Dangerously Tempted

Chapter 10: A Small Problem

Odile

"No sex? Was that her only boundary?" Stevie's voice crackled through the phone, amusement evident in his tone.

"No, that wasn't the only boundary," I replied, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. There were quite a few, some that I found ridiculous. Unless otherwise stated, I couldn't touch her in any provocative ways. Though feeding me fruit and letting me suck the juices off her finger? That was definitely not provocative—at least, that was what I told myself.

I scoffed, my thoughts swirling. I wanted something meaningful too, but as time would quickly reveal, my hesitation was a load of crap.

"I'm not going to ask what they were; I don't really care. That's between you and—what's her name again?"

I knew he was joking, but it still stung. All my closest friends were the first to hear about my engagement, regardless of how informal it was. Some were thrilled, like Stevie, while others thought it was the dumbest decision I could make, especially after my last train wreck of an engagement.

"Isabel, Stevie. Her name is Isabel." A smile tugged at my lips at the thought of her.

"Right, and I'm guessing I get to meet her on Saturday, where all the other men will draw their swords and fight to the death for her?"

A possibility, for sure. I didn't doubt for a second that there wouldn't be anyone who approached Isabel, hoping for a piece of her attention. She was stunning. In another circumstance, I would have been one of those men, but I had other intentions now.

"Do you plan on telling her?" Stevie asked, interrupting my thoughts. "About what it is you really do."

God no. I couldn't do that just yet. I needed time to craft my story carefully. I didn't want to look like a villain in her eyes; if she learned what I truly did, I knew I would be painted as one. There was no way to say, "Oh, I kill people for a living," and make it sound normal.

"I don't plan on telling her that just yet." I could hear the skepticism in his silence before he spoke again.

"And do you think that's the smartest way to go about it? Secrets between couples never end well. You of all people should know this."

I gritted my teeth. He was right, of course, but the mention of my past relationship cut deeper than I wanted to admit. I sighed, scanning the office walls. "Please stop bringing that up, Stevie."

"Bringing it up reminds you of the pain you felt. Now imagine Isabel learning about you and what you do the same way you discovered the truth about your last engagement. Think of how it would affect her, not just the weight it puts on you, Odile."

I hated that he was right. But how could I tell her without scaring her away? The last thing I wanted was for this to turn into a cliché drama like "365 Days."

"I'll tell her. I just want to find the right words."

"Will what? Make you out to be a good person?"

"I'm not a bad person, Stevie. Those people deserved it."

"You're not a vigilante either, Odile."

Of course I wasn't. I was just a woman who found an odd sense of joy in what I did—or could do.

Stevie let out a sigh, frustration lacing his words. "If I hadn't grown up with you, Odile, if I didn't see you as my little sister, my respect for what you do would be drastically lower. You know that, right?"

"I know." My head felt heavy, so I placed the phone on the desk and switched it to speaker mode. No one would hear us from all the way in here.

"I gotta go. My wife wants to take the kids to the park, and though I'm not in the mood to watch children swing from bars and vacuum mulch out of the car, I've postponed too many times."