Page 16 of Digit's Deflection
I am at a complete loss as to what next. I know I told Liora to meet me at the front door, but then what? Do I take her back tomy place? Hers? A public space? Grabbing my bag, I hastily head for Sam’s office. I don’t know what I’m going to tell him – I can’t bring myself to tell him exactly what happened, especially since I don’t really know myself – but if anyone can help me figure something out, it’s him.
When I reach Myra’s office though, she informs me he’s had to run out for a short while.
“Everything all right, Sir? Anything I can help with?”
“No, nothing, thanks. All good.” I quickly exit her office and make a beeline for the bar.
“Good afternoon, Master Treven. What can I get for you today?” the bartender asks.
“Bourbon on the rocks, please.”
“Coming right up.”
He places the drink down in front of me, and I knock it back, disregarding the quality of the fine bourbon. The ice clinks against the crystal as I place the glass back on the counter.
“Another one, Sir?” For a split second I seriously consider it, but then realize two things to be true.
One, if I slam back another, there’s a high likelihood I’m just going to say “fuck it” and get obliterated right here at the bar. Or two, I’m going to be well over the legal limit when I leave here. I’m already over as it is. In the end, I shake my head and ask for a club soda. Nursing the sparkling drink, I wait for Liora to reappear.
Liora-Jane Adams.
I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that she’s here. That’s she’s simply appeared out of thin air, like she’s been conjured by a magician. As if I yearned for her long and hard enough that I made her appear.
Distracted as I am, it takes me a while to cotton on that she’s yet to reappear after fleeing the private room earlier. Finishingmy water, I get to my feet, toss the cash on the bar, and go back to Myra’s office.
“Hey, Myra. Have you, by any chance, seen Liora around?”
“No, Sir. Not since she was in my office ahead of your meeting.” I nod, weighing my words, not wanting to share too much.
“She was a little upset earlier, so she took a break, but I haven’t seen her since, and I’m a little concerned. Do you think you could check on her for me, please?”
“Certainly, Sir. I’ll check on her right this minute.”
“Thanks. I’ll wait here then.”
As is tradition in the club, Myra isn’t wearing much. Her outfit is barely there, but it’s tasteful rather than slutty. Everything about the tiny woman is elegant and sexy. Then add to that the fact that she’s the sweetest person, and I can absolutely understand why Samuel is nuts about her. She’s just not Liora.
When Myra doesn’t return immediately, I take up pacing the floor of her small office. Just when I’m about to throw caution to the wind and willingly incur Sam’s wrath for breaching the women’s inner sanctum, Myra and a red-eyed Liora enter the room.
Not the tallest woman on the planet, Liora still manages to appear as if she towers over Myra. And still, she’s the one that snags my attention, my interest.
“Look who I found,” Myra says, smiling kindly at Li. Almost encouragingly, it would seem.
After that first quick initial glance as they entered, Liora hasn’t looked up at me again. And I’m a little taken aback at how much that hurts. But on top of all the other hurt that I’m about drowning in, it’s nothing more than another drop in that ocean of pain.
Now that I have eyes on her again and can see she’s unscathed, if not unaffected, I can feel the anger tipping the scale, beginning to take the upper hand once more.
“You ready, Liora?” is all I ask. My heart nearly stops beating in my chest when it looks as if she’s going to refuse to go anywhere with me. But at the last second, she simply nods, her eyes still downcast.
Wrapping a gentle hand around her upper arm, I guide Li out of the room, calling my thanks and a goodbye to Myra over my shoulder. We pass Sam just inside the front door. His shrewd eyes assess the situation, and he opens his mouth to speak – to ask questions, I assume.
With a shake of my head, I pause long enough to say, “Now’s not the best time. We’ll chat tomorrow,” continuing out the front and to my car.
I bought the two-door Mustang on a whim from a colleague on the base when their first baby came along. I don’t drive her often, choosing the bike more often than not, but for some reason I decided to use the car today, and now I’m glad I did. I’m not sure either of us are ready for the intimacy a motorbike would enforce. And I honestly think Liora would simply refuse to endure it.
Sweet as she could be, my princess had a stubborn streak a mile wide in her. Once she digs her heels in and decides she’s not doing something, she doesn’t change her mind. I may not know the woman she’s grown into, but I sincerely doubt that aspect of her personality has changed. What’s that old saying? A leopard doesn’t change its spots?
Stopping beside the sleek beauty, I open the passenger door and stand aside for Liora to climb in. She looks between the car and me, and I can almost hear her mind going a mile a minute thinking of all the reasons why she shouldn’t go anywhere with me.
