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“What do you mean?”
“Are there any other unfinished schemes in your past I need to be aware of?” His eyes narrow slightly.
“No.” My hand falls away. “Why?”
“Why were you in my office last night?” he demands. “What were you really looking for on your phone?”
Well, shit. I knew this question would come back to haunt me today, but I just didn’t think it would be so head-on.
“I told you I was looking for a number.” The big fat lie pours from my lips.
“What number?” His jaw clenches.
“A friend?” I don’t mean for it to sound like a question, but dammit, it does.
“Whose name is…?” He waits, his eyes darkening.
“Ana,” I blurt without thinking.
He doesn’t say a word, and the conflict between us only gets thicker. I’m too proud to admit I was rifling through his office in search of evidence of his affection for another woman. Any other woman. I wanted to find something to bolster my campaign of not letting him back in. Something to fuel my ire and prove that he’s a jerk of a liar just like me. But I found nothing. Not a single goddamned thing. And even though that doesn’t mean he can be trusted, it means holding on to my anger is becoming increasingly difficult.
“Who the fuck is Ana?” he growls.
My eyes snap back to his, and I give him the pathetic excuse I hope won’t rouse his suspicion. “She’s my aerial instructor. I just wanted to tell her I’m sorry I haven’t been to class. That’s all.”
Judge doesn’t quite look like he believes that, but something of an amused twitch curls his lip as the car comes to a stop unexpectedly.
“Funny you mention it.” He nods to the familiar street outside. “You can tell her today.”
My mouth falls open, and I stare at him in disbelief. “You’re taking me… to class?”
He glances at his watch to hide his discomfort at the excitement in my voice. “You better hurry. You’re going to be late.”
“Okay, this is weird,” Solana mumbles from her position on the silks beside me, eyeing the four guards standing on the street outside the studio before her gaze drifts back to Judge.
He’s currently parked against the wall, his eyes on me as I shimmy farther up the aerial silk and then twist my body into an inverted bow pose. God, that feels good.
“Why does he look like he’s about to have a heart attack?” Solana asks.
“Probably because he is.” I smirk, flipping my body back upright and transitioning to splits.
Judge doesn’t do well with situations he can’t control, and it’s obvious by the stiff expression on his face now, that’s exactly what’s happening. It hasn’t escaped my attention that he’s been inching closer and closer since class began, trying to appear a casual observer although he’s clearly ready to spring into action at any moment should I slip.
For a minute, I amuse myself with thoughts of pretending to do just that, slipping down the silk and watching him jump to my rescue. But those thoughts are quickly doused with the reality he’d probably never let me come back to class again.
“The better question is who are those guys following you around?” Georgie asks from his position on the other side of me. “And will they come role play bodyguard with me?”
Solana and I both snort, and Georgie gracefully moves his body through the air, following the instructor’s directions as we all transform to stag pose.
Unfortunately for me, it appears the gig is up when it comes to Georgie. Judge has started to piece it together since our arrival when he first noticed him in his spandex shorts and a tank top. But now, it’s impossible not to notice Georgie has been practically drooling over the IVI guards with their ultra-serious expressions.
When I glance at Judge, his eyes move from Georgie to me, and I give him an amused smile. He shakes his head as if to let me know I’m going to pay for goading him unnecessarily later.
The rest of class passes quickly, far too quickly, and I’m disappointed when it’s over. I had forgotten how good it felt to come here. To be with my friends and move my body this way. I’m hopeful Judge will let me do it again now that I seem to be earning some of his trust, but I’m also worried he only brought me here today as another distraction from whatever is really going on.
Solana seems to sense the shift in my mood, and she takes it upon herself to fix it, the way she has a habit of doing.
“Judge, you haven’t seen my shop yet.” She offers me a coy smile as she tosses her gym bag over her shoulder. “And I have it on good authority that we have one of the best coffee shops in the world right next door. The secret is chicory, of course.”
