Page 8 of Spies Like Us

“We’ll have a bowl of peanuts please,” Stella says, and I grimace.

I whirl around and stalk back to the bar, the liquid soaking into my tight uniform. Anders frowns as I grab a packet of peanuts and tip it into one of the small bowls for serving.

“What happened?” he asks, looking at my damp clothes, and I grab a napkin and try to dab some of the liquid out, but all it does is smear damp napkin across my shorts.

“Ugh.” I toss the napkin into a bin. “Stella had an ‘accident’ with her drink,” I tell him, grabbing a cloth to wipe up the mess. “Can you make another dirty swingers?”

He chuckles and quickly makes another drink, pouring the ingredients into a metal shaker before giving it a quick shake with both hands, then he pours it into a glass with a flourish. “Hopefully this one stays in the glass. Why don’t you go clean up in the bathroom? Otherwise, you’re going to be uncomfortable for the rest of the night.”

“Thanks, I will. Sticky underwear isn’t fun.” I return to the table with the drinks and peanuts and clean up the mess. I don’t say anything this time. They both ignore me, talking quietly to one another.

Once I’m done cleaning the table, I return the cloth to the bar and head toward the bathroom. They are in the back of the club, so I have to wind my way through the crowd. I pass by Ryland’s table, and I feel eyes on me, but I don’t stop to see who’s looking at me. I don’t want to end up with another drink in my face, and those girls are vicious. I don’t doubt one of them would try, especially if they knew that I was in that room with the boys last night, and from what Jessica said, I don’t doubt they know.

The toilets are all individual and not gender specific. I’m almost certain they aren’t just for relieving one’s bodily functions. Throughout the night, I’ve seen couples disappear into them. I pick an empty one. They are clean, and there is a large bench the sink is recessed into, leaving enough room for someone to sit comfortably while being railed. I pull the door closed behind me and look at myself in the mirror. The liquid is starting to dry, and there’s a residue staining the black fabric, not to mention the bits of napkin. I’m a mess. I bet it lit up under the black lights as I walked across the dance floor.

Sighing, I pull off the top and shorts and set them both on the sink. Standing in just my panties, I debate whether or not I want to pull those off too. Before I can make a decision, though, the door opens behind me, and someone slips into the little room. I squeak and whirl around to face whoever came in. Fuck, I forgot to lock the door, and I’m nearly naked. Someone’s about to get the surprise of their life, but when I meet familiar eyes, I relax. The corner of Ryland’s lips curls up in a smile, and his eyes heat as he scans my body.

“When I decided to follow you to the bathroom to find out how your night was going, this was not what I was expecting. Can’t say I’m disappointed though.”

Chapter 4

Iput my hands on my hips and raise an eyebrow. “Did you consider knocking? I could have been peeing,” I ask blandly, and his smile turns into a smirk.

“Nope, I figure we’re going to be a team, so we can watch each other pee.” I can’t believe this guy.

“Dude, there is such a thing as boundaries,” I retort, slightly exasperated. Ryland Turner is nothing like I expected. I turn my back to him, grab my top, then turn on the tap. I run it under the water, using my finger to get all the white napkin off.

I hear him groan behind me, and when I look into the mirror, his eyes are locked onto my ass.

“God, I love thongs,” he mutters, and it’s my turn to smirk. His eyes meet mine in the mirror, and he stares at my bare breasts, adjusting himself before frowning.

“Where’s your bra?” He looks at the countertop before narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

“Relax,” I tell him. “I didn’t need one in this top. It’s tight enough to hold the girls in.” I wring out the fabric, happy with how it looks, before doing the same thing to my hot pants.

“What happened?” he asks, leaning against the door.

“Stella wanted to make a statement,” I tell him, and he groans.

“God, that woman is awful. I don’t envy my brother at all.”

“Yet you guys are hanging out with her sister and friends. It’s no wonder none of you had gotten further on the case if you’ve spent your time here partying and socializing instead of running leads.”

Ryland frowns. “We got leads.”

“Hardly. Has anyone asked where Bishop is?”

“Yeah, Michelle did. She seemed genuinely disappointed and surprised when we told her he didn’t come home from the party last night. Lathan told her we thought he might have been with her, and she denied it, and then she got pissed because she thought maybe he’d gone home with someone else.”

“So it isn’t likely any of them know the truth?”

“It doesn’t seem like it,” he replies as I turn to the air dryer and activate it, sticking my shorts underneath. It shouldn’t take long for them to dry.

“Anders said he thought you were going back to the tunnels to see where they lead to. Are you still doing that?”

“We were going to, but Jessica caught Miller as he was sneaking out.”

“Jessica went up to his room?” I ask, spinning around. “We’re not supposed to be up there. She’s getting bold.”

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