Marrying Mr. Wrong (Dirty Martini Running Club #3) - Claire Kingsley Page 0,77
would he?”
“There were pictures of me on the internet with Cox in Vegas.”
She paused, like she was thinking about that. “If he were a woman, I’d assume he knows. But guys aren’t usually that observant. I honestly think he spotted you and went in for the kill.”
“Oh my god, he’s coming back.”
“Stay calm. You can do this.”
I swallowed hard and my heart pounded. This was so bad.
Dominic handed me a martini and set his drink on the table.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He sat on the stool across from me. “But I should thank you. Tonight was proving to be disappointing until I saw you.”
“Are you smiling at him?” Nora asked. “Smile, like you’re a little bit shy.”
“Disappointing?” I smiled, but probably too big. That wasn’t a shy smile. I put my hand in front of my mouth to compensate and a finger accidentally brushed the bottom of my nostril, making my nose tickle.
Please don’t sneeze. Please don’t sneeze.
“Can I be honest with you?” he asked.
I took a slow breath through my nose. Thankfully the tickle went away. “Of course.”
“I have a thing for curvy blondes. I saw you and I couldn’t resist.”
“Act flattered,” Nora said.
I lowered my eyes to the table and fingered one of my curls. “Couldn’t resist me?”
“Absolutely. It’s strange; you look a little bit familiar, but I’d never forget a woman like you. Maybe that just means it was fate that we met tonight.”
I laughed awkwardly. He probably had seen the photos of me with Cox. But if he remembered who I was, he wouldn’t have admitted I looked familiar.
“He doesn’t know who you are, Soph,” Nora said. “Keep it up; you’re doing great.”
Her confirmation gave me a little confidence boost. Maybe I could do this.
I picked up my drink to take a sip. “Maybe it was fate. You seem a little bit familiar too.”
He grinned, as if he liked where this was going. “I’m really looking forward to taking you home with me tonight.”
I almost sprayed martini all over him but managed to swallow it. “Oh, um, that’s…”
“Too forward?”
Yes, and then some. “I was just thinking we could get to know each other first.”
“Fair enough. I’d like to finish my drink anyway.”
“Good save,” Nora said. “Also, this guy’s a douche.”
I paused, thinking he might ask me something, but he didn’t seem to be interested in learning anything about me. He just eyed me like I was on the menu.
“Well, what do you do for a living?” I asked.
“I have my hands in a number of different ventures,” he said.
“That’s code for unemployed,” Nora said.
“Interesting. What sort of ventures?” I asked.
“I used to be in commercial real estate. But now I’m looking for new opportunities.”
“Also code for unemployed,” Nora said.
It was hard not to laugh. But this might be the opening I needed. “Why the change? Commercial real estate wasn’t profitable?”
He turned his glass around. “No, it was. Quite profitable, in fact. I had a falling out with my business partner.”
I tried not to gasp. Act natural, Sophie. Keep him talking. “That’s too bad. What happened?”
“It’s a long story.”
He took a sip of his drink, and I thought he might leave it at that. It was tempting to ask another question, but something told me to wait. Maybe if I stayed quiet, he’d continue.
“I admit, I made some mistakes.” He set his glass down. “But who hasn’t? My partner, however, didn’t want to wait for things to blow over. So he forced me out.”
“That’s terrible.”
He shrugged, like it didn’t matter. “Fuck him. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”
Leaning forward, I met his eyes and my lips curled in a wicked smile. I lowered my voice, like we were sharing a secret. “How?”
For a second, I thought I’d overplayed my hand. But Nora didn’t correct me. And the corner of Dominic’s mouth lifted.
“I’ve got him right where I want him. He thinks—”
Smack!
Pain exploded across my face and my eyes watered. Instinctively, my hands flew to my nose. What had just happened?
A server set a tray of overturned drinks on our table. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I did that. I tripped. Did I hit your nose?”
Blinking away the tears, I nodded. “I think so.”
“Let me get you some napkins.”
Dominic backhanded one of the glasses off the table. “You fucking spilled all over me. Get this shit out of here.”
“Sir, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, it was just an accident. I’m—” I was about to say fine, but the metallic tang of blood hit my tongue. I