Callum turned and walked out of the bar, leaving me with Jack, and a table full of co-workers at the other end of the room. I was confused, relieved, disappointed, and happy all at the same time.
Whatever was said between them outside, some kind of understanding was reached. An understanding that certainly involved me, yet a conversation I was left out of. Cal’s words lingered: We were both there…
I faced Jack. “I think it’s you and I that need to have a talk.”
“I agree,” he said, drinking down the rest of his bourbon. “Come to my place at seven. There are a few things I’d like discuss with you.”
And if that wasn’t an order or some kind of Jedi voodoo where he became the enforcer and me the enforcee, I didn’t know what it was.
All I knew was that, when it came to Jack, one thing was clearer than ever: He got what he wanted. Always.
Chapter Eight
I knocked on the front door of Jack’s house. It had been a couple of hours since I saw him at the bar. The brisk walk to his place was enough to get my blood pumping, and let the less-shy side of me shine through.
That was what I was supposed to be practicing, after all. Plus, the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. Whatever that stunt was that those two pulled back at the bar was not only unusual, but lacking in any kind of explanation.
“What on earth was that?” I asked, when the door opened, and I walked into Jack’s house and straight into the living room.
Jack took an easy step in my direction, following me, leaving several feet of polished hardwood floor between us. With the wet bar at his back, and the massive couch off to the side in the living room, I had a momentary lapse in judgment while thinking of what my bare skin would feel like against that leather sofa.
“What was what?” he repeated my question. “You’ll have to be more specific. You know I hate vagueness.”
Irritation was already flooding me, and tequila or not, I wasn’t drunk. Just coming off a buzz, and not the alcohol-induced kind. One that involved two men, an odd meeting, and lots of questions. Jack’s condescension only poked my temper. A temper that hadn’t made an appearance in a long time.
Sure, I may be damaged. I may have some issues and fears, but I didn’t fear him in a way that made me cower. I feared him in a way that made me bold.
And that boldness was deciding, just then, to breathe.
“Specific?” I repeated, and took a step toward him.
He went behind the wet bar, pulled out two tumblers and poured a light brown liquid into them, facing me the whole time.
“What I specifically mean?” I asked, the sharp edge in my voice caught him, and he straightened, holding his glass and looking me in the eyes. “Let’s start with how you and Cal specifically walked outside, only to walk back in after a brief discussion, and he ended up leaving.”
“What would you like to me say that I haven’t already?”
I frowned and he took a drink. “Ah, I’d like you tell me what was said outside and why Cal left.”
“Did you wish him to stay?”
“No,” I said quickly, then rolled my eyes at his trick. “I mean, I didn’t mind him staying. I was already nervous with you there.”
“So, Cal makes you nervous too?” Now it was Jack who held sharpness in his voice, and he pulled it off way better than I did, because I actually flinched.
“That’s not the point.”
“It is now.”
I wanted to scream at the man, but held on to the tiny bit of composure I had. If I was going to get any answers from him, I needed to speak carefully and intently. The words spoken to me were always purposefully picked out and used as tools. He said them, then judged my reaction. It was my turn now, and the game was: Pushing Jack’s Buttons. It was the only way to figure out this mess.
“No,” I said in a raspy voice. “Cal doesn’t make me nervous. He brings out an entirely different emotion.” I took another step toward him, intentionally swishing my hips in a more provocative manner. His eyes zeroed in on the motion and that dark gaze turned to a glare.
“And what emotion might that be?”
Oh! Did he just growl a little?
“I want to know what was said outside,” I challenged.