Page 510 of The Sinner: James

“You must be talking about her friend,” he says.

“A dark-haired woman with blue eyes,” Ray murmurs.

“That’s my wife’s best friend,” James says, winking at me when they’re not looking.

He invites them to sit at our table.

Lex scoots closer while James occupies the seat next to me.

“How’s business?” Ryan asks, shifting his eyes to James.

“Good. Yours?”

“We can’t complain.”

They talk about stocks, companies, business climate, and life in Hamburg and Monte Carlo.

They leave later, heading to the Casino.

“So these are the two mysterious men,” James says, smiling behind his drink.

Lex moves his eyes to me.

“What is he talking about?” he asks me.

“I have no idea,” I say, pretending I don’t know.

James sets his glass down.

“She might be in luck,” he says.

Lex's stare is glued to my face.

“Tell him. Or I’ll tell him,” James says.

I feel the warmth of a blush on my cheeks.

“I’m not going to rat her out.”

“Why is it such a bad thing?” he asks.

I whip my gaze to him.

“I don’t know why you make a big deal about it. It was a joke. Besides, you said she needed someone special in her life. A threesome is not ‘someone special in her life’,” I say, flicking my chin and pointing to the exit door where the two men just vanished.

“I stand by what I said, but she’s a grown-up woman. If she wants to explore stuff before having a serious relationship, let her do it.”

“Since when are you so concerned with her widening her horizons?”

“Since she started to bug you.”

“You can’t take her seriously.”

“That’s why I’m going to offer her the opportunity to find out if she’s up to it or not,” he says, finishing his drink and pushing out of his seat.

“Wait for me here,” he says, setting his glass on the table and walking away.

Lex and I look at his back as he vanishes around the corner.

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