Lace and Sin (Sinners Series Book 1) (4 page)

“I’ve seen you every day this week” I argue and his
only response is a smirk, “What are we even arguing over?”

“I think you’re kind of arguing with yourself
actually. I was going to be the nice guy and ask you out on another date…”

“This isn’t a date” I interrupt, but he just ignores
me and keeps going, “Being a nice guy gets me nowhere with you it seems.”

“So what are you saying exactly?”

“If we fuck and then I ignore you for the first week,
would that get your attention?”

I scoff and almost dribble my mouthful of beer down my
chin at his bluntness, “Who said anything about fucking?”

“You did, kind of…the whole ‘I don’t have time for a
relationship’ thing. Fucking isn’t a relationship” he grins at me, so confident
in himself and what’s going to happen.

“You’re so sure of yourself aren’t you? What makes you
think I even want you like that?”

His grin grows wider as he slowly leans in a little
closer towards me, his breath against my ear. His palm slides up my thigh
slowly, delicately, as his warm touch seems to spread up my leg and get
dangerously higher. I try but fail miserably to hold in the soft whimper that
escapes my lips, and I feel him grin against my neck.

“Don’t lie to yourself Kayla” he says and winks at me
when he pulls back. Confidence and a lot of it, that’s definitely a big tick on
my non-existent perfect guy list - as well as the good looks, tattoos, and
possibly a want for adrenaline and excitement just like me. Sounds very
superficial, I mean obviously I want a guy that has similar interests and can
make me feel like I don’t have to hide things from him. Someone I can be myself
around and make me feel slightly powerless for a change. Give up the control
partially for a moment in time since I always have to do everything and be in
charge.

While I sit there with my mouth practically hanging
open, he keeps talking as if he didn’t just propose to screw me casually. Who
the hell is this overbearing and confident, yet strangely tempting and enticing
guy?

Seems like the person he wants people to see him as,
is far from the person he really is. At first he comes off as this typical rich
guy that wouldn’t hurt a fly but it seems like there’s a little devil inside
him that’s dying to break out of his shell, and it’s tempting…very tempting.

“You’re not what I expected you to be Carter” I
finally say.

“Mm…and what were you expecting me to be like?”

“Refined and very appropriate, someone who does
everything by the rules.”

“Is that because of who I am, your boss?”

“My boss’s, boss’s boss” I correct and we both grin at
each other like idiots for a moment, so close to each other I can see the blue
specks of colour in his otherwise green eyes.

“So if I’m not those things, then what am I?” he asks
as he pulls out a cigarette packet from his pocket and taps it before pulling
one out.

“You smoke?” I ask a little surprised.

“Is that bad?” he asks, smoke hanging between his lips
as he pats down his pockets again looking for a lighter.

“No, it just proves my point more.”

“And what point would that be Kayla?” he finally
lights the cigarette and leaves it hanging between his lips as he puts the
lighter up on the bar.

“That you’re bad. Deep down you are anyway.”

He doesn’t agree or disagree, just gives me a long
hard look as he takes a pull of his smoke.

I never used to really like smokers, but Carter makes
it look pretty fucking sexy. I don’t know whether it’s the tattoos, mixed with
whatever he’s got going on, it makes me jealous of the stupid cigarette,
wishing his lips were on me instead.

I shake my head -
what
the fuck Bunny!
What is wrong with
you?

He can see how much he’s affecting me and surprises me
by getting off his seat, putting some money down on the bar for Jimmy, and
turning back to me, “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

I’m speechless for a moment but then silently get up
and follow after him back to his car like a lost puppy. Did I say something
wrong?

“You look disappointed” he finally says as he finishes
his smoke and gets in his car.

“No, just thoroughly confused” I chuckle lightly.

“Why are you confused?”

“I guess because one moment you’re this perfect
gentlemen, opening doors, offering me rides, trying to fix the printer for me”
I chuckle as I see his lips pull into a grin, “then the next moment, you’re
driving like someone’s after you, offering to be my fuck buddy, and I find you
have tattoos and smoke.”

It’s like he’s ticked off things on an imaginary list
of clichéd typical bad boys, but on him every single thing just fits perfectly.

“I just don’t think I’ve ever had to try so hard with
someone before. All the normal stuff just doesn’t seem to cut it with you, so I
gave up trying to be some gentleman” he says as he steers his way through
traffic and follows my directions.

