Girl Undercover 4 & 5: Ariel & Financial Devil (2 page)

Well, how do you know what his type is?
the nagging voice in my head asked, pissed that it had lost.

Sadly, I didn’t. Ariel could very well be his type.

I snuck up to the first window of the restaurant and stopped right next to it. From there, I would carefully lean forward to scope out the insides of the establishment. Slowly, slowly, I leaned toward the big, lit window, well aware that there were often tables by windows and that restaurants loved to seat good-looking couples there.

Nick and I had been lucky enough to often get seated by windows.

I forced the sharp pain that filled my chest at the thought of Nick to go away.

Fortunately, Ariel and Ian did not sit right by the window, but they were still in the restaurant and seated at a table that was close enough. When I had determined this, I retracted my head and walked behind an old phone booth about five yards away from the window. I got a good view from this vantage point at the same time as I didn’t have to risk that Ian and Ariel spotted me. That would be not only embarrassing, but could also lead to problems. Ariel may not be crazy after all, but I had a feeling she was still a bit of a hothead. It was better if she didn’t catch me staring at the two of them through the window.

It looked like they were eating dessert at the moment and having a great time the way they were laughing and talking. Especially Ariel was laughing a lot, throwing her head back every now and then. Ian must be very entertaining, I mused, wondering what exactly they could be talking about. He never made me laugh like that. God had I been wrong to think he would not like her, only find her to be a pain in the butt!

I remained there for another ten minutes, watching them as they ate and talked, having decided to leave just as Ian paid the bill and they were both suddenly on their feet. It all went so fast that it seemed a bit odd. Maybe something had happened. I should stay and see if it seemed the jolly mood between them had changed as they left the restaurant. They were both standing up now and Ian was helping Ariel put her jacket back on. Soon they were headed away from the table.

Having realized that the phone booth I was using as a shield provided little cover, I rushed behind an SUV parked on the street, peeking around the back of the car toward the restaurant’s exit. Any moment now, I should spot the two of them coming out. I shook off the feeling of disgust I had with myself for having turned myself into a stalker. What I was doing was so wrong, still I couldn’t help myself. I needed to know what was going on with these two, what they would do next. Their body language should tell me everything I wanted to know.

As expected, they came out a few seconds later. They were talking, but I was too far away to be able to hear much of their conversation. They began walking along the street, Ariel crooking her arm through Ian’s in a way that told me they were very comfortable with each other.

Even though I had no reason to be jealous, that was just how I felt as the two of them continued up the block.

I chewed on my lip, trying to convince myself to turn around and give these two some privacy. That would be the right thing to do. But that other, nosier part of me kept urging me to go after them, see what they would do next. I was too weak to tell it to shut up. My feet started to move in their direction and soon I was following them. Knowing how Ian had seen me the first time I followed him, I was very careful, keeping my distance and hiding behind house corners, cars and bus stops, anything big enough. The darkness of night was to my advantage, making it easier to stay unnoticed.

Soon we were ten blocks farther down Amsterdam Avenue, close to Nikkei Sports Club where Ian and Ariel stopped in front of an apartment building. I quickly slid between two cars on the street and watched how they turned to face each other through the car windows. She was smiling at him, saying something. Holding my breath, I was waiting for Ian to lean down and kiss the petite woman, who was a lot taller than normal due to the five-inch heels on her feet.

But instead of kissing her on the mouth, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, said a few words, then turned around and walked away from her. She looked after him for a long moment before finally turning around herself and disappearing into the building.

Sitting hunkered down between a Lexus and a Toyota, I watched Ian as he continued down the street. I stayed in place for several seconds after he had disappeared. It took the buzzing of my phone for me to snap out of the stupor I had entered.

Standing up, I found the phone in my pocket and checked who had contacted me.

Meet me on the sundeck at the club at 9 30 pm April 22nd and I will tell you everything,
the text said. I didn’t need to check the number to know who it was from.

Chapter 2

I still checked to be one hundred percent certain it was from my text stalker. It was, of course. I typed a quick response back:
Who are you?

