Tease Me (Private Listing #4)

“Guys like him always screw up. They show their hand in little ways. He may have already screwed up and we just haven’t caught it yet.” He turns and holds me with those determined green eyes. “We will get through this.”

I press my lips together. I want to say, But what if he doesn’t? What if something happens, and whatever his end goal is, he achieves it before any of us realizes he’s already ahead of us?

With one last screw, the register comes off. I’m wearing an old set of plastic gloves I found underneath the sink, from when I dyed some of my hair pink during spring break. After the mouse incident, I’m glad to have protection.

The register is still above my head so I tentatively put my hand in and feel around. My heart pounds when I find something smooth. As I grip it, it feels like a phone and I hope it is. I need a win.

I lift it out and stare down at the black phone with a majorly cracked screen.

“Blake.” My voice shakes.

He comes up and takes it out of my hand. I rip off the gloves, and using his shoulder for support, step off the chair. My eyes never leave the phone.

“It’s not charged. It might require a passcode.” He inspects it and then releases a breath. “As much as I want to do this ourselves, I told Bill I’d let him know if we found anything. If we fuck this up, we could destroy the one piece of evidence they have.”

I swallow. “You’re right.”

The police can handle this part. Them coming and looking for a phone that may or may not exist wouldn’t happen, but they should be able to take this and find the evidence for us.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his chest. He kisses the top of my head. “See? He already screwed up.”

I hope Blake’s right.

Blake holds my hand as we approach the bar. It took me twenty extra minutes to get ready since my first outfit, a short black dress, was vetoed. Followed by another veto of skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder shirt. Finally, Seth pulled an outfit that suited going out with the girls without showing off too much of the goods.

A soft-as-sin white sweater with black jeans and a pair of calf-high boots. I left my hair down and it falls in soft waves around my shoulders. I squeeze Blake’s hand when we get to the door.

I’m so excited.

Girlfriends! At a bar on a Saturday night. This is what I wanted from my new life.

The guys are a bonus that I wouldn’t trade for the world, but right now, I’m on such a high. Blake follows me through the doors. Music plays beneath the din of voices. The fairy lights over the bar are on, and there’s a soft glow to everything here that was missing last weekend when Hope’s brother, Jason, was passed out.

“Madison!” Hope calls from the bar. Her dark hair hangs in a single braid down her back. She’s wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

Sara turns next to her. She has her red hair pulled to one side. Her blouse is white and her black leather pencil skirt is to die for.

They both smile as I approach, and Hope hugs me. “Thank you so much for last weekend.”

I hug her back, inhaling her vanilla perfume. “I’m glad your brother’s okay.”

We separate and I turn to Sara.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” I say.

Sara tugs me into a hug. For a second, I’m startled and breathe in her citrus-scented perfume. I didn’t know we were this close already. But I return the hug.

“Are you feeling better?” she says in my ear.

Heat fills my cheeks as I remember what the guys told her on Thursday at dinner to explain why we had to leave our double date suddenly.

“Much better. Thank you.” I smile, and her green eyes crinkle with her own.

Blake touches my back. I spin to him and kind of want to hug him too. It’s a total mood. Instead, I smile.

He leans in close. “I’ll be over there.”

He brushes my hair behind my ear before gesturing with his head to a less crowded spot down the bar.