“And now I’m exceptionally turned on by bad boy
Carter” I mumble, but I know he still hears me because he’s grinning like a kid
on Christmas morning.

Chapter
4

Kayla

After Carter dropped me off at my place and I stupidly
asked him to come inside, he nicely declined and said he really needed to head
home. Why did I even ask, after spending the past week telling him no to
everything? Was it because when we first met I thought he was out of my league,
too clean cut and good for someone like me? And now that I’d seen small parts
of another side to him I seem to jump right at the opportunity.
God I’m such a dipshit!

A knock on the bathroom door startles me out of my
thoughts, “You okay?” Alek yells through the door.

“Yeah why?”

“You’ve been in the shower for almost forty five
minutes.”

“Oh, just warming up I guess” is the best response I
can come up with, but in all honesty Carter was messing with my head. I never
got distracted like this, never got close enough to anyone to even remotely
care what they think - but for some reason I cared what Carter thought, I cared
a lot. This is insane - I mean I barely know the guy and he’s somehow crawled
right under my skin.

My usual way of doing things was just having casual
hook-ups, not that there have been many because I don’t want anyone finding
things out about me, don’t want people knowing the real me and the things I get
up to in my spare time. I’d be thrown straight in jail, or maybe even murdered
by half the people I’ve pissed off.

I never even tell anyone where I live, and for some
reason I led Carter directly to my front step, even inviting him inside. Alek’s
more casual about things - he always has girls around, maybe knowing they’re
too stupid to go snooping around or figure out what we do for a living. I
probably just don’t have the same kind of trust in people that Alek does. Or I
do in fact need to lighten up.

It was a good thing that Carter didn’t come inside. If
we ended up doing anything I know I would’ve been side tracked from my
objective - we didn’t even have sex and I’m already unfocused.

I switch the shower off and grab the towel hanging on
the wall, wrapping it around myself. I brace my hands on the sink and stare at
myself in the mirror, my dark hair hanging limp and wet against my chest and my
cheeks are flushed from the heat of the water.

What would happen if I let someone in for a change,
would it be so bad? Am I that much of a horrible person? I do bad things but I
do them for the right reasons, or so I tell myself anyway. Yes I get paid for
jobs occasionally but I like to justify my actions. I never steal from people
that can’t afford it and it’s usually things that belong to others that were
wrongfully taken, and okay…the occasional piece of jewellery from ladies that
certainly have money to burn.

Like the artefact the article wrote about, that was
me. The artefact belonged to an old lady who’d had it passed down from
generation to generation. It was worth millions, and the auction directors kept
offering her barely half the amount it was worth so they could make a larger
profit - greedy fucking bastards.

To her, it wasn’t about the money. She wanted to keep
it since it’d been in her family for so long, and it was worth more in history
and stories to her than any amount of millions anyone tried to offer her.

Someone broke into her house and not only stolen it,
but also attacked the poor old lady. She was a friend of my uncles, which is
how she managed to get a hold of me and ask me for my help.

I’m not a bad person, am I?

Maybe letting Carter in a tiny bit would help clear my
head for the job I have ahead of me. Around him my mind seems to be less
chaotic, I think less like a monster. Maybe it’s because around him I forget
what my objective is entirely and only think of him, his lips, and that damn
smile with the dimple.

I mean how bad could it be? We’d fool around for a bit
until one or the other gets bored, we say our goodbyes, and that’s it, right?
It’s not like we’re going to fall in love and live happily ever after. As nice
as a house with a porch and white picket fence sounds, it’s just not for me,
and believe me when I say I’d make a terrible mother. All those things most
normal girls dream of – perfect job, perfect husband, perfect house, little
family, all that shit just doesn’t apply to me. I’m not a person that considers
herself to deserve the happily ever after everyone else craves.

Having a casual sort of fling means having some fun
and not having to worry whether the other person loves you, what they’re doing,
and where they are when you’re not around. You don’t have to divulge your life
story to them. I wouldn’t be able to handle any more heart break, and if you’re
with someone like that – in love and all that, you’re setting yourself up for
major breakage. Someone’s bound to cheat, leave you, or god forbid die on you.
So why give your heart away?

The more I think about it, the more Carter’s
suggestion for casual ‘fucking’ sounds perfect. No hearts being given away
means no access for them to get broken, right?

Having made up my mind I dry my hair quickly and get
dressed, already in a much better mood than before my shower. I’m not going to
go out of my way to get Carter, but if he happens to offer anything again I’m
not going to say no this time.

