As Kelly shamelessly shrugs, Trish leads the conversation.
“So.” Trish picks up her water goblet and takes a sip. “Who’s this, El?”
For a split second, Ella beams at me. It sets my heart racing. Then her expression settles into something more neutral. Good. “This is Zander, one of the men from the private firm I hired.”
This is the story we’ve settled on for when Ella makes these appearances—that she’s hired a new security firm. No one else needs to know the details, and no one ever will. The Firm prides itself on confidentiality. “It’s nice to meet you ladies,” I say to greet them.
Trish shares a look with Kelly, who raises her eyebrows. It’s over in the blink of an eye, and I sit back in my seat and stay quiet. It’s not long before the three women are talking around me.
This is exactly what I want.
I’m here to observe Ella for signs that she needs to leave, whether it’s with her signal or otherwise, and that is all.
Watching her with her friends is a stark difference from the silent woman in the courtroom almost a month ago. She is different with Kam, more laid back and less high energy than she is now with her friends. She is dynamically beautiful, transparently confident, and yet, when no one is looking … I know she has her moments. We all do.
The conversation is easy and light, as are the meals the women eat. The brunch consists of dainty pastries, a variety of fresh fruits and berries, eggs benedict and sides of bacon, sausage and ham.
Although the women are slim, the platters disappear quickly and I half wonder where they put it away. Ella herself doesn’t hesitate to take her share and when the women push it on me to eat, I do so for politeness only.
A half an hour passes without the women concerning themselves with me at all.
Kelly tells Ella about a book she read—apparently she likes fantasy, and she likes it steamy—and only once does she cut a glance at me. “Sorry, Zander,” she says, and Ella laughs.
I offer a smirk, again telling myself it’s to be polite, although I will admit, I’m fond of the way they treat Ella. Trish whispers, “I bet Z would like it,” “there’s totally sex in it.” Kelly laughs as Trish asks Ella, “What do you think?"
“If I had time to read, maybe I could offer an opinion.”
“Oh?” Now Trish is looking at me, and I don’t mind it, not exactly. I prefer my focus to remain on Ella, though. “Is this one keeping you busy?”
Heat blazes along the back of my neck and my right hand flexes. It’s one of the signals, commanding Ella to behave.
I see an echo of that woman from the videos on the porn site. Not the woman on her social platforms who shared her day-in, day-out life with her followers, but the vixen at night. Her kinky, her less sweet, and much more provocative side.
Ella’s gaze falls to my hand, and I rest a loose fist on the table.
“I saw the comments, but that’s not what this is.”
“Oh,” Kelly says and pouts, but Trish doesn’t seem to accept it, judging by the way her gaze dances between us.
“I am here only to do my job. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
Ella’s reaction is tense at first. I imagine she’s wondering now whether she’s been behaving or not. The slight flush on her beautiful cheeks gives it away. It takes her quite a few minutes to relax her shoulders and settle into the rhythm again as the women order cappuccinos and lattes. It doesn’t go unnoticed that they’re quick to turn down the mimosas the waiter offers.
Time ticks by even after the dishes are removed. I don’t care if we sit here until the restaurant closes, if that’s what Ella wants to do.
Kelly has a constant stream of things to talk about, and Trish chimes in, the two of them a perfect team of entertainment and ease. Ella joins in from time to time. Occasionally her fingers tap her throat and she quickly sips her ice water to squelch whatever pain has come. This may be the first time she’s spoken for so long and so loudly. She generally keeps her voice low with me, but it’s not at all here. She doesn’t say as much as her friends, but it still doesn’t seem like they’re overpowering her. It’s like the three of them are a unit. They know when to give and take.
I like that for her. I didn’t expect to feel so relieved when her friends turned out to be good people. There’s a sense of jealousy there too—that these women know Ella in a way I might never understand. They knew her before and she has yet to share that with me.
I’m watching Ella’s face so intently that I miss the change in the conversation.
“—like James used to do.”
Her gaze drops down to the tea bag that sits on the edge of a small porcelain saucer, the smile still in place on her face. “Mm-hmm,” she answers.
Trish is still speaking, but I lose the rest entirely. It doesn’t matter. Ella runs her fingers through the napkin in her lap and raises her head to continue with the conversation.
I abandon all thoughts of anything other than signs of distress, staying relaxed. I’m not going to give her friends any indication there’s a problem—especially if there isn’t one yet.