Page 42 of Take the Wheel

Ari smiled. ‘Oh, a heterosexual, you mean? I’ve slept withtonsof those.’

Nancy sighed. ‘OK, let’s say this is the way. Let’s think this through. How far are you willing to take it? I mean, if it goes well. Are you actually going to…’

Ari’s eyebrows raised expectantly.

Nancy frowned. ‘You doknowwhat the end of that sentence is, don’t you?’

‘Obviously. I just wanted to see how you were going to put it,’ Ari said with a grin.

‘I was doing a fade out,’ Nancy said irritably. ‘You were simply supposed to infer what I meant and nod your understanding.’

‘Have wemet?’ Ari asked dryly.

Nancy cleared her throat. ‘So. How farareyou going to take this?’

‘Why does that matter?’ Ari asked.

Nancy paused. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps it doesn’t.’ She turned away.

‘You must have asked for a reason,’ Ari insisted.

Nancy cleared her throat. ‘Yes. The reason is that I need the plan. Details matter. We agreed with that.’

‘You need to know if I’m going to try and bang a staff member for access to the keys?’ Ari asked. She glanced back over at the woman in question, weighing it up.

It wasn’t out of the question in terms of attractiveness. But she’d never slept with someone for reasons of strategy before. She was a simple creature in that regard.Do I want to? Then I will.She wasn’t sure if she had this in her. To have sex for gain? Could she do it? Did shehaveto? She might. To truly get the woman’s attention off that bloody bunch of keys could require a full seduction.

‘I’m not sure,’ Ari said honestly.

Nancy nodded. ‘OK.’

‘What? Disappointed in me?’ Ari asked.

‘No. Nothing. Do whatever.’

That made Ari feel hurt in a way she didn’t understand. Not that she was letting it show. ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘See you on the other side.’

Thirty-Three

Nancy stayed just out of sight but close enough to hear the light chatter between Ari and the waitress. She didn’t want to listen, didn’t want to care, but she couldn’t help herself. Ari’s voice was as easy as ever.

‘Sorry I knocked into you,’ Ari’s voice drifted to Nancy’s ears, playful and smooth. ‘I guess I was just drawn in your direction.’

The woman laughed, a low, throaty sound that made Nancy’s stomach twist. ‘Oh?’ she said, leaning in a little closer, her voice just below a whisper.

‘Love a woman with a drink in her hand,’ Ari said, her tone dropping lower, warmer. ‘Even if it’s for someone else.’

Nancy’s heart pounded against her chest, the words a sudden jolt of something unfamiliar. She knew Ari was a born flirt, but hearing this side of her… It was too much.

Nancy’s gaze scanned the pair, watching how the waitress leaned in just a bit too close—her smile deepened as her eyes studied Ari with slow, deliberate interest. ‘Is that right?’ the woman murmured. ‘You always this charming, or am I just lucky tonight?’

Ari tilted her head, considering. ‘I’d say a bit of both.’ She let her gaze drop for a moment, just long enough to suggest she was taking the woman in properly, before flashing a smirk. ‘But luck’s a funny thing. It only lasts so long.’

The woman grinned, clearly enjoying the game. ‘And what happens when it runs out?’

Ari leaned in, just a fraction. ‘I’d have to get creative.’

Nancy barely breathed. She could see the way the waitress reacted, her lashes lowering, her mouth curving just enough to betray amusement. Ari was laying it on thick, and it was working.

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