Staring down at the phone, I waited for it to light up with another text, but it stayed dark. Finally, I got tired of waiting, stuck the phone back into my pocket and walked back home.

When I entered my apartment, my restlessness had gotten even worse as I kept wondering who the hell this person could be. I kept checking my phone, hoping for a reply to my most recent text, but the thing remained dead. I thought about what day it was. Friday, April 13th. He wanted us to meet in nine days then. I could only assume he’d meant the sundeck, also known as the rooftop terrace, at Nikkei when he’d said “meet me on the sundeck at the club.” I would definitely be there, armed and possibly with Ian by my side. I wasn’t sure what to do about him. Maybe it was better to go alone. If I told Ian about the text, surely he’d insist on coming along.

I kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep so many thoughts raced through my mind, the heavy-duty sleeping pills I had taken doing little to knock me unconscious this evening. At some point, I must have passed out at last, though, because when I opened my eyes next, it was morning outside my bedroom window.

The first thing I did was check my smartphone. The only text there was from a client, wanting to reschedule a session.

As I walked into Nikkei an hour later, I spotted Ariel in the cafeteria. I did a double take when I saw who she was talking to—the senator of North Carolina, Janine Eastwood. They were standing close together, as though having an intimate conversation. Ariel looked agitated, almost scared, while the senator, a stately woman in her fifties dressed in workout attire, looked stern, like a teacher reprimanding a difficult student.

I had a few minutes to spare before it was time for me to train my first client of the day, so I walked into the cafeteria and up to the counter where all the drinks were to pick one up. The senator and Ariel were only a few feet away, Ariel with her back to me.

As I approached the counter, Janine spotted me and her demeanor changed. The sternness disappeared and was replaced by a soft smile.

“When can we meet for our next workout?” she asked Ariel. “Does Wednesday at eight p.m. work?”

“Um, sure,” Ariel replied.

“Great. Well, I have to go now,” Janine said. “It was good talking to you, dear. See you Wednesday then.”

She patted Ariel’s shoulder and walked out of the cafeteria, then disappeared up the stairs to the workout floors.

Is that Ariel’s client?

Ariel finished checking something on her phone and turned around so that she faced me.

“Oh, my God!” she gasped at the sight of me, jerking. “Jamie, you scared the
crap
out of me.”

“Sorry,” I said. “Are you okay?” It hadn’t seemed like she was when she had spoken to the senator, but I wasn’t about to bring that up.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I so didn’t see you. How long have you been standing there?”

“I just got here and saw you talking to that tall lady. Is she your client?”

Ariel nodded. “Yeah, but we don’t train that often. I started to train her a few weeks ago.”

“Eight on Wednesday. That’s pretty late. Aren’t you here early in the mornings?”

Ariel grimaced. “Yeah, I am. But it’s just a one-time deal. Normally we train during the afternoons.” She brightened. “I went out with Ian last night. Dinner. Can you believe it?”

I had to make myself return the big smile on her lips, shame for having stalked her and Ian assaulting me so much. “Sure, why not? How did it go? Did you guys have fun?”

“Yeah, we had an
amazing
time.” Hesitation came over her sunny face. “Which is why I’m so surprised he didn’t give me a goodnight kiss after walking me to my house. I even invited him to come up to my apartment, but he declined. What guy does that? It’s never happened to me before. Do you think he might be gay?” The words were flying out of her mouth.

“No, I really don’t think he’s gay. Maybe he’s just being polite and doesn’t want to rush things. Not all guys want to hook up on the first date.”

Ariel looked so hopeful my heart ached. Ian had better not be playing with this girl. “Do you really think so?” she asked.

I forced myself to keep smiling. “Yes, in my experience, if a guy’s serious about a girl, he wants to take his time. I’m sure that’s what Ian is doing. You should text him and thank him for dinner and chances are you’ll know from his answer what the deal is.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. Maybe you can also talk to him when you train him next. See what he has to say about the date. He’ll tell you the truth, right?”

