“Loved it.”
“Good.”
As Jannie started to check out the appetizers, she got an uneasy feeling of being watched. She looked around, and sure enough, the two women from earlier stared from a nearby table. And not just at Nick; one of them was practically undressing Jannie with her eyes, sipping a red cocktail, and running her tongue across her upper lip. Jannie fought back a groan.
“Something wrong?” Nick asked coolly.
She glared at the woman who was ogling her.
He followed her gaze and, to her surprise, chuckled. “Oh, I see. The daring duo.”
“Sluttyduo,” she muttered. “Ugh.” She frowned at her menu, feeling doubly uncomfortable as Nick’s penetrating gaze fixed on her.
“What is it that bothers you, exactly?” he asked after a beat.
“What kind of question is that?”
“You’re a beautiful woman, Jannie. People notice you.”
“Theynoticedyou, too.” She looked at him over the menu. “Don’t tell me you’re into what they suggested?”
He didn’t reply.
Her eyes widened. She caught his little smirk and swallowed. Had he done that? And enjoyed it? Something stirred in the pit of her belly.
Jannie forced herself to view the food options while doing her damnedest to appear unfazed. “That’s your business, I suppose.”
She hoped he would change the subject or, at the very least, go back to his menu.
No such luck.
“Do you consider that dirty?”
She shrugged. “I don’t consider it at all.”
“You, of all people, should know that sex is about more than just procreation.”
Where was he going with this? “And?”
“Most people have no idea how to use their bodies or what level of pleasure they can experience if they let go of their prejudices and inhibitions.” A pause. “Tell me something.” He leaned forward, his eyes dark and unreadable. “What was it about that bus that caught your attention?”
Whoa. He’d noticed her staring at it.
“Bus?” The image reappeared vividly before her eyes. Jannie tried to refocus on her menu but suddenly couldn’t read a thing.
“Yes. The bus that passed us by while we were walking here. What did you think about that ad?”
She licked her lips. “Why do you ask?”
“What did it make you feel?”
There he was, asking about her feelings again. “What does it matter?”
A corner of his mouth tipped up. “Because I may have had something to do with it.”
She gaped at him. It took a few seconds before she found her voice. “You. Had something to do with that … the ad.”
He nodded, then studied her intently for a few moments before finally saying, “I staged and photographed it.”
