Page 28 of Twisted Truth

Fucking vultures.

The flashes spark before the doors are even open. Robert and the bouncer flank Ella and me as I pull her along. Andrew is already out of the car, holding the back door open. I pull Ella around me and have her get in first, then I climb in behind her.

“Where to, sir?” Andrew asks as he and Robert climb into the front seats and the rest of us settle into the back.

“Home. But first, pull up and find somewhere to park a couple blocks away. I need Emily to come with us.”

Emily will need to be part of the discussion as well.

“I already texted her,” Matthew says.

“Is everything okay, Mr. Langford?” Ella asks.

“Asher.”

“Pardon me?”

“Call me Asher, not Mr. Langford.”

“Oh . . . okay?”

“Tonight was a waste,” I say. “And it’s given me some clear answers. I want to have a smaller, private team meeting with you, Emily, and Matthew. No one else.”

“Shit,” she gasps. “I left my purse at our table. It’s got my phone and keys and everything in it.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

I text Emily about Ella’s purse and then tell her where the car is parked.

“I really should have eaten something,” Ella says, with a slight slur. “The car is spinning a little.”

I chuckle. “We’ll get you something to eat.” My housekeeper always keeps my fridge stocked with plenty of food, and I have a chef who makes dinner each night.

“You didn’t have fun tonight?” Ella asks, turning her face to me.

“No.”

“Why?”

“I’m realizing that this isn’t really my scene anymore. The idea of going to a club to pick up women just doesn’t do it for me like it used to.”

She nods. “I get that. I don’t go to clubs often, either. It can be fun. But it can also be stressful because, as you saw with that asshole, men can be so aggressive. They don’t get that I’m not there for them, I’m there for me and just want to have a good time.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Not always that bad. But sometimes it’s worse. My friends and I have to be so careful because you never know which men are nice and which men would slip something into your drink so they can take advantage of you—or worse. And I hate that. I just want to enjoy myself and not have to worry about what a man might do to me.”

I’m silent at that. I’ve never really thought about what clubbing is like from a woman’s perspective, and my frustration only grows. Ella shouldn’t have to deal with that.Womenshouldn’t have to deal with that. And while I can’t relate in the same way, I can understand what it’s like to question everyone’s motives around me, worried about what they want and what they’ll do to get it. I have understood that all too well since I was a boy.

Ella shivers. I reach to the opposite bench, grab my jacket, and hand it to her.

“Here. It’s a cold night.”

“You don’t need it?”

I snort. “I’m a lot more covered than you.”

She blushes and hesitates for a moment before pulling it on. “Thank you.”