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“Yes, ma’am.”
And just as he promised, Colin logged off his computer and closed shop for the night. It was already past ten, but he needed a drink to wind down, so he decided to head over to Pendulum.
The pressure in his chest eased a bit as he drove his car onto the road. He was letting his emotions get the best of him, and that wasn’t like him when it came to business. He hadn’t made millions by his midtwenties by being wishy-washy. He laughed wryly at the cocky observation. His confidence hadn’t hurt, either.
But now he questioned what was up and what was down. Was Jihae a spoiled villainess or was she a brilliant businesswoman with the allure of an angel? Who the hell knew? He certainly didn’t. No. No, that wasn’t true. Colin stubbornly tipped the scale toward villainess and quelled his doubts. He had to keep his crap together if he was going to get anywhere in his investigation.
By the time he parked his car at Pendulum, he’d almost convinced himself of Jihae’s culpability. All the evidence, albeit circumstantial, pointed to her involvement in the Hansol espionage. Her arrival right at the onset of the suspicious activities, and the targeted attack on Garrett and his marriage, implied that she had been seeking revenge against his cousin. With long, impatient strides, he walked into the club and headed straight for the bar. He planned to down a double cognac then take another into his office to enjoy more leisurely.
“Hey, Tim,” he said, waving down the bartender. “How’s your evening going?”
“Like a pretty typical weeknight. It’s just busy enough for it to be fun, but not enough to make me sweat.”
“Then you won’t mind if I trouble you for a drink.”
“Not a problem. Double cognac?” Tim asked.
“You know me so well,” Colin said with a grin.
Something about the music made him turn his head toward the stage and his suspicion was confirmed. Tucker was mixing the songs. He got the complete picture when he spotted the regularly scheduled DJ nursing a beer at the bar.
“Hey, Dan. Did Tucker beg you to sit out for a bit?”
“He’s this huge, intimidating dude, right? But he does a damn good puppy-dog look.” Dan shrugged sheepishly. “I can’t say no when he pulls that on me. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s the manager.”
“You did good. He misses being up there, and it helps him let loose a little. Managing this place isn’t an easy job.”
“Yeah. I totally get that.” The DJ sipped his drink as his eyes drifted to the stage. He whistled under his breath, shaking his head. “Those two women have been dancing like crazy for the last hour or so, and they’re distracting as hell. In a way, I was relieved to let Tucker take over, so I could stare at them properly. They look like goddesses but dance like unoiled automatons.”
With a wry smile, Colin turned toward the direction of Dan’s gaze and froze. June from Rotelle Entertainment was dancing with a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Jihae Park. The woman was wearing a dress that looked like liquid metal poured over her. It hugged her curves and moved sinuously against her body as she danced. Her dramatic eye makeup and her red pouty lips made her look sultry and enigmatic at the same time.
Whether he could believe his eyes or not, she was indeed Jihae. She was so far outside her brand that she was nearly unrecognizable. He didn’t like surprises but he could definitely live with this one. He wondered if this seductive, bold Jihae was closer to her real self than the armor-wearing businesswoman. This side of her made Colin’s desire spike even higher.
Goddesses who dance like unoiled automatons. He chuckled under his breath. Jihae and June weren’t the best dancers, but they made up for it with enthusiasm. He admired their complete disregard for what people might think of them, focusing on their joy instead. Shaking their heads, jumping in place, waving their arms...everywhere. Their sheer abandon made them shine, and Jihae glowed like a multifaceted crystal, too mesmerizing to look away from.
When Tucker dragged down the tempo and transitioned into a slow, sexy number, Colin shook himself out of his stupor. He welcomed the break from their dancing. His tongue was on the verge of unrolling out of his mouth, and his heart was already doing its damnedest to shove itself out of his chest. He was turning into a freaking cartoon wolf.
But as he swiveled back toward the bar, he caught a glimpse of Jihae and June stepping closer together. Oh, hell no. He swung his stool back to face the dance floor and lost the battle to keep his mouth closed. It was completely innocuous. They were hugging each other and laughing as they swayed from side from side. But the problem was, they were touching. No matter how innocent and playful they were being, watching two beautiful women dance and touch was too much to handle. Colin’s eyes were threatening to pop out of their sockets.
“Damn,” Dan said, and whistled quietly by his side.
Colin had forgotten that he wasn’t their only audience. A low growl started at the back of his throat, but he swallowed it with supernatural willpower. He wanted to punch the drooling DJ off the barstool, which was ridiculous since he’d been doing the same thing a second ago. Even so, he wanted the younger man’s eyes off Jihae.
“Dan, go relieve Tucker,” Colin said in a deceptively casual voice. “Playtime is over.”
“But...”
The protest died on his employee’s lips when he saw Colin’s expression, and he hurried toward the stage. The unexpected surge of possessiveness left Colin unsettled and on edge. He’d dated his fair share of women, but he’d never been the jealous sort. But it was different tonight. He didn’t like other men looking at Jihae that way. At all.
After downing his glass of cognac, he strode to the dance floor with deliberate steps. He braced himself for their shock at coming face-to-face with him on their night out on the town.
“Jihae,” he said, drawing her attention. “What an unexpected pleasure.”
June slowly stepped away from Jihae and stood beside her in a protective stance. Jihae lowered her eyes to her shoes as a lovely flush spread onto her chest, neck and cheeks. After a few breaths, she shifted her gaze to his face, and he couldn’t find a trace of her shyness or surprise.
“Colin.” She nodded her head in a regal manner that Colin couldn’t reconcile with the playful, happy woman he’d seen a moment before. The carefree Jihae was disappearing and he wanted to hold on to her before she could hide away completely.
Possessed by an inexplicable urgency, he stepped close to Jihae and pulled her into his arms. “May I cut in?”
