Page 43 of Deadmen's Queen
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Within a day, it was like I’d never left. I was woken early for yoga and then driven to the gym to workout under the watchful eye of my mother. I pushed myself as hard as I could, but she was displeased with the amount of weights I could now lift, thanks to Nate’s training, and lectured me about bulking up.
Much of the day was spent cleaning and doing laundry, evenings were spent being ferried around to local society events. We weren’t exactly in the guy’s circles, but it was still society, and my mother loved to brag about how I was dating Sebastian Blake. I didn’t dare correct her, and I noticed she didn’t bring up my role as Persephone to her snobby friends.
When I told her Nate had invited me to the Christmas party, she actually genuinely smiled at me, and started asking me questions, chatting away as if we were a normal mother and daughter, and for the first time, I wondered if perhaps I was finally making her proud of me. I was no longer the waste of space that had ruined her life, but someone she would like. Maybe even love.
She was a little disappointed when I told her Bast was sending me a dress to wear so we couldn’t go dress shopping, but even she was impressed when it arrived on my third day home. It was beautiful. Midnight blue, falling to the floor, with crystals studded through the skirt like tiny snowflakes, and a crystal encrusted bodice that sparkled in the light. Silver sandals, a tiny clutch bag, and a crystal studded snowflake hair slide completed the outfit. I absolutely loved it.
I’d been home five days, when she came upstairs where I was cleaning the bathroom. She perched on the edge of the bath, watching me as I scrubbed at the toilet. My father wasn’t a great aim when he’d had a lot to drink, and it looked suspiciously like no one had actually cleaned the toilet since I’d left.
“The party you’re going to - it’s definitely at the Carver estate?” she asked casually.
“Yes, Nate says they throw it every year,” I said.
“And Blake’s son is sending a car for you? And bringing you home that night?”
“That’s what he said.”
She nodded thoughtfully, then reached into her pocket. “When you get there, I want you to make an excuse, and locate Carver’s office. When you find it, you will get inside and plant this somewhere around his desk where he won’t see it.”
I frowned. “What is it?”
She opened her hand, revealing a small camera, and my mouth dropped open.
“Mum, I can’t do that. He’s Nate’s dad. He’s a Lord. What if I got caught?”
My mother shook her head. “Don’t get caught. And if you do, well, you’ve been whoring yourself out to three men, what’s one more?”
I felt sick. “Are you actually suggesting if Nate’s dad finds me in his office, I should seduce him?”
“Seduce him?” She laughed coldly. “My dear, you are still such a romantic. He won’t need any seducing. You’re still young enough to be of interest to him, and he’s always been of the opinion that status and power makes every girl wet. Whether she agrees with it or not.”
My mouth fell open and I stared at her. “I can’t believe you’d tell me to do that.”
“Oh stop being such a drama queen, Paige. We both know it’s your young pussy that’s our weapon here. Though, actually, you might want to take a bottle of lube with you. Unless he’s changed, Carver always prefers doing it the back way and it hurts like hell if he doesn’t bother to lube you up first.”
I thought I might retch, and I leaned over the toilet, just in case.
“I have another one for when you go back to Blackvellyn,” she said, still watching me.
“What? To put where?”
“In Blake’s office of course. I’m assuming you don’t know any useful details about his businesses, so I’ll need first hand information if I’m going to bring him crashing down.”
Horror washed over me, and I stared at her. “I can’t… why… where did you even get these?”
She shrugged. “You can get anything on the internet, Paige. Now, just make sure they point at the desk. That's where he’ll take most of his phone calls. If you can, sit in behind him at an angle, so I can zoom in on the computer screen.”
“I…” I stared down into the dirty toilet bowl, and shook my head.
“I can’t do that, Mum. I’m sorry, I just can’t.”
“What?” Her voice was flat, and cold, and I cringed, knowing what was coming.
“I’ll do the one for Lord Carver, but I can't do that to Bast. He's been so sweet to me. All of them have.”
Her icy gaze bore into me. "He's been sweet," she repeated, her tone full of venom. “Was he sweet when he kidnapped you and assaulted you in front of a roomful of people?”