“It looks perfect,” he said. “But it’s missing something.”
Yeah, a bra.Were my nipples everywhere? They probably were. They always acted up at the worst times.
Instead of a bra, he tossed me a pair of strappy black heels.
“Are you sure these are the best shoes for an escape?” I asked.
“Would you rather wear sneakers with that dress?”
“I’m not sure I’ll even be able to walk in these.” They were at least five inches tall…exactly the kind of shoes that Joe would have hated me wearing because he was a short loser. Which made me think: is this my first wish coming true? I had wishedfor shoes. And revenge on Joe. Half of that had now been fulfilled.
“You’ll figure it out,” Ryder said. “Just don’t step on any grates. And avoid sand. Or anything soft.”
I started to strap them on. “I didn’t realize you were such an expert at walking in heels. Do you do it often?”
“No, I design…” he started coughing. Or fake coughing. For the first time, my stalker was the one who was tongue-tied. But he recovered quickly. “My calves would look amazing in heels. Don’t be jealous.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. He was right. They would. But he’d also look super gay. I much preferred the shiny black dress shoes he had just laced up. Add in the tuxedo he’d stolen from whoever owned this apartment, and he looked amazing. I didn’t know where our escape was headed, but part of me wanted to take it right onto the king-sized bed.
“Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the hallway.
So much for taking it to the bed.
My heart was pounding as the elevator opened. I kind of expected us to be immediately swarmed by FBI agents. But instead it was empty. Ryder held the door for me.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked.
“Get a taxi. Go get some dinner far away from here. Wait for things to cool down. And then go back to our normal lives and forget any of this ever happened.”
Dinner with my stalker sounded perfect. But forgetting about him forever? No way. Was that really what he wanted?
Ryder hailed the first taxi we saw. And it stopped!What the hell, taxi drivers?It always took me like twenty tries to get them to notice me. But when a man like Ryder waved them down, they didn’t think twice. Maybe all taxi drivers were gay and couldn’t resist chauffeuring hot men around all day.Figures.
We switched cabs a few times before arriving at our destination: Trilogy. It was a super fancy restaurant that had just opened a few months ago. Chastity couldn’t stop talking about how much she wanted some hunk to take her here. And bytake her here, I mean get freaky with her in the bathroom.
I was too busy looking around at all the crystal chandeliers to listen to what Ryder said to get the hostess to give us a table, but whatever he said, it worked. He probably flirted with her. I glared at the little two-cent trollop as she showed us to our table.Stay away from my stalker!
“So are we safe?” I asked.
He nodded. “I believe so. Which means we get to sit back and enjoy our dinner.”
How was he so relaxed right now? The freaking FBI was after us and he was calmly perusing the menu like it was a normal night. But he also probably hadn’t tried to rape a doctor recently.
“What are you gonna order?” I asked.
He laughed like I’d just made a joke. “That’s a good one. Which course are you most excited for?”
I looked back at the menu. It was just a list of the seven courses we would be eating, whether we wanted to or not. I thought I’d learned a lot about food while completely reinventing the recipes for Dickson & Son’s Sugarcakes (yes…that was really the name of Joe’s family bakery), but this menu was beyond me. I didn’t understand a word of what was on it.
“What in the world is a balut?”
“Wow, it’s been years since I’ve had a balut. Takes me back to my days in Cambodia.” He pulled out his notebook and jotted something down. Looked around the restaurant. And made another note.
Takes him back?He didn’t look that old. And hadn’t he left that notebook in his other suit? “Did you grow up there?”
“What?” He shifted uncomfortably. “Oh, uh. No. Just visited. Anyway, you were asking about baluts? They’re boiled fertilized eggs. Absolutely delectable.”
I gagged a little.
