Page 74 of Savage Seduction

“Are you choking?”

He shakes his head. “Hot…it’s hot.” Bretton’s voice is raspy and barely audible.

I can't stop myself. I throw my head back and laugh harder than I have in years. Tears run down my cheeks and I close my eyes and hold my belly.

“What’s so funny?” Bretton says through his own laughter. “Are you making fun of me?”

I can barely collect my faculties. I use a napkin to wipe my cheeks dry. “I’m sorry, but the look on your face was… too much.”

Bretton laughs. “It was spicy… sometimes ranch dressing has a kick to me.”

I lose it again, leaning back into the booth, laughing hard enough I don’t even notice our drinks have been delivered until I catch my breath. “Thank you, Bretton. I needed a good laugh. I’ve been so stressed out as of late.”

“Relationship problems?” Bretton asks.

I shake my head. “No, not at all. Honestly, my dating life is pretty good… the guy I’ve been seeing is so handsome and smart. We’ve recently been on a couple dates that didn’t end that well, but honestly, it wasn’t either of our faults.” I suppress a smile as long as I can before hiding it behind my hand. “Just a lot of pent up… sexual energy.”

I feel my face flush hot and watch Bretton shift uncomfortably in his seat.

“Sorry,” I say. “I can’t believe I’m sharing this kind of stuff. I guess I feel pretty comfortable with you.”

“It’s no worries at all,” he says as he shrugs his shoulders. “I guess I was hoping you’d say he was a dud so I didn’t feel left out of anything… I went on a date recently and I’m not sure I enjoyed it much.”

“Ah,” I say. “I’m sorry to hear that man. Definitely not wanting to sound like I’m bragging, but my dude is for sure not a dud. He’s so kind… and did I mention a surgeon? It’s just our last few dates have gone off the rails a bit.”

“Ugh,” Bretton says. “Sorry to hear that. But like you said, those weren’t anyone’s fault.”

“I’m making it sound much worse than it is.”

“Not that it’s any of my business, but do you think you’re developing… real, feelings for this guy?”

I think about it for a couple of seconds. “Yes, actually, I do. I can see things being quite good between us if I could somehow stop all this other shit from getting in the way.”

“Sounds like there’s more to this story.” Bretton’s expression grows serious. “Is everything okay? Can I help with anything?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s just some personal stuff.”

“I’m a good listener.” Bretton picks up another chip, looks at it, and sets it back on his plate.

I smile and look down for a moment. Why not? It's time to start trusting people. Isn’t it? “I know when you asked about it earlier, I said I didn’t want to talk about it, but I’ve been through a lot the past week or so… seems like my life took a dump once the King Tut antiquities arrived from Chicago.”

“Does this have to do with your assault?” He points to the bruises and scrapes on my face. “If you’re up to talking about it, I’m here to listen.”

I nod.

“Were you able to find out why they broke into your friend’s place?”

I hesitate not remembering telling him about the break in, but say, “They stole something from me.”

“From you? Not your friend?”

A knot forms in my stomach. It's like I'm back in the academy and they're training for suspect interrogation. “A package was delivered to the museum made out to me… never even got the chance to open it until that night. When they broke in, it was like they knew where to find me and stole it right from my backpack. To be honest, I think they wanted to kill me and my friend London more than they wanted to steal the package.”

Bretton sits back in the booth. “Damn, that’s some heavy shit. I don’t even know what to say except I’m sorry you went through that. Is your friend okay?”

I nod. “It’s a miracle we survived, and her nana too. It was two guys, and they were big and strong.”

“Professionals?”

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