He didn’t like it. Which was why he avoided his father at all costs.
He tossed his stuff into the trunk of the car before he slid into the back. He automatically rolled up the partition between himself and Clyde, then the two of them set off. He relaxed back into the buttery leather chairs of the car and reached for the bottle of champagne in the back. He opened it up and tipped it to his lips, drowning the last of whatever Kallie had left on the tip of his tongue.
It had been days since he’d kissed her. Been with her. Held her. But it still felt like she was there.
The champagne slowly spiraled him into a fit of self-pity. All he could remember was how good it had felt to spend his evening with Kallie. To press himself against her and bury himself within her time and time again. How lovely she sounded. How desperately she wanted him. How much she craved submitting to him. She came so easily for him. His name falling from her lips was like a chorus of love for him. Drawing him into her performance before she brought up the lights and revealed the lie.
How could she do that to him?
To what they had?
Ash continued to swallow back champagne as the car rolled around town. They rode up the stretch of Long Island, leaving the bulk of the city behind. He forced himself to concentrate on Sasha’s party tomorrow night. He hoped it would be enough to take his mind off all the bullshit the past week had put him through. At least for a few hours. That was all he could hope for when Sasha was involved, really. Even when the two of them were hitting it off on the island, she was still only good enough for a night or two. He couldn't stand her voice. Or her presence. And she was practically a wet noodle in bed. But she provided comfort and a warm body to curl up against, so he made the best of things when he had been around her.
And he would do it again.
Anything to bounce back from the hell he’d slipped into.
He wanted to put Kallie out of his mind. But it was harder than he would’ve thought. She penetrated the whole of him. Burrowed underneath his skin and left her scent behind. He felt controlled, and he didn’t like that. Controlled by the ghost of woman who had tricked him. Used him. Wrapped him up in her web of lies and deceit. The longer he thought about that interview with James, the more it made sense. Why hadn’t Kallie called him once she’d gotten into that cab? She’d even been taking a damn bath before he showed up at her place.
Had James been taking a bath with her?
It was the only logical explanation to him.
“Fuck,” Ash said to himself. “I’m such a fucking idiot.”
Everything made sense. The more he thought about that interview and the more he thought about Kallie’s actions since he’d found her in the city, the more it all made sense. He couldn't reconcile it without James’s story, and that pissed him off even more. He polished off the champagne bottle before sticking it back into the ice it had been sitting in, then his head leaned against the window.
Gone were the bustling streets and the skyscrapers and the angry drivers. Gone was the foggy haze of the city streets and the homeless men on the corner.
They were finally rolling into the Hamptons. Into the peaceful existence of this small place that housed some of the nation’s richest people.
He was back with his kind.
Which was why he planned on staying inside his father’s house until it was time to emerge for Sasha’s party.
Chapter 28
Kallie
“Thai on the Fly, can I take your order?”
“Uh, yes. Could I get—?”
The phone beeped in Kallie’s ear and she sighed. She pulled it out and saw Eris calling, but she ignored the call. She was hungry and tired, and it was the first time in days she’d had a craving for something to eat.
But not a second later, Eris called back.
“Hello?” the man asked.
“I’m sorry. Let me call you back,” Kallie said.
Then she swapped over to Eris as her stomach continued to growl.
“What is it? I’m trying to order food.”
“So testy nowadays. But at least you’re hungry. That’s a good thing.”
“Do you have a question to ask? Or am I stalling my dinner hour for nothing?” Kallie asked.