Page 15 of Trust Me

I crook my head sideways.

“Let me get this straight?” She holds up her hand. “You seriously believe that I was so charmed by you the last time we talked that I just had to get on a plane and fly to Miami to see you in person again?”

I step closer, towering over her. “Cut the shit, Riley.” My tone is sharp, biting even. I don’t have time for distractions. And that’s precisely what she is.

Her lips twist sideways, and then her shoulders slump with unease. “Fine. You’ve figured me out.”

Disappointment wells up in me.

“But you’ve got my motives all wrong.”

“Do I?” I ask. “You aren’t here as another groupie? I did tell you the other week that if you’re looking to get into my bed, there are other ways to go about it.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you don’t lack women wanting to screw you.”

“You’re right about that,” I reply before taking the final pull of my drink.

She hesitates as if she isn’t expecting that answer. To her credit, she recovers quickly.

“I’m not one of those women.”

Another wave of disappointment.

“As you heard from Sam, I’m a business consultant.”

“What type of consulting does your firm do?” I ask, half interested.

“Well, I advise companies when they're going through a huge transition. I aid employers who’re having difficulties with employee retention. And I can even assist security personnel when tightening up their holes.”

“I can assure you none of those problems exist at Townsend. And our security is top rate.”

“Really?” she asks in a way that tells me she doesn’t believe me.

Still, I answer, “Without a doubt.”

Her smile widens, and why do I feel like I’m the one who fell into a trap? That wild, uneasy feeling of losing control starts to rocket within me, and I fight to push down the urge to fight back.

“Aren’t you even curious about how I got into your VIP section that night?”

That question almost has me rearing backward on my heels.

“My security got sloppy,” I say, finally.

Her dark brown hair brushes across her shoulders as she shakes her head.

“Not quite. It wasn’t their fault. And I must say, the security at The Black Opal is also quality. They know their clientele. Still …” She shrugs and looks over before turning to me again. “It’s not difficult to get into anywhere if you know what you’re doing. Which is how I was able to get a VIP pass to your section that night.”

A frown tugs at the side of my lips. “Either way, my security from that night has been fired. He’ll never work in the industry again.”

She pulls back, a concerned expression hitting her eyes. “You fired him?”

I shrug. “He took too long to respond.”

“From what I recall, he quickly put a gun to my temple.”

“Took him almost a minute to do it.”

“Maybe he didn’t see me as a threat.”

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