Page 45 of Strictly Against Policy

“But I see you more as a friend,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” She cleared her throat. “You don’t need to apologize. Being honest with me is so much better. I appreciate it, Jonathan.”

“I wouldn’t have minded taking you home,” I said as we waited on the curbside for her rideshare to pull up.

“No,” Michelle said quickly. “It’s alright. It makes everything less awkward.”

Silence fell between the two of us until I spoke up again. “I hope you had a good time, at least.”

“I did,” she smiled. A gray sedan pulled up. She checked her phone screen and the license plate of the car. She turned to look at me one last time. “Looks like this is my ride. Thank you for everything.”

“Of course,” I said. “Thank you for your company tonight.”

We bid each other one last goodbye before she stepped into the car. I watched the vehicle leave the parking lot before stepping back into the restaurant. With the quick talk with the hostess, I walked in and toward the bar.

Lina’s naked, defined back continued to glow with gold dust as she sat there under the dim lights. For a moment, the vision of sweat beading and dripping down the hollow of her arched back and muscles darted across my mind . . . until the world came to a slow stop for the second time that night.

She looked over her shoulder and directly at me. Then, she smiled—one that made her eyes gleam and her cheeks tinge pink—a genuine smile that made her look softer, gentler, and more human than ever.

And my fucking heart thrashed so hard against my chest it seemed to shake the walls of this entire restaurant. Each brutal pump hammered harder than the previous one, and all Lina Lee did was smile wider.

It was as if she knew she had me in the palm of her hand.

CHAPTER 21

Jonathan

I didn’t breathe.

I couldn’t until I realized she was laughing with the bartender. Upon seeing me, her smile morphed sheepishly. “H-hi, Jonathan,” she murmured.

“Hey, Lina,” I said.

“Where’s your date?” she asked, looking over her shoulder again to scan the restaurant.

I blinked slowly. “She left.”

Lina’s lips parted, about to say something when a man’s voice interrupted her.

“Hi, beautiful. Can I buy you a drink?” a stranger asked, walking up to her on the other side.

I saw the way Lina’s face crumpled in annoyance before she turned to look at him. Her body was tense, but the man who called out to her didn’t seem to care. He was all cocky grins, making sure to flash that thick, fancy watch slapped around his wrist by waving his hands around. He looked like a dumb animal, gawking and standing closer than necessary. I readied myself to step between the two of them if needed.

Irritation bubbled under my skin when he ignored my presence and continued to run his mouth, eyes only on her. The stranger clicked his tongue, like he was trying to calm the anxiety of a feral animal to get it to come to him. He asked, “You sure are a pretty little thing, aren’t you?”

The softness in Lina vanished with a tilt of her chin. She sharpened the corners of her lips and eyes. She stilled herself before striking.

“As you can see,” she said, placing a hand on my chest and brushing her fingers across my pecs down to my navel in a slow, suggestive slither. “I already have a tall drink of water right here.”

I almost shuddered beneath her touch. She looked over her shoulder at me, urging me to play my part. I placed my hand on her lower back, where it was all glitter and burning skin.

“I think she’s good, man,” I stated.

The man’s face grew red. “S-sorry about that,” he mumbled. “I didn’t realize you were with someone.”

Lina turned to lean into me, ignoring the man as he quickly walked back to wherever he had come from. Her lips were mere inches from my ear, and her warmth reached me with no effort at all. A mist of sweat dampened over my skin from her heat.

“Sorry about that,” she whispered and pulled away. “He’s been watching me all night from his table.”