Knox angled his body in Reuben’s direction.“I didn’t come here looking for action.I heard the view was nice.”He returned the slow once-over Reuben had given him.
Reuben’s sucked in a deep breath and asked, “And do you like what you see so far?”
“I hate men who angle for compliments,” Tenley said.“Don’t give him one.”
“I’m reserving judgement until you at least introduce yourself,” Knox said.
He stuck his hand out.“I’m Reuben.”
“Shake his hand, firm but not crushing, and hold it a second or two longer than you normally would,” Tenley told him.“Brush your thumb over his knuckles.”
Knox did as he was told.“James,” he said, giving the fake name Ren had provided.
“James,” Reuben repeated.“Let me guess…you’re a…contractor?”
Knox gave him a wry half-smile.“Carpenter.Callouses gave me away, huh?”
“Good call making ‘James’ a carpenter,” Ren told Tenley.
Tenley shrugged.“Men who work with their hands are hot.And ‘James’ being blue collar will make Reuben trust him a little easier.The pretentious ones never think the blue-collar guy or gal will outsmart them.”
“Definitely,” Reuben said.“But also the boots.You don’t look like a man who’s afraid to get dirty.”
“Ew,” Hadley whispered.“He’s trying so hard that I have secondhand embarrassment now.”
“Don’t react to that, Knox,” Tenley said sharply.“You are not a ho.You’re laid-back.Unbothered.Mildly amused at best.”
“I suppose I’ll take that as a compliment,” Knox said.“And what about you, Reuben?What do you do?”
“Lawyer,” Reuben lied with practiced ease.
Hadley glanced at Cole.He said, “It’s always easier to lie.Telling a stranger you work for the CIA always takes the conversation to a weird place.”
Made sense.It still made her a little sad.Not for Reuben because fuck that cheating dog-returner.But for Cole.Not being able to even share the tiniest detail about your job with anyone would really suck.Making up lies to keep conversations light sounded…lonely.
Knox nodded, rubbing a hand over his stubbled jaw.“That was going to be my guess.You have a certain…expensive but corrupt look about you.”
Reuben sputtered out a shocked laugh.“Touché.”
Tenley sighed.“I’m getting bored.Let’s move this thing along by creating a sense of urgency.Knox, tell him you have to leave.”
Ever the good soldier, Knox stood up and grabbed a wad of bills from his wallet.“For my drink and his,” he told the bartender before turning back to Reuben.“Well, Reuben, I’ve enjoyed our talk, but I have a very early morning tomorrow.I need to head out.”
Reuben looked flustered in that way mediocre white men all over the world had the monopoly on.It was a look that said he wasshockedanyone he deigned to flirt with didn’t immediately submit to his will.He sputtered for a few seconds before Knox practically growled, “So, be a good boy and hand over your phone so I can type my number in.”
“Jesus,” Hadley muttered.“Does Knox read romance novels?Because that wasverydark romance coded.”
Tenley swallowed hard.“I have no idea.But I have every intention of finding out when I get him out of there.”
“That’s never going to work.No employee of the CIA would ever hand his phone over like that just because?—”
Cole’s words trailed off as Reuben pulled his phone out and handed it over to Knox with visibly shaking fingers.
“Well, fuck me sideways,” Cole muttered.
Knox typed in “James’s” phone number, then instructed Reuben to call it.His tone left no room for disobedience, so Reuben immediately did as he was told.Then he made a show of pulling out his phone to let Reuben know he had indeed given him a good phone number.“Good boy,” he said again, his voice even lower than before.
“And that’ll do it,” Ren said, voice flat and focused.“We’re in.Tomorrow when Reuben goes into work, I’ll have access to everything I need within the CIA’s network.”
