Page 31 of The Refusal

I put my hand on my hips and glare at him as he pops to his feet, dusting down his trousers. He peeks at me through long blond lashes. “Worth a try though, right?”

The jittery feeling about tonight intensifies. I point my finger at him. “Not at a dinner, okay? No messing around. I’m not giving you blowjobs under the table. I’m not saying yes to any proposals. We’re not doing anything except scaring this girl off. Promise me you’ll behave: no picking up anyone else.”

The last bit is an afterthought, but, God, Andy is a loose cannon. My stomach growls at me; either with food or nerves, I’m not sure.

He crosses his hands across his chest. “I’m on my best behavior, Jo, I swear.” But I roll my eyes at him as we move toward the waiting cab.

Once we’re settled, I examine his sharply shaved jaw.

“So this is just a meal, right?”

“Industry dinner.”

“Industry as in …?”

“Security.”

“Security?” Even I can hear the squeak in my voice.

Andy frowns. “Yeah. I told you Triton was taking a table.”

Of course he did, but my stomach dips realizing I didn’t put two and two together.

“The girl … is she on the same table as us?”

“Yep. She works at Triton.”

I’ve clearly paid far too little attention to this. Some of my clients might be there. How is it going to look if I’m on the Triton table with Andy? I rub my forehead.

Andy grabs my hand as we leave the cab and doesn’t let go. A faint tremor runs through his fingers and I’m like a rabbit trapped in the headlights. What a pair we are. Ugh. This was not a sensible decision. As we step inside, I look around the hall and immediately recognize several people from top New York tech companies. Blowing out a long breath, I straighten myself up. I’m here now, right? I can work this room like a pro; I’m not very comfortable doing thechat-up-all-the-right-peoplething normally, but needs must where the devil drives. After thirty minutes, Andy is nowhere to be seen but I’ve found some useful people to speak to and some of the tension in my shoulders is starting to ease.

Someone comes to talk to the hardware guy I’m with, and I use the distraction to study the atrium, the roar of conversation, the glittering chandeliers overhead. A head of peppered hair near the doors to the dining hall catches my eye, and I shift position. Bob Sugar? Janus Industries is not in the security space specifically; why would he be here? A man shifts in front of me and I catch a glimpse of tousled dark hair. My heart takes off at a gallop.Janus?Craning my neck, I try to peer over the crowd. The two men I’m with are in a deep discussion and I take a step away, waving my empty wine glass like I’m going to find a drink. The man I was talking to touches my arm.

“Call me, Jo, yeah? I want to examine our security more closely.”

I beam at him, nodding. Perhaps tonight won’t be so wasted after all.

I shift through the crowd. Someone puts a flute of champagne in my hand. Several people step back and, even from the back, I recognize Janus. Grinding to a halt, I feel fluttery panic setting in: Ireallydon’t want Janus to see me here with Andy. As my eyes scan over the group, I realize Janus and Bob are deep in conversation with an older guy I don’t recognize. I start to turn away but, as if he’s aware he’s being watched, Bob shifts his gaze over Janus’s shoulder and spots me, his face lighting up as he waves me over. Damn. Then Janus turns and his eyes wander up and down my body, almost before he can stop himself.Lace dresses, always the best choice. I smile widely at him, and something working behind his eyes makes my whole body sit up and pay attention.

“Hey, Jo,” another voice says suddenly at my side, and I turn to find Matt grinning down at me. Janus’s expression tightens as he pulls me into a hug.

“Cool to see you here,” Matt says.

I’ve become good friends with Matt over the last month; we’re on the phone almost every day. Maybe I can stop the schmoozing for half an hour and have a normal chat with someone, but as soon as I think this, Bob draws me forward.

“This is the lady you want to talk to Jack,” he says, turning to me. “Jack’s one of our clients and runs a payments company. We were just chatting about security.”

I smile widely at the guy and start probing into his business, and then he’s asking me about mine and what we do. Slowly I notice two women on the periphery of the little group. One of them is Bob’s wife, Mandy, and—I work out with a sinking heart—the other one is with Janus. She shifts closer to him, her hand curling around his arm and pulling his attention down to her by talking to him in a low voice. He studies her face and then he grins, and I suck in a sharp breath as a wild beast stretches its claws and digs in. I turn away to stop myself staring at them, but I want to take in every detail of how they are together. Is she one of his women who last a couple of months or something more? My heart is thumping out of my chest. Laughter forces me back into the conversation with Jack and Bob, but my mind skitters like it’s on ice, her body shifting against his in my peripheral vision.You’ve no claim on him, Jo.Suddenly, an announcement echoes over the PA system that dinner is served, and I’m not sure whether to be pleased to escape or annoyed I can’t watch their body language anymore.

“Give me your card, Jo,” Jack says, and as I’m fishing in my bag, a hand lands on my lower back. Andy.

I take a peek at Janus as I swing around, but Andy is completely oblivious, smiling that big grin at me. And I don’t know what comes over me; all I know is that I want Janus to experience some of the destruction that’s burning through me, so I go up on tiptoes and kiss Andy on the lips. To his credit, he doesn’t turn it into a full smooch.

“Hi,” I say, pulling back as my face goes hot with the weirdness of this moment.

His eyes narrow on me; he’s too smart not to realize I’ve done that for a reason, so he leans forward and whispers in my ear, “Who was that for? Janus Phillips? Because he’s watching me like a hawk.”

My stomach sinks. That was so childish. My face feels even redder when I turn and smile at the group to say our goodbyes. Bob and Jack are beaming at me, but Janus is staring at Andy, and my heart tries to fight its way back from the floor where someone has stomped all over it.

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