saunters off, my eyes holding her frame until she disappears out of sight. What is it about that woman that has me so enamored?
A knot settles in my gut, but I know her burner is in her clutch, and while it’s true the technology back then wasn’t good enough for geolocation, I may have dismantled the phone and put a small tracker in it myself.
The only way she’d find out is if we truly needed it. And if that happened, I hope she’d forgive the overstep with the fact that she was still alive.
Scanning the room, I spot Isla drinking near the bar and make my way towards her. By the time I get through the crowd, she’s holding out a flute of champagne for me.
“Mr. Blake,” she says, poised with a smile on her face.
I take the glass. “Thank you, Mrs. Westerford.”
“I was…” She pauses, and I can tell she’s fighting a smile. “Sorry to hear about your stomach issues last time. I can assure you, no crab cakes are on the menu tonight.”
My cheeks flame.
Lily is so dead.
Rhetorically.
“Thank you.” I take a sip… then down the champagne. Well, this conversation is going swimmingly. I gesture to one of the sparkling art pieces adorned on the bar. It’s the hand of a skeleton, jeweled, positioned with a faux cigarette between its fingers. “Are these yours as well?”
“Yes.” She beams with pride. “I’ve been preparing them all year.”
“Is this an event you host annually?”
“Jude and I have always been fans of Halloween. All the tricks and treats.” Her gray eyes meet mine in a way that makes me squirm. “I would think you’d enjoy it too.”
My stomach swirls like a tornado with unease. “What makes you think that?”
“You’re haunted.”
I rear back slightly. “What?”
“I sense it on you.” She touches my arm, and I try not to shiver. “There are ghosts you just can’t outrun.” She smiles, looking around. “And this time of year, we can dance with our ghosts and demons instead of trying to lock them away. It’s therapeutic.”
“And on November first?”
She laughs, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “We shove those little shits back in their cages until next year.”
“You know,” I say, trying to veer the conversation to something useful, “these pieces feel to me like a reminder to fight your demons. Don’t let them win.”
She nods, pleased, as if I’ve finally understood. “Exactly.”
“What would a man need to do to get on your buyer list?” I gaze at a piece. “I think I could use a permanent reminder.”
“So the animals aren’t your thing, but these skeletons are?”
“What can I say, I have specific taste.”
“Well, these are multi-million-dollar pieces, and last I heard, your trust fund was locked up tight.”
My eyes fly to hers. “Excuse me?”
“Blake is a generic name. But not for families within the industry.” She tilts her head. “I was curious after I met you last time. Then I asked around and heard stories of the prodigal son who’s yet to return home.”
My mouth opens and closes. Sure, I’ve occasionally been recognized in the years since I’ve parted ways with my family.
But I live far enough that it’s rare. It’s certainly never happened when I was sleuthing for information.
I knew the Westerfords were in the weapons industry, but maybe I underestimated exactly who they’re already in business with.
“I have no interest in returning,” I spout, unwilling to call it home. “And I can assure you, every digit in my bank account has been placed there by me, and me alone.”
“So you’re telling me a C-list journalist makes enough to buy one of these?
” She gestures to the room full of sparkling skeletons.
A beat passes between us, a knowing smile crossing her lips that makes me nervous.
“Or perhaps you’ve been more involved in your father’s other business doings than you care to admit?
” My heart pounds. How the hell does she know these things?
“Do you interrogate all your interested buyers?”
“Only the ones that make me curious,” she states, catching me by surprise, leaning into my ear. “Maybe we should go somewhere quiet for you to ease that curiosity.”
Is she… hitting on me? Normally I would lean into this. Use this to my advantage. But Lily and I are supposed to be on a date. I can’t flirt with another woman, can I?
Even if it’s for the sake of the mission?
“Have I short-circuited your brain, darling?” she asks, pulling away from my ear with a grin.
“Just caught me by surprise.” I clear my throat. “And what’s with Jude?”
She waves a hand. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
No, but it could hurt me.
“Mrs. Westerford,” someone calls from across the room, and I teeter on impending relief from this conversation.
She holds up a finger to them, leaning near my ear. “Well, if you did care to utilize those talents anytime soon, we could have a position for you.”
“I’m not sure what you think you know.” My fists clench at my sides. “But whatever it is, you’re wrong.”
Isla narrows her eyes, not believing my lies. “Hmm.” She taps my cheek twice. “Such a waste.” She shakes her head, and then she’s gone without another word.