Page 50 of Under Her Protection

"Copy."

"Say the thing."

"Which thing?”

"The you-have-met-yourself thing."

"No."

"Avery."

"I am not going to say it because you know it and if I say it now it is going to sound like I am enjoying it, which I am not."

"Mm."

"I did say it to you in advance not to fuck her.”

"You did."

"I said do not fuck her.”

"You did."

Avery looked distinctly unamused.

Leo put her head in her hands for one second and lifted it again and looked at the screen.

"It is unprofessional," she said.

"Yes."

"I know."

"I know you know."

"I should tell Dominique."

"You should not tell Dominique. You should finish the job, not get pulled any further into this, and then on the other side of the job you and I will have a long conversation about it and you can tell Dominique then if you want to."

"Copy."

"Leo."

"Yes."

"Women like her….”

"Mm."

"Women who have money like that, who have that much control over their lives, who have gone that long without letting anyone in. They fuck like it is a window."

"Meaning what?”

"Meaning a window opens. Meaning they climb through it. Meaning they close it after. Meaning you are not going to be the one who lives in the room on the other side. She is using you. She doesn’t need anything from you. She wants. It is different.”

"Copy."

"I am not telling you not to."