He brings his gaze to me, surprised, his eyes searching mine.
“I don’t have you. Therefore I can’t share you.”
He stares at his plate.
“Probably not,” he murmurs, pondering.
“What if I’d ask you to?”
He shoots his eyes at me. He looks torn. Unsure whether this is a trap. Aching that I even asked him that.
He recovers quickly.
“It depends,” he says. “There’s a time for lust, and there’s a time to heal. They have a solid, tested relationship. No wounds to heal, no dark past. They’re loyal to each other, and it’s a nice way to spice things up for them. They’re both smart and enjoy the thrill, but we’ve all abided by the rules. He’s laid the terms for me, and I’ve honored each of them.”
He briefly looks away before bringing his eyes back.
“To go back to your question. I'm not intimidated by another man if that’s what you’re asking. Would that answer your question?”
I nod.
“What about the pair of women?”
He stretches an amused smile.
“You do have a good PI,” he says.
“Yeah. I like to hire the best professionals I can find.”
He gets a glimpse of my smile.
“I didn’t fuck them. We discussed business.”
I quietly laugh.
“Must have been a hell of a business.”
He gives me a secret grin.
“Actually, their business wasn’t for me. They have a solid company, but I’m not interested in the retail space. So that’s that.”
He drinks water.
“What about you. Would you share a man you love?”
The question takes me by surprise. I remember my reaction when I saw Crystal’s arms wrapped around him.
“No.”
“Hmm.”
His nose creases with a smile.
He slides his hand inside his suit jacket, retrieves a cigarette from his pocket, and lights it. The orange dot glows briefly as he takes a drag.
A few moments pass.
He muses over something while I drink in his features. And then his expression changes.