Page 31 of Maneater
“I was just telling these beautiful women that this is my favorite Daydream resort I’ve been to. Come, come, sit for just a minute.” He pulls out a chair, and I feel more than see Rowan step away and walk around the table, not sitting but instead resting his hands on the back of the chair directly across from me. I can’t decide which I hate more: feeling him behind me or having his heated gaze burn into me.
“And you’ve been to many,” he says with a hint of sarcasm. His eyes lock with mine, and as seems to be the case with him, I can’t seem to read what he’s thinking. It’s unsettling, considering I canalwaystell what a man is thinking.
Except for Rowan.
I try to decode it, to figure out if the heat is annoyance or attraction or a mix of both, and as I stare at him, I realize it’sjealousysimmering there. A jealousy that he isveryunhappy about feeling.
In fact, looking back on numerous nights in dimly lit restaurants and bars, it’s the same look I’ve seen time and time again, some brand of irrational jealousy mixed with irritation. I’ve never seen it so clearly, but now that I recognize it, I know I can work with it.
I smile wide, confidence flowing through me at this subtle sign I’m winning this battle.
“Exactly! Helps that the women at this one seem to be on another level,” Horace says, giving me the perfect in to taunt the man across from me.
“Do you agree, Rowan? In your experience with all of the Daydream Resorts locations, are the guests prettier at this one?”
Long moments pass as I look across the table at him. It feels like an eternity as his eyes graze over my face, my hair, and what he can see of my body above the table, but he never looks around the room, never shifts his attention to Rory or any of the other gorgeous women nearby. My breath hitches, and my heart stops, but I force my body to remain relaxed and loose.
“There’s a lot of beauty to see here,” he finally says. If anyone elsesaid it, I’d think it was a brush-off, a way not to hurt my feelings, but I’m looking Rowan in the eye right now, his attention burning on me, and I know. Iknowit’s a quiet admission.
“Do you two know each other?” Horace asks, looking between Rowan and me. I smile gently and nod.
“We run in the same circles in Hudson City.” A small smile plays on Rowan’s full lips at that. “Are you here having dinner with a guest?” I ask.
His gaze shifts from me to Horace and back again before sliding into a sly smile. “I am. Seems you’ve made a new friend as well.”
Again, it’s so subtle, almost invisible, but the tiniest flash of jealousy ignites. Fire blooms within me as well, settling in my belly in an unavoidable way.
“We just stumbled upon Horace, and he was so generous to keep us company while we ate,” I say, gesturing to the half-eaten plate before me. “He’s been showing us his watch collection and teaching us about how airplanes work.”
“Well, knowing Horace pretty well, I’d say he’s your type.”
He means it as a dig, and despite my best efforts, it works, sending irritation flooding through me. I open my mouth to argue, but before he can say anything, a perfectly manicured hand comes to rest on Rowan’s arm, and his attention is diverted to the middle-aged blonde woman he was having dinner with.
“Rowan, darling, I hate to do this, but I have an appointment in ten minutes I need to get to the spa for.”
“Of course,” Rowan says, turning toward her, finally breaking from my gaze. “Would you like me to escort you?”
My own brand of ugly jealousy blooms in me, something I’ve never had the misfortune of having to battle, much less while on assignment. It eases when the woman shakes her head in the negative.
“Oh, no, I know how busy you are. Thank you for having dinner with me.” Her smile is sickly sweet, but my irritation simmers when, instead of watching her walk off, Rowan’s eyes shootright back to me as if to assess. A flash of victory moves over his face.
“Well, I’m going to get back to my office,” he says, nodding at our table. “It was nice to see you again, Rory, Horace.”
I don’t miss how he doesn’t say goodbye to me, and it grates on me. Rory kicks me under the table before looking at me with ado your fucking jobkind of look because, despite it all, we both know if I can crack Rowan, he’s pretty much the perfect source of intel.
“Actually, I need to use the ladies’ room, and you know how bad I am at directions. Can you show me the way?” I ask, standing.
Rowan looks from me to his high-roller client, whom he clearly needs to keep happy, before begrudgingly nodding. “Of course. After you,” he says, then puts an arm out to gesture me forward, though it’s said through gritted teeth. We’re out of earshot when, almost like he can’t help himself, his hand goes to my lower back in the faintest touch that I can feel all over.
“So you can have dinner with her but not me? From what I could tell, she’s also a guest,” I say low, for only him to hear, and when I look over at him, I regret it. There’s a cocky grin on his lips as he looks down at me.
“Is that jealousy I’m sensing, Ms. Montgomery?” I wonder how he knows my last name. Did he find it out when I checked in, or did he ask an acquaintance at some other time we bumped into each other? We never had any real conversations in college, so I can’t imagine he’s known that long.
“If it is, what are you going to do about it?”
His steps slow with my teasing words as we step out of the restaurant into a much quieter, empty hallway before he turns to face me fully.
For a split second, I think he’s going to kiss me.
