Page 6 of Trial of Deceit

“Unless I want you to?”Ashari asked, trying to ease her nerves.

Jediah chuckled, and Ashari smiled shyly before looking away.Jediah reached out and grabbed her chin.His touch was unremarkable, but when he moved her head to lock eyes with her, she sucked in a breath.The pictures she studied had done Jediah no justice.How was it possible for a man to look this good up close?

Rapidly blinking, Ashari broke the stare.She needed to remember that this was a job.She would do anything to come out successful.He was supposed to fall for her, not the other way around.This case wasn’t going the right way already, but she’d fix it quickly.

“Don’ do that,” Jediah said.

Ashari pushed her glasses further up her nose.“What?”

“Look weh from me,” he said in a dark tone.

That was the Jediah she was trained to deal with.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Jediah smirked.Leaning back into his chair, he did another hungry take of her.“You look beautiful tonight.”

Ashari wanted to barf.There was no denying that Jediah was handsome, but he was terrible at wooing women.Or maybe he just had no effect on her because she was conditioned to feel otherwise.“T-thank you,” she said in that small, shy tone she knew he liked.

“Do you want to get out of here?”he asked.

“Think you would treat me to a drink first.”

“Yu want a drink?”

Ashari looked toward the bar.She focused on the bartender, remembering she needed to remain sober tonight.“No.”

Jediah stood and accepted his jacket from Cameron.When did Cameron get over here?Jediah shrugged his jacket on.The lights reflected off the gun tucked into his waistband.Ashari pretended not to see it.

“So, let’s get out of here,” he said while offering her a hand.

She rested her hand in his, and he pulled her to his side.He wrapped his arm around her waist and led them through the crowd.Jediah’s security guards were positioned behind and in front of them.

Some people stopped dancing to focus on them.That was another thing Jediah craved — the attention that his wealth brought him.It made him cocky.Ashari banked on it being his downfall.

As they approached the door, Ashari used a hand to gather all of her black mini braids.She moved it from over her shoulder, allowing it to flow down her back.When they arrived outside, Cameron held the door open so Ashari and Jediah could enter the throttling car.He closed the door and drove off while they settled themselves.

“What’s your name?”Jediah asked.

Ashari almost scoffed.She’d studied this man’s whole life and heard how much of a charmer he was.The more he talked, she realized he was nothing more than another pretentious man.No wonder they’d always been a second option to her.

Maybe it’d been the bass of the music in the nightclub, but the attraction she’d felt was long gone.Getting him to fall for her might be harder than she imagined.

“Ari,” Ashari answered.

“Just Ari?”

“You can call me Just Ari if you want,” she said with a smile.

Jediah smirked.“Tonight, I’ll call you mine.Would you like that, Just Ari?”

“I’d like that if… you tell me you name.”

Jediah’s smirk dropped.His brows pulled together.

Ashari almost laughed.Here was a man who was so full of himself, yet words from a complete stranger knocked him down a few pegs.Just like she intended.

“Everybody in St.Ann knows my name,” Jediah said, confusion underlying his tone.He leaned forward and studied her for a moment before his face relaxed.“You have a slight accent when you speak…”