bye, Christian.”
Christian’s eyes soften a little. “Goodbye, Leila.” His is voice low.
“Dr. Flynn, remember.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He opens the door to usher her out, but she halts in front of him and looks up.
He stills, watching her warily.
“I’m glad you’re happy. You deserve to be,” she says and lea一ves before he
can reply. He frowns after her, bemused, then nods to Taylor, who follows
Leila toward the reception area. Closing the door, Christian gazes
uncertainly at me.
“Don’t even think about being angry with me,” I hiss. “Call Claude Bastille and
kick the shit out of him or go see Flynn.”
His mouth drops open; he’s so surprised by my outburst, and his brow
creases once more.
“You promised you wouldn’t do this.” Now his tone is accusatory.
“Do what?”
“Defy me.”
“No I didn’t. I said I’d be more considerate. I told you she was here. I had
Prescott search her, and your other little friend, too. Prescott was with me the
entire time. Now you’ve fired the poor woman, when she was only doing what
I asked. I told you not to worry, yet here you are. I don’t remember receiving
your papal bull decreeing that I couldn’t see Leila. I didn’t know that my
visitors were subject to a proscribed list.”
My voice rises with indignation as I warm to my cause. Christian regards me,
bemused once more. After a moment his mouth twists.
“Papal bull?” he says, amused, and he visibly relaxes. I wasn’t aiming to
lighten our conversation, yet here he is smirking at me, and that makes me
madder. The exchange between him and his ex was painful to witness. How
could he be so cold with her?
“What?” he asks, exasperated, as my face remains resolutely straight.
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E L JAMES
“You. Why were you so callous toward her?”
He sighs and shifts, stepping toward me and perching on the table.
“Anastasia,” he says as if to a child. “You don’t understand. Leila, Susannah
—all of them—they were a pleasant, perting pastime. But that’s all. You are
the center of my universe. And the last time you two were in a
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