I set the glass down on the table.
“You’re here at this club, and you seem to have this influence.” Bob was scared of him. The second James mentioned his name, he backed down. I remembered what Megan said about his family. That reaction from Bob was a hundred percent to do with hearing James’ name.
He smiles, revealing dimples. “That’s two questions.”
“You never said there was a limit.”
“I did not. Which one do want the answer to first?”
“You’re here. You come here often.” I say that more as an observation than a question.
“I do come here often.”
I won’t deny that I feel a little bit jealous imagining him with women here and what he must get up to.
“And you’re VIP?”
“I think you’ll find that the name Marchesi will garner VIP attention in a lot of places. I guess that lends to your next question. I have influence because of that.” His smile brightens up a little, but he must see my reaction as my mind races again drawing on the conversation I had with Megan about his family. “Don’t worry. I’m not a mobster. We just practice law.”
“You… um… teach though.”
“Preferred it.”
“I was surprised to see you here.”
He chuckles. “I’m a complicated being. My definition of balance differs from others. I guess I work as hard as I play, and this is how I like to play. On the dark side.”
I can only imagine what he means by that. “Dark side?”
“Yes. For me, it’s living within the bubble of the edge, nearly falling over and pulling back just in time so you don’t fall.”
I don’t know why, but I imagine some adrenaline junkie when he says that. Like doing something dangerous and hoping for the best.
“Is it dangerous?”
“No, it’s wild. I reckon you must have a dark side if you’re here.”
The blood drains from my cheeks. “No, I don’t.” I correct him.
“No?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Really?”
I laugh. “Trust me, I don’t.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Why do you think I do?” I’m very curious to know why he’d think that. Nobody has ever said that about me before.
“Because you kissed me.”
A flush of warmth climbs down my neck and travels all the way down to my core, pulling on my groin.
He’s right. If kissing him in a bar where there was a chance we could have been seen wasn’t dancing on the edge of darkness, I don’t know what is.
“So, I know if you came here with me, you’d show me that side of you,” he adds.