Page 59 of Antagonist

I head over to the restroom and pick a cubicle. Memories of witnessing Harrison’s freakout in the restroom on the auction night make me smile. Harrison is still a puzzle to me, but the way he’s been looking at me all night? He wants me as much as I want him.

“Can’t believe how much he’s been sucking up to my uncle. He’s so far up the old man’s ass, I don’t know where one ends and the other begins.” Laughter follows the man’s words.

“It’s all about the promotion, man. I told you, you need to get close to your uncle outside the office.”

The two voices keep talking shit about someone while they pee.

“He’s been here two fucking months, and he’s already being named in meetings. Fuck that.”

The man’s reference to the particular timeline catches my attention.

The other man laughs. “Don’t worry, he won’t last another two months.”

“What have you got in mind?”

The door to the restroom opens, putting an end to the conversation. I get out of the cubicle and wash my hands before searching for Harrison. Maybe they’re talking about someone else, but my gut tells me otherwise.

I find Harrison engrossed in a conversation with two guys and a woman, so I head over to the bar.

“What’s the frown for?” Levi asks. “I know it’s one hundred percent not my drinks.”

“Can you do me a favor? I overheard some guys talk about someone who’s new to the company. Can you keep your ear to the ground to see if you can catch anything?”

Levi’s face loses its playfulness. “Sure. What are you worried about?”

“That they’re talking about Harrison and might do something. I heard them, but I don’t know what they look like.”

“I’ll keep an ear out. Now, how about another special cocktail?”

I smile. “Make it virgin.”

Levi winks, and the skin on the back of my neck heats. Okay, so I’m hoping to get lucky tonight. Sue me.

I make eye contact with Harrison before I approach the group. He keeps his eyes on me without breaking conversation. When he smiles, my stomach tightens a little.

He takes the drink, and I whisper in his ear. “It’s a virgin…unlike me.”

“We don’t want to keep you from your date, Harrison,” the woman says. “Thank you for the insight. I hadn’t thought of approaching the case from that angle.”

“You’re welcome. Let me know how it goes,” Harrison says.

As soon as they leave, Harrison downs the rest of the drink and gives his empty glass to a passing server. Then he puts his hand around my waist, pulling me close. “You’re…I don’t even know what you are,” he says. His gaze burns as he looks into my eyes.

I feel that bulge I was eyeing earlier against mine. It feels so damned good.

Someone clears their throat behind me. Harrison looks up and smiles.

“Harrison, nice to see you. And I see you brought a date too.”

The voice. There’s no mistaking it. This is one of the guys from the restroom.

Harrison tightens his grip on me. “Bradley. Nice to see you. Good work with the Glenson case. Checking the secretary’s phone records was a stroke of genius.”

The guy, Bradley, looks smug as fuck. “Yes, indeed. I like to think it’s just another day at work. Bring on the next one, am I right?”

“Absolutely,” Harrison says, and I know him well enough by now to see through his politeness and fake smiles. “Rumor has it there’s a big insurance fraud case coming our way. The billable hours alone would make a nice down payment on one of those big houses by the lake.”

“Oh really? I mean, I know that. My uncle told me about it yesterday.”