Chapter １３

"Fine." I can play her game. "Let's start with what I saw this morning."

"Oh, that." Paula waved a dismissive hand. "I went to him, asked him to come back to my room. I figured since Laura is gone and he doesn't love you, then there'd be no harm. That's it. Then you came along and stopped it just as things were getting good…"

Her smile fades as she sees that this is really bothering me, and she changes to a sincere tone. "Here it is. Laura was sixteen when her mother married Sterling's father. Sterling was thirteen. At her age, Laura was already well-versed in the sexual arts, and she taught Sterling several things. She was Sterling's first love, his only love, and she didn't love him the same way."

Paula eats another snail. "They both grew up. Sterling wanted Laura more than anything, but they were step-siblings. Even in high society, that sort of thing isn't allowed. She ended things with him, found a new man to play with. It destroyed Sterling."

"So then you stepped in," I add.

She nods. "He needed an outlet. It was never emotional between us. Purely physical. Carnal. Friends with benefits, if you will. Sterling never allowed anyone to get close to him emotionally. I didn't mind, at first. But then, of course, the sex wasn't enough for me and I attempted to make things emotional. That didn't work, and things were never the same between us. This morning was the first time we screwed in years…"

I grimace and focus on my bread. "How did she...you know."

"How did she die?" I think I see a small smile at the corner of Paula's mouth. "She fell. The east wing of Bellegarde Manor has an observatory, and she fell from that. Died instantly, they said."

"So it was an accident."

Paula gives me a sly smile and holds up a finger. "That's the question, isn't it? For a while, the cops questioned Sterling relentlessly. Apparently he and Laura had had a fight just the day before she died, and one of the servants heard Sterling threaten to kill her."

My mouth hangs open. "No. Sterling would never…" But would he? I hardly know him.

"Who knows? After all, his father did shoot his mother." Paula makes a face that means It happens.

"Why would he bring me here?" I ask. "To the manor, I mean?"

"No idea. Sterling has always been secretive with his plans, and he always has a plan."

"Will you keep having sex with him while I'm around?"

Paula shrugs. "If he wants to. We're all adults, Victoria."

I stand up, and breadcrumbs fall off my lap onto the dark carpet. "I need some air."

"Don't worry about this." Paula points at the table. "I got the check."

I leave her sitting there and exit the restaurant where my driver is leaning against the wall.

"Mrs. Bellegarde, do you want to return to the manor?" he asks.

"No, thank you. I think I'm going to go for a walk."

"Very well, ma'am. I'll be here."

I leave the driver, walking down the block. I don't know where I'm going. I just need to go.

My phone rings and I answer it.

"How'd your date with Paula go?" Sterling asks.

"Were you spying on me?" I look around. The streets are busy and the sidewalks are filled with people.

"I'm sure you have more questions, and I'd like to answer them. Can we meet somewhere?"

I look up at the nearest street sign. "I'm on the corner of Rose and 42nd."

"Great. There's a small park near there where we can talk. I'll be there in a few minutes." He hangs up and I put my phone away.

"Excuse me, miss."

I turn and see a couple smiling at me. The man holds out his phone and asks, "Could you take our picture?"

"Oh, of course." I take the man's phone and aim, then snap a picture of them standing below the street sign that says Rose Boulevard.

"And one more back here, please?" The couple walks behind a building into a narrow alleyway.

An odd place for a picture, I think, but I follow them. They pose between the two buildings and I raise the phone to take a picture.

A black bag goes over my head and someone says, "Get her hands!"

I feel tape wrap around my wrists and I scream out, "Sterling!"

Then something hard hits me on the back of my head, and everything goes dark.

My mind knows I'm awake before my eyes do, because when I finally come out of unconsciousness my eyes are behind a blindfold. I have no idea where I am or what time it is or how long I've been out, but I can hear sounds around me. Weird sounds. A whip cracking, a woman moaning…

I gather in my surroundings as best I can without seeing them. I'm laying down on something soft. A bed, or at least a mattress. My hands are tied together. I roll over and sit up after some trying, and stand up off the bed. I'm still wearing my shoes, which is good, I think.

I lift up my tied hands and pull off the blindfold. I blink as my eyes adjust to the light, although it's very dim. I'm in some kind of suite, maybe a hotel room. The walls are black and detailed with red. My bed is large enough for a few people to sleep in comfortably, and other than a large table next to it there's no more furniture here.

On the table are several objects that I've seen on the internet and in movies, but never in real life. Handcuffs, a whip, blindfolds, satin ropes, a ball gag, something that looks like a dog harness, and several long objects that make me clench up just thinking about where they were meant to fit.

A candle burns on the end of the table, dripping wax into a dish. I hold my tied hands over the candle and endure the burning as the ropes melt away and fall off.