Page 35 of Lie with Me
“Same on this end. Nothing popped up through the channels.”
Slade exhales. “It was a long shot, but I’m not giving up just yet.”
“I didn’t say I was, either.”
“Good.” He takes a swig of the brown liquid. “And now that you are extending your stay in the big apple, I expect to see you tomorrow night,” he stipulates.
“Giving me orders now? Have you been promoted?”
“I don’t need to be promoted to tell you what to do. Your ass will be there.”
“Spade, I don’t know. I only have—”
“Save it, Carmichael.” He cuts me off. “You can come willingly or by force. Either way, you and your hot little piece of ass are going.”
“You’re really not giving me much of a choice, huh?”
“Do I ever?”
“No.” I laugh.Jerkoff.
“See, things are so much easier my way.” His dark eyes sharpen.
I shoot him a pessimistic look. “Jury is still out on that, brother.”
Slade drains the contents of his glass and then hints for another.
“Help yourself.” I motion to the bar.
Slade does just that, filling his textured, crystal rocks glasswith a hefty pour.
He then falls back onto the couch and smiles faintly over the rim of the glass. “I look forward to meeting your ray of sunshine formally.”
Formally?I look at him unexpectedly enlightened.
“What?” he asks. “I don’t think I like that look.”
“Formally?”I repeat scratching my chin, contemplating. Seriously, deviously, contemplating. “I think you’re going to more than look forward to it. I think you’re going to love it.”
I SMOOTH THE SILK OFthe formal black dress in the mirror. It was waiting for me when I got to CJ’s this afternoon. Along with a pair of rhinestone stilettos and diamond drop earrings. Another ensemble courtesy of Jett. The man has some seriously good taste. It’s as if this dress was fitted specifically for me. It hugs every curve perfectly with a plunging neckline encrusted with crystals and a provocative slit up one side. I don’t know where we’re going, but dressed like this, I honestly don’t care. I feel like a princess, and I’m going to take advantage of every step in my five-inch designer heels.
“Whoa.” CJ stops dead in his tracks when he walks into the bedroom.
“You like?” I do a little spin, showing off the whole package. I pinned one side of my hair up to show off the earrings and applied some smoky purple eye shadow to accent my eyes.
“I . . .” He’s left speechless as he slides his hands around my waist. “I really fucking like.” He kisses my neck, causing goose bumps to erupt all over my skin.
“Good.” I smile as his lips tickle me.
“I can’t wait to show you off.”
“Show me off where exactly?” I probe.
CJ wags a finger at me. “You’ll find out soon enough. Now, let’s go before that dress ends up in a crinkled ball on the floor.” He grabs his tuxedo jacket off the bed and slips it on. I’ve seenCJ dressed formally before, and I can tell you it never gets old. A man in a well-tailored suit is like an aphrodisiac.
He’s right, we had better go, or my clothes aren’t going to be the only ones crinkled up in a ball.
Still in the dark about where we’re heading, I try to weasel out any information I can in the car. CJ doesn’t budge. He’s like a brick wall. I guess I didn’t have a prayer trying to crack an ex-special ops soldier. He’s no doubt trained in anti-interrogation tactics. As we drive, I notice we are heading straight into the heart of the Meatpacking district. This only makes my curiosity grow. Dressed like this, I was expecting to end up on the Upper East Side.
