[Narrated: 3rd limited, adjacent to Jude's perspective]
She won, he thought, steering through London's neon-bruised dark.For now.
By the time he reached Canary Wharf, the city had hardened into glass and light. The lift hummed him up to the thirty-first floor. The apartment door clicked shut behind him, final as a verdict. He flung his keys into the ceramic bowl by the entrance, they clattered too loudly, a grating sound that needled his skull.
The apartment glowed - floor-to-ceiling windows bleeding the city into the room, long white bars of light striping the stone floor. Expensive. Pristine. She would've loved it here, he thought, then scolded himself for caring.
Stop.
He loosened his tie, thumbed his collar open. Her voice was still lodged in his head, looping since she'd said it - casual, cruel, perfectly aimed.
"I didn't think you'd stoop to whoring yourself out for intel."
Sanctimonious.Laughable.
Hypocrite.
As if she wasn't a professional at it herself. As if she weren't shackled to that trust-fund mannequin of a fiancé for the same reason - protection, insulation, access, money.
Like she hadn't let him fuck her in the back of that cab, then run home to Teddy with him still on her thighs.
And then, worse.
"If I wanted you, I'd have you."
She'd tossed it off like a joke. Casual, cold, just to land a blow. A reminder. How he'd made a fool of himself at the awards. How he'd stood there, exposed, laying it all bare, clearly to her amusement.
Bells…
He poured a drink. Neat. Let it burn down his throat. Ran a hand through his hair, staring out at the skyline.
You'd better tread lightly.
I still have your voicemails.
He scrolled, thumb hovering only a second before pressing play.
… Call from Bells Hann Work …
… 01:04 hours …
Her voice spilled out, thick with alcohol and intention.
"Heyyy Bear… Theo's out… I've been thinking… You're sooo good with your hands… "
Then stretched out soft and slow
"Read my body like a book…."
He cut it short.
Oh Bells. One email to Teddy and your whole house of cards collapses.
All that poise, all that power - gone in a single click.
But not tonight. Not yet. The right time will come.
Tomorrow, he needed her clear-eyed. Dangerous.
He needed her sharp for Yamamoto.