The One Night Stand

by Elizabeth Hayley

  “Tarino died months ago,” Rachel said, not understanding.

  “I know, but Barnes said Tarino kicked him out years ago.”

  “So why’s he bitter about it now? Barnes is probably just looking to get back in the spotlight,” she said, answering her own question. She hated having to beat back her own enthusiasm, but she couldn’t let her hope outweigh her good judgment. Even though Rick seemed as excited as she was, she forced herself to remain critical of the story until it proved on the up and up. “Any publicity’s good publicity, right?”

  Rick shook his head. “I don’t think that’s it. Barnes said he tried to get back in when Tarino passed away and ownership of the club changed hands, but the new owner won’t let him in either, so he’s done with it, and this is his way of retaliating.”

  Rachel had to admit there was some merit to that. “Did he say who the new owner was?”

  Rick shook his head. “Nope. It’s the one thing he won’t say. Andrews did ask him that. So I started thinking about who the new owner could be. Tarino’s divorced with no kids. There isn’t an obvious choice for who would’ve taken over the club, and we don’t even know who the current members are… if this is even a real thing. The only thing we know is that Tarino lived in Philadelphia, and has no history that we can find of extensive traveling. So it’s probably a safe bet that the club’s located there.”

  “Barnes didn’t say where the club was?” she asked.

  Rick shook his head. “And Andrews didn’t ask. That kid’s going to have to get his head out of his ass if he wants to stick around. I tried calling Barnes back personally, but he told me that he’d revealed all he had to say. If we want to find out more, we’re going to have to do it without him.”

  Rachel felt her face scrunch up. “That’s so bizarre. Why would he open this door and ten try to slam it closed again?”

  “Who knows. The guy’s a total nutcase.”

  Something about it wasn't’ sitting right with Rachel, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

  “I had a few people look into Tarino’s finances. He had a steady stream of money coming in from somewhere, but there’s no trace of where. At least not that we can find through legal means.”

  Rachel read a bit more of the file before looking up at Rick, who was smiling at her.

  “Looks like we may have found your unicorn. How fast can you get to Philly?”

  Chapter Six

  “Is that a gang member?” Kellan asked as he clutched his satchel closer to his body.

  “If you’re referring to the elderly man with the cane, then I’m going to go with no.” Rachel rolled her eyes at Kellan’s dramatics. “You grew up in the Bronx. Why are you acting like you’re fresh off the prairie?”

  “The homicide rate is higher in Philadelphia than New York. We’re way more likely to die here.”

  Rachel narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “We’re in Center City in the middle of the day. I think we’re safe.”

  “That’s probably what all those murdered people thought,” Kellan muttered.

  They continued to walk down the street in search of a market. All Access Sports didn’t have the largest budget in the world, but Rick had secured enough money to send Rachel to Philly for the next month. Rachel initially balked at moving—even temporarily—but Rick had a valid point when he asked her how she’d be able to investigate the club if she wasn’t even in the same city where it was most likely located. So she’d reluctantly capitulated and bribed Kellan into helping her move. Which she was currently regretting.

  “If you don’t come home, can I still keep the apartment?” Kellan asked after they’d rounded a corner.

  “Will you stop talking about me dying?” Rachel looked down the street, wondering how much farther the market they’d Googled was before pulling out her phone and checking it. “Besides, we just rent there. It’s not like I can leave it to you in my will.”

  “Do you have one of those? Because I should probably know where it is. Just in case.”

  Looking over at Kellan, Rachel saw a broad grin stretching his cheeks and making his dimples appear. “You’re an asshole.”

  “I know,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “But I’m not going to be able to hassle you on the daily for a whole month. I need to get it out of my system.”

  “As if that’ll ever happen.” She allowed herself to lean into him a little as they walked. “This neighborhood isn’t bad, right?”

  Kellan hesitated and Rachel elbowed him in the ribs. Barking out a laugh, Kellan replied, “No, it’s not bad. Aside from the OGs with canes, it seems perfectly safe.”

  Rachel smiled. Rick’s assistant had found her a one-bedroom apartment that was geared toward business people and was open to short-term leases. It wasn’t impressive inside by any means, but it had everything she’d need and was clean. And the buzzer on the lobby door gave her a reasonable sense of safety. It was downtown, so despite its cramped size, it was probably still costing a pretty penny, which is why Rachel couldn’t waste a lot of time. She’d have to either convince Cole to talk to her or stumble upon another lead.

  Having dedicated her entire life to her career, there was no way she was going to let this story slip through her fingers. No way. Not happening. And at the end of the day, she only needed Barnes to point her in the right direction. He would be the first in what would undoubtedly be an extremely long trail of breadcrumbs.

  “You should feed me,” Kellan said abruptly, pulling Rachel out of her thoughts.

  “I thought that’s why we were going to the market.”

  Kellan’s face scrunched up. “That’ll take too long. You should buy me dinner. And dessert. And drinks.”

  Rachel sighed heavily, but it was more for show than anything else. “Where would His Highness like to go?”

  Eyes growing wide, Kellan looked around excitedly. “There,” he said as he pointed to a small bistro across the street.

  “Looks expensive,” Rachel said dryly.

  “I know. It’s perfect.”

  They waited for the light to change before crossing the street. “So where are you gonna start?” Kellan asked.

  Rachel had blabbed the entire story over a bottle of wine after Rick had offered her the project. She’d been brimming with excitement, and since Kellan was unable to escape since he lived with her, he’d been subjected to her gushing.

