Her face dropped for a second before an elegant smile plastered across it.
I followed her movements through the large windows in the building’s foyer. A guy around my age stopped her, taking a long look to admire her dress and body, before leaning in with a smile. I rolled my eyes, still watching as he flirted and touched her until she finally broke apart from him and disappeared into the dining hall.
My pulse quickened, the thrill of hunting her down again surging through my veins. I made my way to a side entrance, slipping inside unnoticed. I’d been here a few times to meet with people and knew the layout enough to know where I could and couldn’t go to stay hidden. The staff here were used to serving the elite and didn’t have time to pay attention to me as I stalked through the side halls down to one of the smaller rooms I knew well.
The room sat empty when I slipped in, the soft glow of a single light casting long shadows across it. Shelves of old books lined one wall, and a heavy oak desk sat in the corner, but the main attraction was the wooden pool table filling the middle of the room. I could hear the faint murmurs of the dinner in the distance, the clinking of glasses and muted conversations.
I pulled out my phone as I leaned back on the pool table.
Rook
Come to the back office. The last door on the right.
She didn’t say anything for a few minutes, but I watched the three little dots pop up.
Regan
Why?
Rook
Would you rather I come there?
Regan
No.
Rook
You have one minute.
Unless, of course, you need more time to flirt.
Regan
I wasn’t flirting?
Rook
Liar.
Regan walked in less than five minutes later, her eyes widening as she spotted me setting up the pool table.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. The surprise in her tone should be expected, but I didn’t love the way my heart rate picked up at the curiosity in her voice.
“Want to play?” I asked, holding out a cue for her.
She snatched it, her eyebrow arching. “Yes, because I know for a fact I can beat you.”
“Wow, someone is cocky tonight. Is it the dress?”
“What about the dress?”
My lips curved into a smile, looking her over. “I’m pretty sure it was made to make men crawl after you. I’m surprised you don’t have a little line of them begging to see what’s underneath,” I said, lining up my first shot. As the balls scattered across the table, I kept my eyes on her, noting every detail. “So who all is here tonight?” I asked, my voice calm as I lined up another shot. “Besides the guy you were flirting with.”
She glanced at me, her eyebrow arching up again. She had every right to be skeptical, and I almost liked it more. “The usual crowd. Business associates of my father’s, some old friends. And again, I wasn’t flirting. Why do you ask?”
“I’m curious who my competition is,” I said, sinking another ball. “Your dad seems like a busy man. Must be important to keep up appearances.”
