Page 25 of A Smooth Operator

His phone pinged again. "Damn." He smiled at me. It didn't reach his eyes. "This was a great evening. It's been a pleasure."

He wasn't mocking me, but he was doing the polite brush-off. I sat down, feeling like a fool.

"It's been such a lousy day. My mother, sister, and Marina, they all came over, and it's been hell. I was looking forward to spending time with you."

Just not in the open where anyone else could see you spend time with me.

My heart gave a painful lurch. "Of course."

"And it's been lovely. Just what I needed to take my mind off all the nonsense."

He looked like he was ready to bolt because his phone was doing the ping-ping-ping thing, and his eyes were darting between me and his phone.

"Just go, Remi. I'll find my way home."

"I know you will but it doesn't feel right, so—"

"It's fine. It's not like we were on a date."

He laughed. "Absolutely not a date. You take care, and I'll see you around."

I blinked, struggling to keep my composure. “Yeah, around."

He had a puzzled look on his face. “You okay?”

I forced a smile. “Yes. Thank you, Remi. It was a wonderful meal.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Let me know when you get home safe.”

And then he was gone.

I finished my glass of water and just sat there, feeling bereft, stupid, hurt, and gullible.

That'll teach you to dress to impress Remi Drake.

Walter let me know that my Uber had arrived. I thanked him and walked out of the restaurant with my head held high. I had every right to be here, just like anyone else.

As I sank into the backseat of the Mercedes, the tears finally spilled over. I swiped them away quickly, determined not to let Remi ruin my night. I’d always known he wasn’t mine, but somehow, hearing him treat this dinner like it was an obligation felt like a knife to the heart.

I sat back and closed my eyes, letting the hum of the tires on the road soothe me. Damn, Remi Drake. He still managed to wound me without even trying.

Chapter 9

Remi

Life got busy. A month after breaking up with Marina, I was back on the market and living it up. In a perverse way, I was glad it was Marina's fault our relationship ended because it was gonna end sooner than later. I wasn't a one-woman man—and since I didn't believe in cheating, my options were fuck them and forget them. It worked for me.

I'd seen Echo a few times here and there as well. Every time I felt a pull towards her—but this was Poopy Pants, and she wasn't one-night stand material. She was my sister's friend, and my father's protégé, fucking her would be nothing but trouble. So, I kept my distance even though I enjoyed her company. She was smart and funny. After all the boring girls I fucked around with, talking to someone who had more on her brain than the next Taylor Swift concert or some designer bag was a delight.

I'd even had coffee with her once at GeneVerse when I'd gone to see Dad. She was laughing outside her office, talking to her boss. They seemed friendly, and I wondered if she was fucking him. But I didn't think so. Echo was fun, but I doubted the wunderkind Dr. Martin Andersen would find her attractive. He was a successful scientist with a whole lot of degrees after his name and a shit ton of money, according to Dad, because of some patents he owned. My father told me his ex-fiancée was Rebecca Hamilton, who was a smart, beautiful woman. Echo was not in Dr. Andersen's league.

"Remi." Martin held out his hand, and I shook it. "You here to see your father?"

"Yeah and I wanted to see if Echo was free for a cup of coffee."

I didn't know why I did it, but I gave her a quick hug and dropped a kiss on her cheek. I hugged and kissed several women when I greeted them, but never Echo. I had no idea what possessed me to do that, but I liked feeling my lips against her silky skin—loved to see her eyes go wide.

"Lovely. Well, Echo, I'm going to go back to my paper."

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