Chapter 50
After my shift, I returned to Jake's building and entered the lobby like I usually did, from the parking garage. Most of the time, I made a beeline straight for the elevator.
This time, I didn't. Instead, I stopped and stared. I couldn’t help myself.
Standing just inside the lobby's front entrance was a sleek-looking blonde in a tailored business suit. At first glance, she might've been an accountant, or maybe a high-powered attorney of the corporate variety.
Whatever her real profession was, I had no idea, because I knew her by a different name.
Nipple Girl.
And the way it sounded, she was here to see Jake.
She and Pete were facing off just inside the lobby's glass double-doors. From where I stood, I could just barely make out what she was saying.
Her voice was surprisingly cool with a vague upscale accent. "Perhaps I can wait in his office then?"
Whatever Pete said in response, I couldn’t make it out. His back was to me, and his words were too low to hear. Besides, I was so focused onherthat I barely noticed anything else.
The last time I'd seen her, she'd been wearing a sequined dress that showed plenty of skin. Her voice had been high and giggly – all baby-doll, zero business.
Even her hair was completely different. At the convention center, it had been big and bouncy with long, flowing curls. Now, it was styled into a simple, elegant twist.
Whowasshe, anyway?
As I watched, she looked toward a nearby seating area and said, "Surely, you can't object to my waitingthere?"
Pete turned to study the cluster of chairs. His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked uncertain.
She lifted her hand and touched his elbow. When Pete turned to look, she gave him a dazzling smile and said, "Don't worry. I'll behave. I promise."
Pete looked around, only to stop in mid-motion when his gaze landed on me. His face froze in an expression that practically screamed, "Oh, crap."
Well, that was nice.
I liked him. I'd even defended him. So why was he looking at me likeIwas the problem? Before I knew it, I was striding straight toward them.
When I reached their side, Pete looked from me to her. He swallowed and glanced toward the doors, as if tempted to bolt.
I suddenly realized something. I'd probably had the same look on my own face just a few hours earlier, when Miss Table-for-Ten had been treatingmelike dirt.
The realization was the cold splash of reality that I needed. It wasn't Pete's fault that I was desperate for answers and unafraid to seek them head-on. But that didn't mean I had to run away either.
With an effort, I summoned up what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," I told him, giving Nipple Girl a sideways glance. "I'llbehave, too." My smile felt too thin and too fake, but I kept it plastered there anyway, for Pete's sake, not hers.
Pete's gaze bounced from me to her. Finally, he gave a short nod, and turned away. As I watched, he walked out of the building and stood near the curb, facing away from us.
To give us some privacy? Or to wash his hands of the whole sorry situation?
If the latter was the case, I couldn’t say I blamed him.
I was still staring after him when I heard Nipple Girl say, "So, do you work for Jake, or…?"
I turned to look at her. Her expression was friendly enough, but I couldn’t return the favor. I wasn't feeling friendly, and I didn't see any reason to fake it.
Her question hung in the air, and I didn't know what to say. For a such simple question, it was insanely complicated, so instead of answering, I lobbed back a question of my own. "Doyou?"
I was pretty sure I knew the answer to that, but hey, it would get the ball rolling, right?
