“Gabe, what are you doing? You’re here with me. I thought you were done with work, already.”

I glanced at the woman that sat next to me, draping herself against my side. Her name was Melinda, and I’d met her a while back.

Fuck, I recognised her voice immediately. She was a woman I had in my black book, not one of my favorites, but I called her first, and she happened to be available. I was regretting it already, but I’d been a little peeved when Jasmine suddenly decided she was leaving work early.

“I’m afraid it’s something important, baby,” I said, giving her a placating grin that soothed her immediately. I almost scoffed, wondering how she couldn’t notice the smile didn’t reach my eyes. “You know I wouldn’t be making calls in a club if it wasn’t imperative.”

She pouted. “Whatever, but hurry up, will you?”

She reached for her glass and took a sip of her colorful drink. I rolled my eyes, my lips flattening, as I looked back at the phone in my hand. I’d called twice already, and I made the call again, putting the phone in my ear.

Just like before, the call rang, but then cut off. I frowned down at my phone, wondering if she was ignoring me in particular, or if she wasn’t near her phone. But I’d left some time in between calls, and still nothing on the third try.

Why the fuck wasn’t she picking up?

“If whoever you’re calling isn’t available, shouldn’t you leave them alone?” Melinda said, setting her drink down and leaning into me again. One of her hands was on my shoulder, and she placed the other against my chest, rubbing in wide circles. “You need to relax, anyway. You’ve been tense since the moment you picked me up. That’s not like you.”

I snorted. I wanted to say that was what happened when your father got pulled under the FBI radar, was barely keeping himself out of prison, the damn Feds were still on your tail, and you suddenly had a job dumped on you that you never wanted but had to do anyway.

“I’ve just had a lot going on at work, lately,” was what I said instead. “Anyway, why don’t you tell me how you’ve been?”

She gave me a sultry smile and leaned closer. She placed her lips on the side of my neck, then slid up to nibble lightly on my ear. “I’d rather hear what you have going on,” she murmured. Her hand snuck inside my coat and slid down over my abs. “Or, better yet, take me home, and we can have some real fun.”

I smiled tightly. It didn’t sound as appealing as I would have hoped, though I’d called Melinda plenty of times before and had no problem taking her home for a quick—or not so quick—fuck plenty of times before. I wouldn’t call myself a relationship kind of guy, but I had no trouble if all I wanted was a little fun. Melinda was a favorite because she knew not to expect too much, and her clingy attitude when we were together usually turned me on.

Right then, though, I was not feeling it, and that was fucking odd.

“How about we stick around and drink some more,” I countered, wrapping an arm around her waist. “It’s still early.”

She bit her bottom lip and looked at me from under her eyelashes. “Are you stalling for something?”

I smiled, and again, it didn’t reach my eyes. “Of course not, baby. I told you already, I’ve had a lot going on at work. I’d like to relax a bit, drink some more…” I let the sentence trail off because I didn’t feel like taking her home that night.

Dammit.

Melinda just giggled and hugged my arm, pressing her breasts against me. “Whatever you say, honey,” she said sweetly.

I had to find some way to ditch her for the night. I cursed to myself. Why did Jasmine have to go off alone for the night, and why did it mean so much to me that I called Melinda to keep me company? Jasmine and I were fucking, plenty and often, but that was all we’d done. Well, there was the time I took her out for coffee, but I wasn’t sure that counted because we ended up at a hotel later.

Ah. It could be the time I took her out for dinner. We ended up in her apartment and had sex on her couch, then moved on to her bedroom. The morning after, before I left, I took her again in her shower. Was that when things changed, and I started taking the thing between us seriously? Or did that happen earlier?

“Should I ask how your dad’s been doing?” Melinda said, still feeling me up with her hand.

I had the urge to pull her roving hand away from me, but I left it alone.

“How about something a little less depressing. How about, what have you been doing?”

Her face lit up with a smile as her other arm squeezed around mine, and she pressed even closer to me. I was a bit surprised at her reaction, but then I remembered I didn’t usually ask about her. We talked about inconsequential shit because we always ended up in bed and then separating not long after.

So why the fuck was I initiating small talk?

“Well, this week—” she started, only to be cut off by the last voice I expected.

“Hey there, Gabe. Fancy seeing you here.”

I widened my eyes as Jasmine stepped up to my table. She was still dressed in her work outfit, though her hair was left in disarray and her cheeks were a little flushed. I assumed it was either the heat, or she had been drinking.

“Jasmine,” I said, surprised.

Of all places, I hadn't expected her to be in the club. If I’d known she’d be there, I would never have had Melinda there. A couple of women stepped up behind her, both eyeing Melinda and me suspiciously, and I assumed they were friends of hers. So she hadn't deliberately followed me to the club, though a part of me had thought, just for a moment, that she had.

“Gabe, who is this?” Melinda asked, eyeing the three women, but specifically Jasmine in the front, with a look of distaste.

“Yeah, Gabe,” Jasmine mocked, smile going sharp. “Why don’t you tell me who she is?” she returned Melinda’s look.

I stood up slowly, trying to buy some time to think of something to say. I hadn't planned on the two women meeting at all. Rather, I never intended for Jasmine to see me with any of my previous women, and now that the situation stood as it did, I was unprepared.

“Jasmine,” I said, attempting to divert their attention. “It’s a surprise to see you here. I was just trying to call you, but you wouldn’t pick up.”

Her eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips, deciding whether to believe me or not. “My phone is in my purse,” she finally said. “Sorry, I didn’t hear it ringing. I was occupied with my friends.” She waved at the two behind her.

“Wait, Gabe, why were you calling her?” Melinda demanded, standing up beside me as she frowned. “You told me the call was for work.”

“Of course it was,” I countered, returning her frown. “This is Jasmine. She’s my secretary.”

Melinda snorted and flipped her hair. “You said it was for something urgent, so why is she out clubbing?”

I opened my mouth to respond, only for Jasmine to speak over me.

“Just your secretary, huh, Gabe?”

When I turned back to her, I almost flinched. Her expression was one of anger and I winced.

“Of course, Jasmine,” I said, tone dropping cold. “You’re my secretary. Or am I wrong? You work for me—under me, even.”

She sneered, clenching her hands into fists, and placing them on her hips. “Yeah, that’s a good description, I think. I do work for you, and I do work for you, don’t I?”

The other three women in on the conversation looked confused, but I didn’t miss the innuendo Jasmine just dropped. It was true, though, she’d been under me a lot at work. I clenched my jaw, unsure what to say so there wouldn’t be some fallout.

Jasmine didn’t seem inclined to wait for me to come up with something. She smiled, and it was wicked, making me feel desire and dread pool in my stomach.

“Melinda, Emma. I told you guys I was seeing someone, right?” she glanced over her shoulder at the two of them as she waved a hand at me. “Well, he’s right there. The man I’ve been fucking for the past few weeks; my boss.”