His brow arched. “There’s no way it’ll be open again that fast.”
“It never closed.” Wow, how good did it feel to have more information than Mr. Know-It-All? “I talked to my friend this morning and she said the raid never happened. It’ll be open tonight, same as usual.”
“Once rumors of raids start, the cops aren’t far behind.”
She gave a jerky shrug. If it were up to her, she’d never go back to Kink again. Probably. But as part of her thing with Spencer…well, that changed things entirely. “What’s life without risk?”
“Your face was ghost-white last night.” He gripped the edge of the table, the only evidence he cared a whit about their conversation. “You were scared out of your mind.”
“Scared, intrigued. I’ll know what I’m in for tonight.”
She pushed back her chair and rose, pleased her wobbly legs had firmed a bit. Slowly, she bent to pick up the pencil she’d knocked off the table. She’d worn tight black capris with a thong today and she knew he could see her underwear selection from his quick intake of breath.
Molten heat flared in her pussy as she glanced back at him. “I wasn’t kidding about that overtime. If you need me, I’m available. Wherever, whenever.”
She didn’t give him a chance to answer before she strolled out and shut the door.
* * *
He wasn’t going to the club.
Spencer faced his computer monitor and chugged his third cup in a row of cream-and-sugar-laden coffee. Pretty soon he’d be running on straight caffeine, which probably wasn’t the best antidote for his already ragged edges. He needed the buzz to get through the pile of work he hadn’t dealt with last night, not to mention everything that had accumulated this afternoon.
Today had been a complete bust. He’d been unable to focus on anything but the memory of vulnerable hazel eyes.
He wasn’t used to being led around by his dick. Hormones had their place but nothing came before work. Until Kelly. Well, and before her, Diana.
He really didn’t like the parallels.
Unable to stop himself, he paced to the window and thought of the woman he rarely allowed himself to remember. That time in his life wasn’t one he liked to revisit but every now and then, something reminded him. A hint of spicy floral perfume. A woman looking down at him over dark sunglasses. The sound of laughter meant to entice without a single note of real warmth.
She didn’t live in Maryland anymore. Probably a good thing. He’d never been one to wallow in the past but the first few months after it ended, he’d often driven past the home she shared with her husband and their two kids. The last time, he’d heard splashing in the pool and a child’s whooping laughter.
After that, he’d stayed away.
Her kids would be in high school now. And the child she and Spencer had almost had—if they’d almost had one at all—would be in pre-K.
Disgust had him turning away from the glass. And from the memory.
He glanced at his watch. It was already ten p.m. Laughter rang out down the hall but the chorus of voices had lowered substantially after closing time. He’d been holed up in here all day and his legs itched with the need to move. Shit, he needed a workout.
He neededher.
Was she getting ready for Kink? Picking out her sexy little outfit, doing her hair and makeup. She didn’t need much primping. Other than lipstick, she rarely seemed to use anything besides eye shadow. He’d noticed the colors she swept on her lids more than once. Fun colors, a rainbow that brought out the gold flecks in her eyes.
He released a breath. Eyes that were going to kill him if he kept thinking about them.
He couldn’t let her go there alone. Even if she went back with her friend, where had that friend been last night? All kinds of creeps frequented the club. She was too beautiful to wander around unaccompanied.
But if she meets someone—or several someones—she won’t be alone, will she?
As if he’d let that happen.
Kelly wasn’t Diana, and a little recreational sex never hurt anyone. This wasn’t some sort of weird karmic twist for what he’d done when he’d been naïve enough to think he couldn’t lose.
Back then, he’d been supremely confident in his ability to shape situations the way he wanted them. Too confident, as proved by the colossally stupid move he’d made five years ago.
His only consolation was he hadn’t succumbed easily to her flirtation. Diana had teased him shamelessly for months until he’d decided to go for it. He’d been passed over for promotions and, what the hell, she was hot. If sleeping with her would get him what he wanted faster, he certainly had no objections.