Page 8 of Locking Down Qetesh

Nadia gave me a look that said she wasn't so sure about that, which was fair.

I pushed the thoughts to the side so that I could focus on the more important task of celebrating my best friend's upcoming wedding, something that wasn't a hardship for me at all. I was over the moon for both of them.

Ella spotted me and waved me over enthusiastically, without stopping her conversation with the man in front of her, making me assume that it was the brother she'd told me of many times. Though now I was about to face him, I couldn't recall his name. She always just referred to him as her brother and not by his name, but I should have asked.

I headed over to them, hoping that she was going to properly introduce him now that we were face to face.

"Tesha!" Ella said, her smile stretching her cheeks and the slight flush giving truth to her promise of drinking tonight.

The man turned, and I blinked a couple of times as I took in his features. "Jacob?"

"Qetesh?"

Ella looked between us. "You've met?"

"I work at the new hotel Jinx has bought," Jacob said. "That's where Qetesh runs her events from."

Ella snorted. "I know that as well as anyone. I met Nadia at one of Tesha's events. How come neither of you mentioned it?"

"I didn't know he was your brother," I said.

"Well, considering I'm not needed for an introduction, I think I'll go and talk to someone else." She slipped away without even pausing to say goodbye.

"She's trying to set us up, isn't she?" I asked.

Jacob chuckled. "I suspect so, yes. She's always been talking about how much I'd like you. Though I didn't realise Tesha was short for Qetesh."

I shrugged. "People question it less than Qetesh."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"Does she know that..." I gestured to his hand even though he didn't seem to be wearing his ring right now.

"That I'm ace?" he checked.

I nodded.

"Yeah, she knows. But she knows I'm open to a relationship."

"And she thought that setting you up with a sex goddess was a good idea?"

"You're the one who said that was only allegedly," he pointed out. "But before I quiz you further on that, you should get a drink."

"Ah, a gentleman, I see."

He gestured towards the temporary bar that had been set up in the corner with a menu that looked like it could rival the fanciest cocktail bar. It wasn’t a huge surprise. Nadia knew how to throw a party.

We headed over to the bar and waited while they served a couple of other people. I glanced over the menu, impressed to see that the cocktails all had alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions.

"This is good," I said to Jacob.

"Mmm. Maybe a change I'll make to the bars at the hotel once my first month is up."

I laughed. "Are you really not going to make any changes for a full month?"

"I think it's better not to," he responded. "People working there don't know me, and I don't know them. It's better that I give them time to get used to me before I start actually changing things. If I don't, they're just going to get angry and it'll create distrust between us."

"Seen it before?"

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