Page 78 of An Eye For Illusion

I raised my eyebrow in surprise at that little tidbit, too. Liam never brings a date unless it’s a random socialite that he happened to be dating at the time. He’s never brought Willow.

Nora grins. “She’s supposed to come with him. She let it slip one day when SJ called into the office to check in with Liam.”

“Well, maybe Liam finally pulled his head out of his ass,” D says just as Liam comes up behind him.

“Who’s head and who’s ass?” Liam asks as he slaps Donovan hard on the back in greeting. “I think it’s more likely you should be talking about my foot in your ass.”

I smirk because by the look on his face, Liam knows exactly who Donovan was referring to.

“We were just talking about Colin here having a little crush on Jade,” D blurts to save his own ass from the third degree from Liam.

That son of a bitch.

That fucker isn’t going to throw me under the bus. All’s fair in love and war. “What D meant to say was he has a thing for some mysterious woman who happens to run in Vinny’s crowd.”

My admission makes everyone turn in my direction. Donovan looks like he’s ready to murder me. SJ, Nora, and Willow just look confused, and Liam? Liam looks downright pissed.

“What the fuck are the two of you up to? Huh? Cause to me, it sounds like a whole lot of fucking around and not enough focusing on the damn case!” Liam’s usually calm demeanor just went out the window. He hardly ever loses his temper, so when he loses his shit in a room full of very important people, I realize just how much we’ve fucked up.

“Dude, I’m so going to kill you after this,” D whispers out the side of his mouth.

“I’m sorry, but you’re an asshole,” I mumble my reply.

Liam’s nostrils flare. “You must be two of the dumbest motherfu—”

“Li, we should go take our seats. It’s about to start,” Willow interrupts as she comes to stand right next to him. She places her hand around his right arm and pulls him toward the table reserved for Dunn tonight.

To all our surprises, Liam blinks a few times. His anger clearly shows on his face, but instead of confronting us, he turns and follows after her without another word to the rest of us.

Well, I’ll be damned. Willow may be my new best friend because I’m pretty sure she just saved our asses from a very public ass chewing.

My hope is short lived when Liam turns around, and mouths, “We’ll talk about this later.”

I pull out my phone, hoping Jade has texted me back. I need a distraction from the fact that I’m most likely going to get my ass kicked tonight. I smile when I see one from her waiting to be opened.

Jade: Wouldn’t you like to know?

I chuckle as I slide into my seat at the large, round table done up in classic but expensive taste. It’s exactly what you would expect at one of these functions. There are millionaires in this room, and the quickest way to get them to open their wallets is to pamper the hell out of them.

Me: That’s why I asked. You playing coy with me, Ms. Foster? Have you forgotten I know exactly how you taste?

Three dots appear as I wait for her to type her reply.

Jade: Hmmm, I seem to have forgotten. Will you help me remember?

Her response elicits a groan from my mouth as I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

“Dude, who are you talking to?” Donovan whispers as he leans over, trying to see my phone.

I shove my phone back in my pocket so he can’t see the private conversation. “None of your damn business,” I say.

It’s like I’m in grade school again with my short and not so witty reply, but I can’t help it. I’m still pissed he threw me under the bus earlier.

“Pull the stick out of your ass, Colin. I know it’s Jade. You have that stupid little smirk on your face every time you talk about her.”

“Shut up.” I’m not past petty child just yet.

“You shut up,” D fires back, equally childish.

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