Chapter 0028

Fiona pants, her mouth open and her eyes closed, as she and Kent finish in his office.

She’s straddling him in his chair, her black silk panties discarded on the floor.

Kent breathes hard too, on hand wrapped in her hair, the other pressed against her lower back. Slowly,

she raises herself off of him, lowering her feet to the ground. She leans forward, her hands on the arms

of the chair, pressing a kiss to his mouth.

“Thanks, baby,” she murmurs. “I always like a little afternoon treat.”

Kent doesn’t say anything, just pulls up his pants and buckles them as she stands and leans back

against the desk.

“Oh,” Fiona says, looking casually at the security monitors still on his screen. “Lookie here,” she points

a finger at the little rectangle that shows the door to Daniel’s room. “Looks like the love birds were

having a little tryst.”

She laughs but Kent can’t help himself from clamping his teeth together, watching closely.

Fiona notices Kent’s tension and tilts her head with curiosity, looking between Kent and the screen.

Kent ignores her.

Kent is not used to having to control himself around the women that he wants. Usually, it’s not very

hard to seduce them, and he can pick and choose who he wants and when he wants them. Women like

him, he knows. They come willingly to his bed, or wherever else he takes them.

But as he stares at Fay on the screen, walking back down the hall to her room, he fights to control

himself. He knows that he wants her – can’t deny it any more – in a rough, primal sort of way. Different

than the way he wants Fiona, who slakes his thirst.

But Fay? She leaves him parched.

Fiona smirks, watching her lover stare at the girl on the screen. “You know,” she says, folding her arms

and keeping her voice light. “I don’t think anything funny even went on in that room.”

Kent’s eyes flash to her. “What?”

“Just look,” Fiona says, gesturing to the screen, where Fay has reached her door. The camera shows

Fay’s face as she twists the knob and walks in. “Can’t you see? Her hair isn’t mussed, and neither is

her makeup. Her lips aren’t even swollen.”

Kent, unable to help himself, turns to study the image, nothing that Fiona is correct.

“She’s not even walking funny,” Fiona says, smirking and watching Kent’s face. “If Daniel had really

given it to her –“

“That’s enough,” Kent says, his voice harsh. Fiona’s secret smile only deepens.

Kent stands up, ready to move on with his day. “Of course nothing happened in there,” he says. “She’s

his fiancé, he respects her. Daniel knows it’s impious to have sex before the wedding.”

Fiona laughs and stands up as well, crossing herself casually as she does so. “Oh, I didn’t know we

were suddenly so pious in this house,” she says, heading for the door. “I’ll have to say a couple of Hail

Mary’s to wash away my sins from this afternoon,” she says, winking at him and heading out.

Kent grunts a goodbye in her direction and returns his attention to some paperwork on his desk.

Still, unable to concentrate, his mind turns again to the innocent, untouched young woman upstairs.

That afternoon, Fiona opens Fay’s door and gives her a big smile. “I have a surprise for you, baby,” she

says.

Putting down her book, I look at her with curiosity. “What is it?”

“Come and find out.” Fiona holds the door open and I hop out of bed to follow her.

Fay leads me downstairs towards the front of the house, where she throws open the doors to the

parlor. My eyebrows shoot up and I cover my mouth with both hands when I look inside.

Everything is covered in white – white tulle, white lace, white silk, white satin – hanging from racks,

draped over chairs, stacked on the sofa. The only dark spot in the room is Kent, before the fireplace,

directing the workers who carry piles of garment bags.

“What’s going on?” Daniel says, peering into the room behind me, a sandwich in his hand.

“Don’t bring that in here,” Fiona scolds, swatting at him. Daniel laughs and finishes the sandwich in two

big bites, brushing his hands on his pants to get free of crumbs. Fiona glares at him a little but then

nods, deeming him clean enough to enter.

“Is this…” I say, looking around in awe, a little anxiety roiling in my stomach as I realize what all of

these white things are.

“Wedding dresses!” Fiona says, clapping her hands. “Aren’t they gorgeous? They’re all brought in from

Kleinfeld.”

“Now, you come stand here,” Fiona says, pulling me and Daniel further into the room to stand by Kent,

“out of the way, while I get everything set up.”

With that, she bustles away to shoo everyone unessential out of the room. As she works, I look up at

Kent.

“Was it like this?” I ask. “For your own wedding?”

He glances down at me but looks back at the room as he answers. “No. We had a small wedding, in

Sicily. That’s where she was from.”

I raise my eyebrows, surprised. “Oh,” I say. “Is she…still there?”

I scream at myself, inwardly, for such an awkward question. But come on – I can’t just blurt out is she

dead? How did she die? Which is what I really want to know.