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“Pray I make it back into the car before I lose my willpower.”
The bar was justas seedy inside, it matched the exterior in every way. It reminded me of the kind of place you saw in the movies, only without the cigarette smoke because of the city ordinances. The scent of it still lingered in the dimly lit room, however, and my heels stuck to the floor I could barely see in places, making me feel itchy. I wasn’t a snob by any stretch of the imagination, but this didn’t feel like somewhere that a discussion about movie backing should be made.
Noah held my hand tightly as he crossed the room to a booth in the back. It was even darker in this corner, and only one gentleman sat in the booth while two other men lounged behind it.
“Noah,” the beautiful, russet-skinned gentleman said in a rich accented baritone. He spoke Noah’s name with familiarity and affection before shaking his hand and waving him to the booth. Then he set his sights on me. “Miss Randall, you are even more exquisite in person. It is my absolute pleasure to meet you.”
“Amber, this is Artie Moreno. He owns a production company in Mexico.”
Artie smiled, picked up my hand, and pressed his lips to the back of it.
“Anything I would have heard of?” I asked politely.
Artie laughed and bowed his head in agreement. “I produce one of the most beloved telenovelas in the world.”
“Which—?”
Noah gave a nervous laugh and pulled me down onto the booth bench with him, cutting me off and forcing Artie to release my hand.
“It’s good to see you, Artie,” Noah said, draping his arm behind me, his fingers playing with my hair. “It’s been a while.”
“When you say no, I listen, Noah.” Artie chuckled and leaned back, raising a hand that sent one of the men strutting off toward the bar. “Seeing as you would not indulge me and take the cameo, I figured I would insert myself into your next project.”
“Why?”
“International funding is becoming more stylish, no?”
“How much are you talking?” Noah asked bluntly.
“Noah. It’s not polite to jump into business like that in front of company as beautiful as this. Let’s have a drink, relax, then you and I will discuss more vulgar things like money while Javier and James distract Miss Randall.”
Noah stiffened beside me, and I wondered whether he was as unsure of the use of distraction as I was.
Artie Moreno spent almost an hour asking me questions, occasionally deviating to Noah to ask him some of the same. They weren’t personal in the way of being intrusive, but they did make me uneasy and uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure what my college experience had to do with funding a movie. He asked me about siblings, how far I’d traveled, my favorite shampoo, and color. Those questions were entirely standard for someone I was dating to ask, but I wasn’t, nor would I ever consider dating Artie Moreno. He made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end in a way I couldn’t quite explain. The way he watched me, even while he was talking to Noah, made me cringe internally.
“Do you have family in California?” Artie asked, his finger lazily circling a lowball glass full of single malt whiskey and a single melting ice cube.
“One of my best friends lives here with her husband.”
“Kenzie Madison?”
“That’s right.”
“I saw a headline about that,” he said triumphantly. “It was after the image of you two on a boat went viral.”
“Mr. Moreno,” Noah said respectfully. “I appreciate the chance to get to know you better, but I have a meeting in an hour that I’m afraid I can’t miss. If you’d like to discuss—”
Artie held up a hand cutting Noah off, then nodded to the taller of the two gentlemen standing behind the booth. “James, would you take Miss Randall and see how talented she is at playing pool, please?”
“It would be my pleasure,” James said, stepping forward and offering me his hand.
At Noah’s nod of agreement, I slipped my hand into James’s, rising to join him at the other side of the bar where the pool table sat.
I lost twicebefore Noah came to escort me out of the bar. James offered me a nod of acknowledgment before disappearing back into the bleak darkness of the bar while Noah and I headed toward the sunshine on the other side of the door.
I didn’t say a word to Noah until we were in the car and it was pulling away from the curb.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked.
