Page 61 of Playing With Secrets
I toss my napkin on the table to show him I’m done playing his games.
He panics. “Okay, Jamison, I’ll explain.”
“You have one minute before I leave.”
He takes a deep breath in resignation. “I haven’t cheated on her. At least, I don’t think I have. That’s beside the point. We aren’t officially dating right now. We spend time together so we can get to know each other on a deeper emotional level.”
“So she’s not as close to marrying you as you said.” I smirk and wonder why I believed him in the first place. “How many other women have there been, and why did you do what you did last night?”
“I wasn’t with the woman from last night. The reason she was with me was because I got trashed. She was helping me home.”
Not one of his finest moments.
“You were pretty drunk.” I shake my head. “Where was Dori?”
“I wasn’t with Dorothy because I jumped to conclusions about you being out with her on Friday night. She was out drinking and I assumed that led to you two… You get the point.” He rolls his eyes and glances down.
“I wasn’t out with her on Friday. Melanie invited me out. I met her and a bunch of people. Mateo’s in town, so I tookhim with me. Ask him if you want, but you blew it for yourself because Dori and I didn’t speak.”
“I know that now.” He sighs heavily. “What about our agreement?”
“Your story doesn’t fly with me. You still date Ava Aldridge, and I saw Jody in the elevator coming down from your place not long ago. Tell me the truth, Hunter, or there will be no agreement.”
I’m bluffing because Dori can’t know about Lauren until I handle her first. I need to make sure Dori’s safe and Lauren won’t go ballistic.
“Ava and I aren’t dating. Dorothy knows what that relationship is about. The last time Jody was at my place, nothing sexual happened.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I was drunk in the bar. Jody helped me upstairs and took care of my sick ass all night. The woman last night was doing the same thing. Obviously, I have an issue with self-medicating that needs to be addressed.”
For the first time, Hunter appears vulnerable. I’m not sure I believe him, but he seems sincere.
I glance at the table and nod once. “Sure, Hunter. We’ve got a deal.”
He noticeably relaxes. “Great. Thanks for considering it. I don’t plan on getting that drunk again if it’s any consolation to you.”
“It’s none of my business. I was curious and wanted to know. That’s the only reason I asked.” I lean back in my chair and file away the information for another day.
I’m buried in work this week. My phone rings on my desk and Aiden’s name flashes on the screen. I stand and answer it as I close the door to my office.
“Hey, Aiden. How’s medical leave treating you?”
“I’m bored to tears, which brings me to why I’m calling.”
“I’m all ears. Why are you calling?”
“Since I have extra time, I did some investigating on the subject we discussed. I have some information.” Something moves over his speaker and crinkles in my ear.
I pull up a new document on my computer. “I figured you would. So what’s Hunter up to?”
“It’s not much, but I’m getting closer. The thing with Ava Aldridge is going to be our golden ticket.”
“Why is that?”
“Their relationship is anything but above the line. They’ve been fuck buddies for years. It looks like they were involved in high school.”
“That far back, huh?”
