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The guilt wells up inside, along with that antsy feeling, like lots of tiny bugs are crawling around under the surface of myskin. I just feel so fucking sleazy. I’m a bundle of nervous energy, and I can’t help pacing around outside of the restaurant.
Looking at my watch, I take a deep breath when I realise it’s only a couple of minutes later than our agreed meeting time. I’ve only been here about five minutes, but it feels longer.
It’s not long until Mel’s sleek black Lexus pulls up at the side of the curb, and before I get the chance to open the door, her driver, Kev, is out of the front seat and has it opened.
Mel’s long legs extend out of the car, her bright-red high heels connecting with the concrete before she slides out gracefully, accepting my outstretched hand as she does. She doesn’t bother to acknowledge Kev, and I don't think he expects her to, but he clears his throat awkwardly as she clasps her hand with mine.
“Mrs Whitlock, will you be needing a ride home?” he mutters, keeping his gaze low to the floor, as though he’s been taught that the help shouldn’t make eye contact. I try my hardest not to react—though it boils my fucking blood to see hard-working people being treated like shit, just because they don’t have the money that Mel has.
Mel doesn’t look at Kev, and instead glances over at me with a smile. “Would you be alright escorting me home?”
“Of course,” I say, trying to sound happy about it, rather than speaking through gritted teeth. My stomach starts to roll as nausea overwhelms me.
“I won’t need you for the rest of the evening, but be on call from the morning, as I have plans tomorrow.” She says the words to Kev, but her silver eyes are fixed on me as she begins walking towards the restaurant without even a second glance his way.
I can’t help but compare her to Mac. One of the things I’ve always loved about McKenna is the kindness that she shows others. It’s why I knew she was always destined to be a nurse. She’s just one of those people that cares about everyone, andeven from a very young age, she always used to tell me and my brothers that we have to treat people the way we want to be treated in return. So I know she would be looking at Mel right now with venom in her eyes, and that would make me want her even more.
Turning to Kev, I throw a genuine smile his way. “Have a good night, Kev.”
He nods politely before climbing into the ridiculously expensive car and driving off. I turn back to Mel, whose brow is furrowed, her eyebrows knitting together as her silver eyes pierce mine. “What?” I ask.
“I didn’t know you knew my driver’s name,” she says, sounding confused. It’s because she’s never actually introduced me to him. I introduced myself back when we first met.
“There’s been a few occasions when I’ve been waiting for you at the car whilst you freshen up, and I introduced myself. He seems nice. It’s his daughter’s fifth birthday this weekend,” I reply, and I didn’t think it was possible for her to look more astounded than she did before, but she does.
“I didn’t even know he had a daughter,” she mumbles as we reach the door to the restaurant.
I wish I could say she had the nerve to sound ashamed that she knows fuck all about a man who has worked for her for around six years—if Kellan’s research is correct—but sadly, she doesn’t. She looks more alarmed that I would actually bother talking to him.
I learnt early on that Mel's a bit of a snob, but I still believed she was a good person. If you’d have asked me after the first few weeks of us dating, I couldn’t find many bad things to say about her, but I guess that’s always the way dating goes. You put the best version of yourself forward to start with, to pull that person in, and once you have them, then you can safely show moreof your true colours. And I have to confess, the more of Mel’s colours I see, the less I like.
The maitre d’ shows us to the table Mel reserved under her name. It’s a ridiculously fancy French place that gets booked up very quickly, and it’s also not somewhere I would have chosen if it were up to me.
If I’m spending a month’s rent on a meal, I don’t want to be considering ordering a pizza afterwards, and that’s the type of place this is. Stupidly expensive with tiny portions. Not my kind of food at all. But this isn’t about me, it’s about Finn Langford, and he will do anything to impress the woman whose dress probably costs more than most people earn in a month.
We are seated in a booth, and Mel makes a point of sliding in closer to me, so that our knees are touching, and she places her perfectly manicured hand on my thigh. If this were a real date, the mood lighting, the nice music, and the romantic atmosphere would be perfect. But this isn’t a real date, and all it reminds me of is how much Mac would hate coming to a place like this.
We make small talk whilst we peruse the menu, and I try to slow my heart rate down as I take in the astronomical prices. Thankfully, my dad is footing the bill for this evening, and therefore I feel no shame ordering the most expensive red wine on the menu. It will pair nicely with the stupidly small piece of steak I’m sure they’re going to serve me.
Instead of focusing on how much I hate the restaurant, I mentally go over the plan in my head. I push away all the nauseous feelings, and the general layer of slime I feel coating my body the more I think about what I have to do tonight, and I focus on the job at hand. The quicker I can get this assignment over and done with, the sooner McKenna will be safe.
Unfortunately, to keep her from harm, I’m going to have to make Mel think I want to sleep with her. So, I need to turn up the charm. To do that, I box away all of my emotions, all mythoughts of Mac, and all the parts that make me her Finley, and I seal them away in the back of my mind. I can almost feel the mask descend as the wall erects around my heart.
I plaster a fake smile on my face, take Mel’s hand in mine, and when I speak, I barely recognise my own voice. The husky tone is nothing like when I’m with Mac, and is so fake its honey quality almost feels sticky. Thankfully, Mel doesn’t seem to notice. “You’re looking beautiful this evening, if I haven’t told you already.”
Her manicured nails on my thigh edge higher, and she leans closer, until all I can smell is her floral perfume that’s just a little too strong for my liking. “You have told me already, but it’s always nice to hear. You look rather lovely yourself,” she purrs, as she places a kiss on my cheek.
With a giggle that’s so unlike anything I’ve heard from her before, she reaches up with her thumb and starts sweeping it over the section of my skin she just kissed. “Sorry, lipstick mark.”
I return her chuckle, though it’s very forced. “I don’t mind you marking me a little.”
Her eyes glisten, and the silver turns molten as she stares at me with lust overtaking her. “I like the sound of that. Making you mine.”
The way she saysmine, as though she’s trying to claim me, makes the box in the back of my mind rattle. That green-eyed monster in McKenna would be raising its ugly head right about now if she were near.
I belong to her—only her—and it’s much harder than it should be to keep that hidden. I quickly move past it, keeping to my plan—which Mel’s just walked into perfectly.
“I like the sound of that, too. I’ve been meaning to ask you about what happened the other night when I met your dad and his nurse.”
