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“That's funny. I would say yes.” He taps his lower lip as if weighing the situation, and suddenly a smile lights up his face. “Of course! Aren't you Brandon Prescott's wife?”
Here we go...“I am his ex-wife, yes,” I reply with a smile.
Apparently, the news catches the stranger off guard, but he immediately recovers. “Right, of course. Forgive me, it's just that I once had the opportunity to meet your husband...”
That gets my attention. I take a step back, giving myself some space.
“But where are my manners? My name is Dexter Whitmore. I am the owner of The Vault.”
The man shakes my hand and I force myself to squeeze his hand back. “Kristine Stern-Prescott,” I whisper my name.
“It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Prescott.”
“Same here,” I reply with faux politeness. “Kristine is fine.”
His resulting smile makes my skin crawl and I take another step back. Marriage to a politician exposed me to all types of people. And it honed my radar for creepers beyond measure.
“Kristine.”
My head jerks in the direction of the familiar voice. And for the second time in a single morning, I'm caught off guard. But this time it's not another creep but Ethan.
Ethan crosses the street with his confident strides. The man is gorgeous.
Judging by his attire, he must be on his way to work. Club Allure is not far away, just around the corner, so I'm not surprised to see him. What does surprise me is the stern look on his face.
Ethan's imposing, as well as handsome in a black suit and red tie. The edges of his topcoat flap in the wind, giving him a polished, high-society-bad-boy look.
His thick, tousled hair falls over his face, and he pushes out of the way as he removes his sunglasses.
There’s a scowl that seems to signal a warning as soon as he notices Dexter. “What are you doing here?”
Ethan stands next to me and settles a hand on my back in what seems to be a somewhat territorial, or possibly protective, gesture.
But who is he protecting me from, Dexter? I swing my gaze to the man still standing beside me, and I move closer to Ethan.
“Ah, Ethan... It's good to see you,” he says.
Yes, he's trying to protect me from him, I immediately understand, since the look Ethan gives the rival club owner is not friendly at all.
“I'm afraid I've been the cause of keeping Mrs. Prescott longer than necessary.”
“Don't worry,” I state with a feigned smile. “It's been a pleasure.”
“Same here,” Dexter says.
Ethan gently nudges me away from him and we make our way toward Club Allure. “What are you doing here?”
“I was out for my morning walk and somehow I found myself halfway to see you,” I confess. “I guess... I just got distracted.”
“Dexter Whitmore is not the kind of person you should get distracted around,” he claims with a vehement but determined tone.
“Jealous?” I inquire with a smile.
“Not at all,” Ethan denies. “But he's a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's best to stay away from him.”
“And what about you? Are you the kind of guy I can be distracted around?” I ask, stopping and turning to look at him.
Ethan's lips draw into a grimace. “I've told you before that I'm not the good guy in the story. It's best to let the other night be what it was.”
