“It’s okay to have a negative reaction, Hanna. This was only a test.”
“A test I’ll always fail. I’m so tired of it. I’m tired of the fear. Tired of being alone.” Her voice rose with each word. “I want to be intimate, but I can’t even handle it when someone flirts with me. I can’t even handle the word pussy through a glass wall from another room.”
I almost choked on the drink I was taking when the word pussy fell from her lips. I’d talked to Hanna a few times, but I couldn’t remember if she’d even sworn around me. Gathering myself, I took another drink and watched all the steam from her heated rant seep out of her. She crumbled back on the couch, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“I wish I could say something to make it better, but I won’t waste your time with useless words and platitudes you’ve probably heard before.” Her head rolled along the back of the couch until green eyes met mine. “I couldn’t imagine not touching,” I said with as much sincerity as I had. “What I can offer you is a quiet room, no judgment, and tequila.”
One side of her mouth quirked, and she held up her glass. “I’ll take it.”
With a smile, I took her glass and refilled it with more tequila. Before heading to the couch, I sent a message to Carina, letting her know that Hanna was in my office, and I’d make sure she made it home okay. When I came back, Hanna had moved more to the middle of the small couch so she could tuck her legs up off to the side.
“To quiet rooms,” she said, holding up her glass.
I plopped down next to her and held mine up as well. “To drinks with friends.”
Our glasses tapped and chimed like a bell at midnight.
“How did you come up with Voyeur?” she asked after a moment of silence.
I breathed a laugh. “The way most guys come up with ideas. With a friend and a lot of alcohol.”
“That friend being Kent?”
“Yup. We met in college and hit it off. We were both business majors and probably watching too much porn. One night we were at a party, and a couple of people were making out and moving on quickly to more. I think they liked that everyone was watching. And everyone was watching. I’d never forget sitting on the couch, looking around the room at all the people—boys and girls—frozen, barely even blinking so they didn’t miss a second. Kent leaned over and whispered about how live porn would make a killing. And the rest was history.”
She giggled softly. “Thankfully, Erik was into video games, so we were saved from any risky ideas. Otherwise, family dinners would’ve been pretty awkward.”
“My parents definitely shook their head at the idea but didn’t ask too many questions.”
“Did they support you?”
“As much as parents can. They were proud I was a successful business owner and used my college degree they helped pay for.”
“What about Kent’s?”
“I’m not even sure they know to this day that Kent is the money behind our venture. They are of the ignorance is bliss mindset and don’t ask questions. Besides, he’s more vocal about his hotel empire than Voyeur.”
“Is it like fight club?” she asked with a quirked brow and a smirk.
I couldn’t help but smile. There were two sides to Hanna. Everyone saw the reserved, stiff persona she projected. But the more I was around her, the more I saw her sense of humor and that devious smirk that let me know there was more behind the woman than I’d originally thought.
“No, not like fight club. We talk about it. Just don’t necessarily advertise it. Word of mouth is usually how we get our business.”
“How do you feel about Olivia being out there?”
“Oh, god. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“That bad?”
“She’s like a daughter to me, and it’s in my best interest to not think about it too much. She’s with Kent, who I know is a good man and she is a smart girl. But yes, I’m still hiding out in my office like a little girl too afraid to face the truth.”
A laugh broke free of her lips, light and loud at the same time. It reached across the space and sunk into my chest, moving my muscles of their own volition. Her head tipped forward, and hair fell over her eyes. I couldn’t resist reaching out to brush it back.
She tracked the slow movement until she couldn’t anymore. The dome lighting almost spotlighted her wide eyes, blinking as if she was in as much shock as me that I was touching her.
She didn’t even flinch when I dragged my thumb along her jaw before falling away. I hadn’t meant it as sexual, and I wasn’t even sure if the emotion expanding in the space between us could be defined as sexual. It felt different. Softer. Bigger. Consuming.
“What is it about you that I’m not scared of?” she whispered.
“I don’t know, but I’m glad you’re not.”
An easy smile spread cheek to cheek, and she fell back against the cushions with a sigh.
“Thanks for helping me out.”
“Any time.”
Her eyes slid closed, and I couldn’t look away. She reminded me of someone from my past, someone I hadn’t been able to help. The dark hair and sharp cheekbones were different but all too familiar at the same time.
“You’ll never leave me, right, Daniel?”
“No, Sabrina. I’m always here.”
“Even when I’m hard.”
“Even then. You’re my best friend.”
“You’re my hero—my everything. I love you.”
“I…care about you so much.”
The memory hit me out of left field. It’d been so long since I’d thought of that time of my life. A time I’d wanted to help someone else. Someone I’d failed to help.
But maybe I could help Hanna. Maybe I could even the score
