Twisted Truths

Chapter 6. Stalking

I slammed the door to my office, grabbing a pillow from the couch and screaming into it. The muffled sound did little to ease my frustration. The idiots at work were still complaining about the presentation from last night. They didn't understand it was never about the presentation—it was about me keeping up appearances. HR even had the nerve to email, asking if I was okay, if there was anything I wanted to talk about. What I wanted was for everyone to leave me alone.

I screamed into the pillow again, trying to stifle the rage boiling just beneath the surface. A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," I called, tossing the pillow back onto the couch.

"Hi, James. I just wanted to check in with you. I'm hearing a few things about a late presentation last night."

Great. Now the Head of Operations, Allan Wainbridge himself, was here to interfere.

"Hi, Allan. Yeah, I might've misjudged that one," I lied, trying to sound reasonable. "I just wanted the team to be on the same page, you know? Show them what good looks like for future development."

"Right. I see. Okay. Let's chalk this up as a learning opportunity," Allan said with a fake smile. "But going forward, run impromptu meetings like that by me first, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Allan. Thanks," I forced out, feeling disgusted by the fake politeness. He was an overweight buffoon, all talk, no action. Unfortunately, he was also my boss.

"Great! I'll leave you to it then, James." With that, Allan left, not even bothering to close the door behind him.

I slammed the door shut and grabbed the pillow again, screaming into it. This was Christine's fault. I had left early last night to meet her, and she wasn't even home. Now I was stuck dealing with the fallout at work. I screamed again, my frustration mounting.

My phone rang. It was Jean-Luc—Christine.

"Where were you this morning? I came over," I demanded as soon as I picked up, my irritation still fresh.

"I had to go in early. I was supposed to work on a report for Kelly last night, but you know how things went. I still have to keep up appearances, just like you. What's got you so worked up?"

"Nothing. Just drop it. Did Kelly mention anything about last night?"

"Just lies," Christine scoffed. "She went on about how you two had a 'great night,' how you're still as pathetic as always in bed. She said she likes keeping you around like a pet."

"What? Nothing else? Nothing about me not showing up? Or being dominated by a masked man? Did she at least seem distracted?"

"She was her usual bitch self. Although, she did ask me for a list of tattoo places around the area. What do you think that's about?"

I cursed under my breath. "Now she's going to track down the tattoo and figure out it was us. This is great, Christine, just great."

"Relax, James. Do you think I'm stupid? I didn't give her all the tattoo places. I kept one off the list. She'll drive herself mad looking for this guy and never find him. Trust me, I know how this kind of thing gets into your head and destroys you."

"I'm not so sure, Christine. Kelly can be resourceful when she wants to be. Keep an eye on her today. I'll see if I can leave work early. After all, I've been here since dawn. I'll follow her later. Are you ready for the next phase?"

"I'm ready, don't worry. But I want you to come over for lunch. I didn't get any fun myself last night."

"Fine. I'll see you at 1 p.m." I hung up and leaned back in my chair, playing the events of last night over in my mind. Christine clearly felt left out after watching me with Kelly. Well, I'd make it up to her.

I arrived at Christine's just as she was walking in. She left the door open behind her, and I followed her inside, closing it. Christine sat on the stairs, leaning back on her elbows, legs spread wide.

Despite everything, she still knew how to get to me. She might've let herself go over the last year, but she was still attractive, and I felt a surge of arousal as I stepped toward her. I knelt down to kiss her, but she turned her head away.

"Not yet," she commanded. "Hold your horses, Mr. 'Rip my knickers off and play with my clit.'"

I knew what this was about—she had seen everything with Kelly last night and wanted a taste of the same treatment. Well, I wasn't about to deny her.

I reached between her legs and tugged at her knickers, tearing them off in one swift motion. But as I looked at them in my hand, a wave of disgust washed over me. She was still wearing the same tattered pair from yesterday. I stuffed them into my pocket and focused on the task at hand, trying to erase the image from my mind.

Christine purred as I placed my thumb on her clit, gently applying pressure as I rubbed in slow circles. I slid two fingers inside her, applying a bit more pressure with each movement, matching the rhythm with my thumb. She moaned with pleasure, her body responding to my touch.

I placed my other hand on her stomach, pressing down as I added another finger. Leaning over, I kissed her, slow and deep, matching the rhythm of my fingers with the pressure of my lips.

Her moans grew louder, her breath quickened, and her legs squeezed tightly around me. A cheeky grin spread across her face as she came, her body trembling in my hands.

She slid away from me, moving up the stairs. "I needed that, thanks, baby. I'll jump in the shower real quick to freshen up. Why don't you put the kettle on? We can have coffee before we head back."

I watched her disappear upstairs, feeling the frustration building. I didn't much feel like staying for coffee. I sent Christine a quick text—Sorry, had to go—and left.

I followed Kelly back to Slater Street, staying in the shadows as I watched her head inside. She was with some other guy—a security guard, by the looks of it. As they walked by with a flashlight, I ducked behind the gates, following at a distance.

When they went into the prefab site office, I crept around the side and peered through a mesh window.

And there she was, fucking that pathetic excuse of a man right there in that filthy little metal box. I watched as she rode him, their bodies pressed together as they ripped at each other's clothes like animals. She ground down on him like she'd never been satisfied before.

I couldn't take it anymore. Rage exploded inside me, and I stormed back to my car, the rain pelting down harder now.

I sat in the car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly I thought I might rip it off. How could she do this to me? How long had this been going on? I sat there silently, fury boiling in my veins, until I saw Kelly leave. She stumbled on her way out but made it to her car and sped off.

Where was she going now? It didn't matter. What I needed to know was who that security guard was.