“It’s not.”
He continues studying my face, and I lift my chin defiantly.
“Right,” he growls, and this time, it’sdefinitelya growl. “At least let me give you a ride home,Julia.” He tips his head to the black town car waiting by the curb in the same position where he climbed out of it earlier.
I look at the car, then back at him.
“It’s fine. I was about to hail a cab.” I look up the street. There are plenty of cabs driving around Manhattan, as always,but none have their lights on to pick up a fare. They’re all occupied, and I wonder if any of the other passengers have just left a date with a cheating, married man. How many are smiling to themselves about the wonderful night they’ve just had, thinking they’ve met the one? Someone special. Their lobster. Because lobsters mate for life.
At least I know the lines these guys feed me are a pile of crap and I’m not emotionally invested. There’s something worse than a cheat. And that’s a cheat who breaks the hearts of multiple people all at once from their selfish actions. A cheat who not only destroys their own family, but someone else’s too, a cheat who causes—
“It’s late. And you’ll never get a cab right now.” Reed cuts into my thoughts again, and I look up at him. “Please. Come with me. It would make me feel better knowing you got home safely.”
I eye him curiously. “It sounds like you may have actually read the statistics on the city’s crimes against women while on your campaign to take over New York.”
“Let’s say I have. Will it persuade you to take up my offer?” His voice is still the same smooth, deep tone. Only now, the clipped sound of irritation has been replaced by a hint of something else.
Something that sounds a lot like amusement.
“That depends.”
“On what?” His eyes sweep my face as he waits for my answer.
“On whether you’ve also read the statistics of what happens to women who accept offers of a ride home from strange men at night.”
His lips quirk. “That’s tonight’s bedtime reading.”
I give him a small smile, and he smiles back at me. And being this close, I notice for the first time how beautiful it is. It lights up his eyes and brings out dimples, one on either cheek, and if I didn’t know better, it would probably make me go weak at the knees and giggly. Which is what I bet happened to all the women Maria heard Reed ‘entertaining’ through her apartment wall.
It makes sense. Politician. Man-whore. Able to talk his way in or out of anything… or anyone, apparently.
Reed Walker is the definition of a charmer.
Unless your name is Grant. Then he’s probably an icepack on your hand and a lonely drive back to your soon-to-divorce-your-ass wife.
“Fine,” I huff.
I stand back as he opens the rear door for me. As I slide into the cool seat, I inhale his cologne again. It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled on anyone else but him. It’s both spicy and warm. Thrilling, yet steadying. Like wild adventure and the sanctuary of home all at once.
I bet one of the many women whose name he can’t remember bought it for him.
Months ago, there was a charity gala at The Songbird. Reed came, and I had to share a table with him and his date, among other people. She was all long, gazelle-like legs, and pouty lips. Snapping selfies all night long. I thought I would mess with Reed, so I asked him to introduce me. He bottomed out. Couldn’t remember her name, despite being sat with her all evening, and doing whatever the hell he’d been doing with her before that point to even invite her as his plus one in the first place. I didn’t expect her to throw her drink over him and storm off. I actually felt bad about it afterward. I told Reed I was sorry the next time he visited Griffin at work. But he didn’t seem to care about it.At all.
Maybe that’s how you get by in politics. You have a thick skin and move on. Either that or he didn’t care because he likely had a long list of women, happy to replace her. Happy to escort him home. That’s one thing Maria told me I’ve never forgotten about… the sounds that came from his apartment.
Pure, unfiltered pleasure. Loud, uninhibited, raw.
All sounds very complimentary of Reed Walker.
Reed slides into the seat next to me and leans forward to tell the driver where to go.
When he sits back, his broad shoulders fill the seat. At least his campaign pictures will look pretty around the city once they go up. With his wavy, dark brown hair that he constantly brushes back from his eyes, and a jawline that could cut glass, he’s easily one of the most handsome men I’ve ever met. Not that it means anything. There’s not much that’s a bigger turnoff to me than a man-whore.
Okay, a cheat. Definitely a cheat. Way worse. Like on a scale of one to one hundred, a man-whore would be one hundred. But a cheat would be a million. And then some.
The car pulls out into the traffic and I’m aware of his golden-flecked gaze lingering on the side of my face.
I glance at him. “Thank you for the ride.”