Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 68

After she finished, she dramatically clutched her chest, panting for effect.

Audrina had originally suggested Willow ask Carter Garrison to pretend to be her boyfriend.

But Willow had mulled it over and decided she wanted absolutely nothing to do with Carter. She was terrified that the playboy would stick to her like glue and she'd never be able to shake him off, so she had ultimately bitten the bullet and gone to meet her blind date.

Audrina shot her a sideways glance, a faint smile on her lips. "He's not that scary, is he?"

The way she described him, it sounded like he ate people alive.

"You haven't spent time with him alone. You just don't know!" Willow fired back.

"Right," Audrina murmured.

Then something else clicked in Willow's brain. "And did you know? He's actually seeing someone! He had a hickey right on his neck! I have no idea who could possibly stomach sleeping with someone so notoriously frigid."

Frigid, my ass.

Audrina fell silent for a couple of seconds, remembering how she had practically forced herself onto him the morning before, intentionally leaving that exact mark.

She asked awkwardly, "...And then what?"

"And then nothing! He literally just said, 'Let's call it a day, I have things to do,' and walked out! He just left! He left me sitting there alone to pay the bill! Who does that?!"

Audrina fought hard to keep a straight face. "Maybe he really did have things to do."

"Whatever. Neither of us was interested, so it worked out perfectly!" Willow breathed a sigh of relief. "I told my parents exactly what happened yesterday, and they couldn't say a word. It wasn't that I didn't want to; he's the one who rejected me."

She then started analyzing the situation like a detective. "Honestly, I should probably thank whatever woman he's hiding. What kind of person could make a guy like him keep her a secret like that?"

Willow continued venting for another half hour, jumping from his cold demeanor to his glasses, and then from how he walked to what kind of 'weird habits' he might secretly have.

Audrina kept her facial expressions perfectly in check the entire time, only letting her mouth twitch on the rare occasion.

While they were eating, Willow paused. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing, I just think you're cute," Audrina replied.

For the rest of the dinner, Willow was clearly distracted, aimlessly poking at the food on her plate. She kept shooting Audrina conflicted looks, opening her mouth to speak but stopping herself every time.

Meanwhile, Audrina acted as if nothing had happened, eating and drinking just fine.

After paying the bill, they walked toward the elevator.

Willow suddenly slowed her pace and tugged at Audrina's sleeve. "Drina."

"What is it?"

Willow looked at her, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "Why haven't you broken things off with Zachary yet?"

Audrina sighed. "To be honest, I just haven't figured out how to break it to Waldo yet. I'm worried it might be too much for him."

She had just come back right before the holidays; there was no way she could drop a bomb like that on the old man right now.

Willow looked deeply concerned. "But what if Zachary finds out?"