Page 11 of Role Play
I sighed and stirred my straw in the dark soda. “Well, thebiggerboss asked my opinion. What was I supposed to do? Ignore Ash freaking Livingston?” My mind wandered to Ash’s bright blue eyes; the way they held mine for way longer than comfortable. Did he do that on purpose? A tactic to unnerve his crew? Or did he feel what I felt? That tingly electricity between us. No. That was crazy. He’s a freaking Hollywood director—no way he was thinking of mousy little me that way.The man dated celebrities for God’s sake.You’re only mousy because you choose to be, another voice said inside of me and I shook it away. This was who I was. If someone wasn’t going to love the side of myself who dressed comfortably and wore eyeglasses, then I wanted nothing to do with them. Really, I wanted nothing to do with men in general—andhadnothing to do with them. For over two years. Two years of just myself and myvibrator.
“Ignore Ash Livingston? Pretty sure that’s impossible,” Andrea said,grinning.
“He also… he said something in the meeting. He said that my uncle told him that I was special. That there’s a spark in me. You don’t think Uncle Richard told him we were related, doyou?”
“No. No way,” Andrea shook her head. “Rich promised you he wouldn’t tell a soul that you were his niece. He would never break a promise. Especially, toyou.”
I breathed a little easier at that. Andrea was right. She had grown up right alongside of me and knew Uncle Rich almost as well as I did. He had videoed our seventh grade talent show where we danced an embarrassingly choreographed number to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” I cringed at the thought that there was evidence out there of my awful rhythm.Especiallydancing next to Andrea who was anatural.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice said from over my shoulder, interrupting us. “Could I please get a gimlet and a Tito’s andcranberry?”
“Sure,” Andrea said, smiling, and got to work behind the counter prepping thedrinks.
I could feel the man’s eyes burning into me from the side and after another moment, I snuck a glance at him from over my shoulder. I found myself eye to eye with my uncle’s friend, Erik Larson staring back atme.
“Lucy!” he exclaimed. “I thought it was you. How are you,kid?”
“Erik? What are you—” I stopped myself from asking the world’s stupidest question ofwhat are you doing here. “Um, hey. How areyou?”
He shrugged, giving me a half smile. “Hanging in there since theseparation.”
“I’m sorry to hear about you and Maria. How’s Mack handling it?” Mack—the cutest three-year-old you’ll ever meet. I used to babysit on and off for them last year in college for extra cash while they were trying to save theirmarriage.
“She’s young. She’ll be fine,” he answered. Then, scratching the back of his neck, he looked around awkwardly. That’s when I noticed a leather strap clutched in his hand, connecting to a woman’s collar standing behindhim.
My face went white, and I darted my gaze forward. Stupid knee-jerkreaction.
Andrea brought the drinks over and he slid his credit card across the bar, opening atab.
“So, um, don’t take this the wrong way,” Erik said, wincing with the words, “But, I’m going to go sitwayover there away fromyou.”
I gave him a smile and nodded.Thank God. I didn’t have a problem with kink. But when it was your uncle’s best friend tethered to a sub right in front of you? It was just a little uncomfortable. And the last thing I wanted to see was my uncle’s best friend play out his kinky Dom fantasies in front of me tonight. Wait, second to last thing I wanted to see. Because seeing Uncle Rich in here would be even worse. “You aren’t hurting my feelings at all,” I said. “It was good running into you. Let me know if you ever need ababysitter.”
He nodded. “Ofcourse.”
I lifted my Diet Coke and vodka, clinking the edge of my glass to his gin and tonic as I added, “And, no offense to you if I happen to slip out of here without sayinggoodbye.”
He smiled, his eyes flicking toward the back door to the secret area of LnS. I rolled my eyes and shoved his shoulder. “Not through that door,” I said, as he snickered. “Through the front door.Alone.”
He gave me a quick wave. “Night,Lucy.”
Once he was gone, disappearing into the thickening crowd, I leaned across the bar to Andrea, hissing, “You didn’t tell me Erik was a visitorhere.”
She licked her lips. “That’s not the only thing I never told you about…” Andrea said, her voice dropping suspiciouslylow.
In all the years I had known her, I’d only ever heard Andrea whisper three times. The first was when we were twelve and she got her first period. The second was when we were sitting second row at a New York City fashion week runway show. And this right now? Was thethird.
“You have a secret?” I asked. “You? The girl who blabbed when you made out with your professor and got his assfired?”
“Shut up. I cansokeep a secret. And I wasn’t one of Professor Brannigan’s students at the time. I didn’tknowit would get himfired.”
“Did you know it would get himdivorced?”
Andrea huffed a sigh and tossed her dirty rag below the bar. “He never mentioned a wife,” she said,sulking.
“He was, like, twice our age, Andrea,” Isaid.
“Oh, come on. He was in his forties and he wassexy.”
