Chapter 14

Fourteen

Rook

T he next night, I watched from the tree line as Regan stepped out into the night. The light from the sconces on the house made her flicker in the shadows. She had dressed up tonight with her dark hair pinned up, and the red dress she wore clinging to her perfectly. It would be hard to miss her, impossible even, and it would make it so much easier to find her when she got to the dinner.

The black BMW she seemed to always use pulled up, its sleek surface reflecting the moonlight. I couldn't tell from here if she had a driver or if it was her dad behind the wheel, but it didn't matter. Cameron would be with her at some point tonight.

I had found out Cameron would attend a dinner party at his country club tonight, and Regan would be there with him. From what I could gather, she was nothing more than an accessory at his parties. Most people knew nothing about her besides she liked art, and her dad was smart enough to let everyone leave it at that.

I still couldn't believe I hadn't known about her. I spent more time watching Cameron and his business than her, and he seemed to keep her locked away from what I could gather. When she did attend these things, she was invisible to others.

Not anymore, though. Now that I knew her, it would be impossible for her to be invisible. Even if she wanted to be.

I had stuck a tracker on the car even though I wasn't worried about losing them tonight. It would at least help me keep tabs on her whenever she left the house. Following her car from a distance had become a routine this week, although she barely went out. It seemed like, aside from these parties, she really didn't have much involvement in his business. I still wasn't sure how much she actually knew about her dad and his dealings, but she did like to stay hidden.

It barely took ten minutes to get to the country club's main building. I stayed back, making sure she wouldn't hear the bike rev behind them. Regan got out, moving gracefully as she walked up the large steps. Her laughter echoed in the night air as she talked on the phone before quickly slipping it into her bag.

Her face dropped for a second before an elegant smile plastered across it.

I followed her movements through the large windows in the building's foyer. A guy around my age stopped her, taking a long look to admire her dress and body, before leaning in with a smile. I rolled my eyes, still watching as he flirted and touched her until she finally broke apart from him and disappeared into the dining hall.

My pulse quickened, the thrill of hunting her down again surging through my veins. I made my way to a side entrance, slipping inside unnoticed. I'd been here a few times to meet with people and knew the layout enough to know where I could and couldn't go to stay hidden. The staff here were used to serving the elite and didn't have time to pay attention to me as I stalked through the side halls down to one of the smaller rooms I knew well.

The room sat empty when I slipped in, the soft glow of a single light casting long shadows across it. Shelves of old books lined one wall, and a heavy oak desk sat in the corner, but the main attraction was the wooden pool table filling the middle of the room. I could hear the faint murmurs of the dinner in the distance, the clinking of glasses and muted conversations.

I pulled out my phone as I leaned back on the pool table.

Rook

Come to the back office. The last door on the right.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, but I watched the three little dots pop up.

Regan

Why?

Rook

Would you rather I come there?

Regan

No.

Rook

You have one minute.

Unless, of course, you need more time to flirt.

Regan

I wasn't flirting?

Rook

Liar.

Regan walked in less than five minutes later, her eyes widening as she spotted me setting up the pool table.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. The surprise in her tone should be expected, but I didn't love the way my heart rate picked up at the curiosity in her voice.

"Want to play?" I asked, holding out a cue for her.

She snatched it, her eyebrow arching. "Yes, because I know for a fact I can beat you."

"Wow, someone is cocky tonight. Is it the dress?"

"What about the dress?"

My lips curved into a smile, looking her over. "I'm pretty sure it was made to make men crawl after you. I'm surprised you don't have a little line of them begging to see what's underneath," I said, lining up my first shot. As the balls scattered across the table, I kept my eyes on her, noting every detail. "So who all is here tonight?" I asked, my voice calm as I lined up another shot. "Besides the guy you were flirting with."

She glanced at me, her eyebrow arching up again. She had every right to be skeptical, and I almost liked it more. "The usual crowd. Business associates of my father's, some old friends. And again, I wasn't flirting. Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious who my competition is," I said, sinking another ball. "Your dad seems like a busy man. Must be important to keep up appearances."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, but stepped up for her turn. "He is. Always working, always shaking hands and closing new deals. What about you? You're always busy, so what are you doing here tonight?"

I leaned over her back as she hit another ball, my voice dropping to a low murmur. "Maybe I wanted to see you."

"You expect me to believe that?" she asked with a small laugh. "You're lying."

I wanted to laugh and play it off, but I was starting to think it wasn't completely a lie.

"Okay, fine. You caught me. I wanted to know more about your father's business. Heard he's got a lot going on."

Her eyes flew to mine, and I could see the moment her guard was back up. "And why would you care about that?" she snapped.

I shrugged, trying to calm her down again. "Call it professional curiosity. After all, knowing the right people can be very…beneficial. I like information. Maybe he has it."

"He doesn't. Not for you, at least."

