Page 7 of Sharing Shadow Secrets
My jaw clenches. We are being way too flirty, but it’s fun. She’s fun. “Noted.” I sharply inhale, pondering. Taylor’s sexy, but random hookups are something I’m not doing anymore. My thirties are for my priorities. One of which is finding my person. “I will respect your wishes.”
“I will respect yours too.”
Hopefully she means it.My ex always said one thing and did another.
“Thanks. So, what day are we going to Cable?”
She hums. “I’ll let you know before I leave this party.”
“You don’t want to go out?”
“I do … I just need to focus on something else right now.”
I raise my brow.
“I need to find Nicholas and pitch him to fire the agency I work with and work directly with me.”
“Business first. Very respectable.”
Taylor’s smart and sexy. She’s trouble—hopefully the good kind.
5
Holding Brandon’s gaze, I can’t believe I have a date with a billionaire’s son.Talk about manifesting.But I need to focus on why I’m here.
“We should stop guarding the water bottles,” I joke. “Want to walk around with me and look for Nicholas?”
“I don’t know what he looks like, but I’d love to stroll with you.”
I loop my hand around his arm. “Stroll away,” I tease, feeling his strong bicep.
I can’t believe he asked me out on a date already. It’s givingif he wanted to, he would, which is sexy. But I am not used to this. Usually, it goes from bantering on the apps, to texting for a few days, to finally getting asked out on a date. Brandon just went for it.
“Nicholas is a tall guy with brown hair and a short beard. He has a sleeve tattoo that is Celtic in design with interwoven knots throughout.”
“Oh, that’s cool. Do you have any tattoos?”
“A few tiny ones.”
“That’s cute.” He looks down at me, and I’m so attracted to him. Why am I negotiating with myself about going back to hisplace or driving back to Chicago? He might not even want that, but as he said, “a little flirty before lunch.” The vibes are there though. My roommates would die if I ended up sleeping at a mansion tonight. But no. He will take me out on a date in the next couple of weeks, and we’ll go from there.
“What about you? Have any tattoos?” I ask but then spot Nicholas out of the corner of my eye. I pull Brandon’s arm and start toward the patio door.
Nicholas is wearing a white button-down and has a glass of champagne in hand.So formal. Weird.He taps it lightly with a fork, and Brandon and I stop in our tracks as the conversations quiet.
“Alright, alright,” Nicholas says, smiling. His free hand rubs the back of his neck like he’s … nervous? “I know you’re all wondering why we’re really here.”
A few people chuckle, and some guy whistles.
Nicholas scans the crowd. “Well,” he says, then takes a sip of his drink.
“Tell us!” someone shouts.
He laughs, looks over his shoulder, then looks out at the crowd again. “Let me introduce you to my wife—Mrs. Emily O’Malley.”
“What?!” I exhale.
I can’t believe I was invited to this. I know he thanks me for their meeting, but still.
