Christmas Captive - Isabella Starling Page 0,25

I made my way out of the room. The hallway was cold and quiet, but there was light at the end of it, where the front door was.

"Grayson?" I furrowed my brows and kept walking. The soft sound of voices drifted to me then, one Grayson's, the other a woman's. I felt chills go down my spine, knowing right away something was happening I wouldn't like one bit. I walked to the end of the hallway and finally saw them. Grayson, with his hand on the doorframe, preventing her from entering. She was beautiful despite her smeared makeup and the obvious fact that she'd been crying, and my stomach twisted into a thousand knots when I saw them together.

Grayson groaned, turning his head to the side. That's when he saw me, and his eyes darkened.

"What are you doing up, Amicia?" he demanded. He hadn't even used my nickname, and my shoulders fell with disappointment.

"I heard voices," I muttered, glancing between him and the beautiful woman glaring at me with pure hatred from the doorstep. "What's going on?"

"We have a little midnight visitor," Grayson explained with a tight smile. "This is Lyra. Lyra, Amicia."

She nodded at me and I repeated the motion. I didn't have it in me to give her more of a reaction, my body still twisted in knots.

"Why don't you come in, Lyra?" Grayson suggested, and I felt sick. I didn't want her here, didn't want her near the man who'd bought me. I didn't understand my own feelings but I knew they were screaming at me to get this Lyra away from Grayson. "We'll speak in my bedroom. Amicia, make us some coffee."

My lips pursed. Now he'd humiliated me to the role of a maid. I rushed toward the kitchen while Lyra gave me a self-righteous smile. My hands shook so badly I was convinced I'd break something, and in my rush to leave, I hadn't even asked them how they liked their coffee.

I prepared everything, adding sugar cubes and cream to a saucer and carrying everything over to the office. There, Grayson was sitting at his desk while Lyra sat on the armchair in front of him, wiping her eyes.

"Thank you, Kitty," Grayson spoke as I set the tray down. My heart soared when he used my nickname but I forced myself to fight the smile off my face. I was still upset. "Why don't you join us?"

"Sure," I muttered. "I'll just put some clothes on first."

"No." Grayson took me by the hand and smiled confidently. "Take the cardigan off."

"But I..." His eyes allowed no room for arguing, and I flushed lightly as I peeled off the cardigan. I shivered, not because of the cold, but because I was nervous being so exposed in front of this woman who looked very much like a booty call.

"Kneel," Grayson muttered, pointing to his feet to the side of the desk. "Next to me. Put your head in my lap."

"Please, I-"

His gaze left no chance of a reprieve, and with a sigh, I sank to my knees on the plush rug. I didn't even dare look at Lyra, instead choosing to focus on Grayson and staring up at him. I wanted him to tell her to get lost, to never come back again. I didn't want her around. I didn't want her in the space I shared with him, even if it was just for one short month. Perhaps she'd been here before—perhaps they'd dated—but I'd taken her place now, and I wasn't letting her replace me.

"Lyra," Grayson spoke up with a sigh, gently running his fingers through my hair. "Lyra, Lyra, Lyra. I told you before. I don't want you anymore. What we had is over."

So I'd been right... she'd been his lover, perhaps even his girlfriend.

"Please." The woman leaned across his desk, pleading with him. It was excruciatingly embarrassing to watch her humiliate herself in front of him. At the same time, I was fighting the self-righteous smile off my face. "I'll do anything for you, Sir. I'll do anything you've ever wanted, give you all of me, let you have it all, Sir, please, Sir-"

"Don't call me that." Grayson's voice was devoid of emotion as he cut her off. I leaned against him, seeing the pain in Lyra's eyes as she begged for him to reconsider. But he'd already made up his mind. The only person in the room who hadn't realized it was the woman sitting in front of us. I turned my head to