Page 177 of The Sinner: James

He’s in his forties, which is older than my clients, and appears to be alone.

I peer behind him, expecting to see another man.

He takes me in, amused, his fingers brushing his chin, his golden cufflinks spelling it out for me.

He’s not the one I’m looking for.

A thought flashes through his eyes.

“Are you looking for someone in particular?” he asks, smiling lustfully.

“Yes, I am,” I say and smoothly pull away.

I turn left and amble into a small hallway where I leave my cloak with the coat check girl.

When I walk back into the lobby, the foyer is almost empty, the crowd moving steadily toward the ballroom.

Only a few couples stay behind. And then there are the men at the top of the stairs.

My gaze lands on the back of the blonde man again as he glances at the entrance and checks his phone.

He shifts slightly, and I almost get a glimpse of his profile before another couple stops next to him, obstructing my view.

I look away.

Not far from him, another gentleman locks my eyes. He’s in his thirties and alone.

I dip my gaze to his cufflinks.

Nope. Not him, either.

Sweat trickles down my brow as I become restless.

I’ve never had a hard time locating my clients. Usually, they find me as I’m not that hard to spot.

I wear red, for fuck’s sake.

Grappling with frustration, I move my focus back to the stairs.

Something irks me about those two men. Perhaps the fact that I can’t fully see them.

Smoothly, I lift my train, straighten my back, and walk up the stairs, heading straight to them.

More people break away from their group before vanishing inside, except for them, the two men waiting at the top of the stairs with their backs to me.

I shift my focus to my heels, making sure I don’t step on my gown and trip over before reaching the final steps.

It doesn’t take long, and a strange sensation rolls over me as I slowly raise my gaze and meet the eyes of the two men I never thought I’d see again.

My heart stops, and my lips quiver as my hands become damp with sweat as they stare at me… Carved in stone.

A gasp falls from my lips while I come to an abrupt halt, my blood morphing into icicles.

All I hear is dead silence.

Half turned, Lex looks at me, his expression lined with disbelief.

A step away from him, James shoves his hands into his pockets, his dark-green eyes blazing at me, his glare smashing into me like a block of concrete.

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