“No, I’m fine thank you,” I say, quickly cutting him off.
As he walks away, I try to scan my surroundings discreetly, but I can barely see any of the other diners, let alone anyone I recognise. And there’s a reason—this place has clearly been designed with diners’ privacy in mind.
On any other day, I might appreciate that. But while I’m trying to find the man who’s watching me, taunting me, I have a very different opinion.
“I can’t wait to get out of here,” Brad drawls, his eyes dropping to my chest.
My lips part to say something, but I quickly find that I have no response to that. Well, no response that he wants to hear, anyway.
“Excuse me,” I say, needing to get away from his heated stare. “I need to visit the ladies’.”
Grabbing my bag, I push my chair back and walk away without so much as looking back at him.
As I put some distance between us, the more aware I become that I’m being watched. My skin prickles with what feels like a million pinpricks as I move toward the bathroom sign at the back of the restaurant. But no matter how much I look around, I don’t find him.
He’s here though. I know he is.
My eyes land on a woman sitting alone at the bar in a sequin-covered silver dress and a pair of red-soled shoes. Her hair is immaculately styled, and despite being unable to see her face, I just know she’s perfect.
I may have put plenty of effort into my appearance tonight, mostly to waste time, but I can’t help feeling like I don’t fit in.
I might be wrapped in a designer dress like the rest of the patrons, but this isn’t me.
Tiny portions of fancy—albeit incredible—food really isn’t me.
Noticing my attention, the woman glances over her shoulder, but her eyes never actually find me. Instead, they find the man I’ve left behind.
Fine by me.
The thought of escaping out of the back door of this place and leaving them to it flickers through my mind as I continue forward, and I can’t deny that I’m more excited about the prospect of running away right now than I was coming here in the first place.
With my sight set on the ladies’, I push thoughts of everyone else around me aside and focus on just a few minutes of alone time so I can try to figure out my next move.
Brad wants more from me tonight, he’s made that more than obvious. But I really, really don’t want to invite him back to my flat or let him lead me into a fancy hotel room to act out whatever fantasies are floating around his head right now.
Pushing into the ladies’, I find it gloriously empty. It’s huge and totally over the top with deep purple flocked wallpaper and smaller versions of the plants that fill the main restaurant. There’s even a fucking chaise longue. Who the hell wants to hang out in the toilets longer than necessary, even if said toilets are this fancy?
A woman content on hiding from her date…
My phone buzzes once more on the small shelf behind the toilet as I go about my business. The sound makes my heart jump into my throat.
It’s him. I know it’s him.
He’ll have seen me walk in here…
Maybe this was a bad idea.
I finish up with trembling hands, thoughts of everything that happened between us Wednesday in that library as clear in my mind as if they happened only hours ago.
Much to my relief, the main area is still empty when I emerge and walk toward the sinks. I wash and dry my hands before reluctantly pulling my phone out, but I don’t get a chance to see who it is because movement in the mirror before me forces my head up, and when my eyes focus, I find a dark, angry pair staring back at me as he emerges from the other stall I hadn’t even realised was occupied.
He moves silently, like a ghost in the night, closing the space between us and making my heart rate spike to the point I wonder if I’m about to pass out.
“W-what are you doing?” I breathe when he’s almost in touching distance.
“I could ask you the same question, Siren.” His deep voice hits a place deep inside me that Brad has come nowhere near touching tonight with his dreary stories. My lower stomach clenches in desire, reminding me of everything I felt while watching those videos.
Placing my phone on the side, my fingers curl around the marble counter before me, my nails bending under the force of my grip. But while I’m locked in his heated stare, there’s nothing more I can do.