“Any luck finding work elsewhere?”
She sighed. “I know you want me to quit.”
“I think it’s the right thing to do.”
“And if for whatever reason the cops start asking questions, what then?” Lindsey asked. “It’s not hard to put two and two together. He’s gone, and I quit for a job that pays less. I’ll leave when I can find something that wouldn’t raise suspicion. Until then, I won’t put you or the club at risk.”
He didn’t have a good enough argument as to why she shouldn’t. Her reasons were valid, but he didn’t like it.
“No cops have come sniffing around, have they?”
“No, but I don’t know. I just don’t feel comfortable quitting yet.”
“Fine, fine.”
He’d stopped visiting the women from the files he and Diaz had found after going back to Richard’s home. Talk about a double life. Plastic surgeon and do-gooder by day, rapist and abuser by night. They couldn’t know for sure if Richard had stalked his victims with the intent of raping and blackmailing them, but the evidence he and Diaz saw painted a pretty clear picture.
****
Lindsey smoothed out the skirt of her dress as Pie came to a stop outside of a restaurant. There was valet parking, and a man opened the door for her.
“This is really posh,” she said.
“I’ll come for her,” Pie said. “Only the very best for you.”
He climbed out of the car and rounded the vehicle. She watched him hand the man the keys, and then he was there, helping her out. Neither of them looked back as they made their way into the restaurant.
Her hands felt a little clammy as they made their way toward the maître d’, who then seated them.
Once again, Pie took the lead, helping her into her chair before pushing it beneath the table.
Smiling up at both men, she waited as Pie accepted the menu, and they were alone.
“This is all a lot,” she said, smiling.
“I wanted tonight to be special.”
“You’ve certainly made it something.” She bit her lip, trying not to giggle as she glanced across the menu. There were no prices for her. “You’re not going to let me pay?”
“This is a date for the both of us. I’m not going to let you do anything other than enjoy yourself.” He reached over the table, taking her hand. “That’s a promise.”
She ordered herself some steak and potatoes which had a lot of fancy butters on, and she wasn’t sure if she’d like it, but she’d give it a try.
Waiting for Pie to finish his order, she sat back and sipped at her water.
Relax.
With Pie everything had always felt natural to her.
“Nothing has changed,” he said.
“You, me, this.” She stared down at her glass, the red cocktail dress catching her eye before she looked back up at him. “But a lot has changed.”
“How?”
“We’ve been with each other for some time, Pie. This is all a little new. I don’t know what you were expecting or anything, but right now, I’m not really sure what to do. This isn’t us.”
He reached over the table, taking her hand. “I knew we could go to any bar, and anywhere, and it would be just us, Lindsey. This isn’t about it being us. I’m showing you right now, that it’s only you. It will only ever be you for me.”
She licked her lips, loving his words even though they terrified her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“That you’ve never been here before? That you’re considering it? I’ll take anything right now.”
The waiter brought them their food, and she smiled.
Pie just showed her exactly how nervous he was.
She found it really cute.
“I kind of like this special treatment.”
“I’ve never taken a woman to a restaurant before, nor dressed up like a penguin.”
“You look very cute though. Dashing. Especially as I know that beneath all that is a very hard and tatted man.”
He quirked an eyebrow, and she chuckled.
“You thought about it?” he asked.
She sighed. “How can I put it a way you’ll understand?” She cut into her steak, seeing the pinkish inside that looked so good. “Yes, I’ve thought about it a lot. A whole hell of a lot. I didn’t want to because you’re one of my best friends, but yes.”
“And that time in the shower.”
“The shower?”
“Yeah, when I was watching Liam and you had vomit and shit all over you. I told you to take a shower.”
“You heard?”
“So you were making yourself come?”
Against her will, her cheeks heated up.
She answered him with a nod of the head as she really couldn’t voice her thoughts right at that second.
“I knew it.”
“You didn’t have to go screaming about it.”
“Ha, I love it. I love the fact that you were doing that. I wanted to open that door and watch you. I’ve thought about it a lot.”
“You have.” She tilted her head to the side. “You touched yourself while you’ve done that?”