Julian’s POV
A knock ca on my door. I straightened my shirt and moved toward it, already believing I knew who it was. A maid of course, here to inform that Richard was calling for . My mind was already rehearsing the lies I would give. However, when I pulled the door open, it wasn’t a servant standing there.
It was Lucy. She was wrapped in a red silk robe that looked far too thin. Tucked under her arm was a bottle of wine, and she held two champagne glasses by the stems in one hand.
"Hey Jules," she said and without waiting for an invitation; she brushed past into the room.
"Lucy? What are you doing here?" I asked, keeping my voice low as I stepped out into the hallway briefly, and glanced around, to make sure Catherine didn’t witness her entering my room. The coast was clear, so I retreated and closed the door.
"Don’t be rude, Julian," Lucy said as she made her way to my bed and sat down, crossing her legs. The silk of the robe slid back, exposing her thigh in a way that was clearly ant to be seductive. If it had been Catherine making that move, my pulse would have spiked. Seeing Lucy do it only made my stomach turn with a mixture of disgust and annoyance.
I chose to sit in the chair across from the bed, ensuring there was a clear several feet of distance between us. I watched her place the wine and the glasses on the duvet.
"If you are here for a reason, state it and leave," I said. "I’m tired, and not in the mood for gas."
Lucy cleared her throat, her expression shifting from a forced pout to sothing sharper. Her voice ca out in a cold, threatening tone. "Do you know this? I have the power to make Richard send Catherine far from here. I can go to him, drop one suggestion about her ’influence’ on you, and she’ll be sent to a school in another country before the sun cos up."
I tilted my head, studying her. For a split second, I wanted to laugh in her face and tell her to go fuck herself, but I stopped myself. I had to protect Catherine. If Lucy was feeling this vindictive after the fight, I had to play this carefully.
"I didn’t know you had that much power," I said, my voice neutral.
Lucy smirked, leaning back on her elbows. "Now you know."
"Is that why you ca here? To threaten ?"
"Both," she said. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, her eyes locked on mine. "During the little altercation between Catherine and I earlier, she said sothing. Now, I want you to prove her words wrong."
I ran through the mory of the event; the slaps, the hair-pulling, the insults. Catherine had said a lot of things. "You’ll have to be more specific. She said a lot."
"Your little forbidden whore said you can’t feel attracted to even if I am naked," Lucy hissed, the words coming out like venom. "I want that to be proved wrong. And I need you to help with that."
I stared at her, genuinely wondering if she had suffered a head injury during the fight. "Have you gone nuts? How am I supposed to prove that she’s wrong?"
Lucy stood up and moved behind . I felt her hands settle on my shoulders, her fingers digging in slightly. She bent down, her lips brushing against my ear. "It’s simple. I’ll stand naked in front of you, and we will see if your dick will erect for . One physical reaction is all the proof I need."
I tore her hands from my body and stood up instantly, putting the chair between us. "What the fuck!"
The mont the words left my mouth, I saw the flash of rage in her eyes. I realized I was pushing her toward the edge where she might actually go to my father. I took a breath and forced my voice to steady, rephrasing my rejection into sothing more analytical. "How does doing this help, Lucy? After it’s done, what’s your plan? To go and tell her that she’s wrong? To tell her that you stood naked in front of and I got hard? Do you really think that makes any sense right now?"
"I know you are trying to protect your face in front of her," Lucy didn’t look deterred. "You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not doing this to prove it to her. I’m doing it to make sure it was just a lie she told to get under my skin. I need to know, Julian. I’ll keep this between us. I won’t tell anyone anything about your little secret project and Richard won’t know of behavior today if you just give this."
I swallowed hard. The thought of it was nauseating, but the threat to Catherine was real. "And if I refuse?"
"Then I tell Richard enough horrible things about her to make sure she’s gone by morning," she said.
I looked at the door, then back at the woman in the robe. I needed her to leave. I needed this over with. "Fine. Go ahead and do what you want."
Lucy didn’t hesitate. She picked up the bottle of wine and popped the cork with a practiced flick, then poured a generous amount into one of the glasses and handed it to .
"What for? Drinking is not needed," I said, refusing to take the glass.
"It’s alcohol-free," she replied but I didn’t care about that. "I just want to make a toast before I start. To proving that Catherine is a liar."
I snatched the glass from her hand, drained the liquid in one swallow just to get it over with, and slamd the cup down on the nightstand.
Lucy reached for the knot of her robe. With a slow movent, she let the silk slide off her shoulders and pool at her feet. She stood there, completely exposed.
I forced myself to look at her, if only to prove to myself that I felt nothing. Catherine was right. Even without the robe, Lucy was thin and unimpressive. Her breasts were lacked the vitality that Catherine possessed in every movent. There was no spark, no surge of blood, no interest. I felt like I was looking at a mannequin.
Lucy’s eyes imdiately traveled down to the front of my trousers. She was looking for a bulge, a sign that her body had so effect on . I felt nothing but a strange, heavy warmth starting to spread through my limbs— the wine, perhaps.
"I’m putting on condom boxers," I said, my voice sounding slightly distant to my own ears. "The erection won’t show through the fabric."
I lied to make her feel better but she didn’t look convinced. She walked toward , and the sll of her annoying perfu was so thick I almost puked. Before I could move, she reached out and squeezed my dick hard.
I shifted back imdiately, swatting her hand away. Lucy froze. Her hand stayed in the air, her face falling as she realized the truth. I was completely flaccid. Even with her naked and touching , there was absolutely no reaction.
Desperation took over her features. "It’s the timing," she stamred, trying to touch my chest. "I should try to touch you more... or dance. Maybe if I—"
"Stop this madness, Lucy!" I yelled. My head was starting to swim, and my heart was hamring against my ribs.
I walked over to the bed, grabbed the silk robe from the floor, and threw it at her face. "Cover yourself and get out. Now."
Lucy glared at for a long, silent second, her eyes wet with humiliation and fury. She snatched the robe, threw it on with jerky, uncoordinated movents, and stord out of the room without looking back.
The mont the door slamd, I slumped against the wall. I felt incredibly hot. My skin was flushed, and a sudden, violent ache began to throb in my groin. It wasn’t because of Lucy. My mind felt clouded, my thoughts dragging like lead. I realized then that the "alcohol-free" toast hadn’t been wine at all.
After a few minutes of trying to control myself, I stood from my bed and stumbled toward the door, my only thought being that I needed to get away, or I needed help. And for so reason, the only person I wanted to see was the one person I shouldn’t be near in this state.
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