I swat her shoulder playfully.
“Only you, Chloe… Only you. I wouldn’t sleep with that man even if he were the last eight inches of hardness on the planet.”
“I could argue with you on that topic till the crack of dawn. You have no idea what you’re talking about but suit yourself. I’d still go. Eat good food, drink some wine, and be a princess. Ask him to take you home. Or have his driver do it. They love women like that.”
LIZ
I dwell on it for a few good minutes before heeding her advice, and after a brief conversation with a bodyguard, I follow him to a large private area on the second floor.
The room is bigger than anticipated, with a sizable table in the middle. People indulge in food and drinks while I look around for the host.
David Moore talks to someone in the corner while the brunette occupies a seat near the end of the table, where he is supposed to sit, I imagine.
Frustration sweeps through me within seconds, and I realize this isn’t for me.
Chloe made a compelling argument, but this experience is less enjoyable than I thought.
Without being noticed by anyone in the room, I spin around and make the trip back.
This time, I head straight to the exit, where I realize someone’s on my tail.
A hand curls around my arm when I stop and turn around to meet his eyes.
Surprise doesn’t even describe the storm lapping at my edges.
His hand falls away as quickly as it has made me stop.
“What happened to your man?” David asks, evidently outside of his comfort zone.
He’s not used to chasing women around, not that this is much of a chase.
What should I tell him?
That I wanted to gag upstairs.
That drinking chamomile tea and watching the news on TV is more appealing than observing him and that woman?
“He had to go.”
“Why did you change your mind?” he asks, more composed this time.
“You saw me?”
The pang of incredulity in my voice makes him smile.
He nods.
“You’re hard to miss.”
Mmm… Sultry ammunition at work.
“Flattering me won’t get you far.”
“Who said I want to get far with you?”
Cunning man.
I smile.