A Billionaire's Revenge

Ch. 15: Secretive

Three weeks after I kicked Corden out of my life for good, I made things official with Archer.

He gave me no reason to refuse him. The man is infuriatingly charming, and he treats me how I deserve to be treated. Everything I would want in a man Archer embodies, so why shouldn't I date him? Comparing him to a man who I would never be able to date in real life isn't going to help. Was I feeling petty after that night Corden screwed me over? Yes. Did I head over to Archer's later that night to fuck him? Yes. However, I genuinely want things to work with him. He is who I should be with. Not Corden.

Over the past few weeks, we've gone out every weekend for dinner, and sometimes I'll go to his house to end the night with sex, but I don't ever sleep over. Regardless of whether or not we're dating, this is still new, and becoming domesticated is terrifying to me. Archer knows this and claims he's perfectly fine with taking things slow, so for now, I'm seeing how things go.

I'm waiting for the right time to tell him about my second job, but it never seems to come. If things transform into something serious between us, maybe then I'll tell him, but even if I share this secret with Archer, it's not like he can know where I dance. The Harbor isn't a place for cops.

"Where'd you go?" Archer brings me back to the present, running his thumb over the back of my hand. He's sweet enough to the point that it's almost painful. Every time he looks at me, I can see how much he adores me, and zoning out during dinner isn't exactly reciprocating those feelings.

"Sorry." I shake my head, attempting to clear my thoughts. "How was the older woman you helped the other day? You checked in on her, right?"

Archer launches into a story about the woman he helped rescue from a car accident, ever the hometown hero. I cling to his every word until a flicker of movement catches my eye in the corner of the restaurant. A man wearing sunglasses spilled his drink, but his gaze never leaves mine.

Is he part of the security Corden hired? He said I wouldn't notice them, but whoever this man is, he's not making watching me very discreet. The waiter comes over to help clean up the mess, and then the man winks at me, flashing a row of broken, chipped teeth.

A cold chill runs through my body.

"Carmen." Archer glances over his shoulder, and the man quickly looks away. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

No, I'm not alright. I have no idea who is dangerous and who isn't. Corden and I haven't been seen with each other in weeks, but the threats I was warned against could still be out there, right? 

And because I have no information and Corden refused to let me in on the details of what exactly he does for a living, I'm forced to be out at a restaurant with my boyfriend utterly terrified that the man three tables over is plotting my kidnapping.