Absent-mindedly, I grab a lighter off a table and fiddle with it.
“Probably assumes we’ll go easy on her while we’re still sober,” Tony says. My eyes narrow at him, making denials with my expression. He smirks, and it does something to my insides.
“Okay fine, truth first then.”
“What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” Tony asks coyly.
My heart rate increases, and I look down at the lighter, staring into the flames before closing the lid and snuffing it out. “A few years ago, I set one of Adley’s satellite labs on fire,” I whisper.
Tony just stares at me. He worked there long before I did and probably remembers it happening. It was shortly before I got my job working for Adley. I just found proof that my parents had gone through a medical trial at that lab.
“I’m not sorry. And I enjoyed watching it burn.” I’m not sure why I feel the need to add that information. But they may as well know what they’re getting themselves into.
The room is silent, and I feel positive that everyone is about to get up and walk out rather than being tied to an arsonist.
Play it cool, Mara. You’re cool. This is fine, it’s fine. Everything’s fine.
Quinn makes a thoughtful sound, and I look at him expectantly.
“I dare you to kiss Tony. A proper kiss, slip him some tongue and all that.”
“Seriously?” I can’t even decide if I’m mad that I’m expected to take another turn. I’m mostly glad for the reprieve and the return of a more comfortable type of tension.
This project has already gone south pretty quickly.
When I grab for my shot glass, Quinn groans, disappointed that I’m not doing his dare. I take my shot, letting the burn of the tequila settle for a moment before I stand and grasp the lapel of Tony’s open button-down shirt. Pulling myself against him, I press my mouth to his, taking him by surprise.
At first he doesn’t react, his posture stiff. But after a long enough moment that I think I’ve embarrassed myself, he softens. His lips move against mine, tentatively at first, but then his arm wraps around my back, pulling me up to his level as his tongue runs along the seam of my mouth. Opening for him, a shiver runs through me as his tongue dips into my mouth, caressing mine and pulling my mind even farther into the gutter.
I don’t know if five minutes go by, or an hour, but I get lost kissing Tony. It’s not until the pungent smell of weed fills the air that I remember where I am or what I’m doing. I’ve crawled into Tony’s lap, straddling him. My breaths are heavy as I break away, our eyes meeting. His eyes are dilated, lids heavy with lust, but he also looks as surprised as I feel.
The attraction was obvious, but I feel like there are literal sparks of electricity in the air. I feel like my hair should be standing on end with the amount of static in the room.
“Damn,” Quinn breathes, blowing out a puff from the joint he’s holding. He holds it out, offering it to each of us. We both decline.
Not that I’m against partaking on occasion, but I’m already a little too close to losing myself.
Climbing off Tony’s lap, noting the impressive outline of an erection down the leg of his jeans, I swallow and try to regain my composure without being too obvious. I feel a little better when I notice Tony takes the shot in front of him, even though it’s not even his turn.
Picking up the bottle, I refill the glasses, intentionally shorting mine a bit. No one balks. I’m a good bit smaller than either of these two.
“Okay, Tony− truth or dare?” I choose Tony because I feel like I need to break the tension, and also because I know nothing about him. I’m not naïve enough to think that he’ll forget about my truth just because there’s sexual tension between us.
“Truth.”
“How long have you been working for Bennet Adley to take his father down?”
“Two years, but I’ve done security for him for longer. He eventually had to let me in on what he was doing because I would have access to some files and he needed to know if he could trust me. I’m pretty sure he was testing me for about a year, sharing intentional, but subtle, leaks. He’s a good guy, despite his father.”
“How much do you know about Jackson Adley?”
“Enough to know he’s not a good guy and that he’s definitely been involved in some illegal activity, which you already know.”
I nod. “I think BioCere could be the key to taking him down. Have you ever come across the name in any of your searches?”
“This is a lot of questions for one round.”
I can’t tell if he’s trying to deter my line of questioning because he isn’t sure he can trust me, or if he’s really interested in getting back to the game.
