Page 10 of The Boss and the Adoption Mess
"I’ve never seen him here before. Most of them are regulars and keep coming back. For those, I'm happy to give you a recommendation. Some of them tip well and have decent jobs."
"He gave you a good tip too," I defend Gabriel while repeatedly looking back and forth between the door and my best friend. Uncertainty spreads within me, because I usually trust her instincts.
"That's just one side of the coin. I'm just worried about you. Somehow this guy doesn't sit right with me. He comes in, orders you alcohol, and after a little chat wants to take you home right away?" She looks concerned, and that immediately affects me.
"He just wants sex, nothing more. Like I said, I'll send you all the details."
I immediately turn on live location on my phone and promise, "As soon as anything seems off, I'll call you, and then you can call the cops. But if you don't hear from me, I'm having the time of my life." I gush, "He smells incredibly good. His perfume has something dark about it."
"You like danger, huh?" Chloe shakes her head but then smiles. "All right. Send me everything and I'll be glued to my phone the whole time."
She leans forward, puts her hands on my cheeks, pulls me a bit over the counter, and kisses my forehead. "Do you have any tattoos I don't know about?"
What kind of question is that now?
"No, why?"
"In case they find your body. Then I could identify you immediately."
Her sassy look leaves me speechless for a moment before I start laughing nervously.
"Thanks. That's reassuring."
Not. Not the tiniest bit.
I swallow and then shake my head. "Starting tomorrow, I'll be good. This will be my little farewell fuck. It's as simple as that."
"Just be careful, okay?"
"His name is Gabriel. What could possibly happen?"
His mother must have had something in mind with that name. Hopefully only good things. Although I wouldn't mind at all if he showed me in bed that there's a little devil in him too.
"Your words in God's ear. May this angel not fall..." she says, still watching me as I slowly make my way to the door.
"I'll call you tomorrow, I promise." I turn around to Chloe and wave goodbye.
"And then her best friend left. They never saw each other again." She says these words in a fake voice. "That's how true crime documentaries start!" She clearly watches too many of those.
"See you tomorrow!"
Laughing, I exit the Midnight Lounge and look around. A cool breeze blows under my skirt, which feels quite refreshing at first. I continue looking around and spot Gabriel about sixty feet away. He's standing next to a black luxury car, looking at me. I approach him while already pulling out my phone. At that moment, Gabriel taps on the roof of the car and walks toward me.
"Hey." I point at the vehicle. "May I take a photo of the license plate?"
"Sure." He seems relaxed and not nervous at all.
"Aren't you going to ask why?" I inquire curiously as I snap a picture of the license plate to send to Chloe. The image is delivered immediately thanks to the fast internet. It's definitely an advantage that London has readily available Wi-Fi everywhere.
"You're probably sending it to the bartender. Did she lecture you about not going with strangers?"
"You're spot on," I say and put my phone away.
"She must be a really good friend."
"Good enough to warn me, but still let me have my fun," I reply, obviously revealing that I want more than just coffee at his place.
Gabriel smiles and opens the back door of the car for me. I get in and place my bag in the middle of the row of seats. The driver looks at me briefly through the rearview mirror and nods politely.
