Page 88 of Power Play

Chapter 30

Eli

LAYLA

3 years 9 months ago, February

Nothing feels right today.And the fact that it’s February fourteenth doesn’t help either.

I’m so lonely.

Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply, trying to calm down.Get a grip, Layla, you’re at a fucking bar!Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe?—

“Hey. Is everything okay?”

I open my eyes with a snap, and see a handsome guy with short brown hair beside me. His side is casually propped against the bar counter.

“Um…” I mumble, looking around, then bring my gaze back to him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

His lips break into a smile as he lets his gaze coast over me. “Mind if I join you?”

“It’s not like I own this bar.” I shrug, trying to ignore the tingles spreading over my body.

“Still…” the guy murmurs. “Can I keep you company?”

His voice has such a seductive lilt to it that I can’t help but smile at him. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

He climbs on the bar stool beside me and sets his elbows on the counter. My eyes instantly land on his arms, admiring how taut his muscles are. He has a full-sleeve tattoo on his right arm, with a howling wolf in the center of it, different small ones surrounding it.

“What’s your poison?” he asks me as a bartender stops in front of us.

“Vodka Spritzer,” I tell him, eyeing him curiously. He instantly orders a cocktail for me and a whiskey for himself.

When the bartender steps away to prepare our drinks, the guy turns to face me. I do the same, mirroring him and allowing myself to check him out. His black tee hugs his broad chest tightly, his legs are clad in dark blue jeans, and white Nike sneakers finish his outfit. Handsome, sexy, and mysterious. I like it.

“I’m Eli.” He extends his palm to me, and I take it. His fingers, surprisingly soft, curl around mine as he squeezes my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Eli.” I pull my hand away gently. “I’m Layla.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

I chuckle. “Thank you.” I don’t remember the last time someone flirted with me so openly, and I must admit that it feels nice.

“What’s your story?” Eli asks as the bartender puts our drinks in front of us.

“My story?”

“Well, when I noticed you…it looked like you were really unhappy. And no one should be unhappy on Valentine’s Day.”

I sip on my drink. “So you approached me out of pity?”

The way he drags his eyes from my face down to my cleavage forces a fire to start brewing in my lower abdomen. “I approached you because you’re stunning and because you needed company.” I open my mouth to argue with him, but he shuts me up. “Just likeIneeded company.”

Another sip of my drink, and my shoulders drop. The mask I’ve been trying to curate is slipping off. This will probably be the first and the last time I’m seeing this guy, so who cares what I tell him.

“My boss scolded me for losing a client.” I stare down at my drink, my fingers rapping over the glass. “It’s true, but it didn’t happen because of me. The boyfriend of this girl proposed to her this morning and asked her to move in with him. How is it my fault that she changed her mind and decided not to sign the lease?”

“Did you explain it to your boss?”

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