Page 16 of Edging Sanity

“So? You probably have. I said she’s a lawyer, a big time one. You might’ve seen her here before. Or at the bar or something.”

“Fine,” Rowan sighed. That was plausible. She could always ask the woman too. Besides, it wasn’t a big deal if she had seen her before. It was probably something in passing. That happened to people all the time. “Give her my number, I guess.”

Bronwin smiled victoriously. “Great! Tonight?” she asked, already typing into her phone.

“How do you know she’ll be free tonight? It’s pretty last minute.”

Bronwin was suddenly too focused on her phone, finding the message she’d been typing out entirely too interesting.

“Oh my god,” Rowan huffed. “You planned it already! Aren’t you the one always teaching about boundaries?”

Her half-hearted outrage was waved easily away. “Seven at Arcana,” Bronwin informed her.

“You are the worst therapist.” Rowan rolled her eyes. She checked her phone to find a text from an unknown number already there introducing themself.

“I’m not your therapist, Rowan. Besides, I’m just being a good friend,” Bronwin joked, finally looking back up at her with a cheeky smile.

Good friend to whom?

Rowan shook her head, trying not to be annoyed with this unplanned foray with a stranger. It wasn’t the worst thing to happen to her lately, though. And maybe a bit of separation from Delilah would be a good thing. She could have a break, some space, figure out how the hell Delilah was getting her information with a clear head on Saturday. Taking the night off wouldn’t be the worst thing.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

Riley, as it turned out, was very down to provide Rowan with exactly the distraction Bronwin had not so subtly hinted at. She sent a selfie a few hours before they were supposed to meet under the guise of being able to find her in the crowd, but Rowan saw it for what it was: a damn thirst trap.

Her dirty blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun, which showcased her smooth, olive skin. The guileless brown eyes that gazed out from Bronwin’s picture were gone, replaced with a wicked look and sharp eyeliner that made her look less than innocent. Pair that with the deep cut of her dress, pursed red lips, and her leaning forward position that was essentially all tits, and Rowan knew exactly where she intended the night to go.

The new image floating through Rowan’s mind was almost enough to put Delilah’s memory in the back seat as she got ready for their date. Almost.

Thoughts of what Delilah would think of her outfit filtered through unbidden. How Delilah would react to knowing she’d gone out with someone else. Was it cheating? Rowan didn’t think so, but she had a feeling Delilah might. A sick satisfaction twisted through her. She wouldn’t tell Delilah about her date—of course she wouldn’t—but the thought of Delilah finding out anyway was unnervingly appealing.

Rowan shook her head and finished buttoning her forest green button up. She forced her focus onto Riley instead, on the picture she’d seen. There had been a few flirty messages exchanged too. Rowan hadn’t realized how pent up she was, but the direction her thoughts had been taking all afternoon was making it painfully obvious.

It only took fifteen minutes for Rowan to walk to the bar, the sun not yet low enough in the sky that the streetlights had come on. The warm summer breeze was a touch too humid for the black slacks she’d chosen to wear. She left early, taking her time to walk slowly through the busy streets and letting her mind drift, pushing Delilah from her thoughts as she examined the mediocre architecture of the city around her.

When she finally meandered into the poorly lit bar—the interior of which had always made her think of a speakeasy—it took her less than a minute to spot Riley at the counter. Her deep red dress stood out against the monochrome outfits surrounding her. She shifted toward the entrance, the movement revealing a long slit in the dress going tauntingly high up her thigh. A smile curved her blood red lips when she locked eyes with Rowan and raised her hand to beckon her over.

“You look stunning,” Rowan said in greeting, not letting her gaze linger on the cut drawing attention to Riley’s cleavage. She kept her once over respectful and brief.

“Thank you,” Riley purred, her voice deeper than Rowan had imagined, more sensual. Riley ran a hand up Rowan’s arm, lightly squeezing her bicep. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

Heat blossomed over Rowan’s cheeks at the compliment, and she cleared her throat, nodding to the bartender behind them.

“What’re you having tonight?” she asked, keeping her voice low and bringing her mouth close to Riley’s ear while she flagged down the bartender.

Riley smirked. “I’ll have a Screaming Orgasm,” she said, biting her lip. Fuck. Could they skip the small talk? Rowan didn’t need anymore toying around. They both clearly wanted this.

Rowan licked her lips, holding Riley’s gaze for just long enough, the tension crackling between them. It was broken only by the bartender asking for their orders. She relayed Riley’s request along with her own order of a simple whiskey, neat. Then she carried both drinks for them while Riley led the way to a low table in a dark corner of the bar. The spot was as private as it could be, away from the live piano player and the more outgoing crowd enjoying their music.

Setting the glasses quickly on the table, Rowan pulled Riley’s chair out for her. “So polite,” Riley hummed with a smirk that did things to Rowan.

Riley scooted her chair close enough to Rowan that their legs brushed under the table, and Rowan wondered if putting her hand on Riley’s thigh was too forward. This was technically a date, after all, not a hook up. But damn, she’d been a bit more wound up than usual and this woman was not making it easy on her.

“So, tell me about yourself. Eliza mentioned you’re a bit of a workaholic? Glad you were able to make time for me,” Rowan joked, recalling Bronwin’s incredibly sparse details.

“I’m glad too.” Riley looked her up and down before sighing and rolling her eyes. “But she’s not wrong. I’m a defense attorney with some fairly high profile clients—they always keep me busy.”