Chapter 2

At eleven in the morning, I walked into Ethan's congressional district office carrying a pastry box.

Since it was the holiday season, the office was mostly empty.

As soon as I walked through the door, I saw a few young staffers huddled around a desk playing games on their phones.

"Chloe is here!"

Someone shouted, and they quickly scrambled to hide their phones.

"Happy New Year, Chloe! Did you bring us more treats?"

Marcus, the Chief of Staff, walked over and took the box from my hands.

"You're the only one who pampers us. Representative Vance came in this morning with a face so dark you'd think he lost his campaign budget."

I smiled, my eyes scanning the room.

"Where is Ethan? He mentioned he had a hearing to prep for."

Marcus blinked, looking confused.

"A hearing? I haven't heard of any. He's been in his private office since he got in. Said he was catching up on sleep."

Just then, the door to Ethan's office opened.

But the person who stepped out first wasn't Ethan.

It was a young woman.

She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a congressional assistant uniform that was clearly too big for her. The sleeves were rolled up several times, revealing her slim, pale wrists.

Her hair was chestnut brown, styled in long, loose waves.

Exactly like the strand I found on Ethan's blazer.

She was holding a mug.

It was a custom couple's mug Ethan had bought for me years ago, which I had kept in his office for my visits.

The girl didn't panic when she saw me. Instead, she gave me a sweet, sugary smile.

"You must be Chloe. Mr. Vance talks about you all the time."

Her voice was soft and airy.

Ethan walked out right behind her. When he saw me, his brow furrowed.

"Why didn't you call before coming?"

He walked over, reaching out naturally to take my purse.

I stepped back, evading his touch, and kept my eyes locked on the girl.

"And who is this?"

Before Ethan could speak, the girl beat him to it.

"Hi, Chloe. I'm Lily Miller. I'm the new intern assigned to this office. Mr. Vance is my mentor."

Lily. The name sounded innocent, and she looked the part.

But the way she looked at me, straight in the eyes, felt like a direct provocation.

"An intern? Why are you dressed like that? Didn't the office provide a uniform?"

Lily looked down at the oversized blazer she was wearing. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she bit her lip shyly.

"I was working late last night and accidentally spilled something on my shirt. My mentor... I mean, Mr. Vance, saw I was cold and let me borrow his spare blazer."

Marcus had just said there was no hearing last night.

I glanced at Marcus.

He was an honest man, and right now, his face was tight with awkwardness. He kept avoiding my gaze.

He knew. Or at least, he suspected something and was helping Ethan cover it up.

Ethan cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence.

"Alright, Lily, go change. Chloe, come inside. We need to talk."

He reached for my hand again.

But Lily suddenly let out a sharp gasp.

The mug in her hand tilted, and hot coffee splashed out, landing right on Ethan's leather shoes.

"I'm so sorry! It was an accident!"

Lily hurriedly knelt down, pulling tissues from her pocket to wipe Ethan's shoes.

As she bent over, her collar loosened slightly.

Standing directly above her, I had a perfect view of the bright red lace peeking out from her shirt.

The lace pattern and the color were an exact match to the thong Ethan had brought home last night.

So this was what he meant by "locker-room dares."

Ethan looked down at Lily kneeling at his feet and gently pulled her up by the arm.

"It's fine. Did you burn yourself?"

Lily's eyes welled with tears.

"I'm okay. I just ruined your shoes. Chloe won't be mad at me, right?"

I stood there, watching this touching display of mentor-student affection, and felt a wave of nausea.

"I'm not mad," I said, a smile pulling at my lips as I looked at Ethan.

"After all, it's just the price of losing a game of Truth or Dare. I completely understand."

Ethan's face went dead pale.