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Setting his plate before him, she said, “That looks really good.”
“I’m willing to swap if you’d like, or we can split them.”
“Is the meatloaf really good?”
“It’s delicious, but I really like Elmo’s special as well. If you want, eat the meatloaf and take a bite of mine to see if you like it.”
Alicia nodded. “That sounds like an excellent plan.” She reached out and took a bite of the delicious concoction, putting it in her mouth and sighing. “Oh, that is good. Can I change my mind and give you half of mine for half of yours?”
“You can do anything you want, baby girl.” Brock realized what he’d said the instant it left his mouth. Too late. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”
She shook her head. “No need. I know you. I know who you are.”
“Which is more than I can say about you. Want to tell me about Sonata Royale, who that guy was, and why you were so afraid of him?”
“I told you…”
“I know, he’s an ex-boyfriend who won’t take a hint. I might buy that explanation as being part of it, but it doesn’t explain the fear I saw, nor does it explain Sonata.”
“Sonata is… well, she’s my alter ego.” Alicia sat back and relaxed as she took a bite of the meatloaf. “Hmm. That is good.”
“You were telling me about Sonata? By the way, you have an amazing voice.”
“Thanks. I don’t really talk about the burlesque thing. I try to keep that life far away from my real life.”
“Alicia, I think you know me and Cerberus, and you know we’ll get to the bottom of this…”
“What if I tell you it’s none of your business, and quit?”
Brock shook his head. “You are far too professional to leave us in the lurch, and you being frightened of someone makes it my, or at least Cerberus’, business.”
“Can we talk about something else? Anything else? I’m tired, and I’m getting a headache.”
“Okay. Tell me about how you got interested in burlesque—not about Sonata if you don’t want to, but just in general.”
“I was looking for a way to get some exercise—maybe lose a little weight and get in shape—and I’m not very graceful or coordinated…”
“That’s not what it looked like when you were on that stage. You had every guy in the room mesmerized. Me included, which is why I missed the guy who hollered at you.” He lifted his hand to ward off her objection. “I’m not talking about that, just saying you were so incredible up on the stage that I was totally focused on you.”
She blushed. “Thanks. Keep in mind you are looking at years of practice. I just kind of fell in love with it. I liked the music, the costumes, and how everybody seems to leave their real lives at the door.”
“I don’t know what you used to look like, but I have to say if that costume was any indication, you accomplished your goals. You looked amazing. When the feather train came off, a lot of eyes popped out of guys’ heads, mine included. The subs at the club have got nothing on you.”
“Thanks, but the vamp you saw on stage is a character named Sonata, and she has very little to do with me.”
“In other words, you’re done talking.”
Alicia grinned at him. “Pretty much.”
They finished their dinner and cleaned up, heading out of the conference rooms and toward the secure suites. “You’ve seen both suites. Do you have a preference?”
“I’ve always liked the one with the round window.”
Brock grinned. “That’s fine. I like that one, too. I’m a sucker for an odd-shaped window. I’m not sure if you know, but the bath is built to be a panic room. If the alarm goes off, or one of us tells you to get in there, or even if something spooks you, you get in there, lock the door, and hit the red button. It’ll alert the team and the cops that there’s trouble.”
Alicia waited for Brock to open the door and flip on the light. “This is gorgeous.”
She was right. The place was set up for VIP clients of Cerberus. It was enormous with a king-sized bed and a bath containing a huge tub and large separate shower. There was a walk-in closet, which housed all kinds of toys and implements as well as sweatsuits and sleepwear in several sizes.
