Page 35 of Such A Bad Girl

“Uh, yeah, I have for a while now. You?”

“Oh, no, I’m still in Texas. Just here for a solo mini-vacation. It’s been forever since I got away.”

“That’s nice. How’s Texas?”

“Other than half the population having gone crazy, it’s as hot as ever, I guess. I didn’t see you at the reunion this year.”

“Oh, no, that’s not really my scene.”

“That’s too bad,” she said, looking at me thoughtfully. “You look good, Theo.”

I nodded, watching her take a sip of her coffee. “Thanks, you too.”

And she did. She was beautiful, in a cookie-cutter sort of way. Well put together, and well groomed. If my head wasn’t full of Everleigh at that moment, I may have found her attractive. But, as she rattled on, the memories slowly returned. The Jill I remembered never stopped talking, her shrill voice endlessly irritating me. It didn’t seem like much had changed.

“Any suggestions on tourist activities while I’m in town?”

“Me? Oh, no, I try to stay away from all of that. Disneyland, maybe?” I shrugged.

“How do you spend your time? Let me guess, you’re an actor now?”

“Hell no. I’m allergic to cameras. No, my friends and I are co-owners of a club.”

“That sounds exciting,” she gushed, leaning forward. Her cleavage almost burst out of the neckline of her dress.

“Not really.” I shook my head, the pile of work on my desk flashing in my head. My eyes darted towards the exit as I wondered how quickly I could get out of this polite exchange. Small talk bored me to tears. “Just a lot of work. Sounds a lot more glamorous than it really is.”

“What’s the name of it?”

I hesitated. I should be proud of our creation, and I was. But I was damned protective of it lately, too.

But, I also needed to get on with my day. Everleigh’s sudden summons had taken a good chunk out of it already.

“The Hush Hush Club,” I said, leaving the temple out of the conversation completely.

“Oh! I’ve heard of that. Very exclusive, isn’t that right?”

“We try to be, yeah.”

“Well, maybe I can get an invite, since I know the owner?” She winked.

I sighed, giving her a little smile. What harm would it do to let her visit the club, I finally decided?

It was open to the public after all.

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll leave your name with my doorman and you can stop in anytime.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “That’s so great. Thanks, Theo. I hope I’ll run into you there?”

“It’s a very real possibility.”

“Maybe I’ll stop by tonight,” she said, a hopeful look in her eyes.

I nodded and stood up. “Have a great rest of your day, Jill. I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I need to head out.”

She gave me a little wave and I headed out to my car, grateful for the silence.

Jill was pretty, but she was no Everleigh and never would be. I tried not to play with women’s hearts. That was the beauty of the temple. No one knew who I was, and I didn’t have to face them the next day.

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