Tease Me (Private Listing #4)

I don’t like that we left him alone in the office. But he’s our lawyer so it shouldn’t be an issue. He’s been with us for years. But he’s also known Madison for years. All these problems have me stressed and looking at all the relationships in our lives differently.

I’ll bring it up to the others though. Especially since he’s receiving texts too. Right now, we have no leads on the stalker, so maybe looking through everyone again would be a good idea.

Tim brought the car back to pick me up, and we immediately head to the restaurant. I walk into the dining room. We have a room in the back. The honey trap, as Coop keeps calling it, is a medium-sized, venture-capitalist-funded corporation called Astrum.

The main thing is to behave like this isn’t all a setup because we don’t know how our spy is getting their information. For all we know, it could be a server at this restaurant that informs the spy.

I texted with Sebastian Cross on the car ride over to dig up everything he can on Peter Martin. We need to know our enemy. Where are his weaknesses? Is that how he got involved in this?

I enter the room with a smile and shake hands with Andrew Faust.

“Great to finally meet you.” Andrew shakes my hand vigorously. He glances over to Madison. “Join us. Your team was just telling me all about Morrigan Technology Group.”

Who is this guy? I lift an eyebrow at Blake, who shrugs. I sit in the chair next to Madison and explain how this entire process works to Andrew.

Madison’s knee bounces under the table as Andrew glances her way once again. I rest my hand on her thigh and she stills beneath my touch. Her hand covers mine and I turn mine over to lace our fingers together. I’m not sure what has her nervous.

Lunch winds down and Andrew leans back in his chair, studying Madison. She keeps her gaze on her napkin in her lap. Something’s not right here.

“Do you know our assistant?” I finally ask.

“Sure, Madison and I went to school together.” His grin says they did more than just get an education together.

Madison rises from her chair. “Please excuse me.”

She vanishes into the restaurant. Blake rises and doesn’t give an excuse as he follows. I’m glad he’s going after her. It’s still not safe for her to be alone.

I smile at Andrew and fold my napkin, setting it beside my plate. “The last client that made our assistant uncomfortable we walked away from.”

He shakes his head and looks at Noah, Coop, and me. “I don’t mean any offense. It’s just been a while since I last saw her. She’s always been beautiful.”

“Yes, my fiancée is beautiful. How do you know Patrick?” Coop leans forward intently, which stretches his shirt against his muscles. He practically cracks his knuckles.

Patrick is the one who suggested Andrew.

“My family and his are friends. We’ve gotten drunk at a few cookouts together.” Andrew swallows. “I wasn’t aware Madison would be at this meeting. So seeing her again was startling. I didn’t mean to be offensive.”

This could just be a coincidence. Patrick setting us up with someone who might have slept with Madison. It could be a coincidence… But there are a lot of coincidences lately with Patrick that are starting to add up. I’m going to need Cross to do a deep dive into Patrick too.

Maybe he doesn’t fit the profile for the stalker, but he’s definitely been present a lot more recently. Maybe he’s as much a victim as we are in this. Maybe he didn’t realize Andrew knew Madison. Maybe.

Madison

Fuck my life. I wash my hands in the sink, trying to waste time so I don’t have to return to the table and sit across from Andrew Faust while he smirks at me. We fucked one time after a particularly hard final. I needed to blow off steam, and he was there.

That whole semester he tried to get into my pants. He always was an arrogant prick, and the sex was not worth it.

I’m so glad I’m done fucking random college guys. My guys at least make sure the deed is done right.

Drying my hands, I take in a deep breath. The bathroom door opens and Anna Beck steps inside. She startles slightly when she sees me.

“Madison, what are you doing here?”

“I’m at a business lunch.” I should just leave. Lunch was so awkward with her. I don’t want to end up with another invite.

“Is Patrick here with you?” She closes the distance between us.

My brow furrows. Why would Patrick be here? “No. We’re at a client meeting.”