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Madyson looked at me expectantly, but I had no idea what she was waiting for. She rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me I’m going to have to beg both Boy Wonder and Mr. Grumpy to help my gallery. The things a gal’s gotta do to hustle in this town.”
I liked Madyson’s sense of humor and her need to antagonize Cole. I had no doubt she’d pretended to proposition me to annoy Cole. Being in a social situation with Cole made it harder to keep our rules intact. It was exhausting trying to maintain a social face, and I wanted to sink into Cole for comfort. But that wasn’t how our relationship worked, even if he had his moments of weird possessiveness.
My heart stuttered to a complete stop. Cole had taken his wedding ring off. My mind tried to filter through all the possible reasons why he’d remove it. But the Cole effect had placed a trip wire in my brain, so thinking straight became impossible. I had to squash the possibility of hope for something more.
“Knock it off, Madyson,” Cole said and then added, “you know I won’t sell my paintings for money.”
I intended to ask Cole about his paintings, but Madyson huffed and turned her calculating gaze back to me. “I own an art gallery called The Artistic Edge. What are the chances you can fit it into your schedule to do a system overhaul like you did for Unframed Art?” Her eyes flicked to Cole. “It’s a real question. No hidden agenda.”
My first thought was that Cole had put her up to asking me, but the scowl on his face said otherwise. “I don’t—”
“You probably can’t afford him,” Cole said. “He’d have to check his schedule before answering you.”
Madyson and everyone at the table volleyed their eyes between Cole and me.
“Cole is my secretary and part-time bodyguard,” I deadpanned. “If he behaves and does his job well, I’m considering promoting him to VP of all my shit.”
“Well, cheers to that.” Madyson lifted her glass; everyone joined suit and downed their drinks. “Next round is on me.” She shooed people to exit the booth. When everyone started shouting drink orders at her, she held up her hand for silence. “I’ve got this. I have a gift, and I’ll make you all a bet. If I can buy you a drink you love, then you have to sing when they start karaoke. If you don’t like it, I’ll sing a song for every drink you don’t like. Deal?” She sauntered up to the bar before waiting for an answer.
“Don’t bet against her,” Alec warned us, “it’s mind-reading level shit.”
No one seemed worried, and although karaoke might kill me, I figured chances were low that I’d like the drink. Madyson was back in record time with a tray and served our drinks with a flourish. Cole sipped his and gave her a nod of approval. Everyone else praised her, and she left to get the tablet to sign up for karaoke.
I eyed my drink as if it might be poison.
“Did you decide not to drink tonight?” Cole’s warm, concerned voice spoke directly into my ear, causing goosebumps on the back of my neck. “I’ll tell her to fuck off.”
My skin flushed hot knowing Cole wanted to ensure my comfort and would take the pressure off me. Sara was the only person in my life to care about my well-being. I copied Cole’s go-to move and cracked my neck to release the tension. “No, I’ll try it.”
I didn’t want to admit that the prospect of karaoke had me halfway out the door.
To my utter horror, the drink was amazing. “What is this?” I asked as Madyson slid into the booth.
“Peanut butter whiskey. Amazing, right?” She reached into her purse. “Try it with this.” She launched a chocolate bar at me. “Better than sex.”
“Clearly, you’re doing sex wrong. Have you tried women? Men were a game changer for me,” I said, and Cole choked on his drink while the entire table broke out in uproarious laughter.
Cole squeezed my thigh under the table, and I joined in the laughter, pretending I’d been joking. I couldn’t imagine Madyson’s desire for a third person in her relationship. I’d never want someone between Cole and me, but I wouldn’t judge her. She probably didn’t crave spankings.
After a couple drinks, I wandered down to the restroom hoping to miss my song. Madyson also picked our songs, which increased my dread. I’d never sung out loud other than the happy birthday song. Cole leaned against the wall, holding my drink when I exited the bathroom.
“I wanted to try your drink.” He held it up.
I motioned for him to take a sip, confused. He pushed off the wall and stalked over until our bodies touched. My mouth opened in a silent O.
Cole’s feral expression held me in place as he brought the glass to my lips and I sipped. His mouth sealed over mine and ravished while stealing the drink. Tasting Cole and the whiskey might become my newest obsession. He had me addicted to so many things. His groan hardened my dick instantly, and I forgot we were in a public hallway as I ground my hips against him. He tried to back me into the bathroom.
“What are you doing?” I breathed into his mouth.
“Getting you where I can get you naked.” He growled.
“Not in there.” My voice rose an octave, and anxiety crashed my brain. Cole stepped back in surprise. “Germs. I can’t, it’s not...” I could not find the words to describe the level of horror I felt about engaging in a sex act in a public bathroom.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do.” He gripped the back of my neck and pressed his forehead to mine. When I’d gotten my anxiety under control, he tried opening all the doors in the hallway. “In here.”
Cole turned the flashlight app on his phone on and shut us in a small storage room. He set the phone and the drink on a stack of boxes, taking my face in both his hands.
“You okay?” Cole’s green eyes were luminescent in the dim light. “You’ve been tense all night.”