Page 36 of Gin & Jewels
“You’ve been through a lot, and even though I didn’t know depressed Cassie, you seem like you’re over that, and that makes me happy.”
“I am over that,” I admitted, though I had my days, especially with Keith and his shit. That was another reason why I needed my own place. It was time. I didn’t know what he'd done with the jewelry he’d stolen, but it was best if I found my own place and wasn’t associated with him. I didn’t want to lose my job because I really liked it.
“I think we should scratch something else off your list.”
I furrowed my brows. “My list?”
“You know, driving, going to your first wedding, dancing. It’s time you do something else.”
I sucked in a breath. “What’s that?” I whispered, my words barely audible over the music.
His dark gaze moved from my eyes to my lips, causing my stomach to dip.Oh, shit. I licked my lips. I hadn’t kissed a man—ever. The last person I’d kissed was my high school boyfriend, who left me for my best friend, and he was a boy, not a man. I didn’t have time to decide if Icouldkiss Brad—if I would be any good—before his head lowered, and his warm lips pressed against mine. His hand cupped my cheek as his tongue slid across my lips, and I opened them slightly, feeling the light bristles of his beard against my face. It was as though everything disappeared, and the only thing that mattered in the entire world was the way Brad was slowly working his tongue around mine. I didn’t hear the music in the background or sense the people dancing around us any longer.
It was just him and me.
He groaned into my mouth before pulling back and then pressed his forehead to mine. “Fuck, princess.”
“Was it … Was it bad?”
He drew his head back as the song changed to a faster one and looked into my eyes. “No, not at all. I’m just fucked.”
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s get another drink and take a break.”
I stuck with the amaretto sour because it was delicious. If I didn’t know any better because it was sweet and delicious, I’d think there was no alcohol in it at all, but my head and body begged to differ. I felt good.
We sat in our seats at the round table where we’d had dinner. Some people were taking a break, but most were still out on the dance floor. “Thank you for inviting me,” I said and took a sip of my drink.
“Are you having fun?”
I grinned. “I am. You’ve made this the best birthday ever.”
He smiled. “Good. I’m glad.”
I turned my attention back to the dance floor. “Is Vinny still an escort?”
Bradley chuckled. “No. He’s actually a teacher.”
“Really?”
“He was an escort—obviously—but most women tend not to approve of the lifestyle, and he wanted a monogamous relationship.”
That made sense. “So, Gabe, Paul, and Seth aren’t escorts anymore either?”
“Seth is actually a cop. He was never an escort.”
My gaze cut to his quickly. “A cop?”
“Yeah. He worked in DC but came here to help Joss out on a case for the FBI.”
“The FBI?”
“Yep. She’s an FBI agent, and Paul is actually leaving in a week to train to become one too.”
My heart started to beat faster in my chest. A cop? An FBI agent? I didn’t understand. I thought they were all escorts. Was Brad trying to get close to me because they were working the robbery case for The Velvet Box? He couldn’t have known that we were going to get robbed that day, but what if he was working undercover? Was it random that he had come in and took me to lunch? Was it all a ploy? Was he just trying to get closer to me so I would tell them that it was Keith and his friends who robbed us?
I instantly didn’t feel well. I stood. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
