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Luke looks at me with a quizzical expression and nods. “We’ll see what our schedule is like.”
Tyson bows dramatically and heads to the back again.
“Did he make the meal for your playroom the other night?” I ask, unable to hold in my curiosity anymore.
He nods. “Sure did. What did you think of that?”
“I thought it was truly beautiful. I’ve seen it done with sushi once but never like that.”
He leans in close and picks up my hand. “I’m curious about what else you’ve seen, Zara.”
I smirk. “Some things you probably don’t want to hear about. A few I wish I could forget. But overall, I’ve been lucky enough to witness some amazing displays of sexuality and sensual beauty.”
The bell on the door jingles, indicating a customer has entered, and I lean back, ready to watch Tyson take an order. But the man who approaches the counter makes me freeze and it takes everything I have to keep my demeanor calm. Chuck Pratchett was at the nightclub the night I met Luke. I knew he was one of Nevada’s senators, but what is he doing here?
Senator Pratchett and I have a history that I would rather not think about, and I pray he doesn’t see me. It strikes me as odd that a sitting senator would be frequenting this particular establishment. Especially not one with his money. My gut twists. What if he’s a member of the club? That would make things difficult for me to enjoy it there. Luke hasn’t noticed him yet, and I don’t want him to catch me staring.
There’s a TV in the corner playing a national news station, and I let my eyes wonder to it. A familiar face splashes on the screen, looking angry in a mugshot.
Luke catches my gaze and follows it to the television. “Bloody hell. I guess it was to be expected. I’m surprised his name and face didn’t get leaked sooner. It’s been days since the mayor was shot. That tells me even they aren’t sure of his confession.”
I reach for his hand, but he pulls away. Seeing Oliver on screen probably reminds him of how we met. Honestly, it reminds me I can’t get attached to this man. We’re not starting a relationship. For all intents and purposes, he’s my client and I’m his service provider. And not one he wanted in the first place. He booked me because he didn’t want to kidnap me. But I have no doubt in my mind that if I’d refused the booking, he would have done exactly that. Where would I be if that had happened? Would I be sleeping with him at a suite in one of the most expensive hotels on the Strip or would I be locked in some cell in his warehouse?
“Where’d your head go, lass?” he asked quietly.
I blink and inhale as I force a smile. “Nowhere. I’m sorry about your cousin.”
He eyes me carefully, as if he knows I’m lying. I don’t like that he can read me. I’m the one that’s supposed to be good at reading people. Not that I have a monopoly on that skill. I just don’t enjoy it when people can read me just as well as I can read them. It throws me off and keeps me from having a leg up.
Having a leg up is how I’ve survived and thrived so far. I’ll have to work harder to mask things and keep him from reading me so well.
“Finish up. I’ll take you back to the room. Now that it’s all over the news it won’t be long before people connect me and start asking questions. I’m going to get in touch with my PR people and try to keep things from getting out of hand.”
I blink. Why is it weird that he has PR people? He runs a legitimate business, but all I can see right now is the mafia ties. It irks me that I’m feeling this way about him.
To make things worse, the senator approaches our table and claps Luke on the shoulder.
“Luke, good to see you friend.”
Luke seems just as taken aback as I was when I first saw him walk in.
He wipes his face with a napkin and stands to shake the senator’s hand. “This is a surprise, Chuck. I didn’t strike you as a neighborhood sandwich shop kind of guy.”
The senator shrugged and an odd look passed between them. How do they know each other?
“What can I say. We were driving through the city and suddenly a sandwich sounded good. Who is this lovely woman you have with you?”
Luke looks at me as if he’s unsure how to introduce me, so I offer him my hand. He already knows my name so there’s no sense hiding it. “Zara. It’s good to meet you.”
“Pretty name,” he murmurs, much like he did the night we first met for dinner.
I refuse to go back to that night, so I let go of his hand and pick up my sandwich.
Senator Pratchett’s gaze goes to the TV where they’ve flashed Oliver’s mugshot again. “Shame about your cousin.”
Someone behind the counter called his order number, so he gave us a wave and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and took his food before he walked out the door.
“Please don’t tell me he’s a member here,” I whisper as we both watch him climb in the back of his car.
