Page 58 of Maneater
At the cocktail party last night.
Where I found Josie going through someone’s purse—Regina’spurse. When I caught her, she distracted me successfully with her charm and her lips.
What if…my mind reels, trying to put two and two together and unable to make four. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the past year that I bumped into her and noticed a pattern that brought alarm to my veins: of the eight men I can remember she’s been on dates with within the last year, six of them faced some kind of exposé. Embezzlement, cheating, a messy divorce. If I looked into it, how close would those exposés be to when she was out with them?
I had thought for a moment Josie might be some kind of journalist, that maybeshewas our leak. She said she was a micro influencer, which I was able to confirm through my own research. However, it would be the perfect cover to gain access to exclusive spaces, places where celebrities might be.
But now…
Now I’m even more confused.
A phone rings on the other end of the call, and Annette sighs. “I have to go, Rowan. Let me know if you need anything at all. And make sure to rest and take care of yourself. You sound like shit.”
I laugh at her constant refrain and shake my head, trying to knock Josie out of it.
“Will do,” I say absentmindedly, turning back to the lobby as Annette hangs up. Sliding my phone into my pocket, I step out onto the balcony of my office to get some fresh air and attempt to clear my mind. Unfortunately, I find myself even more distracted as I peer down to the patio before the pool deck. The sun catches on gleaming dark hair, my eyes narrowing in on it instantly as if it were singing to me and me alone, and when the owner of the thick ponytail turns, that theory is confirmed when I see Josie and Rory. They’re whispering to one another, heads moving from side to side like they’re looking for something, before Rory nods and they move left, out of my line of sight.
Without thinking, I close the balcony door and head out to my office toward the lobby.
When I get there, I look for dark hair and devilish curves. When I don’t see her, I turn toward the direction I saw her and Rory’s head and almost miss her as she slowly moves down a side hall. It’s an employee hall, mostly, just a stock room, control room, and a side entrance to a break room, so there’s no reason for her to be here, butI’m so stuck on the thrill of finding her, I don’t let my mind wander too much.
“What are you doing?” I ask her back, my voice the only noise in the quiet hallway. Her body jolts with panic before she whirls around to me, wide-eyed and nervous.
“Oh hey, hi, Rowan,” she says, that mask falling across her face as she gives me a soft smile.
“What are you doing, Josie?”
“Me?” she asks, putting a hand to her chest.
“Yes, you. There’s no one else in the hallway.”
She looks around to confirm that, and her body eases a bit. “I…uh…I was looking for more towels. I spilled some water, and now mine are all wet.”
“You could have called the front desk,” I suggest, closing the gap until there’s just two feet between us.
“Oh, I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
“So you’re just...snooping around my hotel looking for towels?”
Her head tips to the side, and I know a snarky response is coming.
“Your hotel? I didn’t realize you owned the place. Very fancy. What are you doing over on this side of the resort? Don’t you have work to do or whatever?”
“Don’t change the subject, Josie.” I take a step closer, and even though I tell myself it’s because I’m ready to play her at her own game, I can’t deny that my body feels like a magnet drawn to hers, desperate for contact.
“But there are so many better subjects I could change to.”
I feel her tease my cock and force myself to ignore it. “Your room is in another tower. Why are you looking for towels over here?”
A flash of nerves comes over her face before it’s gone, and she smiles. “Aww, you remember where I’m staying?”
She flutters her lashes at me, and something in me snaps. I take another step forward, and she takes one back, the pattern continuing until her back is againstthe wall, my hands planting against the wall on either side of her face, not touching her but caging her all the same.
She’s an expert at fogging my mind and making me question everything, but now I’m thinking it’s intentional. She’s intentionally confusing and distracting me, and I’m dying to know why.
“Is this what you do?” I ask, stepping closer and pinning her in place. “Use your charm to get out of trouble? Flirt and flip your hair and bat your eyelashes until whatever poor schmuck you’ve got your sights set on forgets what they’re really doing?”
She smiles wide, and somehow, in my heart of hearts, I know that’s the truth.
