Page 22 of Imperfect Player

My stomach flip-flops at the sight of him.

When he sees me, he rises to his feet, a heart-stopping smile on his face.

“May I help you?” the maître d’ asks.

“I think I see him right there,” I tell him, nodding in Ethan’s direction.

The man smiles. “Right this way.”

“Hi,” I say softly when I arrive at the table.

“Hey there, sunshine.” Ethan takes a step toward me and presses a kiss to my cheek. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” I say, unable to meet his eyes.

He pulls out the chair for me and I happily sit.

Ethan takes a seat next to me, not across like he had been before.

“I’m glad you came,” he says, as though he'd been unsure I would.

“I’m glad you asked.”

“Are you sure about that?” He takes a sip of his water. “You didn’t look all that glad when I asked.”

“It’s not you, it’s me.”

“Now who’s using cliché lines?”

The humor in his voice was apparent as he referenced our conversation from our first night together.

“I’m sorry if I seemed disinterested, it’s just . . . I worry. A lot,” I admit.

“About?”

“Everything? But in this instance, I worry what people will think when they see us together. I worry that rumors are going to fly, and my reputation is going to turn to shit. I worry that-”

Ethan holds up a hand. “Holy shit, you really do worry too much.”

“Told you.”

“Your reputation is impeccable,” Ethan says in a reassuring tone. “No one would think less of you for going out and having fun.”

“No, but if the person I’m out with is a client . . . ”

“I’m not a client. Not yours, at least. No harm, no foul.”

“You’re still a client of Advantage Player and—”

“And yet, you have zero say in my career, how I run it, or what I do. That’s Tripp’s job. I’m happy to clarify that to anyone who insinuates otherwise.”

While it doesn’t work wonders, his words do put me at ease.

“So, what’s good here?” I ask.

I’m here, so there’s no use in hemming and hawing over my worries and fears. We might as well enjoy our night.

“I don’t have a clue. It’s the first time I’ve been here. I don’t do much dining out.”

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