The air in the living area grew thick, Noah's hands were no longer hesitant, they were desperate. He reached up, his fingers fumbling with the fourth and then the fifth buttons of her modified uniform. As the fabric fell away, exposing the lacy edge of her bra and the soft rise of her chest, Noah let out a shuddering breath. He closed his eyes, his head leaning into the warmth of her skin as if he were trying to disappear into her.
Josette stood perfectly still, a statue of calculated seduction. She felt his hands slide beneath the lace of her bra, his palms cupping her with a proprietary greed. She tilted her head back, letting out a faint, airy moan that vibrated against his chest, a sound practiced in front of a mirror, designed to convince him he was the conqueror.
In the darkness of his closed eyes, Noah wasn't a failing tech entrepreneur or a kept man, he was a god.
Suddenly, a sharp, electronic trill shattered the moment.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The alarm on Lizzy's wrist watch pierced through the silence of the glass cage. Josette's eyes snapped open, the predatory coldness returning instantly.
"The supermarket," she whispered, her voice breathless but sharp. She stepped back abruptly, forcing Noah's hands to drop.
"Georgia's list. If I'm late with the organic greens and the sparkling water, She won't be happy with me."
Noah looked up at her, his face flushed and his hair disheveled. He looked pathetic, a man interrupted in the middle of a dream. "Lizzy, wait. Just another minute."
"I can't," she said, quickly re-fastening her buttons with nimble, efficient fingers. She smoothed her skirt, the hem settling back at mid-thigh. "We have to be careful. This house is made of glass, remember?
She shot him one last, lingering look of mock-longing before disappearing toward the kitchen. Noah sat back in his chair, his chest heaving, his hands still tingling from the softness of her.
Forty-five minutes later, Lizzy stepped out of a taxi at the base of the gleaming skyscraper. She carried two heavy bags of groceries, the mundane tools of her disguise. As she looked up at the penthouse, she saw a silhouette against the floor-to-ceiling glass of the upper level.
It was Noah. He was standing by the window, looking out over the city, a tiny figure in a massive, transparent fortress. Even from the street, Josette could sense his restlessness. He was hooked. The steak, the espresso, the warmth, she had built a nest of comforts he couldn't live without now.
She entered the apartment, the elevator humming its expensive tune. She dropped the groceries on the marble island in the kitchen, not bothering to put the milk or the artisan lettuce away.
"Noah?" she called out.
"Up here," his voice drifted down from the mezzanine, sounding hollow.
Josette smiled to herself. She moved to her staff quarters with the speed of a woman on a mission. She stripped off the uniform, the black fabric hitting the floor in a heap.
From her suitcase, she pulled out a bikini she had bought specifically for this theater, a minuscule bra and a string g-string in a vibrant, neon white that would pop against the blue of the water and the tan of her skin.
She caught her reflection. She looked nothing like the mousy girl from Bradford. She looked like a siren.
The penthouse featured a heated infinity pool that seemed to spill over the edge of the building into the skyline. It was Georgia's pride, a place where she did her laps at 5:00 AM to clear her mind.
Josette walked out onto the deck. The sun was hitting the glass just right, creating a prism of light. She knew Noah was watching from the mezzanine office. She could feel his eyes tracking her every movement.
She dived in, the water a shock against her skin. She swam with a slow, deliberate grace, her body breaking the surface in a way that emphasized the curve of her back and the high cut of her bikini. When she reached the edge, she pulled herself up, resting her elbows on the marble rim, looking out at the city. She knew that from Noah's angle, she was a vision of forbidden fruit.
Noah appeared at the glass railing above, his hands gripping the metal so hard his knuckles were white. He wasn't even pretending to work anymore. The project was forgotten.
Josette looked up, squinting against the sun, and blew him a tiny, almost invisible kiss.
Noah turned and began to head for the stairs. He was coming down. The prey was walking right into the trap.
The sound of the bell was subtle, but to Josette's ears, it sounded like a gunshot.
She froze in the water. It was too early. Georgia wasn't supposed to be back for another three hours.
The gates slid open. Georgia stepped in, looking exhausted, her charcoal blazer draped over her arm. She was mid-sentence, talking to someone on her Bluetooth earpiece.
"Clarice, I don't care about the paperback rights right now, I just need a…"
Georgia stopped. Her eyes swept the room. She saw the grocery bags sitting abandoned and sweating on the kitchen island. She saw the trail of water droplets leading from the hallway. And then, her gaze traveled through the glass doors to the pool deck.
Lizzy was standing up now, stepping out of the pool. The neon white bikini left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Her hair was slicked back, her skin glistening with chlorine and sunlight.