Page 44 of Sexy

I stand up at the sound of Fletcher’s voice and bump into his back, that’s how close he’s hovering.

“Fletcher,” I whisper. “Keep your voice down. This is my new friend, Walker. Walker, this is—”

“Nice to see you again, brother.”

“Brother?” And that’s when I see the beaded silver chain around Walker’s neck and the other half of what is probably the grandfather’s dog tags.

“Fuck you,” Fletcher spits out. “We stopped being brothers nine years ago. Come on, Tiffy, we’re done here.”

“Is this your disappointing date, Tiff?” Walker says, standing up and staring straight at Fletcher. “The one you walked out on?”

“Um, I’m not sure what’s happening,” I say. But Fletcher has a grip on my hand and he’s already pulling me through the bar towards the door. Everyone is looking at us, and the heat of embarrassment creeps up my neck and flushes my face.

I look down at my feet as I’m tugged back out into the parking lot. The limo is gone, I’m sure not expecting us to leave so soon. And the parking lot is packed, so I doubt it found somewhere close by to wait. Fletcher pulls me along the asphalt, not saying a word until we reach the edge of the golf course and he walks me into the woods. We follow a dirt trail until the sound of people and traffic recede, and then he lets go of my hand and grabs his hair with both fists.

“What the fuck were you doing with him?”

“What? You sent me in there to flirt with a guy. How the hell was I supposed to know he was your brother?”

“I sent you in there to flirt with Jim. The guy at the bar. You blew him off and made a beeline for my fucking brother!”

“I didn’t know he was your brother! What is your problem? And why did you have someone in there? Did you set me up?”

“Tiffy,” he says, taking a firm grip on my upper arms and shaking me a little. “What kind of man do you think I am? I would never send you into a bar to pick up a stranger. Jim is the guy who works with me. He’s there to play a role and watch over you. I would never put a girl in danger like that. It’s all controlled. It’s all set up. It’s all—”

“Fake,” I seethe. “Everything about you is fake, Fletcher. Not one thing is real, is it?” He just stares at me, that tongue of his doing a dance against his top teeth.

“Well?”

He shakes his head at me and pulls out his phone. “Roger, we need to be picked up. South entrance, near the putting green.” And then he ends the call and starts walking the way we came in.

“Fletcher?” I call out.

“Follow me, Tiffy. Now.”

“No,” I shout. “No! I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what the hell is going on. Is this matchmaking thing fake too? Do you plant men for these girls to reel in, so you can pull it off? Are their relationships fake? Did you sell each girl to the biggest bidder? What kind of men do they marry? Foreigners looking for a green card? You’re some kind of sex slaver! So when will they find that out? After they give them their hearts? After those few get married? Will the guy get pissed off one night and tell her their whole life is fake?”

Fletcher turns back to me slowly, his face nothing but anger. “Don’t pretend like you know me. And don’t,” he seethes, “accuse me of fraud.”

“Then why was that guy there to meet me?”

“I told you,” he says in a lowered voice. “To keep you safe.”

“So I was supposed to flirt with him. And then what, Fletcher? Was I supposed to win or lose that game?”

He just stares me down.

“Lose, I take it. So you could be the good guy and come to my rescue. Make me feel better about my failure? God, you’re sick.”

“You don’t even want that guy. So what do you care? If it was Cole, it would be real.”

“How do you know? You’re just a conman, Fletcher. You trick people. You lie and you cheat. I’m done with this, OK? I’m going back to San Francisco the first flight I can get. And just fuck you, OK? I’ll send someone to replace me and they can decide what happens.”

I start walking back the way we came, and he reaches out for my arm as I pass him.

“Don’t,” I say, yanking my arm away. “Don’t even touch me. You’re everything I thought you were that first night at the show. Everything and more. You’re the most pathetic mess of a man I’ve ever met, Fletcher. You’re nothing but a pretty face with a dark soul.”

Chapter Fifteen