“Well, take your time. I’m not going anywhere, Lyri,” he offers.
A comfortable conversation falls over us as I observe the fire, the orange and yellow flames flickering against the dullness ofits confines. It sends shadows dancing across the walls like little ballerinas. It’s beautiful and exceedingly relaxing.
“You seem calmer now, your mind more at ease.” His voice is low, gentle, as he gazes at me.
I glance back at him. “Yeah, I’m enjoying this. This place is… beautiful.”
He stares right at me, full of lust. I see it, the way his eyes wander over my body and face, making my insides turn to mush. “It’s stunning.”
Heat flames my cheeks. I can’t help but feel intoxicated by this man. I grab my champagne to try and break the moment. “You never got around to telling me more about your job?”
Chase sits back in his chair slowly, like he’s assessing the situation as if he’s trying to think about what to say. He’s calculating, taking the moment in, working out his next play, his next words.
It intrigues me.
“Well, as you know, I work for my father in the family business. A thankless job, really. Lots of time spent in the office doing paperwork, contracts, boring stuff like that. My best friend, Dax, works with me. Nothing of any interest, to be honest—”
“Wait, your best friend, Dax. This is the first I’m hearing about him,” I offer, wanting to know more.
Chase snorts out a laugh. “Because he’s a boring little shithead.”
I giggle. “Sounds like a great guy… but, let’s be serious, Chase. No more beating around the bush. What do youactuallydo? Accounting? Attorney?” I raise my brow. “Personal assistant?”
He smirks at the last one but sits back in his chair while he thinks it over.
Surely it can’t bethat bad.
“My family’s business deals with clients who want to investigate their spouses. We’ve opened a new branch here in LA, and we have a manager, Soren, who’s running everything. Dad and I find the clients who need specialized investigative work.”
I sit back in my chair, letting out a long exhale. “Like… detectives?”
He shrugs. “Kind of. Wives hire our female staff to put their husbands in compromising positions, and then our photographers are there to catch them in the act.”
I open my eyes wide. “Catch their husbands cheating?”
“Close enough, yeah.”
I let out a long breath. “Wow! That’s some next-level shit right there. No wonder you didn’t want to tell me.”
He tenses. “Does this change things?”
I smile. “You working for detectives? Hell, no! This is the coolest thing I think I’ve ever heard.”
His smile falters slightly as he shakes his head. “You can’t tell anyone, though.”
I make a motion of zipping my lips. And he exhales like a weight has been lifted, but there’s still a heaviness surrounding his eyes.
“Let’s talk about you.” His eyes narrow in on me. “You look goddamn amazing in yellow.” His brows wiggle suggestively.
A slow smile spreads across my face. “Thank you, Aria.”
His face scrunches, confused. “Sorry… what?”
I open my eyes wide, realizing I’ve said that out loud. “I mean, think we should order?”
His brows draw together like he’s not convinced, but then he signals to a hovering waitress.
I smile as she comes over, but her eyes don’t even acknowledge me. This woman has been focused squarely on Chase.
