AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She threw her arms around me, pulling me tightly into a hug.
“Vinny, do you want another drink?”
Lifting a hand, I shook my head. Eliza sounded upset. She’d called me for a reason but refused to tell me what was going on. I was worried.
Oh God. Eliza sniffled, then hung up on me.
I slid my phone back inside my jacket pocket. “I’m not a fan of that house.”
“Mmmkay, but the master bedroom is to die for.” Emma spun her laptop back around, facing her, typing on it for a moment. “Was that your friend who left?”
“I don’t want to discuss my personal life.” I picked my empty glass off the table as a waitress approached.
“Can I get you guys anything else?”
“Just this.” I feigned a polite smile, though I was in anything but a good mood, and my adrenaline was still on fire from earlier. I pulled my wallet from my pocket and handed her my card. “No need to see the check.”
“Great, be back shortly then.”
As she hurried away, Emma peeked up from her computer, grinning. “You’re distracted tonight.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Would you like to come back to my house and hang out for a while?”
I arched a brow, leaning back in my chair. “I need to sleep. I have to fly home in the morning.”
The waitress returned with the receipt, laying it on the table with my card in front of me. “Have a wonderful night.”
I offered her a nod before I wrote the tip in and signed my name.
Emma gathered her things together, and we weaved through the bar to the door. As I held it open for her, she sashayed past, clearly trying to get my attention. She stopped, turning around with a smile on her face. “The offer is still there.”
“Where did you park?”
“Around the corner.”
“Me too.”
Regardless of who I was, there was no way I was going to make a woman walk to her car alone at night. Extending my arm, I motioned for her to take the lead. She walked in front, chatting on the way to the parking lot, though I couldn’t hear a word she said.
She turned the corner of the building into the back. It was dark, with only a single streetlight illuminating the ticket machine. As always, I was fully aware of my surroundings and scanned the lot as we trekked to her car.
We came to a stop on the driver’s side of a white 325i BMW. She unlocked the door and set her handbag in the driver’s seat. She pinned her bottom lip between her teeth as she took a step closer to me.
“Thank you for tonight.”
“It was just drinks, and I walked you to your car. Get home safely.”
“You know, I was a bit bummed when you had a guest with you at the house.” She averted her gaze before bringing it back to mine, taking a step even closer. She tugged at my shirt’s buttons. “You’ve never shown any interest in me because of the boyfriend I had.”
Grasping her wrist, I squeezed, gritting my teeth. “I’ve never shown interest in you because I’m not interested in anything more than business.” She winced at the pressure of my grip, and I let go. “I do not want to go back to your house. I do not want you to touch me. And if it happens again, I’ll take my business elsewhere. Am I clear?”
“I’m sorry,” she exhaled, her eyes filling with fear. “It won’t happen again, I swear.”
I lifted my chin to her car. Without another word, she got in and closed the door. I spun around, shaking my head as I strode toward my car, and angrily drove back to the house.
It was my last night in Florida, but I couldn’t sleep. I roamed the mansion, refilling my whiskey several times, chain smoking. Smoking inside was never something I was a fan of, but I was doing everything in my power to remain sane about Elizabeth, and it was the only thing keeping me from destroying everything in my path.
