“Starved.”
“Any food preference?”
“No.”
“Good, because I already ordered to have some sandwiches delivered from a lunch place around the corner,” he said from the bedroom as he walked away.
Picking up a folded towel from a shelf, I dried myself and wrapped it around me.
He called from the kitchen.“Coffee’s almost ready.Would you prefer something else to drink?”
“No, coffee is perfect.”
“Okay, I also have...”Silence for a moment.“The food’s here.They’re downstairs.I’ll be right back.”
I cracked the door and heard him go out.Crossing through the bedroom, I slipped into the living area, where I saw the door of the apartment was ajar.I closed it.
Taking a quick look around the apartment, I spotted another door that led into a second bathroom, smaller than the one I took a shower in.There was also a locked door that was most likely another bedroom where the owners kept their personal belongings.
I hurried back to the bedroom and stopped in the doorway.
Where an hour ago Reed and I had made use of every inch of the king-size bed, the bedspread was now neatly pulled up and the pillows arranged by the headboard.
He’d draped my clothes over the back of a chair, and my cell sat on the cushion.Dropping the towel, I quickly pulled on my shorts and halter top and tucked the phone into my back pocket.
The men I typically hooked up with were usually easy to get into bed with but even easier to dismiss afterward.Inevitably, there was some irritating trait that was quick to surface.Reed, however, seemed to be an exception.No flaws yet.
“But there’s still time,” I murmured.
Reed.I didn’t even know the rest of his name.Scanning the room, my eyes immediately fell on a wallet on the dresser.Glancing once more toward the closed apartment door, I crossed the room and picked up the wallet.It was the folding type, brand new and surprisingly light.I opened it to find around a couple of hundred dollars in cash, one credit card, and a driver’s license.No membership cards, no library ID, no pictures, no random receipts.
Didn’t men normally stuff their wallets with things like that?
I pulled out the driver’s license.Reed Michael.The picture had to be taken recently.The issuing state was New York, just as he’d told me.
“Are you legit, Reed Michael?”
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I quickly sent a text message, accompanied by a photo of Reed’s license.
- I need you to check this guy out for me
- Why?
- I had sex with him
- What the fuck
Exactly.
I slipped the phone back into my pocket and left Reed’s wallet exactly where I’d found it.I slid open the closet door.No suitcases or bags.The words of the man in the parking lot came back to me.I have your bag.You know what’s in there.
A few shirts, pants, jeans, a pair of sweatshirts, and a cotton sweater had been hung carefully on hangers.As I ran my fingers along the crisp textures, I noticed the price tag on the first and then the second item.None of them had been worn before.Every piece of clothing still bore its original tag.
“What are you looking for?”
I almost jumped out of my skin.It wasn’t like me to get caught.After waiting a couple of seconds for my heartbeat to settle into its normal rhythm, I glanced over my shoulder at Reed, who was picking up my wet towel off the floor.
“Got a sweatshirt I can borrow?”
