Then away.
Devin isn’t far behind her. Months ago, I had one of the men run a background check on the redhead. Twenty-three, ballsy, a foster kid turned independent woman. While I don’t love the appearance of an abusive ex in her past, she seems to have pulled away from that lifestyle. She’s protective of Aly, and I like that.
She’s sharp, this one, quick and observant. Liev gives her an annoyed glance; he doesn’t share my sentiment. He gestures stiffly toward the table, bracing for Devin’s sharp mouth.
He pulls a chair out for Aly. I stand and pull out Devin’s, ignoring the narrowed eyes and quick smirk she gives me.
“Well,” Devin says, eyes glittering as she takes in the dining room, “this is as obscene as I thought it would be.”
Aly tries to hide her smile with pursed lips. Liev grimaces.
“It’s nice,” she insists, swatting at Devin under the table. “I’ve always wondered what it was like here.”
“Aspirational,” Devin agrees with a nod, reining herself in. “Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Demsky.”
Aly sits across from me, and even from here I can feel the heat. The proximity is almost unbearable. I keep my posture loose, although I’m suddenly over-aware of my entire body and how it reacts to her. She and Devin murmur over the menu. Liev makes small comments here and there, pleased with himself when he draws a laugh from her.
Her plush, full lips curve up in a smile that makes me wonder what they’d look like parted and wrapped around my cock. The memory of how wet she was through those panties vividly comes to mind. Tension gathers in my loins as I try to dissipate it with a deep breath.
I shouldn’t imagine her against that brick wall with her tits chafing and ass pressed back when her father is sitting right next to me.
When the waitress arrives, Liev and I order for the table with authority and composure. Wine for the girls, vodka for us, appetizers and entrees that were shyly chosen.
Conversation flows through careful channels at first, polite and surface-level. Liev is eager, leaning forward as he asks, “How close are you to finishing your license, Aly?”
It’s a question asked too often, and he should remember the answer. He probably does, but he uses it as a way to connect with her. I shift in irritation, seeing the same feeling mirrored in Aly’s tight smile.
“Six months,” she reminds him. “If I can pay for the accelerated course.”
“How much—” he begins to ask, but she shakes her head.
Devin and I watch them closely, leaning back in our chairs, but tense as the feeling of the conversation shifts.
“I don’t need help,” Aly interrupts with a snap. “I can pay for it myself.”
What goes unspoken are the words,I don’t need you.
Liev sits back heavily. The wine arrives, and we all avoid making eye contact as it’s poured. To break the tension, Devin tells a story that absolutely scandalizes the waitress, who runs off. I can’t help smiling at the way she recounts dating a much older, very wealthy man she met while bartending a few years ago.
“It wasn’t for the money,” she says sincerely, balancing a blackened oyster with watermelon relish on two fingers. “He was a hedge fund manager. Thought I could pick up some tips since he was always on the phone arguing or getting information. He liked to call me precocious.”
Liev makes a face. “You didn’t think sixty-three was a littleoldfor you?”
“Oh, no,” Devin quips, unbothered by how uncomfortable Liev is. “That was the whole point. He couldn’t really get it up atthat age, anyway. Plus, he was anti-big pharma, so he wouldn’t take any of those happy pills. Great for me until I realized all he really wanted was control.”
I don’t miss the sad, quick look Aly shoots Devin. The redhead seems unaffected by the story she’s telling. But I was built to recognize weaknesses in people, and the way she stares blankly down at her plate, still smiling, gives her away.
“He did this thing where he would drop things all the time and make me pick them up. Like, get on my knees in five-inch heels, in a miniskirt, while people watched. He’d do it all the time in public. I finally had enough. Don’t mind having a sugar daddy, but no oneownsme like that.”
Her smile when she looks up is sharp enough to cut glass.
“The last time he did it, I told him there was no point in making me get on my knees if he couldn’t get it up, and I left.”
Aly bites her lip; I laugh, and Liev looks mortified. Devin’s quick smirk says she got exactly the reaction she wanted, and she excuses herself to go “freshen up” quickly. When she does, Liev murmurs in my direction, “That girl is trouble.”
Still trying to tamp down a rumble of amusement, I respond, “She’s honest.”
Aly glances at me then, surprised, and our eyes meet for a fraction of a second longer than is safe. Something passes between us, unspoken and charged. “I, um, I’m going to run to the restroom too,” she says, shaken, pushing her chair back and looking away.
