“No. Sorry. Do you...think we should say something to the hotel about it? It’s kind of freaky that just anyone could break into our room like that.”
“I don’t see why we need to. She only took a shower. And I don’t think she stole anything—except a towel—I mean, my laptop’s still lying right there.”
“Huh. That’s just...strange.”
My guilt for lying grew as Asher scratched his temple and murmured, “Yeah,” in an equally perplexed tone.
Because I couldn’t keep looking at him in all his confusion, I hurried to my side of the room. “I’m going to check my shit, anyway. See if everything’s still here.”
We made it back to Ellamore early that evening. Asher, of course, had to tell Heath and Gally about “shower girl.”
Gally’s first question was, “Did you fuck her?”
Asher had declined to answer that aside from a roll of his eyes. He also downplayed how pretty he thought I was. I found it adorable, like his way of keeping me to himself and protecting his shower girl from the likes of a perv like Gally.
The next day—Monday—we didn’t have band practice, which was good because I had to work through the lunch hour. But I couldn’t get Asher off my mind. The thing with his dad, the song he’d sang for (possibly) me, how much fun I’d had writing lyrics with him, all the guilt I was packing around for continuously lying to him. It all swirled through me until I just had to see him.
I’d finished organizing the Non-Castrato box. I had planned on bringing it to practice the next day, but I couldn’t wait that long. I was going through Asher withdrawals. So after I got off work and showered, I texted him to learn he was working at Forbidden. And half an hour later, that’s where I found myself in my Sticks outfit.
The place was fairly dead...well, it wasn’t packed wall to wall with people. There were actually some tables free and I could walk directly to the bar without having to murmur “excuse me” to anyone. It was kind of nice. Almost peaceful. I felt the urge to slide onto a stool at the bar, order a beer, and sigh in total contentment. The entire atmosphere made me want to watch some reruns of Cheers.
I scanned the room for Asher, but didn’t spot him. The coworker who knew I was a female was the only one working. Crap. What had Asher called him? It’d been some number. Eight? Nine?
Ten. That was it.
Dreading the encounter, I plunked the box in my arms onto the bar top and sent him a scowl. “I have some shit for Hart. He around?”
In the middle of drying a glass he’d just taken from a tub of freshly cleaned mugs, he glanced my way. “You know, you don’t have to talk dude to me. I’m onto your chick status, remember?”
Damn, I hadn’t even realized I’d been talking like a guy. This was bad. It was becoming habit now as soon as I put on the suit. What if I completely lost all my girlishness soon? What if—okay, I might be overthinking this. With a scowl, I grumbled, “He said he was working tonight, and I could drop this box by for him.”
“Oh, yeah?” Ten set the dried glass aside and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the counter, to get a look inside. “What is it? Kinky sex stuff?”
“You wish.” I moved it back so he couldn’t see the boring file folders I’d organized and arranged.
He shrugged, nonplussed, as he straightened again. “Eh, no matter. Caroline’s and my collection is already complete, so I’m good, anyway. It was Hart I was thinking about. That boy’s long overdue.”
I frowned, confused. “Overdue for what?”
He blinked as if he couldn’t believe I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he said, “Sex,” adding a silent duh behind that.
Oh, brother. I should’ve known better than to ask.
“Seriously,” he went on. “I don’t think it’s healthy for a guy to go as long as he has without any.”
“Wait, he talks about all his...exploits?” This I did not want to know. It disappointed me to learn Asher was a kiss-and-teller. I didn’t want him to disappoint me. I was just starting to think he was okay.
Fine...better than okay.
Ten lifted his eyebrows. “Exploits? Yeah, there she is. Now you’re sounding chick again.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away, deciding to look for Asher myself and get out of here.
But Ten called after me. “Of course he doesn’t talk about that shit.”
I shouldn’t have stopped, but I did. And when I turned back, Ten sent me a smug smile, knowing I was more interested than I should be. “I just know when he’s been laid,” he explained. “Hart has a definite tell.”
“What’s his tell?” Dios, why had I asked that? I didn’t want to know...except, okay, I totally did.
Ten chuckled. “Why don’t you go find out for yourself? He’s alone in the storeroom right now, sorting through a load of inventory that just came in.”
I sniffed and frowned. “You’re an ass.” Then I whirled away to find the storeroom.