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“You,” I said, pointing a finger at M as she reached for a chair to pull herself to her feet, “had better back off.”
Standing, she smiled sweetly, smoothing out her dress. “What are you talking about? I just invited my friend up here for a little playtime. And she assaulted me.”
“Cut the shit.” I looked at Saffi and took her hand. “C’mon.”
“Wait just a minute,” M called after us. “While I don’t appreciate being pushed to the ground, to show there are no hard feelings, why don’t you take the special room on the third floor? Have it all to yourselves. My treat.”
“Thanks, M. Fuck off.”
I led Saffi through the crowded club up to the mezzanine and to a secluded corner. The funny thing was that without my mask, no one recognized me. Not a single person said hello.
The irony.
“Jesus. That was close,” I said, sinking into a sofa and pulling Saffi down next to me.
“Varden, I just want to tell you—”
But I cut her off.
“Shhh. No need to say anything.” She laid her head back and took a deep breath, grasping my hands in her trembling ones.
“Do you really think she was going to do something?” Her face searched mine, which was not surprising. She’d only seen it a couple times.
“I don’t know. But I didn’t want to find out.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, I am.”
“Seriously. Thank you, Varden.”
“For what?”
“You warned me about her. And then you saved me from her. Thank you.”
Her hand was small but strong. I loved her tenacity.
“How did you know I was here?” she asked me.
“It wasn’t easy. Did you block me from your phone?”
“Yeah, I did.” She shook her head in embarrassment.
“That’s what I thought. And I was desperate to get in touch, so I called your dad.”
She bolted upright. “You what?”
“I called him on the pretense of asking for your number. He gave it to me and also mentioned you’d gone out for the evening all dressed up. It wasn’t hard to figure out that you’d come here. I asked for M when I arrived, and they told me she was in her office, not to be disturbed.” I shook my head. “Disturbed my ass. She’s disturbed.”
“Wow,” Saffi said quietly. “Just wow. I can’t believe the efforts you’ve made for me, especially after I was such a bitch to you at the Four Seasons.”
“I can hardly blame you.”
“I also cannot believe you knew me all along, and on top of that, are my father’s client.” She slapped my thigh. It was the least I deserved.
“I know, I know. I’d planned on eventually telling you. I just hadn’t figured out when. At first it was a little game, and then…”
She looked at me. “And then what?”
