“Antony, this is Cherry,” Nate says.
“Good to meet you.” Antony reaches out to shake my hand. “Or rather, officially meet you.”
I stare at them both, not sure what to think of any of this. I didn’t really know what to expect, but Antony’s walking up with a court order wasn’t it.
“Do you work here?” I blurt out.
“Well, sometimes.” Antony grins.
“Antony is the family attorney,” Nate says. “He’s going to see what we can do to get those records unsealed for you.”
“You are?” I can’t hide the shock in my voice.
“I’ve got a degree on the office wall and everything,” he replies with a smirk.
“Oh! I’m sorry! I just thought…”
“Thought what?”
“Well…” I have no idea how to say what’s on my mind. “I thought you worked at that club,” I finally say, “like, as a bouncer or something.”
“I got the look, don’t I?” Antony grins and flexes his biceps. “I got my law degree on a boxing scholarship. Punched my professor until he gave me an A.”
My eyes go wide.
“He’s fucking with you,” Nate says softly, his lips up against my ear. “Don’t believe half of what he says, especially if he says anything about me.”
“That’s hardly fair,” Antony grumbles. “I might not have punched a professor, but I have taken on the bouncer role on occasion.”
“He pitches in where it’s needed.” Nate glances over to Antony, shaking his head slowly. He turns back to Denise. “Now, let’s see what we can figure out, shall we?”
“I’ll help her locate the right files,” Antony says. “Do you want to wait out here?”
“Yeah,” Nate says. “We’ll hang out on the benches.”
We sit, and Nate looks over at me with concern.
“What happened to you?” he asks, his fingers lightly touching my chin.
“I had a fight with my kitchen counter this morning,” I say. “I lost.”
“Does it hurt?”
“No, I’m fine, really. Didn’t even realize it had left a mark. My coffee mug broke, though. I’m pissed about that.”
“I’m sorry about your mug”—Nate grins and touches my chin again—“and your mug.”
“Very funny!” I roll my eyes at him, but I can’t stop my mouth from turning up at the bad joke.
He leans in, places his lips lightly on my chin, and then backs away again.
“Better now?”
“Almost.”
He looks into my eyes, then moves forward again, his mouth covering mine. I feel his hand move up my arm, and he pulls me closer. I’m very much aware of our touching thighs as his tongue slips between my lips, and he kisses me much harder than I anticipate. It feels hungry and desperate, or maybe that’s how I’m feeling.
He turns, breaking this kiss off momentarily before coming at me again from a different angle. My eyes open briefly, and in my peripheral vision, I see one of the office workers staring at us, and I quickly push Nate away, blushing.