Blood Secrets

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

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Wounds That Bind

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And I just can't pull my self away

Under her spell I can't break

I just can't stop 

And i just can't bring myself no way

But I don't want to escape

I just can't stop 

I can feel her on my skin

I can taste her on my tongue

She's the sweetest taste of sin

CLOSER ~ NE-YO

Philip twisted the wine glass slowly in his fingers, avoiding looking anywhere near the girl. When he first saw her, for a split second he thought he had been mistaken, thought perhaps she wasn't the one from the other night. But seeing the look that passed through her eyes when she saw him, well that was all the proof he needed. What were the odds that she would turn out to be one of Natalie's great nieces? And the one he'd been told not to even think about touching? The corner of his mouth corked slightly at the thought; God was funny.

He glanced at his father as the older man threw him warning glances. To anyone else in the room Philip was sure they just looked like his father passing him a glance out of habit, but Philip knew better. He wondered how long it would take his father to pull him aside and threaten him not to touch Harley again. Both their reactions to each other had been so subtle that no one else even thought anything of it, but Edward Corvus knew people well and had picked up on it right away. When Philip caught his father’s eyes again he flashed him a satisfied smirk, it had been his way of telling the man go to hell since he was young.

Edward cleared his throat, tugging slightly at the tie neatly placed in the collar of his suit. “If you all will excuse me a moment, I need to make a call.” He said, giving a Philip a look that clearly stated they would have a talk about this later. He pushed away the smug grin that tried to spread across his face – it wasn't as if his father yelling at him could undo the other night.

“So, Philip, what do you do?” Faran Jefferson asked after the man had left the room, his aqua blue eyes showing real interest and a general kindness that lessoned Philip’s smugness about his one night stand with the man’s daughter.

“I run a small company in rural Illinois.”

“So you don't live in New York?” He looked at Teresa who was leaning against the large bay window, her younger sister Suri standing near her. Looking at them next to each other it wasn't hard to tell they were sisters, despite the difference in their hair styles and colors. It was also easy to tell that they were both Perlina Jefferson's daughters. Both girls had their mother’s smooth beautiful features, the same shaped lips and eyes, and he suspected around the black and green dye of Suri's hair it might actually match the blond of her mother or older sister.

“I only come to New York on business,” he said, his eyes drifting briefly to Harley, trying to catch some resemblance between her and her sisters, but failed to find any. “And for family affairs.” His voice was light, but he caught the way Harley almost wiggled under the words, proving she had understood his implication.

“So what exactly is a small company to you?” Harley asked, her dark gaze meeting with his, her voice was pleasant but her eyes showed something akin to hostility.