Page 57 of David

“The entire night? No. I have stuff to do tomorrow morning.”

That’s a non–answer.

“Otherwise you would?’

“No.”

Despite his frankness, I still don’t know what that means.

“Okay, good to know…” I say nonchalantly, pushing off the wall and turning my back to him to leave. “Nice talking to you,” I add, stepping away without looking back.

“What about you and your friend come to my table upstairs?” he says, making me stop and swivel like a traffic cop.

“Are you inviting us upstairs?”

A soft smile curls his lips.

“Yes.”

“Why would you do that?” I ask.

“Don’t look for hidden meanings. We have food and drinks. Ask one of the bouncers to direct you to my table,” he says curtly as if suddenly in a hurry.

He tilts his chin to highlight the seriousness of his invitation before turning around and walking away.

I’m staring at his back while he moves steadily toward the other end of the corridor.

“Tell him David Moore has sent you.”

Later he pushes through a door and vanishes from my line of sight.

9

LIZ

I touch up my makeup and run my fingers through my hair in the restroom before returning to the bar, my confidence soaring.

I’d lie if I said I didn’t notice my flushed cheeks and burning eyes in the mirror as pheromones flew off my skin.

You can say anything about David Moore, but no matter how cold and difficult he is, he undeniably affects me.

I locate Keith, who looks at me with different eyes.

“Um… What happened?” he murmurs.

“Nothing,” I say, suppressing a smile while glancing around the room.

A beefy man barks orders to a couple of employees not too far from us.

Keith notices the direction of my gaze.

“You want to leave?”

I spin to him.

“No. Not now. We’ve been invited upstairs. Do you want to come with me? They have food and drinks.”

My words hardly register with him.

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