The Girl's Got Secrets (Forbidden Men #7)(77)

But I couldn’t believe this. She already knew who he was. He’d never told her his last name.

God, of course she already knew who he was. She was just better at the game than all the other clueless women out there.

This was exactly what Asher didn’t want. And yet a groupie was about to trick her way into his pants anyway. I needed to warn him, except...how?

Oh, you’ll never believe what I just heard in the ladies’ room, Ash?

Yeah, that’d go over real well.

Wanting to cry, I pushed from the wall and started for an empty stall. Tamra and her group spotted me and offered me tentative smiles.

“Love the purple streaks,” she had the nerve to tell me.

I sent her a sickened smile. “Gracias.” My hair was a disaster, I knew. It’d been trapped under the mask for hours and was probably matted and sweaty, sticking to my head in a most unnatural way.

Escaping into a stall, I sat down and hugged my ribs, wanting to cry.

Outside my door, one of the skanks asked, “Do you think he’ll take you back to his place or rent a motel room somewhere?”

“Like it matters. I’d settle for the backseat of his car if that’s what he wanted.”

It’s a motorcycle, bitch. He drives a motorcycle, not a car.

And then I pictured him taking her on his motorcycle and had to squeeze my eyes closed and press my lips together to keep from crying.

“Just as long as we don’t go back to my place,” Tamra cooed, beginning to sound way too smug.

Both of her friends laughed before one said, “Yeah, I’m sure your husband and two kids would have a small problem with you banging Asher the rock god Hart on the living room couch.”

My eyes popped open as the other two joined in, laughing.

Say what?

Oh, no f*cking way. The skank was married? Surging to my feet, I tried to barge my way from the stall, only to find it locked. So I fumbled a second before I could escape, and yep, by the time I was free, the three women were gone, only their snickering, married-ass laughter echoing around the bathroom behind them.

I started to follow them, pushing my way from the bathroom. But no sooner did I charge from the bathroom alcove than I spotted Asher headed my way.

And he saw me. At the same moment his eyes went big and his mouth rounded into a surprised O, I remembered that I’d forgotten to put my mask back on.

Moving quickly, I ducked behind a group of three guys passing by just as I heard Asher’s voice call, “Hey, wait.”

I crouched down behind my unknowing shield until we passed a door, which I reached out and tried. When it opened, I popped inside the dark space, with no idea whether it was an office, supply closet or what. Afraid to shut myself fully inside alone, I kept the door cracked and was able to peek out from my dark hiding place.

“Hijo de puta,” I hissed when I saw a determined Asher striding my way as if he knew where I was hiding.

But Tamra found him, grasping his arm and asking him where he was headed.

He glanced at the cracked doorway I was peeking out of. “I...I thought I saw someone I knew. Did you see a girl? Um...maybe Latino, long dark hair, purple highlights.”

“Purple highlights?” Tamra said, her smile freezing. Then she shook her head. “No, I sure didn’t. Sorry.”

Gasp!

Liar!

Okay, so I was a worse liar than she was. But she was trying to trick him into bed. That was just wrong.

After she urged him away, grasping his arm to steer him back toward the direction of our table, he tossed one last wistful glance to my door but then turned away.

I blew out a thunderous breath, counted to ten, then whipped on my mask as fast as was humanly possible, hoping to God I didn’t have it on crooked. Then I eased out of my hidey-hole and hurried back to the table as well.

No way could I let that whore get away with doing this to my Asher.

I reached them just in time. They were both standing, Tamra was slipping her purse strap over her shoulder as if getting ready to leave, and Asher was tossing some cash onto the table to take care of the tip. Then he set his hand on the small of her back and turned her toward the door. But I popped in front of them, right into their path.

They pulled up short, so I had to pretend to pull up short in surprise too. “Oh, hey. You guys leaving?” I asked innocently enough.

“Yeah.” Asher sent me an odd look. “I just tried to find you, but you weren’t in the bathroom.”

“Oh...yeah. I....” Crap. I spotted the bar and quickly ad-libbed. “I went to get another drink, then decided against it.”

He nodded. “Well, we’re going to go. This is Tamra, by the way.”

I turned to her, sending her a pleasant smile, if I did say so myself.

“Tamra, this is my friend, Remy.”

“Hey,” she greeted, holding out her fingers in one of those lame, limp-wristed ways that drove me crazy.

I took the tips of her hand anyway. “Nice to meet you.” Then I snapped my fingers and pointed. “Oh, hey. You’re that chick who was tucking her wedding ring in her purse just outside the john a few minutes ago, weren’t you?”

“Say what?” Asher whirled toward her, his eyebrows lifted.

Shock clouded her face. “I...I...I most certainly was not.”

“Yeah, that was definitely you,” I cooed, unable to hold back a grin as I shook my finger at her. “You were bragging to your friends about how you were about to score Asher the rock god Hart, weren’t you?”