In His Mistress Body

Chapter 5

“Le Jardin Estolle. Be there in 30 minutes.” I sent the text and brought the wine back to my lips, shutting my eyes as the liquid burned its way down my throat.

“You look stunning,” Dylan whispered for the thousandth time, taking another glass of wine.

“You don’t look bad yourself.” I let out a soft, practiced giggle as I tucked my hair behind my ears, trying not to break character.

Cassie would soon be here. Thirty more minutes of this nonsense.

Cassie was the woman Alejandro got for me, and after a signed NDA, thirty thousand in cash, and a flight ticket to Africa, she agreed to the job.

“You remember this place?” Dylan asked as he looked around, taking a deep breath of the expensive incense and aroma of fine food, reminiscing about old memories.

“Hm?” I blinked.

“Hm?” His eyebrows knitted, then smoothed back.

“You don’t remember this place?”

I let out a nervous laugh as I took a detailed look around the restaurant. Charlotte never mentioned this place, and she bragged about everything exquisite.

“What beautiful French details.” I smiled, feeling heat rise to my face. I felt his eyes studying my every movement, and I was starting to get scared that the longer we stayed close, the easier it would be for him to notice I wasn’t his Charlotte.

“Yes,” he smiled, his eyes still lingering on me as his voice dropped lower. “But nothing beats the view in front of me.”

I bit back a fake blush, making a conscious effort not to roll my eyes.

“We came here for our first date, three years ago, remember? You couldn’t stop raving about their éclairs.” Dylan’s perfect French accent rolled off his tongue as his eyes glistened with excitement, relishing the nostalgia.

“Oh, I did.” I gave a small smile, focusing on the steak to avoid eye contact.

The whole date went by in a blur, and his words blended into the background. I kept a close watch over him, waiting to execute my plan. After Dylan’s fifth glass of wine, it was finally time.

“I’ve always loved you, right from the moment I set my eyes on you.” Dylan’s lovesick voice crawled against my skin, breaking my thoughts as I fought to swallow the food in my mouth.

“Even with Hope in the picture?” I asked before I could hold myself back.

“Yes,” Dylan smiled, a smile I wanted to rip off his face. “Even with her, my heart was always drawn toward you.”

He stood up, wine in hand, and strode toward me.

He was tipsy; I could tell from his dilated pupils. I smiled, a wicked smile. He had just made my job so much easier. Slipping my hand into my purse, I brought out the sedative and tucked it between my fingers.

“Will you marry me?”

Dylan’s voice drew me back, and my world froze as he got on one knee. The wine glass clinked against the table as he popped open a red box revealing a shining rock.

Fuck.

My smile quickly disappeared, and my lips parted dry in shock. This was not in my plan.

“Charlotte Reviera,” Dylan continued, “nothing will ever complete me the way you do. You are everything I wanted and even more.”

How dare he?

How is this happening?

I furiously blinked back the tears in my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat.

A price must be paid for my revenge, and this was the smallest price I’d have to pay if I wanted to ruin Dylan Ellsworth.

I plastered a big smile on my face and leaned in slightly, quickly popping the pill into his drink.

“I’ll marry you, baby.” I laughed as I flung my arms around him, and the small audience that had formed gave a short round of applause.

He lifted me up and twirled me around in excitement.

“I love you, baby.” He put me down and took the last swig from his wine.

“This is not the proposal you deserve. I’ll give you the best when this whole drama dies down.” He leaned in and kissed my neck.

“Let’s get out of here.” I leaned into him seductively, my breath hitting the nape of his neck.

His eyes gleamed with mischief, and a big grin sprawled across his face as he led the way, my hand in his.

My steps were heavy, and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, my eyes burning from unshed tears.

How could he do this to me? No remorse whatsoever.

They killed me.

They f*****g killed me. And now he goes off to propose to his girlfriend.

“I’ve missed you,” Dylan slurred behind me, the sedative taking effect.

I pushed the hotel room door open as a smirk danced across my lips.

Everything was going accordingly. We’d booked a hotel right by the restaurant. Cassie was on her way, and Dylan was about to pass out.

“Come here.” Dylan pinned me against the wall as soon as the door closed behind us.

His pupils were dilated, and his eyes bloodshot.

Maybe alcohol and sedatives weren’t the best idea, but I couldn’t care less.

He was soon to pass out.

“I missed you so much.” He leaned in for a kiss, but I teasingly moved my head and slowly pulled him toward the bed instead.

“I missed you too,” I lied through my teeth, tugging on his tie. Any moment now, he’d pass out.

“You have no idea.” He pulled me by the waist, our bodies merging together. My body tensed, and my nails dug into my palm.

“I f*****g missed you.” Leaning in, he pressed his lips to my neck, nibbling on it. I gulped, my breathing uneven.

I was starting to fear one pill wasn’t enough for Dylan.

“Dylan,” my voice shook as my strength failed to pull away from him.

His eyes lifted to meet mine, and I shivered, noting how unfocused they were. His lips searched for mine, but I struggled to move away.

He grunted disapprovingly and smashed his lips against mine, one hand cupping my breast and the other tugging at my zipper.

I could hear my pulse hammering in my ears as I felt blood trickle down my palm from where my fingers dug in too tightly.

“Stop!” I erupted, pushing as hard as I could. He rolled off the bed with a loud thud, and I ran to the other side of the room.

His face contorted with rage as he lifted himself off the floor. He lunged forward, pressing my back against his hardness.

A loud gasp escaped my lips as tears pooled in my eyes. I bit down on my lips, trying to control my sobs.

“What the f**k is wrong with you?” he groaned in my ear, now pulling my zipper down.

“Please,” my voice broke but then it struck me. I promised myself not to be the weak Hope anymore.

I didn’t get a second chance to be weak.

I took in a sharp breath and mustered all the strength I could, and in one swift move, I slightly leaned down and slammed my elbow backward into his groin.

He howled and fell back. I didn’t turn to look before I pulled the door open and ran down the hallway.

“Help me!” I yelled as soon as I saw a figure through my blurry vision.

“Please, help!” My foot slipped on the marbled floor, twisting in the other direction.

My breath hitched, and with eyes tightly shut, my body braced for the impact of the fall, but it never came.

I felt a hand snake around my waist, and instinctively, I grabbed it for support.

“Careful now.”

The voice was calm, steady, and masculine.

Alarmed, I turned my head back, scanning behind me, but there was no sign of Dylan. A sigh escaped my lips, and I allowed myself to break down.

Sobs tore from my chest, loud and uncontrollable.

“Are you okay?” the man asked, his voice laced with concern.

I couldn’t answer as I brought my hands to my mouth, my sobs growing louder.

I don’t know how long we stood there, but by now, his shoes, black, polished, and expensive, were permanently etched into my memory from staring too hard to control my sobs.

“Are you done?” he asked once my sobs quieted.

Shyly, I lifted my eyes to meet him, and a loud hiccup escaped my lips.

“I take that as a yes.” He chuckled, the sound louder than my racing heart.

I nodded, feeling heat rise to my face.

“Come.” He held his hand out, and for the first time, I noticed two hefty bodyguards behind him.

“No one’s hurting you with me.”