Page 10 of Stalker

When he was safely out of hearing range, I chuckled. “Do you do that with almost everyone you meet? Command them without saying a word?”

“Everyone.”

“Not me.”

His eyes flashed with amusement. “No, not with you.”

“I wonder why.” I took a sip, hiding behind the glass after I did. It wasn’t like me to be shy with anyone, especially men. But he oozed sensuality and control, every reaction I’d had around him had been different than the norm.

That should be a red flag, but in my attempt at living a touch recklessly for a change, I shoved the thought aside.

“Because few women know how to handle themselves in situations where they are confronted. You did and I suspect you do in your everyday life.”

I wanted to laugh, but he was right, only David had floored me even though I’d suspected he was having an affair. “You’ve pegged me well, but that doesn’t make it any less unpleasant to deal with.”

“Agreed.” He lifted his glass as if he was toasting me before taking a swallow. I knew instantly the bartender hadn’t followed his wishes with the correct type of liquor by another much angrier flash in his eyes. When he clenched his hand around the glass, I was certain I heard the cheap crystal crack.

“How long were you together?” he asked and I sensed the question was to keep his anger from getting out of control.

“Too long. At first, it was decent. We wanted the same things. We enjoyed each other’s company, but I’m too ambitious and not adventurous enough for him.”

“Is that true?”

I thought about his question. “I’m very ambitious and always have been since I was a little girl. Adventurous? When the mood strikes me, but until now, I didn’t realize how dull he was. There was no excitement. No off-the-cuff decisions. Normally, that would be me. I like everything just so. But sometimes… Sometimes I want to live for the moment. It’s funny. I just realized that.”

He didn’t react in any way, but I could tell he was listening intently, taking in everything I was telling him.

“I think I lost myself in my career because I never wanted to depend on anyone else, especially a man. But letting go, risking it all isn’t a bad thing. I don’t know. Maybe if and when I dare to find the right person that might happen. Bold and daring, living on the edge.” I laughed at myself. Why was it much easier to talk to a stranger than to the man who’d asked me to spend the rest of my life with him?

He polished off his drink and I was surprised he lifted his glass without bothering to look in the bartender’s direction. He simply knew the man behind the bar was watching everything we did.

“Anyway, I guess I bought into the thought being married was the right thing to do. He seemed perfect, at least in the ways I’d imagined the right guy to spend my life with would be. You know. A great job. Good looks. He came from a good family. He was highly educated. And he said everything perfectly.” I laughed at myself bitterly once again. Why not? I’d been such an idiot.

“Be glad you learned the lesson before you purchased the frilly white dress.”

His words had been said with almost no inflection until that last sentence. “Said like a man with experience.”

When he chuckled, another wave of electricity soared through me.

“Let’s just say I have eyes and ears.”

“Being observant can be a lifesaver, but the art is becoming lost.” I took another sip of my drink before taking the thin toothpick into my fingers, slowly sucking on the three olives lined up like pinballs.

“Those who see past the lines into the body of the subject will easily find the truth. Those who stand outside the lines will always be easily deceived.”

“Profound. Perhaps a little sad.”

“It’s just reality, little butterfly.”

I’d never liked nicknames, but when he called me little butterfly, it felt as if dozens were fluttering their wings in my stomach.

“Reality is a good thing. So is honesty. That’s another thing David wasn’t good at. For me, being loyal and honest are very important.”

“Trust is an innate need, but often when found, it’s nothing but a rose-colored lie. Be careful of those who insist on your trust then ply you with lies. I suspect you can easily tell when someone is doing so.”

“I like to think so, but I’m human. I make mistakes.”

The bartender slammed his drink on the table this time, dropping the credit card with such clumsiness it almost tumbled off the table. I caught it before it did, the bad girl inside of me almost bringing it to where I could read the name.

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