Page 16 of Twisted Lies
I glowered. “He called an emergency meeting and then doesn’t show? Sounds like some bullshit to me.”
Tabitha shrugged. “He’s a very busy man.”
Staring at her like she’d lost her mind, I responded, “And I’m not? What’s with all this mystery?” I hissed. “Why can’t I know his damn name?”
Tabitha’s eyes hardened. “Darling, the less you know, the better. Believe me.”
My hands tightened around the glass stem.Shit! That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
“Sin, I swear to you he’s legit. I wouldn’t get you involved if he weren’t.”
I stared at her with disapproval.
Tabitha sighed heavily. “Sin, you can’t have it both ways. You asked me to find an investor, and I did. You got the money. Isn’t that all that matters now?”
Is it?
Frankly, I didn’t know, but what I did know was that I wouldn’t be able to complete my collection without this mysterious investor.
My body slowly relaxed. “You’re right.” I sighed heavily while tapping my fingers against the glass. “I guess I’m anxious about why he wanted to meet me. Shit, it’s been several months since he gave me the money, and he hasn’t met me once. Why does he want to meet now?” My eyes widened. “Is he concerned about my business being able to make a profit?”
Tabitha shrugged. “Don’t know. I didn’t ask.”
I arched a brow. “You didn’t ask?”
“He’s not exactly the type of man you question. He orders, and you do it. That’s it.”
I furrowed my brows with concern. “Oh God.” I gulped my drink.
He was a control freak. This was going to be a mess if he wanted to step in now and micromanage the way I ran my business.
Squished by the mounting crowd, Tabitha bumped me with her elbow and hip. I instantly adjusted to make room for her to lean against the bar.
“Look, there’s nothing to worry about.” She glanced around curiously. “He’s pretty much hands-off until he thinks the business isn’t going to make a profit. And your business is on the cusp of making a shitload of money. If it weren’t, believe me, he wouldn’t have given you the money in the first place.” She paused. “Be grateful, Sin. It could be worse. My investor is up my ass on every collection. Do you know what that does to the creative process?” She wrapped a hand around my waist and gently squeezed. “Sin, will you relax? Why can’t you just enjoy your success without adding drama?”
Nothing about my life had been easy, especially since I’d walked away from my mother, Grace. I’d had to fight, scratch, and crawl to get to where I was today. I knew I’d earned the right to be here, but I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder, waiting for the bubble to burst.
I took a calming breath. “God, you’re right. I’m worrying for nothing.”
Tabitha winked at me. “That’s right, baby. Now let’s order a round of martinis, toast to the good life, and hope Mr. Steele drags his ass here sooner rather than later, before we both get pissy drunk.”
She gestured for the bartender, but he was already heading toward us with two dry gin martinis.
“Dry gin martinis,” he said, sliding a drink each toward Tabitha and me.
“We didn’t order drinks,” I said, tapping my fingers against the bar.
He smiled beautifully. “Courtesy of the gentleman.” He nodded toward a dark-haired man leaning against the bar.
His muscles bunching against his crisp white tailored shirt, it was hard not to notice the tall man staring at me. Tilting my head, I glared boldly at him. Even in the room full of gorgeous men, he didn’t blend in with the crowd. He was hot—well, hot and scary. He didn’t even smile. In fact, he was scowling at me with menace pouring from him like a dark cloud.
Tabitha’s doe eyes widened before she cleared her throat. “Well, isn’t he yummy?” she growled, looking sideways at me with a smirk. “So are you going to go over there and thank him?”
He looked like trouble waiting to fucking happen. I lifted the martini glass to my lips, continuing to stare at my new sinful fixation.
“Nope. Just like at the zoo, I like to gawk at dangerous and beautiful creatures from afar.”
She jabbed me in the side. “For fuck’s sake, you’re licking the rim of your glass while eye-fucking him.”
