Unless Adam Newcomb was in my line of sight.

Then all I could think about was how disappointing it was I’d never have a chance to find out if he could be wild, crazy, loud, and fun.

Sex club.

He belonged to a sex club and that was a hard pass.

When it came to sex, I was adventurous, but not that adventurous.

“Sloane?”

Darn. Why do I turn stupid around this man?

“Decker to the One-Oh-One,” I answered. “Or Kanan to the One-Oh-One. Never PCH, that’s for tourists.”

Adam almost looked disappointed I didn’t respond in kind to the innuendo he threw my way.

There was a stretch of silence that was so awkward I debated turning on my fabulous wedge sandals—that I got on discount, thus I couldn’t pass them up even if I owned five other similar pairs—and running. Okay, I wouldn’t’ve actually run, I would’ve walked quickly in an effort to flee from the uncomfortableness. Not to mention, Adam’s gaze had turned assessing. He’d gone from cocky-playful to intense. So intense I found myself wanting to shift my weight from foot to foot under his heavy scrutiny.

“I’d better—” I started but didn’t finish because Adam started at the same time and talked over me. “Do you work tonight?”

I felt my shoulders tense and that tightness spread fast, like wildfire, until every inch of me was strung taut. There was something about this handsome, sophisticated man asking me if I was going to work that made me feel dirty.

No, filthy.

Elise.

I was doing this for Elise, I reminded myself, and let go of the breath I’d been holding.

“The club’s closed tonight.” I told him something he already knew.

“And?” he prompted. “You’re the event coordinator. I assume it takes time to…coordinate.”

Gah.

I didn’t want to have a conversation about my employment out in the open on a busy sidewalk. Actually, I didn’t want to have a conversation about my job duties ever.

“It does,” I confirmed.

“So? Do you work tonight?”

“Why?”

I hadn’t meant for my question to come out as snappy as it had, but I was uncomfortable and more than a little irritated that a man as sexy as Adam was not available to me.

I wasn’t blind, I owned a mirror. I knew I wasn’t hard on the eyes. This was not me being conceited, it was me being a woman who knew her worth and knew it extended far beyond my looks, but they definitely contributed. I also knew in the land of tanned, toned, beauty queens I was average at best. I blended in with all the rest of the women and I was more than okay with that. I didn’t need to rely on the superficial to find a man to date. Further from that, I’d caught Adam staring at me in the club. He’d made his interest known and that only added to my annoyance.

His lips twitched before he said, “Because I want to ask you out to dinner.”