Her shoulders stayed squared, and I knew she wasn't going to back down again easily. "What about you? Do you know all his secrets?"

She didn't look at me, her hard gaze staying on the table as I took my turn.

"No."

"Hmm. Interesting. Why don't you?"

"Would I tell you if I did?"

"True."

She stepped up for her turn, hitting the next ball with a perfect shot. Then she did it again, and again. Finally, she sunk the last ball and won.

"I want to say you hustled me, but you were honest about kicking my ass. I think I'll blame the dress."

"Do you always underestimate women in dresses?" she asked, her eyebrows jumping up.

"No," I said, laughing now. "I don't usually, but then again, I don't know if I've ever seen a woman look so delicious in a dress."

Her nose scrunched. "What are you? A cannibal? You are always saying how delicious I look, like you would eat me."

I groaned, biting down on the inside of my cheek hard. "You literally set these up for me, Rebel." I mindlessly hit a ball, watching it roll effortlessly into the hole. "Of course I would fucking eat you," I said, leaning down until my lips brushed her neck. "And I already know you are, in fact, delicious. "

Her cheeks flamed, and my heart flipped that this was only the start of it happening. "I don't need anyone…doing that."

"No? What about the guy out there who can't keep his hands off you? I think he's starving."

"He wants to take me out on a date. Is there a problem?"

"Not at all. Interesting, you're fine with him all over you, because what do you have this for then?" I asked, pulling out the fun little toy I had found in her nightstand when I searched her bedroom earlier. "Was this something you needed because of Elliot, or something you keep for all your really good dates?"

I held up the vibrator, nearly waving it in her face. Her mouth dropped open, the red on her cheeks burning brighter now. It wasn't too big, easy enough I could fit it in my back pocket, and I had been surprised to find it there.

She reached out, trying to grab it from my hands, but I pulled back, laughing now.

"What the hell? You went into my room and stole it?" she shrieked. "Give it back!"

"Yes, I did," I said, grinning harder.

"You can't break into my room, and you can't steal my things."

"I can and I did."

"But why?" Her eyes were wide and her chest heaved. She looked so mad, but she didn't seem to know what to do with all the anger. I grabbed her waist, setting her up on the table and standing in front of her.

"I went in looking for something. Imagine my surprise when I found this instead. A little smaller than me, but it really helps the ego."

"You are insane."

"Because of this?" I asked, running it up her thigh now and taking the dress with it. "On the list of insane things I do, this seems like it would barely make the cut."

"Rook," she warned, but stayed planted in place. "Give it back."

"Damn, trying to get off before the date? I really don't blame you. I'm sure these guys, along with Elliot, are a little more selfish than a girl would hope for."

"And you wouldn't be?" she asked, the smirk on her face having an edge to it. "You think the girls you sleep with aren't running home to finish the job with this? Please tell me your ego isn't that big."

I moved it between her legs until her thighs fell open.

"Again, you set these up so perfectly. My ego is big, but I have something else that's bigger."

I thought she would be angrier, but she only smiled, smacking my arm and then snatching it out of my hand. "I don't care how big it is. If you don't know what you are doing, I have no use for it."

"Hey, give it back," I said, nearly laughing. "Finders keepers and all that." I reached for it again, but she shoved it hard into her bag. "I wasn't done with it."

"You definitely were. Now I have to throw it out. Who knows what you did with it?"

"When is your date with that guy, so I know when to deliver a new one? Or should I come over after?" I slid her dress higher, showing off one perfect thigh, and continued on until I saw red lace. "Planning on someone seeing these tonight?"

Her mouth fell open. "It's not any of your business."

I grinned. "It is now."

Male voices carried down the hallway. This wasn't how I wanted my reintroduction with her dad to go, and I had no way to know who was heading this way. Not that it wouldn't be fun to have him see his daughter lifting her dress up for me, but it wasn't nearly enough, and I needed him to not know about me for a little longer.

"Saved just in time," I said, lifting her down.

"In time for what?"

"Just in time, before I laid you back and spread you out on the table as a snack."

"Oh," she said, and I smiled harder. It really didn't sound like she would be against the idea.

"Maybe a rain check?" I asked, heading towards the door to our left. It led to a small hallway, which would lead me to another door right to my bike.

"You're leaving?"

"Unfortunately."

"And you still aren't going to tell me anything about yourself?" she asked.

"Unfortunately. I'm sure you'll see me around soon."

"See you around stalking me?"

"Exactly. Have a good night, Rebel. Text me when you go on the date. I'll make sure you aren't left unsatisfied for the night."

I ducked out just as the doors opened. I could hear male voices talking to her and she responded, but the door muffled everything, and I cursed it. I had come to learn more about Regan, but more importantly, I needed to learn about Cameron. I basically failed at both.

Smiling to myself, I swung onto my bike.

All I learned is that Regan likes toys.

Which, I guess in the grand scheme of this entire revenge plan, wasn't bad information to know.