I'd forgotten about overhearing his conversation. That seems like ages ago. "I don't live with him."
Theo nearly chokes. "Is that so?"
"My parents are devout Catholics. It's one thing to have premarital sex. No one has to know that, no one can see it. But if you move in together, everyone assumes you're screwing the person."
He chuckles. "This is true. So you're Catholic?" He leans in so close I can feel his breath. "Because if you are, you're going to need a serious confession about the things you did at my place." He clenches his eyes closed as a devious grin spreads across his face. "Because you are so fucking sexy." He flashes his eyes open. "I can't get it out of my head."
My pulse speeds up, my mouth dries, and my stomach starts to swirl. "I mean, yes, technically I'm Catholic. But I don't practice. I can't tell you the last time I went to mass or confession."
He smirks. "Like I said, you need a confessional at this point. You've been oh so naughty." He licks his lips. "Anyway, I am getting distracted. We're about to have to get off here. I hate the bástardos."
I can't help but laugh. "Is that his new name? No more of the fuck face one? Did you see what I did there? I didn't say the Greek word because I'm not even practicing." Never mind I can barely pronounce it, and I'm not supposed to be saying his dirty words.
He gives me a little laugh. "Good girl. I don't know. I think both names are appropriate. I'll use them interchangeably. Who knows? Tomorrow I may have a completely new one for him. One thing is for sure, I don't have any plans to ever call him by his given name."
I do a slow nod. "Charlie may treat me poorly, but there's no way he'd ever give my parents a clue about that. He's not as stupid as you think he is. When my father told him that he better do right by me, that there would be no living together until we were married, Charlie agreed. So that's why he lets me have my own place."
Something about that really tickles Theo. He throws his head back, laughing, and it's infectious. "I bet the fucker thinks he's doing right by you because you have your own place. That's some funny shit." He lets out a large sigh. "I'm so glad you don't live with him."
"He has a key. He comes whenever he feels like it." I laugh. "There's double meaning to that."
"TMI, babe. TMI."
"I don't think I realized how much contempt I have for him until we started talking about it."
"Don't you have a girlfriend that you talk to about him?" he asks, completely serious.
"I have friends, but we don't talk much. He makes sure I'm always busy. He gives me so many accounts, I can barely keep up with them all. Then, he complains I work too much while he's off playing. And when I'm off, he expects me to be with him."
"So, do you meet with clients often? For a long time? Have I fucked things up for you tonight by making you come to dinner with me?"
My eyes widen. "We go together usually. But I can come up with something."
"Tell him the truth, Jules, so you don't have to lie. Tell him the client came in at the last minute, caught you off guard, and made you an offer you couldn't refuse."
His eyes are dazzling through his glasses. He looks so smart, so sexy, yet so guy next door. "That is the truth, isn't it?"
"It is."
The train stops. Theo stands and puts his hand out, but quickly retracts it. "Sorry. Gonna take some time to get used to this no touching in public rule."
I nod. We walk off. It's funny how much safer I felt at his place. When we got on the subway, I don't remember even looking around. But here, being so close to our office, there's this pit in my stomach that has me glancing around, searching the faces of every passerby, and wondering if Charlie has somehow figured out where I am. For the city being so large, I've already run into him once tonight.
"Should we walk separately or together?" I ask Theo as we climb the stairs that take us to the street. "What if he sees me? I don't want him to see us together. We're so close to the office."
"If that makes you feel better, you walk in front of me then."
I nod. "Yeah. I think it does. Thank you."
Tucking my head down, I look around out of the corner of my eyes. I don't see him or his car, but that doesn't mean anything. Our office faces the street. He could be up there watching me from above for all I know. If I didn't have my purse in Theo's car, I'd just walk back to the parking garage. That's when an idea hits me. "Theo?"
"Yeah."
"What if I walk back to the office and you leave my purse somewhere?"
"Abso-fucking-lutely not."
"And why not?"
"Just walk to the car and quit talking. Otherwise, we might as well walk side by side."
He has a point. We probably look stupid, like we're both talking to ourselves. Rounding the corner, I walk into the alley where we left Theo's car. He comes around and unlocks the door for me. "Do you need some help fastening that seat belt, or do you think you can handle it?"
I give him my best go to hell look. "Smartass."
"I was completely serious. I'm dying for an excuse to touch you." He leans his head down, his arm resting on the door. "To be able to skim my fingers over your legs, lightly trailing them up-"
"Stop. Get in the car." My heart is racing, maybe even faster than his little muscle car goes on the tracks. That makes me wonder where he races. I'd love to see him in action.
He smirks as he shuts my door. I unlock his before fastening the five-point harness.
He climbs in, buckles his own seat belt, and cranks the car. "I don't think I should take you back to the parking garage." He pulls his phone out, presses a few things, and mine starts to ring.
I jump. "Is that you?"
"Yes."
Grabbing it out of my purse, I swipe to answer, then look at him. "Hello, Mr. T."
He laughs before hanging up. "Delete the call log. And add me into your contacts as MG not Mr. T."
"Okay." I do as he says. When I'm done, I see I've missed a bunch of calls. When I say a bunch, I mean about ten. There are also text messages, and it doesn't take but a second to figure out who they're from.
"What's wrong?"
"He's tried to call me and text me. How am I going to explain not having my phone?" My blood starts to pound in my ears. "Shit, Theo. What if he traced it? What if he's watching?"
"Most trackers don't give an exact location. It's like a general area. We're close enough to the office that you could probably get away with saying you forgot your phone or your purse."
"I'm supposed to lie about that." I gulp. "What if he went in my office and saw I didn't?"
"If he says he went to your office, tell him you were in the bathroom or that you were at the gym." Theo exhales. "Have you ever tried to look for someone before? I mean, half the time, you're exactly one hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction of the person you're searching for. Just remember that."
"So, you're saying if he was looking for me, I need to play it as if he wasn't looking in the right places at the wrong times."
He nods. "Exactly. And maybe just say it like that, and then it won't be a lie." He smirks. "I'm definitely not going to drop you off by your car now. I'm going to let you off maybe a block away from the building, and I'm going to drive slow, but you're going to walk fast because you're freezing your ass off anyway."
I laugh. "Yeah."
"Go through the building like you did earlier. I'll go through the parking garage to make sure you get in safely, but I'm not going to park anywhere obvious. You can't even look at my car when I come in there."
"Okay."
"Shit."
"What?" I'm so jumpy. I punch his thigh. "You have to stop doing that before I have a heart attack."
"There was no point in you deleting the call log." He puts the car in gear and pulls out of the parking space. "Because I'm going to call you. I can't let you go in there alone. It's the only way I'll know what you're up to when I'm not with you." He glances over. "The only way I'll know you're safe."
"What if he asks to see my phone?"
He shrugs. "You tell the son of a bitch to go fuck himself." He wiggles his eyebrows. "Like you did me."
"I don't think that'd go over quite so well with him." My shoulders are tense. My body feels like I've run a marathon. I pull my compact out, spread some lip gloss over my lips, and shove both of those items back in my purse.
"Ask him why he doesn't trust you."
It's crazy how much I want to stay with Theo, pretend none of this is happening, and just run away to some place safe. But I can't. It doesn't change the fact I'm terrified to get out of his car, to go back to Charlie. In fact, never have I ever been so afraid. Maybe that's because I didn't know what he was capable of, that he would try to hurt me like this. Then again, maybe I didn't know him at all.
My phone rings again. My eyes widen because I know it's not Theo. He glances over at me, the lines of his forehead crumpled together. "Don't answer that."