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“Well, kudos to Darren,” Kat pronounces. “I wonder what other laws he’s gotten you to break?”
I laugh and grab my backpack to head off to class. I’ve definitely done things with Darren I never thought I’d be doing, but certainly nothing unlawful aside from the champagne. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that he hasn’t pushed me to drink or thought less of me for it. I can’t imagine him pushing me to do anything seriously illegal.
I think about the edge I used to pick up from him. It’s still there, though much fainter. I must have picked up on his BDSM proclivities metaphysically because I don’t know what else it could be. Or maybe it’s because he lost his father, which I haven’t brought up because I remember he doesn’t like to talk about it. I might bring up the subject the next time I get some alone time with Sharon.
When I get back from class and working my shift at the library, I find Amy still in her pajamas, surfing the internet on her computer.
“Did you know that San Francisco is considered one the nation’s hot spots for sex trafficking?” Amy asks.
“I didn’t know that,” I reply as I set my backpack down.
“It’s an eight billion dollar international business, and San Francisco is one of the largest commercial centers in the US.”
I look over her shoulder at the article she’s reading. “Is this research for one of your classes?”
“No. Just curious.”
I wonder what made her decide to look up the subject, but a text from Darren distracts me. He’s on his way to pick me up for dinner. I hurry to jump in the shower and get changed into jeans and a Henley I wear over a camisole.
Darren looks amazing in his black leather jacket over a button-up shirt and jeans that mold his body. As I sit across from him at a table full of brisket, collard greens, corn, and sweet potato pie, I feel like the luckiest person in the world.
After dinner, we head over to his club. I pay a visit to Felipe at the bar.
“For your birthday,” Felipe says as he slides over a beautiful-looking drink in a fancy glass.
“What is it?” I ask.
“A Dirty Shirley.”
I take a sip. “Okay, that’s good.”
“And a lot more fun than your regular Shirley Temples, though I went light on the vodka.”
He turns to Darren, who surprises me by saying he’ll just have a glass of water. He must have something in store for me. Something he doesn’t want to be intoxicated for. I shiver with anticipation.
When we’re in the elevator, I say to Darren, “You’re going to go easy on me since it’s my birthday, right?”
He raises a brow. “You’ve got me mixed up with someone who’s nice.”
“You can’t fool me. Your mom’s a nice lady, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree—in a good way.”
“You don’t know my mother all that well.”
There’s a seriousness in his tone that surprises me. He looks away, as if realizing he’s said too much.
“Are you trying to convince me she’s not nice?” I ask.
“I’m not saying she can’t be nice, or hasn’t been nice, but she’s more complicated than you think.”
“Well, what’s so complicated about her?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I don’t have anything else planned tonight.”
He looks at me, his gaze making me squirm. “But I do.”
