“I know you are.”
He let that hang out there.
She looked back at him, her manner unapologetic and her eyes wide and seeing . . . everything. “So you’re trying to tell me, in a painfully roundabout way, that you’ve checked me out?”
“Me and every other guy on board. I think the popularity of the six twenty is spiking. Word gets around.”
Now her face flushed, and not in a good way.
“I didn’t say that to embarrass you,” he said hastily. “I’m just amazed you’re up that early.”
She composed herself. “I like to have time to myself. Meditate, swim.”
“That’s a good thing.”
She sharpened her look at him. “Don’t patronize me.”
He said, “Not my intent. Before I catch the train, I do a full workout starting at four a.m. I guess that’s a form of meditation for me. Endorphins, fresh start to the day.”
“You look very fit,” she said, running her gaze over him so slowly and provocatively that he felt like he was naked.
“Army sort of required it. And I’ve kept it up because I like to be able to take care of myself.” Like I did in that alley.
“I wasn’t aware that people on the train could see the pool area. There’re trees back there.”
“Right, but there’s also a gap.”
She gave him an enigmatic look. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”
“Okay.”
“Six twenty? Why do you go in to work so early?” she asked.
“In my world, if you want to make it to the next round, you have to work your ass off and beat the other guys.”
“Sounds like a fast track to a heart attack.”
“Maybe. I guess you know pretty much everybody here?”
“No, not everybody. There are always new faces. Brad knows lots of people.”
“So, when you’re not here, where do you go?”
“I have a little walk-up apartment in SoHo,” she said.
He didn’t ask if Cowl had arranged it for her. He didn’t have to. She hadn’t mentioned having a job, and it didn’t sound like she came from money since she had been staying in a hostel in Italy. And even little walk-ups in New York were not cheap, particularly in SoHo.
“Do you work around there?”
She ignored the query and said, “Maybe I’ll see you sometime. Or you could come by here and go for a swim with me, maybe late at night when Brad’s not here. He stays at his penthouse a lot.”
This one caught him like a left hook. “I’m not sure how my boss would feel about my swimming with you alone at night. No, I am sure how he’d feel about it. He’d fire me.”
“Why? I’m his girlfriend, not his wife.”
“Who knows, you might end up being his wife.”
“Not in the cards. I don’t want that, and neither does he. He’ll trade me in for a younger model at some point.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“I don’t feel anything about it.”
“So what’s in it for you?” he asked.
“Just something . . . different. So, how about that swim? You game?”
Devine was having a hard time keeping up with her. “I imagine a place like this is loaded with help, servants, whatever you want to call them. Lots of wandering eyes to tell on us.”
“Like they would care. Brad treats them like crap.”
“If he’s that kind of a guy, why do you stay with him?”
“You assume I have a choice.”
“Don’t you?”
“Give me your phone number. I can text you my address if coming here makes you nervous.”
For some reason that was not entirely clear to him, Devine told her his number and Montgomery put it in her phone.
“Now I see Brad coming. So I’ll say goodbye.” She added, “I’ll be at my place tomorrow night. I’ll text you the address. Just in case you’re interested.”
She walked off as Devine turned to see Cowl bearing down on him like an Abrams tank.
CHAPTER
33
“DEVINE, RIGHT?” SAID COWL.
He had on jeans, a black shirt open enough to reveal dark, curly chest hair, and loafers. His hair wasn’t slicked back, like he wore it at the office. He was less Gordon Gekko and more tousled-hair man-child, but with something definite and important on his mind.
“I’m Travis Devine.”
“Come with me.”
He headed off and Devine followed. He glanced around and saw Michelle Montgomery staring at them. She raised her Cosmo and added a supportive look.