Charm: Best Friend's Dad, Age Gap, BDSM by V.B. Emanuele

Author:V.B. Emanuele [Emanuele, V.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Euphoria Publishing
Published: 2023-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

9

WHO I REALLY AM

MADDIE

The elevator doors parted on my floor, and I stepped out. Straightaway, I was met with James sitting on a faux-leather bench with his attention buried in his phone. I glanced at my watch. Oh, my God.

The moment he looked up, he stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. As I got closer, I could tell something wasn’t right. He appeared nervous. After Vincenzo’s reaction before I left his house, and now James, I braced myself.

“Hi.” He offered a tight-lipped grin. “Can I come in for a second?”

“Yeahhh.”

I pulled out my key, letting us in.

I laid my bag on the table and spun around. “Do you want a drink?”

“If I drink anymore tonight, I won’t be able to drive home.”

“Okay,” I sighed. Any other time I would’ve asked him if he wanted to stay, but something told me that wasn’t where this was going. I swallowed hard, hoping we could salvage our friendship at the very least. “Do you want to sit down?”

“Sure.” He pressed his hand to the small of my back, guiding me over to the sofa. I sat on the end, positive he’d sit on the opposite side. Instead, he sat in the middle, stretching his arm across the back of the couch as he twisted toward me.

I reached behind to turn the lamp on, but he rested his other hand on my thigh. The moonlight and rows of the buildings outside cast the only light in the room, causing his eyes to glimmer ever so slightly. He didn’t withdraw his touch. Instead, he curled his fingers over the back of my hand, slipping them between mine. “You didn’t reply to my text, so I assume it didn’t go well?”

“I know.” I exhaled. “Sorry. Eliza was excited about the guy I’ve been seeing and was getting nosy about who was texting me and my sex life. I didn’t want to risk it.” His gaze swelled, but I continued before he could completely freak out. “Obviously, I didn’t tell her it was you. But she isn’t stupid. We’ve been friends forever, so she knows I’m hiding something.”

“I’m so sorry.” He withdrew his hand, placing it on his own leg.

“My only saving grace was the fact she hid her relationship from everyone, including me, so she didn’t press the matter.” I took another deep breath. “How long have you been sitting out in the hall waiting for me?”

“About an hour.”

“James—”

“Vinny knows.” Taking a strand of my hair between his fingers, he looped it behind my ear. He offered an apologetic smile, but I could tell it cut him deeper than he was letting on.

“How?”

He pressed his lips into a thin line. “Besides the fact he’s Vinny?”

I blinked rapidly, somehow still shocked.

“I’ve been acting differently. You’ve been around me a lot. We’ve grown closer.” He shrugged his shoulder. “The list goes on, but he’s questioned me about you several times recently. Tonight, he didn’t dance around it. He called me out, quite bluntly actually.”

“Shit.” I averted my gaze at the thought of Elizabeth knowing before I’d had the chance to talk to her.

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