Page 37 of Obsession on Repeat
I blinked quickly. "What?"
"You heard me, Ms. Fetish."
I scoffed, more reflex than belief. "You’re imagining things."
"Am I?" She leaned in conspiratorially. "You didn’t see the way he was watching you the other night, and let’s not forget the back alley cigarette talk I heard about. That was not ‘boss-employee’ energy."
I opened my mouth, then closed it. "I’m with someone."
"And yet, you’re blushing. Don’t worry. I’m not suggesting anything scandalous. I’m saying keep your eyes open. You never know when things shift." She glanced over her shoulder. "Speak of the devil."
Asher approached us, wearing that effortless kind of confidence, black-on-black, hair slightly tousled like he hadn’t tried but looked unfairly good. His eyes landed on me immediately. "I wanted to check in before the doors opened. Are you good with the set list tonight?"
"Yeah, locked and loaded."
His gaze lingered, not inappropriately, not long enough to call out, but enough. "You’ve got nothing to worryabout, last night was amazing. Tonight shouldn’t be any different."
"Yeah," I said, shifting my stance. "I’m trying not to overthink it."
"You shouldn’t. You’re already the best thing about this place." He said it as a fact, the truth as he saw it. Somehow that was worse than flirting.
Gina cleared her throat behind me. "Smooth."
His mouth tugged into a crooked smile. "Honest." He turned to nod at me. "Knock them dead tonight."
With that, he was gone.
"Still think I’m imagining it?"
I didn’t answer her. I headed up to the booth as fast as my feet could carry me.
By the end of my set, the pulse in my veins was louder than the music. I peeled off my headphones, hands trembling slightly. The crowd below was a satisfied blur, but my own head felt crowded. I escaped the booth intent on using the restroom and stopped abruptly. Asher stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed in wait.
"Is something wrong?”
"I’m leaving for the night. I wanted to say good job."
"Thanks." I forced myself to sound casual. "The energy felt good tonight."
"It wasn’t just the energy." His gaze was steady, direct. "You connect with people. It's rare."
Warmth rose into my cheeks again. I glanced away, desperate to regain control.
He didn’t say anything at first, simply watched me for a second, clearly amused. "Relax. I’m not here to steal anyone’s girlfriend."
I looked back at him sharply. "I wasn’t worried. Who’s worried?"
He raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Good, because I know your situation."
"My situation?"
"You’re taken. I’m not here to start anything." His tone was light, but his gaze lingered for a second longer than it should’ve. He stepped away from the wall, casually adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. "Doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate good taste when I see it."
I blinked. "Are you complimenting my outfit or my life choices?"
"Maybe both. I’ll let you decide." Before I could think of something clever to say back, he was already walking off with a simple, "See you around, DJ Fetish."
I was staring down the empty hallway when my phone buzzed. Sullivan’s name flashed on the screen, jolting me back into reality. I took a breath, steadying my voice before answering. "Hey."
