Page 119 of The Blame Game

“Had a lot of them?”

“A few when I lived in LA. Do you know Allie Barnes? She accompanied me to several events while I did the same for her.”

“Isn’t she dating that director now? Vanessa Drake?”

“Exactly,” Dom said drily.

“Ahh.” Audra gave him a knowing look.

They made small talk while they were in the elevator and lobby and Dom had to admit, if he had to pretend to be dating a woman, Audra was a fantastic choice. She was funny and witty, with a dry sense of humor he appreciated.

When they stepped out onto the street, Dom hit the key fob button to unlock his car, parked a few spots down at the curb. The lights on his Aston Martin Vanquish flashed.

Audra’s eyes lit up and she whistled lowly. “Damn. It’s been a while since I rode in one of these.”

“Yeah?” He held the door open for her.

“Mm-hmm. For a while, I did a lot of things in a car like this one,” she said slyly.

He laughed, helping her into the car. “That sounds more uncomfortable than sexy to me but …”

She grinned, her eyes and dress both sparkling in the glow of the streetlights. “Oh, it was. But it’s all part of the fantasy.”

Dom closed her door, feeling a sudden hollow weight in the pit of his stomach.

Was that what he saw on Shea’s face every time they had sex? Was what he did all part of giving Dom the fantasy he wanted?

Dom was still wondering that as he slid into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and buckled his seatbelt, gripping the wheel tightly for a moment before he spoke.

“Hey, can I ask you something? Is Shea okay?”

When Audra didn’t reply, he glanced over. She was looking at him very intently and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

She nodded slowly. “He will be, I think.”

“Because I think I’ve—I’ve fucked some stuff up.”

“And that matters to you?”

“Yes,” Dom said without hesitation. “Shea matters to me.”

“That’s good to know.” She reached out and touched his thigh. “But we have an event to get to and I doubt you want to be late.”

He glanced at the clock and winced. “Shit. You’re right. How do you feel about speed?”

Audra grinned and adjusted the seat, then tightened her seatbelt. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Dom checked for traffic, then took off with a roar, Audra letting out a delighted peal of laughter as the tires screeched.

With the usual snarl of city traffic on Toronto’s streets, Dom was nowhere near able to take full advantage of the car’s power, but it still felt good to have 580 horsepower at his command and to have someone in the passenger seat who enjoyed it.

“That was amazing,” Audra said breathlessly when he pulled up in front of the hotel where the event was being held. “How many times have you been pulled over?”

“A few.” Dom grinned.

“How many speeding tickets have you gotten?”

“Fewer than I should have.” He winked and, laughing, he got out of the car, hustling around the front to open Audra’s door for her. He was definitely late to the event, but, hey, the night was off to a good start.

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