Page 28 of Miss Typed

“It’s fine. Your family?”

“Yeah. I’ll call them later.” Meanwhile, I quickly answered the text, letting them know I’d be in. Frankly, I could use the extra tip money considering how slow Christmas had been.

Aiden paused before finishing off his glass of wine. We both said no to dessert and rose to our feet once he’d signed for the credit card.

“Thank you for dinner. It was the best meal I’ve ever had.” I wasn’t exaggerating. Steak and lobster had been divine.

He pocketed his wallet and flashed a smile. “I’m the one who should thank you for enduring the company of those two idiots. At least you made tonight tolerable. Did you park in the garage?”

“I did.” And I was about to go straight into work. Fortunately, I had a locker there with my stage clothes in it.

“I’ll walk you over.”

Chapter Ten

Aiden

I accompanied Chloe back to our building and down to the parking garage in silence, trying to get a handle on the unexpected shot of lust I’d experienced while teaching her how to taste wine. Christ. She’d been sexy without pretense. Erotic without effort. And dangerous without knowing it.

But the ache in my leg was a cruel reminder of why I wouldn’t pursue her. I wasn’t even close to being decent boyfriend material. Yet my dick wasn’t getting the message. I’d been hard more since she’d started working for me than in the entire last year.

She got into her Jeep with a wave and one more thank you for dinner. If her innocence and my insecurity weren’t enough to convince me to leave her alone, she was simply too nice. She’d probably let me walk all over her and then apologize for the uneven terrain.

Although she did have some spunk. Hadn’t she made that boyfriend comment? I’d only been trying to give her an out, but I supposed I shouldn’t have assumed she couldn’t handle herself.

If I was being honest, I’d been jealous of Sean and Peter and the way they’d been looking at Chloe. As if they thought they had a shot. Hell, maybe I worried she might have been interested. Thankfully, she hadn’t been.

But then why had she lied about the text she’d received? It was clear as day it hadn’t been her family contacting her. Could it have been a message from Sean or Peter inviting her out? Was she meeting them down by the marina? No. That didn’t make sense as they wouldn’t have her cell phone number.

I waited for her to pull out of the company garage before I followed. When I saw her turn left instead of right, toward her apartment, I went on high alert. She wasn’t heading toward the marina, but perhaps she was meeting some other friends for a night out. I didn’t like it, but I certainly wasn’t her keeper. On the other hand, she’d stayed in the office late because her roommate was out of town, leading me to believe Chloe didn’t have anyone else to hang out with. Maybe she was going to the store, and I could ensure she stayed safe. Which was a lie as Dubai’s crime rate was relatively low compared to most American cities. Still, I followed.

After tailing her a few more miles into the city, I watched her pull into a parking garage. I stayed on the street, surveying the surrounding buildings. It was a nice commercial area, including a luxury hotel and restaurant. Perhaps this was where she worked at her second job. Could she be taking a shift tonight at the restaurant? But then why hadn’t she mentioned it?

It wasn’t as though I could drop in at her restaurant for a meal after we'd just finished one together. I could go for a drink, but I knew that would be way too weird. First, I’d shown up at her apartment yesterday; then I showed up at her restaurant directly after having dinner with her. Damn. I’d be worse than Hank the Tank in stalker status.

I continued to survey the grounds, struck with the large number of security cameras my trained eye spotted. Cameras weren’t uncommon for the nicer complexes, but it was out of the ordinary to see them on every corner of the buildings, surveying the streets and the sidewalks. The empty sidewalks. No foot traffic here. It was as if they were watching anyone who dared approach the area.

I decided to pull around toward the entrance of the hotel. There I noticed the well-dressed suits in the lobby. Security. Something was causing a tingling at the base of my skull. By the way they were staring at me, I had no doubt my car was now on their radar. Concluding I’d be better off doing some research from a distance, I took off down the street.

Once I’d parked a few blocks down, I dialed one of my colleagues back home in the States. Thankfully, he answered. But I was unprepared for what he told me twenty minutes later after he’d looked into the hotel name I’d given him.

“Repeat what you said.”

“It’s an exclusive strip club with a restaurant as a front. Hotel is into high-dollar prostitution. Both are highly protected by security since it’s all illegal. But not uncommon. Sex sells in a place where it isn’t allowed.”

I was nearly speechless. “But it’s a legit restaurant, right? People are actually employed there?” Perhaps Chloe worked at the restaurant and was in the dark about the other side of the business.

“Probably, but I can guarantee the patrons aren’t only there to eat.”

No way. I couldn’t picture Chloe stripping, let alone engaging in prostitution. Yet she needed to send money home. “Can you get me on the list for the strip club tonight?”

“I can’t get you on the list. However, you happen to know one of the prime investors, so I’m sure you can get yourself on it.”

“Thanks for the info.”

There was only one man I knew who’d invest in an illegal strip club in Dubai. Reid’s older brother, Chance. It may cost me a favor, but I had to find out for myself.

Chapter Eleven