Chapter 40 #2
“An asshole,” Rome grumbles, and I have to bite my lip so I don’t laugh. I wonder where he’s watching from, though I’ve successfully managed not to scan the room for him.
“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Demi says, and Rome laughs. Their back-and-forth bickering would be fun, if not for the fact that I’m supposed to be sad and miserable, and I kind of want to laugh as they yabber on.
Thankfully, I don’t have to wait much longer for Levi to make a move. Demi informs me he’s headed my way, and when he sits next to me, he gives me the ugliest, fakest, widest grin.
“It is you,” he says, sounding awed. I look over at him and hope your face is pleasantly surprised.
“Oh my god, hi! I thought it might be you. Levi, right?” I ask, and he nods.
“I’m surprised you remember my name.” I give him a coy smile.
“As I could forget it,” I say, fluttering my lashes.
“What are you doing here? Pretty girl like you shouldn’t look so sad,” he says, and I fight the urge to grimace. He thinks he has the same allure as Rome, but it’s so obvious he’s just gross.
Instead, I give him a soft smile that I hope conveys the sadness of a woman who was just dumped. “Oh, I’m fine. I’m just going through a breakup,” I say with a sniffle. He seems to buy my act, grinning at me.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Josie, it’s that men don’t really need much encouragement to buy whatever you’re selling them: they’re very stupid, very simple creatures, and if you find the scummy, asshole ones, like Levi, they only really see what they want to.
And right now, Levi wants to see a sad woman who is an easy target.
“You were dating Roman, right?” he asks, giving me a look I think is meant to be soft and empathetic, but comes off smarmy and calculating. God, how does he actually get women to date him?
I give him a solemn nod instead of grimacing. “Yeah, but we just got into a big fight, and we broke up.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, sweetheart,” he says, reaching over for my hand. Rome lets out a low grown in my earpiece.
“Cool it, lover boy. She’s on the job,” Demi says.
I don’t respond. Instead, let him take my hand in his and give it a reassuring squeeze.
“You know, it’s his loss.”
“I don’t know. It feels like mine. He’s so... popular, you know?” I feel silly, but this man is so oblivious and drowning in his envy and jealousy. He can’t see through me or my ruse, only seeing the shiny opportunity to get under Rome’s skin.
“He’s not that big of a deal. You want a real racer, there’s one right here.” I bite my lip, my eyes going wide.
“Oh?” He nods.
“A real man would never let a gorgeous woman like you go.” He looks around. “Can I buy you a drink? Or are you waiting for someone?”
“I’m supposed to meet a friend here, but she hasn’t shown up.
I was just about to check up on her, but my phone is dead.
” My heart starts to pound at the sight of a new opportunity.
“Could I use yours to text her, tell her it’s no big deal, and we’ll meet up another time?
Then I’d be all yours for a drink or… two. ”
“Absolutely, I love helping a damsel in distress.” And just like that, he hands me his phone.
Quickly, trying to ignore my shaking hands, I turn on Airdrop, grant Demi access, and then text her. I hold my breath, trying to steady my hands as I hand the phone back over.
“Thanks so much. You’re a real knight in shining armor. It’s nice having someone be so kind after… everything that’s happened.
“I’m in,” Demi says into my ear, and my pulse pounds.
“Get out of there as soon as you can, Lana,” Rome says, but then Levi speaks, and I know in my gut I need to stay, to see if I can get more.
“I’m sure you’re feeling so hurt, aren’t you? I mean, I saw that terrible crash. He should be taking care of you, waiting on you hand and foot. Instead, he just breaks up with you? Who does that?” I ignore the grumbling from Rome in my earpiece and lift a shoulder halfheartedly.
“I guess his career was just more important than mine.” Levi squeezes my hand.
“You’ve gotta be a little mad.”
“I guess, but what is there to do about it? I’m just a girl, and he’s this big… superstar.” Levi looks around the room as if checking to see if anyone is listening before he leans in a bit closer, too close for my comfort, but his next words make it so I don’t care at all.
“I know a way you could get back at him,” he murmurs low.
“You do?” I ask, trying to seem tentatively eager, even though my pulse is pounding for a completely different reason. That gut feeling kicks in, the one that comes when I know we’re about to get somewhere with a case, about to solve it.
“Yeah. We could start by, say, going out together, rubbing it in his face a little.” I make my eyes widen a bit. “He would go absolutely ballistic, I’m sure. He has a thing about people playing with his discarded toys.”
“But then he might do something to get himself into trouble.”
“Exactly. Isn’t that the least he deserves? Plus, it would be his own actions getting him into trouble, not us.”
“I mean… I guess you’re right. But why would you do that?” That’s when the charm leaves Levi’s face, and the smile that follows chills me to the bone.
“You’d be doing me a favor, too.”
“I would?”