“Men like this.... They’re used to getting what they want. They’re not used to being told no, especially from a nobody like me. I doubt that one brick is where it’s going to stop.”
Tristan thought back to what he knew of about Blackthorne. They were a development company. They operated by buying off high numbers of high-risk loans, and as soon as a payment was missed or even a day late, they started the foreclosure process. Sure, they acted as if they had all the steps necessary for the homeowners to get the property back, but a lot of the phone numbers never actually connected to anybody, and the paperwork would never get filed. Even if the homeowner could come up with all the money to pay off the loan, Blackthorne wouldn’t take it. There was too much red tape to get the property back, and the next thing the tenants knew, they were on the street. Blackthorne would then take down the old houses and put up new condos or townhouses or high-rises. The local government loved them, because they were making the cities look new and improved, not caring who got trampled in the process.
But Shae didn’t fit this mold. Seaside Escape wasn’t a decrepit home. Sure, it needed some improvements, but it still wasn’t the normal MO. Also, as far as he knew, Blackthorne didn’t normally resort to petty vandalism. They worked behind red tape and paperwork. Not exactly a lot of blood on their hands.
So once again, he was struck with a question that had led him to Shae in the first place. What made her so special?
Shae shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m here, at this beautiful restaurant, after a really good day of work, and about to eat some really good food with a handsome man. I just want to savor this moment.”
Tristan smiled. “You think I’m handsome?”
Shae’s eyes widened as she realized what she said. “No. I mean, yes, of course. But like, you know that, right? This isn’t a surprise to you.”
He laughed and then reached out, taking her hand in his. “Relax. I want this to be nice for you. Enjoy dinner. Have fun.” And then, without even thinking about it, he started rubbing the pad of his thumb back and forth over her wrist.
Shae looked down at where he was touching her. It seemed so unexpected. She didn’t know why. He’d been relatively flirty with her ever since they first met. Still, she couldn’t believe he was really interested in her. Not only interested, but touching her. And not just an innocent hand-holding. The way his thumb moved back and forth on the most sensitive spot of her wrist sent a mixture of tickles and tingles up her arm. All she could do was stare wordlessly at the contact as she tried to get her bearings back.
Before she could, the waiter came over and presented their beautiful dishes of food. She quickly pulled herself free of his grasp to make room for the plates. Once the waiter was gone, she finally raised her eyes to look at Tristan again. But he wasn’t looking at her; instead, he grabbed his fork and knife and started to cut the steak. Well, it apparently had been way too long since she’d been on a date. If some guy touching her hand was enough to spend her spiraling off the spectrum, she was doing something wrong.
She wondered what he thought about it. Did he think she was crazy? Did he think she was way too inexperienced for him?
They finished most of the dinner in silence, and she quickly passed on the waiter’s offer of dessert. It was way too late, and she found herself suddenly desperate to be alone again. She was used to being alone. Alone was her happy place. Alone was how she lived and got her work done. Alone was her normal. Tristan, on the other hand, was very much abnormal. She didn’t really know how to classify him, or what to do with him. She constantly felt as if he was a step ahead of her, and she was out of her league.
As they walked out of the restaurant, Tristan set his hand at the small of her back, and she tensed. It was the second time he’d touched her that night. The rest of the date had been nothing but respectable.
Wait. Date? It hadn’t started as a date. This started as a perfectly innocent thank-you dinner. When had things changed?
That was a stupid question. Things had never changed. If this were a perfectly innocent dinner, she never would’ve run back to the house to put on makeup and change clothes. She never would’ve thought how he’d like the dress as she slid it over her body. Maybe even earlier than that. Maybe from the second he introduced himself and she found herself overwhelmed by his good looks. Maybe from that moment, she’d known there wouldn’t be anything platonic between them. At least not on her part. And he was making it more and more clear that he wasn’t exactly feeling platonic toward her either.
He led her to his sporty little car. It was bright yellow, not exactly subtle, and only had two seats. The interior was all black leather, and she was betting it was hot as a bitch in the Florida sun. Luckily, by the time they’d left the house, the sun had long since set. The leather felt smooth and cool against her bare legs as she sat down. He shut the door for her and walked around to the driver’s side. The roads were less crowded at this time of night, so he had no problems getting on the main road. “So.... What do you want to do?”
Shae had about a thousand different answers for that question, and pretty much none of them were appropriate to say. “I should probably get home,” she said finally. “I have a really busy day tomorrow.”
“Busy day? Aren’t you your own boss?”
She let out a little laugh. “I am my own boss, and my boss is a bitch.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up as he glanced away from the road to look at her and then back to the road. “I’ve been debating going into business for myself,” he said.
“It has its benefits. Why? Do you have issues with your current boss?”
“Bosses. I work for a couple. They just started up a consulting company, and I’m one of the original hires.”
Interesting. He’d seemed so reluctant to talk about his work earlier. She had a feeling she was hearing information not many people heard. “Do you like them?”
Tristan shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re not terrible, but they’re not really... on the same level as me. I just don’t know if we’re compatible. Before this, my boss was a huge prick. Like, the biggest prick. But I had a solid team and I always knew they had my back. Most of the team has transitioned to this new unit, but one of the guys is doing more desk work now. So everything’s different. Everything’s changed.”
“Change is hard. Even good change.”
Tristan shrugged and his fingers tightened on the wheel. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you all this.”
“I don’t mind listening.”
“Yeah, but there’s nothing you can do. I’m just rambling.”