“I don’t know him all that well, but I think he’d at least give me an idea. I’ll ask and we’ll see.”

Ariel grabbed my arm. “Please do
.
When are you training him next?”

“Tomorrow. Hey, I’ve gotta go. My client’s waiting.”

“Go, go! Talk to you soon.”

I left Ariel in the cafeteria, having totally forgotten to buy a drink to bring with me.

***

“How did the date with Ariel go?” I asked Ian, my smartphone pressed to my ear. It was the afternoon and I was up on the sundeck at Nikkei, enjoying the sunny spring weather while waiting for my floor shift to start. I had decided that I wouldn’t be able to wait until tomorrow before I found out what Ian thought of the date. I also wanted to know if he’d happened to spot me as I stalked them. As snarky as he could be, surely he’d drop a hint.

“Great,” he replied. “She’s a nice girl. A little needy, but nice.”

“Needy?”

“Yeah. The girl’s desperate for love and attention.”

“From you or from people in general?”

“To be honest, I couldn’t tell.”

“Hmm. That’s interesting. I never get a needy vibe from her whenever we interact. So I’m thinking she’s desperate for your love and attention.”

Ian sighed. “I truly hope that’s not the case.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’m not into her.”

“What? I thought you told me you thought she was such a little hottie.”

“She is a little hottie, but that doesn’t mean I want anything serious.”

I sat up on my sun chair. “Then why did you go out with her and act like you were having such a great time?”

“How do you know I acted like I was having such a great time? Don’t tell me you stalked me again.” Ian sounded amused.

I closed my eyes, the shame coursing through me. I swallowed, determined not to let on what a pathetic person I was. It wasn’t like I had intended to stalk them. I just happened to spot the restaurant where they were having dinner and then, unfortunately, one thing led to another. So I said, “No, I didn’t stalk you. I just assumed you were having a great time since you said the date went great. Did you kiss her at the end?”

“No, I only gave her a peck on the cheek and thanked her for a lovely evening. I even resisted her invitation to join her for a nightcap. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. Like I told you, she’s a little hottie and I’m a red-blooded man in my best years.” He chuckled softly.

“How very gentlemanlike of you,” I replied dryly. “So what are you gonna do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you going out with her again? She texted you and thanked you for dinner, right?”

“Yes, she did. And I replied that it was my pleasure.”

“That’s it? No ‘I’d love to do it again sometime soon’ or similar?”

“No, if I did that, I’d have to go out with her again and I don’t want to lead her on. You should be proud of how I’m handling the situation considering your opinion of guys who string girls along. Instead I can tell you’re annoyed. What’s up with that?”

“That’s because I am annoyed. I don’t get why you went out with her if you’re not into her.”

“Well, then, allow me to explain. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her before we went out. That’s why people go out on dates—to see if they’re interested in more. It turned out that I wasn’t. But there was also another reason I went out with her.”

“What’s that?”

“After you pushing us together and making me take her phone number, I really didn’t have a choice, did I?” There was a distinct acidity to Ian’s voice now.

I didn’t immediately answer I felt so guilty. He was right—I did push them together. Why did I do something so stupid? Now I needed to come up with a way to fix it. I didn’t want to upset Ariel. An image of her hopeful face flashed through my mind and guilt threatened to overwhelm me.

“Gab, are you still there?” Ian asked.

“Yeah, I am. I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

“How I can fix this situation. Ariel is crazy about you. Now she’ll be heartbroken and it’s my fault.”

“Not really. Like you said, I didn’t have to go out with her if I didn’t want to. I did want to go out with her—once. Even if I didn’t think I was that interested, I thought it was worth a date to be entirely sure. Especially since you seemed to think it was such a good idea.”

I couldn’t be certain, but it didn’t seem like that last sentence had had any sarcasm in it, which was nice.

“She’s a big girl, Gabi,” Ian continued. “I’m sure she can handle me not wanting to see her again. You didn’t really do anything wrong. All you did was facilitate a date between us. That’s what she wanted, right?”