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I have to force myself not to react to their idiot comments. Sebastian is friends with these morons?
“Ashford is a waste of time,” Sebastian says, sounding bored. “I took a look, but I’m not impressed.”
“That’s because they’re still in the trial phase of their new drug,” the guy says eagerly. “I have the inside track from a researcher there, they’re going to blow everyone away when they announce...”
As the guy blabbers on about his top-secret source, Sebastian meets my eyes, and gives me the smallest hint of a smile.
He’s playing games again.
I have to control my expression again, this time to keep from laughing. Of course. He would never waste his time with assholes like this unless there was some angle to be played, so I’m guessing he’s stringing them along to get more information—which he’ll probably use to turn around and screw them over.
It unnerves me to realize I already know him this well.
“Excuse me,” I murmur, slipping out of the booth. Nobody bothers to acknowledge me as I cross the room and go find the bathroom.
It’s large and luxurious, of course, like everything in Sebastian’s world. Maybe I’ll get used to it soon, but for now, I still feel like an interloper, out of place beneath all my new designer clothes, and if anyone looks too closely, I’ll be exposed.
Get it together,I tell myself in the mirror. Sebastian said it himself, didn’t he? There’s no room for sentiment or emotion. I need to stop thinking of myself as a fish out of water.
You’re an assassin, behind enemy lines.
The stalls are separate from the sinks, but as I’m reapplying my lipstick, I hear a voice call out.
“Hello? Is anyone in here?”
I furrow my brow and turn in the direction of the stalls. “Uh… Yeah?”
“Oh, thank God.Pleasetell my you’re a better prepared woman than I am and have a tampon in your purse. I’ll even use a pad if I must.”
I smile. “Let me check.”
My purse is small, so it doesn’t take me long to find a single tampon that I tucked into a side pocket in case of emergency.
“I have one,” I say, going further back into the section where the stalls are. A woman’s hand sticks out from under one of them, and I go toward it, handing it over.
“Thank God. You’re a real lifesaver. You know that?”
“Just call me superwoman.”
“Well, I’m Lulu.” The voice says.
“Avery,” I say. I turn to start to head back to the sinks when the toilet flushes and the door opens. The woman that walks out is a petite blonde in her twenties. She’s wearing the same kind of chic outfit as the other women here tonight, but her hair is a mass of blonde curls, and there’s a lively sparkle in her eyes.
“Well, Avery, I think I owe you a drink. And my firstborn. I’m not too clear about the rules of girl-code.” She grins, friendly, and I can’t help smiling back.
“That’s okay,” I laugh. “On both things.” As much as I’d like to chat with a potential new friend, I can’t lose sight of my purpose here. “I better get back to my… date.”
“Didn’t I see you come in with Sebastian Wolfe?”
I pause. “You know him?”
“Who doesn’t?” Lulu rolls her eyes, grinning. “The man is like the most eligible bachelor in London. No, really, theGazetteran a whole rankings list, he came out on top.”
“I’m sure he’d be thrilled,” I reply dryly, and she laughs.
“So, what’s he like?” Lulu asks, her eyes widening. “I’ve always wondered if he really is as cutthroat and serious as everyone says. Or is he a softie, under those designer suits?”
I pause, considering my answer. The woman seems nice, definitely friendly, but there’s something behind her eager questions. Like they’re not so casual as she’s making it seem.
