Page 130 of Secrets That Bind Us
Verity
Eighteen Months Later
I tip mysecondglass of wine to my lips, relishing in the acidic taste settling over my tongue. I blow out my breath through my nose, then swallow. I glimpse around the upscale hotel bar– the soft lights dangling from above, the low hum of chatter going around me, and the soft cello music playing as well. I smooth down the skirt of my little black cocktail dress, something Jake made me purchase years ago and finally fits me like a glove again since I finally lost most of the baby weight and I’m feeling slightly myself again.Kind of. It’s my first time actually out since having the baby that wasn’t due to work.
Now that it’s summer, all the kids are home in Connecticut with their uncles– my niece and nephew they adopted just over a year ago. Zoey and Evan are also there with their baby, all having a giant sleepover. I was practically shoved out of the house after handing my eleven-month-old daughter Moira to Eli.
I glance around nervously again, waiting for him. I check the door for a third time but nope-- nothing yet. It’s busy for a Friday evening.
"Excuse me, Miss, is this seat taken?" I hear a velvety Bostonian lilt from behind me.
I peer at the empty seat next to me with a tilt of my head, lift a shoulder and let it drop. "No."
The man comes around, takes a seat, orders a drink, then sits back– spreading his thighs so his knee almost touches mine. I scoot away a bit. "So, you here alone?"
I look over at the man beside me, take in the blue of his eyes, the dimple in his cheek, the strong jawline, the slightly expensive navy suit, and the crisp white shirt he’s wearing beneath it. His black tie is loosened a bit, telling me he’s not much for suits. No, if I had to guess, he didn’t mind dressing up part… It's the tie he hates. "I'm waiting for my date."
He dips his chin. "I see. Yeah, me too. I think I got stood up, though." The bartender places a godfather in front of him and he lifts his brows with a quick “Thanks.” And then we’re left alone again.
"It happens." I reply, looking down at my watch, noticing my date is now fifteen minutes late. I hold in the breath I want to blow out in exasperation and order another glass of wine, which is served to me quickly. I need all of the liquid courage I can get. It’s my first date in a long time. I take a sip and let the minutes tick by, taking in the surrounding ambiance and how…romanticit is. Orit would beif my date showed up. I let out a soft sigh and take another sip.
"You come here often?" The gentleman to my left asks.
I roll my eyes at the come-on and finally look over at the stranger, giving him my full attention. Handsome, for sure. A littletoohandsome. "I don't, actually. I'm in town for the evening."
"What a coincidence. Me too."
I flip a few locks of hair over my shoulder. I did my hair, my makeup, and got waxed. I’m even wearing my contacts instead of my glasses. Ugh. All for nothing. "I'm not sure, yourlilttells me you might live here."
He takes a sip of his whiskey but peruses me again with an intense, steady gaze only to lift his lips in a wide smile, showcasing every perfect tooth. "Observant. I like that. What else do you see?”
I roll my eyes and tell him about his tie, to which he lifts the bottom of and lets it drop.
“You’re not wrong.”
I go back to my drink.
“So, sweetheart, what do you do for work?"
"Bold of you to call me a pet name when you don't even know me." I scoff.
The muscles in his strong jaw tic, but he lifts a dark brow. "Maybe I want to get to know you."
I look him over once again, feeling my own brow lift in annoyance. "Yeah? And what is ityoudo for work?" I query.
“Take a guess.”
“Lawyer,” I respond a little too quickly and disinterested.
He does a small shrug and lifts his tumbler to his lips, taking a barely existent sip of his whiskey. "I'm a detective." He opens his suit jacket, giving me a quick peek at the badge inside like it’s supposed to impress or enthrall me. He lets it fall closed, never taking his intense stare off of me. "Your turn."
“Oh yeah, a detective, huh? I didn't quite catch the name on your badge. Could be fake for all I know." I reply dryly with just a hint of sass.
He licks his bottom lip and rakes his top teeth over it, giving me awickedgrin that goes straight to my clit. "Detective Carson, Kingston PD." He takes another sip, pointing at me when he’s done. "I’ve been watching you since you came into this place and let me tell you– I don’t think I've ever seen such a gorgeous woman my whole life. At this point, I’m fucking ecstatic that I was stood up. So, like I said, maybe I want to get to know you. Now you knowmyname...mywork… Tell me about you, sweetheart. What's a gorgeous little thing like you doing alone in a lavish hotel like this? You said you got a date, but they haven’t shown up. It’s been thirty minutes and you’ve been alone this whole time."
I blink at him. "Maybe I want to be alone and told you that so you’d leave me alone. Maybe I got stood up by my date, who knows? Maybe I'm just a single mom in town for only one night doing research for work. And maybe…” I rub my thumb over the condensation on my wine glass before flicking my eyes to find his again, still on me. “Maybe… you don'tneedto know my name."
He blinks slowly, then leans in close to me, caging my knees between his, and suddenly he’s too large– instilling a little fear in me because he looksdangerous. He lowers his voice even more, but the small warm breaths on my neck when he whispers against my ear send chills throughout my body, my nipples tightening to stiff points against the material of this little dress. “So, you come to a place like this looking to get fucked by a stranger, huh?Thatwas your plan for tonight?”