Pathetically I spend my day slightly excited to see
him around the office, but true to his word I don’t even see him once - leaving
me slightly disappointed I didn’t get a kinky office romp, or kiss in the
janitor’s cupboard. Instead of concentrating on making plans, doing research,
or even god forbid actual work that I’m being paid for here, I’ve found myself
wanting to go see him.

Driving myself nuts over absolutely nothing - which is
a clear sign he’s a major distraction for what I’ve got planned, or that he
changes my purpose and passion towards something utterly different, and the
polar opposite of vengeance. I wasted my day thinking about sex, Carter,
whether he wears briefs or boxers, and then some more sex.

Saturday morning I wake earlier than usual, too much
going through my mind for a small job I have tonight. I dress quickly in some
workout gear, and make a quick coffee before I head out for a run - the coffee
burning my throat on the way down since I didn’t let it cool.

The early morning air is crisp and fresh, making my
cheeks no doubt go rosy from the cold air. I run at a smooth pace, not paying
attention to my surroundings, until my body is burning from inside. I find
myself heading in the direction of the Mikhalov building, or as I’ve come to call
– Lucifer’s tower. It’s a few blocks from our house, and by few I mean like a
good forty minute run, but I don’t mind considering the cold air outside is
keeping me cool.

Once I’m finally there, I lean casually against the
building across the street and look up at the gigantic structure towering over
me. Light rain drizzles down that it’s barely noticeable, and before my
thoughts get too bitter my phone starts to ring - it’s my uncle.

“Wujek jak ci idzie?” I ask him how he’s doing. I
don’t generally speak Polish to anyone apart from him, and Alek and I stick to
English. My uncle tries to stick to English too but usually reverts back to
Polish, or does a weird combination of both which is slightly hilarious.
Considering he’s been here for around eighteen years he still has the thickest
accent I’ve ever heard. I kind of wish I had an accent to be honest –
ello, I am Kayyyla,
I say in my head and
sound like Count Dracula. God I’m an idiot sometimes.

“I’m always good, you know that Kayla. How is your new
job going?”

He doesn’t know my plans for Abram, only Alek does.
The least amount of people that know the better; plus he might try to talk me
out of it. I’m not a killer, it’s not in me to hurt people he’d say.

It might be unhealthy to hold on to this grudge, to
let it fester within me until it’s too much. But maybe I’m kind of hoping that
when it does get to that point, I’ll be standing in front of Abram with a gun
to his head.

I shake my head because that’s kind of dark even for
me to think. Yes, I want to hurt and kill the man that murdered my parents, but
I guess I haven’t really thought too far into it just yet. I guess at the
moment I’m just planning on taking everything away from him and not actually
murdering him.

I’m still planning how to even get onto his floor in
his mighty tower and see whether there are other ways to destroy him. I know
the thing that will hurt him the most is his money, the success that he’s
stolen, taking all that away from him.

“Krysia?” my uncle says.

“Oh sorry, dobrze, wszystko dobrze” I tell him
everything is good just as I hear someone clear their throat. I turn to see
Carter as he approaches and leans against the wall next to me, looking up at
the building just like me – arms crossed in front of him.

“You want me
to walk with you?”

“That’s
alright you don’t need to do that.”

“What if I
want to?” he asks and gives me a small smirk.

“How are you going to get home from my place then?”

“Okay, how’s about we walk to my apartment, and I’ll
drive you home from there?”

“Is that code for something?” I find myself laugh.

“Only if you want it to be” he says straight faced, so
I don’t know if he’s joking or not. All I manage to do is nod again. He grins
at my response and surprises me by taking my hand gently, and starts leading me
towards wherever his apartment is - “So you run around on your own a lot?”

“You worried I might get hurt?” I snicker, because
it’s slightly funny to see him concerned for me, if only he knew.

“Maybe.”

“You don’t need to worry, there’s lots you don’t know
about me Carter” I smile up at him as he leads me by the hand. His palm is
warm, his fingers linked with mine, and it’s actually…nice.

“Then tell me something about you Kayla” he says as he
gives my hand a gentle squeeze. We stop at a set of traffic lights and wait for
the pedestrian lights to turn green. I can feel his gaze on me but I look
straight ahead.

“I can’t, not that there’s much to tell anyway. This
isn’t how these kinds of things work though, right?”

“What kinds of things? I’m just a guy, wanting to get
to know more about a girl” he smiles.