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“Go on,” she said.
I turned around and sighed. “If you’re sure, Leanne. It’s just I’m back to being the new girl in town and I don’t know anyone.” I chuckled. “Is it strange to say you’re the first person I’ve spoken to since I arrived home, that I’ve not had an urge to kill yet? Would you fancy maybe going for a drink? A dance maybe? Let our hair down.”
“You know what?” She tapped her chin. “I haven’t had a night out in a long time, and I do have this nice new black dress I could wear.”
“Perfect. Shall we go to The Muse Club?” I asked, as her eyes widened, and she clapped her hands with joy.
“Oh yes, I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“Good, I’ll meet you there at nine.” I gave her a small wave and headed toward the lift, pressed the button, and waited until I was safely in before I let the smile radiate across my face.
Well, good research pays off. I wonder if I’ll come face to face with the arrogant bastard and my indisposed brother.
* * *
Idon’t normally make much of an effort for a night out, but for some reason I felt obliged to. Maybe it was the reviews of the place; definitely nothing to do with a certain man. I wanted to feel fabulous, damn sexy though, if he did make an appearance. In the end, after two hours of indecision, a discarded pile of clothes thrown on the bed and after scouring the shops, I finally felt more prepared. I slipped on a light gold, backless dress with sequins I was certain would pick up the lights inside.
With a lick of eyeliner and layer of mascara, the tinge of glitter to the eyes made the look step up a notch as I rubbed on my clear lip gloss and gave my lips a pout. I slipped my black heels on and gave myself a quick once over in the mirror before I reached for my jacket and threw it over my shoulders.
I’d seen too many times the way a girl could fall for a guy like Tate Hillside. The media reports announced him with a different woman every week. With his handsome, rugged looks wrapped up in a pristine, well-cut suit adorned with his deep blue eyes he could lock most women into a deal. I wasn’t most women though and I knew he was dangerous. I could see that from a distance but that wasn’t about to deter me from finding out what mess Asher had fallen into.
If I had to use myself as bait, then I would. I’m sure Tate had his own plan in motion to woo me into submission, or get rid of me, but he was in for a bumpy ride if my suspicions were correct.
I headed outside and jumped in a cab. With my clutch bag in hand I decided to check my phone after I confirmed my destination and noticed still nothing from Asher. He wanted to play cat and mouse and I had been happy to chase, at first; now it stopped. I fired out a message and left it at that. The ball was in his court. It was time for me to go and play the next game of mine.
Tomorrow, my office before lunch or I’m bringing Dad in on everything. Decision time. Tick tock.
I wasn’t normally so blunt, but I had so much to learn and do, this thorn was stuck in my side and needed to be pulled free. I had other clients that needed my attention, not just one stuck-up twat in a well pressed suit. It was time for some hard truths, no matter how much I hated to use them.
I cringed when I got out of the cab. The cold wind hit me as a shiver passed through my bones, even with my jacket wrapped tightly to my chest.
“Where are you, Leanne?” I mumbled under my breath as I saw her start to walk toward me, dressed to perfection in a killer little black dress she hadn’t been wrong to wear. Damn, she looked good. But as the crowd parted I squinted my eyes and noticed her arm was linked together with another girl and I began to freak out the closer they got. Dad’s personal assistant, scrap that; my personal assistant.
“Billie, it’s lovely to see you. I’m so glad Leanne invited you. This is going to be fantastic. A girl’s night.” I squealed in fake excitement and gave her a hug. “I love the dress.”
“Thanks,” Leanne replied, as she gave me a spin in the little black number which showed plenty of thigh. “I just thought with us working together it would be good to know each other better.”
“Exactly,” Billie butted in. “I mean, we’ve not spent that much time together yet. It would be fun to actually know a bit about you rather than what Asher and Harrison talk about.”
“What do they say?” I asked, intrigued as Billie linked her arm into mine and guided us toward the door and the two burly bouncers that manned it.
“Let’s get a drink and I’ll give you all the gossip,” Billie replied with a small chuckle before Leanne got the attention of the doorman with a wink, then pulled the brooding bouncer closer to whisper in his ear.
“Have a nice evening ladies,” the man replied after he scanned his eyes over the three of us. They stepped apart and let us walk past. “Come and find us if you get bored.”
“Oh, we will.”
“What did you say to him?” I whispered as I made my way to the cloakroom and handed across my coat for the evening and took my token. I placed it in my bag and waited. “Leanne?”
“Oh, that you were Miss Wilkinson.”
Great.
I stepped into the club and admired the décor; 1930s art deco beauty, crisp lines, and cuts. I wanted to hate the place and be appalled by his lack of taste, but I couldn’t fault a single point. Black and white decor throughout the room, which was highlighted by sleek well-placed lights that bounced off the floor. I wouldn’t have imagined anything less of a man like Tate Hillside, perfection in every aspect.
“Let’s grab a table, shall we?” I led the way forward, as I noticed a booth free in the corner. Leanne and Billie whispered in hushed tones as I felt the gaze of a pair of eyes land on me and trail up my body. I couldn’t help but catch a glance at the table where the gaze came from or the people sitting at it. TatefuckingHillside.
It didn’t take long for his claws to get sunk in, as the moment we got settled into a booth a bottle of his finest champagne was gifted to us, brought across on ice and accompanied by glasses. I couldn’t help but let the anger sway away slightly when I saw the label on the bottle and the fact that he’d made an effort. The only issue was there’s always a reason with Tate.
