Page 60 of Sex Coach

She laughed, a loud, lusty sound that echoed around us. "I was hoping you'd forget. Aw, well. It's your beautiful face I want with me more than anything else right now ."

"That's because you're considering an interlude with that actor. What was his name again ?"

A slow smile curled her lips. "René. His name is René. And...perhaps you're right ."

A fan came scurrying up, one of the few who'd been granted all-access passes, and I faded quietly into the background as both Eden and I preferred while she spoke and signed an autograph book .

"Hello, Jake ."

At the sound of my name, spoken in a familiar voice, I looked up .

"Whitley."

Her lips curved in a smile as she sipped her wine, staring out over the mass of bodies. "You sound so surprised ."

I was. A bit .

But I covered and accepted the hand she offered, bending over to kiss the back of it instead of shaking. "Of course not. I recall you telling me you enjoyed the theatre. I assume you're here with your husband ?"

Her lids flickered, mouth tightening .

Knowing what I knew about the son-of-a-bitch, I understood why she briefly looked like she wanted to be ill, but the expression faded quickly. She pasted a bright smile on her face. "Oh, yes ."

That meant I needed to get the hell out of here. "Where is he? I don't believe I've had the pleasure ."

She waved a distracted hand off to the left. With her face averted, I had a chance to study her profile a bit more closely and could tell her eyes were slightly swollen, a detail she'd hidden almost perfectly with the clever use of makeup. "Oh, he's out there...somewhere. Mingling, I have no doubt. He adores these things. Besides, one of the show's leads is a...friend," she said with a long sigh .

I inclined my head. Then, with a polite nod, I said, "I should go. I wouldn't want my date thinking I'm being inattentive ."

She nodded, and I released her hand. But I didn't go to Eden. I faded into the background, watching. Searching .

He was there .

The son of a bitch .

He was there .

* * *

E den foundme less than ten minutes later, standing in the shadows where I often retreated when I wasn't at her side. She seemed to understand my preference for them. As much as she adored the spotlight, I had a distinct dislike for it. Perhaps that was why we fit together as well as we did .

"I get the feeling your mind is anywhere but here tonight, Jake," she said on a sigh, hooking her arm through mine. "Don't take that wrong. I'm a bit distracted myself. I'm actually thinking about calling René. But while I'm often distracted at these parties, you rarely let yourself do the same. At least, I've never known you to do so ."

"Have I been so obvious?" I asked, too tired to play games. The man I'd been watching for so long – years – stood less than fifteen feet from me, completely unaware. Splitting my focus could cost me too much .

That wasn't about to happen, not when I'd lost so much – given up too much .

"Hmmm, quite. Tell me, is there a reason you're so interested in the senator ?"

I tensed before I could stop myself. "Again, I'm being obvious ."

"Not to the typical layperson." She sipped her martini and waved a hand. "Not even to the non-typical layperson and probably not most people in the room. It's entirely likely, plausible even, that I'm the only one who has noticed you occasionally glancing his way, and how you're very carefully staying at his back where he can't see you." She slid me a curious look. "I notice only because I'm a student of human behavior...and your behavior is a bit odd for you ."

I clicked my tongue. "And people wonder how you can become a thousand different characters so easily." Turning my attention fully on her, I said softly, "My concern with him is my own, though, Eden. I don't wish to discuss it. I can trust you with that, can't I ?"

"Of course." She dipped her head. "I've trusted you with a hundred dirty, torrid secrets. Let me trust you with another...stay out of his way, Jake. I've heard terrible things about him." Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Why don't you go...find whatever else had you so distracted even before he showed up ."

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