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Kain checks the time and leans closer to Reef. “I need to do a sound check. You want to move to the booth near the stage?”
Reef ignores him, his focus absolute.
“Okay, then.” Kain downs the rest of his drink. “Have fun.”
With a wink at me, he saunters off toward the stage.
The space Kain occupied feels suddenly empty. I’m left with Reef and the silence between us, broken only by the frantic tap of his stylus.
Three minutes stretch on, and Reef gives no sign he’s even aware Kain has gone.
I’m on the verge of putting away my laptop to go find someone else to pump for information when Reef’s head lifts. “What do you do?”
His tone is flat, but it’s the first time he’s initiated, and I’ll take the opening.
“Graphic design,” I say.
He stares, waiting for the rest.
“Branding, websites, and campaign work. Most of my clients are midsize businesses. Sometimes I do package design.”
His tablet goes down, and for the first time since I sat at the table, Reef looks directly at me.
A prickle of unease runs down my spine. Behind his rectangular glasses, his brown eyes are sharp, with no hint of the earlier fog.
“You ever do identity systems, or just logos?”
“Identity systems, when the client pays for it. I did the last three for a chain restaurant in Northpoint.”
I give him a name that’s real, one of our family’s shell companies, in case he looks into it.
He blinks quickly. “I’m doing a rebrand for Blue Note. Expansion campaign. Rowan wants to keep the vibe underground but not… criminal.”
He chews on his lip. “Could you take a look at it?”
I check the stage, where Kain is busy. “Sure.”
A spark of genuine excitement animates Reef as he springs up from the table, shoving his tablet and phone into the big front pocket of his hoodie.
Interesting. He can remember campaign strategy, but a potential romantic encounter evaporates from his mind in minutes.
Selective memory?
When he grabs his drink and bounces away, I scramble to grab my laptop and bag before I chase after him, my heart pounding.
At the door to the backrooms, he pauses and punches in the code. I try to catch the sequence, but his oversized hoodie blocks my view.
Then he darts through, and I have to rush to follow before it shuts.
The hallway beyond is narrow, with reinforced doors leading to more rooms. Reef hurries to the end and pushes into a security room.
I pause in the doorway, a jolt running through me. I’m standing in the nerve center of the lounge and its crew, and all it took was a conversation about graphic design.
Maybe I never needed to try to seduce Orien at all.
The thought barely crosses my mind before I shake it away. Even if it wasn’t an assignment, there’s no way I could stay away from Orien if he’s in the room.
I let out a whistle as I enter the room. “Wow, this is quite the setup.”
