AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I squirmed in my seat. Those eyes were examining me like he had some kind of special superhero power. But instead of the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, he saw through clothing, zeroing in on private parts and making my heart beat triple time against my chest.
“You can try…” I left the rest of my sentence unspoken.
I leaned back, trying my best to be casual yet feminine. I’d seen Grace and Sadie in action a few times now. Surely some of that had to have rubbed off on me. “How does one become vice president of an adult entertainment company?”
“It’s the family business.”
I straightened in my seat. “Really?”
He nodded.
My family business was the law; my father specialized in family law and my mother specialized in corporate law. I couldn’t imagine being at his family dinner table.
How was your day, dear?
Jus
t wonderful, honey. I saw someone get double penetrated today.
I grinned. “Making the world a better place one sex scene at a time.”
“Something like that.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Even with only minutes of interaction, I could tell the difference. “What about you? How are you going to change the world?”
My heart hammered in my chest. I needed to stop making eye contact, for the sake of my health. “Oh, I don’t know.” I swallowed hard. “Putting criminals in jail. Stopping large corporations from polluting the environment.”
That was my go-to response whenever anyone asked me why I wanted to be a lawyer. Something that showed I was following in my parents’ footsteps. It was pretty Miss Universe Pageant, if I do say so myself.
“Those are big ambitions. But what about having fun? You’ve only got one life to live.” He eyed me from across the table. His brown eyes fixed on my blue ones. I didn’t dare look away for fear of losing the unspoken battle. “You should live it.”
A feeling of déjà vu washed over me. “What did you say?”
It was the same thing my grandma used to say to me. All. The. Damn. Time. Like a song on replay, her words echoed in my head. I had managed to push them aside my entire life, knowing that what my parents wanted for me would make my life happy. But since her passing, that voice was louder, harsher, and more jarring than ever.
“Some of us find it easier to live than others.” I made sure to use air quotes to get my point across. “You probably get everything you want, don’t you?” I picked up the pen that sat on the table next to my laptop and tapped it against the fake wood. “Expensive cars. Expensive drinks. Women.”
Offense burned in his gaze. I saw it there for a split second before a smirk curved at the side of his lips and he leaned back, settling his torso against the booth. “You think I’m just an asshole in a suit.”
In the first two minutes of our introduction, maybe. Now I wasn’t so sure, but I didn’t need to tell him that. I smiled and shrugged. “At least it’s an expensive suit.”
I expected him to laugh at my joke, but he didn’t. Instead he reached across the table. “What’s this?” He pulled the bucket list from between the pages of my textbook. “The color matches your eyes.”
“Give that back.” I swiped my hand at his, but he pulled the sheet of paper away too quickly. Panic seized my brain and body.
“What is this?”
I breathed heavily. Being a lawyer was a search for the truth, for justice—I found it hard to lie. Under any circumstance. And I wasn’t going to start now. “It’s a bucket list.”
“A bucket list?” His eyes worked from side to side as he read the items. “Are you dying?” he asked.
“No!” The response was a little louder than I’d anticipated, but it was an awful question.
His face scrunched up in confusion. “Then what are you doing with a bucket list?”
I swiped again and this time I connected. I grabbed the paper out of his grip. “It’s none of your business.”
There were a lot of personal things on that list. Things I didn’t want a total stranger knowing I hadn’t done, like having a really good laugh.
“Have you completed any of the items?”
