WICKED PARADISE | JENLISA

SEVENTEEN

JENNIE
***

I PADDED BESIDE HER.

I didn’t say a word as she stalked mercilessly down the lane.

My stomach ached.

It burned and snarled corrosive with denial at how swiftly things had been destroyed between us and full of barbwire knots at the blistering betrayal in Lisa’s eyes.

The way she’d looked at me?

The pain.

The absolute horror.

It’d been a gunshot right into my useless heart.

Snatching her phone from her pocket, she called Cal as we continued walking in nasty silence. Cal answered straight away, her voice echoing loud enough for me to catch what she said.

“What’s up?”

Lisa’s body was a coil. An explosive spring ready to detonate at any moment. “Tell the pilots they’re due to taxi Adam Marks back to Jakarta. He has a plane to catch.”

“Sure. Consider it done.” A pause before Cal asked, “Anything else?”

Lisa narrowed her eyes, shooting me a glare. “Finalize the fantasy for Conrad Smithy.”

“I just finished the coding. But he’s not due in Euphoria until tomorrow.”

“I expect it to be loaded within twenty minutes.”

“Okay…” Cal’s voice changed to suspicion. “Why? What’s going on? He getting stroppy and wants an earlier fuck-fest?”

“Tell him I have a goddess ready and willing.” Lisa’s hand tensed around her phone. Blackness filled her eyes as she bared her teeth in my direction. “She’s willing to work a double shift this week. Triple if there are guests requiring special care.”

Cal stayed silent for a moment before guessing far too much. “This goddess…it’s not Jinx, is it?”

Lisa tore her furious gaze from me, striding faster.

I trotted to keep up with her. Partly because I didn’t want to make her any angrier than she already was and partly because I wanted to continue listening to their conversation.

“The one and fucking only,” Lisa hissed. “She just volunteered.”

I wedged a fist in my belly.

Somehow, even if I hadn’t served a guest yet—thanks to Lisa’s tampering—that seemed like it was all about to change. Her temper was a monstrous entity clouding the sky, tainting the air with another thunderstorm. Electricity crackled between us, but this time, it wasn’t full of lust but rage. Shards of power crackled over her suit, her movements jerky with fury.

She wouldn’t forgive or forget.

Not until I’d sufficiently paid in pain and disgrace.

Cal muttered, “You let him fuck her and you’ll severely regret it.”

“Don’t tell me what the fuck I’ll regret, Calvin,” Lisa snarled. “Have the cypher ready and keep your goddamn thoughts to yourself.”

“You’re the boss, miss. Consider it done.” Cal hung up.

Lisa shoved her phone into her pocket and picked up her pace.

I jogged faster, running to my demise, my death, my doom.

* * * * *

“Go stand in the centre,” Lisa snapped, shoving open the door to the Virtual Reality playroom of her Euphoria villa.