The Design(59)

Grayson’s blue gaze focused on me. “Interesting. What about you, Cammie? Do you feel awkward with me here?”

I was going to slowly and torturously murder him later. Like kill him using finger nail clippers so that it took one hundred hours. He deserved it. Also, sorry for the imagery, that’s disgusting.

I shrugged. “I’ve been to worse happy hours.”

The group laughed good-naturedly and I thought for a second that the situation might work out… and then Stuart decided to ruin the moment. He turned toward me and stepped closer so that we were cut off from the rest of the group.

Oh no he didn’t.

“So tell me about yourself, Cammie,” he said with a gentle smile.

Was I supposed to list off my horoscope or something?

“Oh, um, well,” I kept on mumbling as I tried to peer around him and catch Grayson’s eye.

Stuart moved with me and blocked my path, obviously aware of what I was doing.

“Have you always lived in LA?” he asked, filling in the silence for me.

I sighed and took a sip of my drink. If he wanted to talk, I’d talk to him. It wouldn’t hurt to be nice. I answered Stuart with bland details as he asked me question after question. All the while, I also tried to hear what Jason was talking about with Grayson.

“Are you seeing anyone right now?” Jason asked.

ACCOUNTANT, PLEASE BE QUIET SO I CAN HEAR GRAYSON’S REPLY.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve just been—” I heard the first part of Grayson’s answer before Stuart’s voice cut in.

“I’ve just always had a knack for numbers,” Stuart said. “Ever since I was a kid. I remember doing the 'million dollar' project in school and using it to buy a fictional laundromat. I was the only one to spend the money on a business that would make money in return!”

Oh my god, so he's not just a boring adult, he's been boring since he was a kid.

I leaned closer to where Jason and Grayson were chatting, trying to hear their conversation.

“Did you hear about the match-up for Sunday’s game?” Grayson asked.

No. Noooooooo. I’d missed his answer. C’mon!

“That’s so great, Stuart,” Brooklyn said, cutting in before I made a complete fool of myself. “Cammie always had a knack for drawing. When she was little she’d carry around a sketchpad with her everywhere,” Brooklyn said, basically carrying the conversation for me.

“How neat. I always wish that I could draw, but I never learned how,” Stuart said, trying to catch my gaze. "Even my stick figures are terrible!"

I couldn’t stand it any longer. I didn’t want to talk to Stuart and who knew when I’d get another chance to be in a bar with Grayson. I excused myself for a bathroom break then sought out the first bartender I could find.

“Can I do the thing where I send a drink to a guy and you give him a napkin that has a sexy message on it?”

The bartender scanned me once, feet to chest.

“I’ll do whatever you want me to do,” he said, taking a step closer.

I held up my hand. “Jeez, alright. My eyes are up here.”

He chuckled and pulled out a pad of paper. “Who do you want me to send a drink to?”

I pointed Grayson out for him and he nodded.

“And what drink?”

Oh damn, I’d forgotten to check what Grayson was drinking. Did it matter?

“Is there some kind of sexy drink you usually send?”

His laughed. “None that a guy would drink.”

I groaned. “Whatever, just give him a drink with this note. I don’t care what it is.” I took a pen out of my purse and jotted down the sexiest thing I could think of. Three simple words that hinted at so much more.

Come find me.





Chapter Twenty





I stood in a dark hallway of the bar waiting for Grayson. Black and gold filigreed paper masked the walls. Ornate gold light fixtures hung from the ceiling and five doors dotted the hallway, each leading into small private bathrooms. I blocked the last door at the end of the hallway. People trailed in and out of the other rooms, seemingly unconcerned with my presence. I watched two girls stumble out from behind a closed door, giggling and supporting one another as best as possible. One of them fell against the wall, her blonde hair spilling down around her face as her friend tried to keep her from slipping down onto the black marbled floor.

I was watching them when Grayson turned the corner and came into view at the end of the dark hallway. Dark sleek hair. Sharp, defined jaw. Straight nose, strong brows, and a predatory look aimed right at me.

I wiped my sweaty palms on the front of my skirt and then slid them up, crossing and uncrossing them for lack of a better pose. The lounge’s seductive music seemed to pick up, the beat of a kick drum matching each of Grayson’s steps as he approached me.