C3, PT. 2 (Patreon)

Roth tried a door she assumed led onto a balcony before he pulled the drapes closed. Why he was so on edge and convinced someone was lying in wait in the wee hours of the morning in a location they hadn’t planned to visit, she didn’t know.

She peered into an ensuite bathroom. Front and center was a bathtub with high faucets. She didn’t hesitate. She strode forward and turned on the taps full blast.

“Jasmine.”

She didn’t turn at the reprimand in Roth’s voice. She didn’t care what he wanted of her. They were here. There was a bathtub nearby. She was going to soak. Aside from the hours she’d spent on the plane, her skin was tacky from her crying jags, vomiting, and cold sweat from the Trentham Ball. She desperately needed a bath.

“Mr. Roth? Your bags?”

“You can set them here,” Roth said impatiently.

She shrugged off Roth’s coat and her broken jacket and was about to pull her ruined top over her head when Roth clipped, “Out.”

Jasmine hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her pants and pushed them down, not bothering to close the door or check if the coast was clear. She simply didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting into the tub. She clambered in and plopped down in the rapidly rising water, which hadn’t yet hit her waist. In a distant part of her mind, she knew she should adjust the temperature because it was borderline scalding. Instead, she reclined against the cold curve of the porcelain tub and looked up at Roth, who stood over her, scowling. As his narrowed eyes moved over her, she wasn’t surprised when his gaze fixed on her upper arm. A muscle flexed in his jaw.

“You don’t leave this room,” he snapped. “Someone will guard the door while we clear the rest of the house.”

He stared at her, apparently wanting some kind of verbal agreement.

“‘Kay,” she said.

He tensed like she’d disagreed or given him the middle finger. He opened his mouth and then spun away with a vicious curse. He stalked to the bed where their luggage had been placed and rummaged in his travel bag before he shoved something in his pocket and pivoted on his heel. When she heard the door slam, she sighed. Normally, she would have wasted time worrying what she’d done to piss him off, but the odd detachment she was swimming in blocked such inclinations. She wasn’t sure why Roth had to secure the château with his men, but she wasn’t going to question her good fortune. She finally got what she wanted. She was alone.

She rested the back of her head on the lip of the tub and stared at the ceiling. It seemed that it took only seconds for the tub to fill completely. It was the sound of the water splashing over the side that finally captured her attention. It took a monumental effort for her to gather the strength to straighten and turn off the taps.

Silence descended. She resumed her position, sliding down the side of the tub until the steaming water hit her closed lips. It was so quiet, the only thing she could hear was the distant crackle of the fire in the bedroom and the uneven rhythm of her heart. Even though she sat perfectly still, ripples disturbed the surface of the water. That was odd since she felt as substantial as mist. She may have a heartbeat, but she felt dead. Tiny swells emanated from her, but disappeared before they reached the sides of the tub.

People like Lyle, Rami, and her sisters were forces of nature—sending shockwaves through industries and economies. In Roth and her father’s case, they were devastating tsunamis that sent people fleeing for their lives before consuming everything in their path. Despite all the advantages of her upbringing, she made no impact whatsoever. The tiny ripples she made as she moved through life wouldn’t rock a shallow boat. It was like she didn’t exist. She couldn’t claim any major accomplishments, accolades, or legacy. Her father had predicted she would be mediocre. That she wouldn’t do anything to elevate his name, only sully it. He’d been right on the money, as usual.

The only noteworthy thing about you is you’re a Hennessy. Without my name, you’d be invisible.

She tried to shut out her father’s voice, but just like he’d been in life, the memories of him wouldn’t be ignored. The frozen lake in her mind abruptly cracked, and she sank into the frigid waters of the past, which transported her to her worst memory of her father.

***

“I’ve always known you were stupid, but I never imagined you were this big of a fool.”

Jasmine flinched.

“An affair?”

Her father’s soft, sinister tone made her lightheaded with terror.

“An affair with James Roth?”

She clasped her trembling hands together in a death grip.

“Did you forget that you’re engaged to Ford Baldwin?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Dad—”

“Did you?”

His deafening roar made her cower. She held up a hand in a silent plea for mercy. She was close to passing out. She never imagined her father would find out about her and Roth. She convinced herself what they shared was happening in an alternate reality that wouldn’t touch her life as Maximus Hennessy’s daughter. Now her lives were clashing and she had no idea what to do.

“Answer me, Jasmine.”

Her father’s voice had reverted back to quiet. She wasn’t sure which tone was worse. Both of them made her want to drop to her knees.

“No,” she choked.

“No what?” he snapped.

“No, I didn’t forget I was engaged,” she whispered.

Her father’s rage filled the room, making it hard to breathe.

“So you pulled this stunt to get back at me. You weren’t content disobeying orders at my party and helping him, you decided to flush your future down the toilet, drag my name through the mud, and jeopardize my partnership with Parker.”

“No! That wasn’t my intention at all!”

“What was your intention?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came to mind. Where Roth was concerned, her only motivation was pleasure. A reprieve from the relentless pressure of being a Hennessy. He was the first person to make her feel desirable and beautiful and that she wasn’t lacking. Being with him felt right. So right that she refused to consider the consequences.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.

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