The Lover's Game(24)

“Such a shame he’s found a date,” I said, not meaning a word of it. I took a step forward, ready to leave the dating area behind, when Thalia’s hand on my elbow stopped me.

“Look again,” she said, pleased.

I turned back to regard him, just in time to see the woman stomp off. As she passed us, I noticed that her face was a mask of anger. Obviously, whatever he had said hadn’t pleased her.

Nor me.

Shit.

Now I was out of excuses.

“Oh, come on.” I remained glued to the spot, unsure of what to do, when a hand shoved me forward.

“What are you waiting for? Go talk to him before someone else spies him,” Gina hissed in my ear.

She made it sound as if he was the last man on Earth, as if women were ready to fight over him. I wanted to point out that he was a human being, not a fish or an object to grab and pin to the wall. The thought of him being the last fish made me giggle. My nerves were making me irrational again, or maybe it was a physical reaction to stress and anxiety or the alcohol talking and letting me imagine all kinds of things in my mind. Whatever it was, my giggle turned into hysterical laughter, and before I could stop myself, I had taken a few more nervous gulps of my drink.

“I don’t even know what to say,” I said. “I’m not really experienced in approaching guys.”

Actually, I was putting it lightly. Talk about having zero experience.

Swallowing down the rest of my drink, I composed myself. This was such a bad idea. But so had been drinking Gina’s cocktail because, while I knew I was standing, I could barely feel my feet. Whatever had been in that cute little glass had sent the room spinning and my pulse racing. It didn’t send a rush of adrenaline through me, but it sure made me feel happy.

Gina rolled her eyes. “Just say, ‘Hi. You look great. Want to hook up with me?’ It really doesn’t matter what you say. If he digs you, he’ll be all over you anyway. Time to be slutty, bitch.”

There was no way I would say any such thing, even if I risked being single for the rest of my life.

Shaking her head, Thalia turned to me and put her arm around my shoulders. “Don’t listen to her. Just be yourself, Jenna. If it works, that’s great. If it doesn’t, you’ve lost nothing, and he’s probably not the right one anyway. Remember, it’s just for a few hours. Give it a try. You never know.”

I took a deep breath. “All right.” I handed Thalia my empty glass and stumbled forward, uncertain of whether I could fool my friends by hiding behind one of the curtains and then pretending the whole thing had been a major flop. As I spun around to find a flight route, I spied them in the distance, watching me like hawks, their hands waving at me, gesturing me to move ahead.

I decided I’d talk to the guy, who was probably boring and full of himself anyway. And it’d probably be over in no time. I laughed. Okay, so how hard could it be?





With my heart pounding in my chest and my throat parched, I neared the man. How could they be so sure he was the right one for me? Did Gina have night goggles, or what? I was barely able to see his face, let alone the rest of him. What if he was a creep? I wondered what he had said to the woman that had caused her to storm off in a huff. Even worse than what he might have said, he might have just stared off into empty space, as though he was crazy.

Or maybe he was a killer with disturbing things on his mind.

I laughed inwardly at the dark direction my thoughts were taking.

Of course, a killer would hardly lurk in a bar with lots of people, would he? Unless he was a predator who didn’t mind crowds—the kind I had seen in horror movies with lots of special effects and a creepy atmosphere—just like the HUSH HUSH bare. Even though this was real life, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it didn’t differ too much from the movies. The bar was engulfed in darkness, and so was he, fitting right in.

Even from a distance, I could feel Thalia’s and Gina’s stares burning a hole in my back, eager for me to get moving.

“This one?” I mouthed and pointed at the man in my last attempt to sway their mind.

Please say no. Please say no.

Pointing toward the booth, I gestured again. But it was too late. The hairs on the nape of my neck prickled as something shifted behind me.

“Has no one ever told you not to trust a friend’s choice over your own?” The voice was dark and smooth—the kind of voice that could hypnotize and send one into a trance.

Oh, come on!

Did he hear me talking out loud? Had he been watching us? My brain already fighting to come up with a lame excuse, I spun around slowly. I lifted my eyes to meet his gaze, ready to apologize, but my heart lurched at the sight of him, and I stumbled a step backward.