“That actually makes sense, though it’s really unbelievable.” I squint at him as the last of my panic fades away. “Are you good at lying? This could just be a really big lie to cover your attacker-like lifestyle.”
“My attacker-like lifestyle?” he asks with a smirk.
I point a finger at his chest. “Yes! Exactly.”
He takes a step closer, making it so my finger is pressed against him. When I go to move it, his hand comes up to grab my wrist. My skin burns where he touches me.
“I’m not an attacker. It really is just a game that got out of hand. I apologize for scaring you. You’re very beautiful, and I hate that I made you uncomfortable.”
A blush takes over my skin at his words. I dip my head, then tug on my arm again hoping to get loose. He doesn’t release me at first. Only when I tug a second time.
As soon as I’m free, I turn again to leave. I manage a few steps before his voice halts all my movement.
“Are you new here?”
I look over my shoulder. “Yeah, I am. First night. You?”
His smile sends my stomach into a fluttering mess. “Not new. What’s your name?”
“Konnor,” I reply automatically before wincing.
The guy laughs, then points to himself. “I’m Brett. Now we won’t be strangers. See you later, Konnor. It was a pleasure to meet you, despite how I might have fucked it up.”
With that, he spins away from me and climbs up a ladder on the wall. Mind you, I knew the ladder was there. I saw the performers use it in very creative ways last night. But seeing the hot-as-hell man I was just accosted by climbing it after an intensely arousing interaction is confusing.
Standing here isn’t going to solve the mystery of what just happened. The only solution is to be patient. I’ll get answers later. I’ll have to figure out this Brett person.
Was he telling the truth? And if so, does he really think I’m gorgeous?
The second I’m out of the club, I pull up the app to order a driver to take me home. After securing a car to pick me up in fiveminutes, the only thing left to do is dial my brother to give him the details of my day.
“It’s about time you called. I’ve been eagerly awaiting your call,” Jared, my younger brother, tells me with a whine.
“Patience isn’t your strong suit, J. I’m actually fifteen minutes earlier than I said I’d be.”
“Yeah, but we both know you lied so I wouldn’t bother you sooner. You’ve probably been done for more like thirty minutes.”
My jaw drops at the accuracy of his words. How dare he know me so well?
“No need to be upset I’m right. Most of my work is about paying attention to detail.”
“True,” I admit. “That makes me feel better. You had me thinking I was predictable.”
He snorts. “You definitely are.”
“Take that back!”
“Absolutely not. It’s okay to be a bit predictable. Besides, I’ve known you my whole life. It’s easier for me. New people won’t pick up on it. And speaking of new people, how did the meeting go? Are you still going to actually do this?”
“It was… good.” The car pulls up, and I climb in. A quick nod to the driver has us on our way. I go over the meeting with Jared on the drive. Since someone else is around, I don’t break down the whole ‘game of tag’ storyline. I may not tell him later either. It depends on how tonight goes.
Since my brother works for a major security firm, he can sometimes be a bit paranoid. It doesn’t help that we live so far from one another. Forget the fact that I’m the oldest. Apparently, I’m not capable of taking care of myself all that well.
If I tell him about the misunderstanding, he’ll probably send a team out here to investigate. At the very least, he’ll do a background check on the guy. I don’t need all of that on my conscience.
I stay on the phone with him even after being dropped off at my place. Jared is a yapper through and through. He could go for hours if I let him. I think it’s because so much of his job is done alone that when he gets the chance to interact with actual people, he goes a bit overboard.
“Holy shit! We’ve been on the phone for two hours. I need to let you get some sleep. Don’t want you to pass out tonight. Sorry, man.”
