Exploited
Page 20

I needed it.
This would be different from going home with Madison because I would be going into it with my eyes open. With my feet firmly on the right side.
There wouldn’t be mistakes.
There wouldn’t be hurt feelings.
I’d make sure things with Hannah were entirely on the up and up.
And just maybe we could both find something we were looking for.
“Wish me luck, Tig,” I said to the traitorous animal currently making a bed in the middle of my pillow. He didn’t bother to look at me.
—
“Here with a minute to spare. I’m impressed,” Hannah commented, opening her front door. I handed her the bouquet of flowers that I had picked up over lunch and had left in my car.
They were a little on the wilted side and one of the roses had lost its head. I felt like groaning. I really was a shitty date.
I smiled anyway. “I think I broke a few traffic laws to get here on time.”
“Tsk, tsk, Agent Kohler. Shouldn’t you know better?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Sorry about the flowers. They were much prettier when I picked them up earlier.” I let out a noisy breath. “I’m not really doing a lot to win brownie points with you, am I?”
Hannah beckoned for me to follow her inside. “I can’t remember the last time someone gave me flowers. So battered or not, I love them,” she said with obvious sincerity. “Come on in. Let me find a vase quickly and then we can leave.”
I followed her down a narrow hallway into an open-plan living room. I looked around, taking in everything quickly. You could read a lot about a person by the things they surrounded themselves with.
But Hannah’s weren’t saying a whole lot about her. My eyes flitted around, taking in the lack of personal touches. There were no photographs. Nondescript artwork hung on the walls. Bland throw pillows. No rugs or anything to give the room color.
It felt like a hotel room, not a house. Without character.
I glanced at the woman I was taking out and tried to connect her to this space with such a lack of personality.
She was dressed rather conservatively in a knee-length black skirt and a pale pink top that didn’t dip too low. Just low enough. Her dark brown hair was held back in a clip and she wore very little makeup, if any. A silver chain hung around her neck, with a small locket resting in the hollow of her throat.
She was attractive. There was no doubt about that. But far from my normal type. Not someone I would have noticed if she hadn’t dropped her bag in front of me yesterday morning.
In the past I had tended to find myself drawn to the conventionally beautiful. The big-breasted, curvy-hipped women who gave me exactly what I was looking for. No strings, easy sex. Madison had broken that mold with her demands and expectations, and that hadn’t gone well at all.
Hannah seemed different. She was unassuming. Low-key. I hoped my initial impression wasn’t wrong.
Another failed hookup might send me into hiding.
“You seem a little flustered. Rough day at the office?” she asked as she pulled a glass vase from the cabinet above the sink and filled it with water. There was a clear view of the kitchen from the living room. Nowhere to hide.
“Aren’t they all?” I replied, running my hand along the back of the beige couch.
There was a TV in the corner. Small. Not even a flat screen. There were a few DVDs piled beside it and I found myself wandering over to have a closer look. I was conditioned to be nosy.
Nothing too telling. Batman Returns. Jurassic Park. And a random rom-com starring Ryan Gosling that I had never seen.
“See anything you like?” she asked, and I quickly put down the movie I was holding.
“Interesting collection of flicks you have here. So are you an action buff or a die-hard romantic?” Nothing too probing. I moved toward her and she circled away from me, carrying the vase of flowers to the coffee table.
“Maybe a little of both. People can be lots of different things, don’t you think?” She continued to inch away. I continued to follow. Like a dance.
“Absolutely. I’ve learned in my life that we are never just one thing,” I countered. Hannah nodded, liking my answer. She carefully placed the vase in the exact center of the table.
“So tell me about your day. You are definitely frazzled,” Hannah coaxed.
Here we go….
The inevitable poking and prodding.
“What makes you think I’m frazzled?” I asked, curious. She didn’t know me. I made a habit of hiding how I was feeling.
Hannah indicated my foot, tapping an irregular beat against her carpet. I hadn’t realized I was being so obvious. It wasn’t like me. The day had gotten to me more than I had thought.
I immediately ceased the repetitive action, running my sweaty palms along the front of my thighs, drying them.
“Maybe I’m just nervous about you,” I suggested with a sly wink. I tried to get myself back in a place I felt in control.
Hannah raised her eyebrows, nonplussed. “You really can’t say a word about your job, can you?”
I shrugged. “Well, I can tell you that I had a chicken panini for lunch and my partner, Perry, wears really bad aftershave that stinks up the whole room.”
She moved the flowers around, putting the roses up front. The room was thick with quiet. I could hear a clock ticking somewhere but couldn’t see one on the wall.
I continued to look around the small space, noting a very expensive laptop on the kitchen table. Definitely not personal grade. She had mentioned that she also sat in front of computers all day. Maybe she was some sort of techie.
“What’s so bad about his aftershave?” she asked, drawing my attention back to her. I was glad she didn’t seem too concerned about my lack of disclosure.
“He smells like a frat guy trying to get laid. It’s horrible.” I watched her. She watched me. We were both trying to be subtle about the watching. And failing miserably. “Someone left a different bottle of cologne on his desk a couple of weeks ago, but he hasn’t taken the hint. He just thought he had a secret admirer.”
Hannah giggled. It was an appealing sound. Light. Not too strained. Genuine.
“Poor guy. You almost have to feel sorry for someone that oblivious.”
“It’s kind of hard to feel sorry for Perry. Have you ever known someone whose entire demeanor grates on your nerves?”
I crossed the room to stand beside her, helping her into her coat. Touching her whenever I saw an opportunity. And she seemed to like it. She leaned into me without hesitation. So easily. It did wonders for my ego.