  “Ugh, I don’t know,” Rachel said. “I’ve been wracking my brain for how to begin, but I’ve got nothing.”

  They entered the small restaurant and were told there would be a bit of a wait unless they wanted to eat at the bar. Kellan craned his neck toward the bar before nodding to Rachel. “The bar will work,” she said.

  The deep mahogany bar had matching stools surrounding it. They were almost all available so Kellan and Rachel chose two off to one end and settled in. The bartender grabbed their orders quickly—a whiskey sour for Kellan and a 7&7 for Rachel—and handed them menus.

  “What looks good to you?” Rachel asked.

  “Everything,” Kellan replied.

  Rachel chuckled. “I think I’m going to get the tomato and mozzarella salad.”

  Kellan shot her a disgusted face. “Who gets a salad with a menu like this?”

  “I do.”

  Sighing, Kellan said, “Guess I’ll just have to order enough carbs for both of us.”

  The bartender returned with their drinks and took their orders. Kellan lived up to his promise, ordering the bistro’s “famous” lasagna and a side of penne. He even threw in a flirty wink for good measure—which the bartender did not return.

  “You have no shame,” Rachel said to Kellan when the bartender walked away.

  “Never know unless you try,” Kellan replied before taking a sip of his drink.

  Rachel picked up hers and put the straw in her mouth, but just as liquid hit her tongue, a voice startled her from behind.

  “No cosmos? Charlotte would be so disappointe
d.”

  Choking, Rachel grabbed a napkin and covered her mouth. When she’d gotten herself under control, she turned. Fuck my life. “Hi, Gabe.”

  ***

  “Of all the bistros in all the world,” Gabe said. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When he’d been walking back from the restroom and seen Rachel sitting at the bar, Gabe had done a double take. What the hell is she doing here? “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked with a smile.

  “I’m, uh, here for work,” she replied. She seemed thrown, which shouldn’t really surprise Gabe. He felt thrown too. Her eyes darted to the guy next to her, and Gabe noticed him for the first time. He’d been so focused on Rachel he hadn’t even processed that anyone was with her. Extending his hand, Gabe said, “Gabe Torres.”

  “Kellan Hughes.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Gabe said. It was weird as fuck talking to the guy and Gabe couldn’t decide why. He was normally social to a fault, but something about the dude with Rachel rubbed him the wrong way.

  “You too.” Kellan looked quickly over at Rachel before bringing his eyes back to Gabe and flashing him the largest, fakest smile Gabe had seen in quite some time. Gabe immediately returned it because he couldn’t resist making the moment more awkward.

  Turning to Rachel, Gabe said, “So, here for work, huh? You want to interview me again like you did back in the day?” He laughed, but Rachel seemed to blanch a little, though she recovered quickly.

  She cleared her throat before speaking. “I don’t know that I’m up for interviewing the great Gabriel Torres.” Her lips twitched at the corners as she tried to fight a smile.

  It made Gabe relax a little. “Hey, I’m here with someone. You mind if we come sit with you guys?” Gabe asked as he gestured to the open seats next to Rachel.

  Gabe almost cursed his impulsiveness, but the reality was that he wanted to hang out with Rachel more, even if he was crashing a date or whatever was going on. At least he had Camille with him, so he wouldn’t be a total third wheel.

  Both of the people in front of him stumbled over their words for a second before Rachel smiled and told him he should absolutely join them.

  “Great,” Gabe replied. “I’ll be right back.” This was a bad idea. That guy was probably Rachel’s boyfriend. For all Gabe knew, she was dating him when she fucked Gabe senseless after the Super Bowl. It would explain why Rachel seemed so uncomfortable, but he couldn’t take it back now.

  He rushed over to a high-top table by the window where Camille was sitting. “Hey. I need you to finally accept your true feelings for me and show that couple sitting at the bar how much you love me. Okay? Great. Come on.” Gabe made a grab for her drink, but Camille pulled it out of his reach.

  “First of all, you’re the only one who needs to accept my true feelings for you. Second, no. Third, they’re not a couple.”

  “What part were you saying ‘no’ to?”

  “The part where I pretend to love you in front of strangers.”

  Gabe’s shoulders fell. “But that’s what I need you for the most.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s Rachel.” Gabe had told Camille all about his sexcapades in Texas. He had left out how disappointed he’d been when he’d woken up to find Rachel gone, but he was pretty sure Camille knew anyway. It was scary how well she’d come to know him in such a short time.

  “I’m not making a girl jealous. It’s against girl code.”

  “But we’re working off bro code right now,” Gabe argued.

  “There’s just one problem with that. I’m not your bro, bro.”

  “We’ll let them assume.”

  Camille looked at him as if he were crazy. “Why do we need to do that?”

  “Because she’s on a date, so I want to be on one too.”

  “God, you’re such a teenager. And she’s definitely not on a date.”

  Gabe looked quickly over his shoulder. Rachel and Kellan were whispering. They looked tense, and Gabe wondered if Kellan suspected something. “How do you know?” he asked when he returned his attention to Camille.

  “Because that guy is not batting for your team.”

  Gabe stood there quietly for a second before saying, “I know that’s a baseball analogy for my benefit, but I don’t know what the hell it means.”

  Camille sighed as though dealing with Gabe was the most trying thing she’d ever done in her life. “He’s gay.”

  Gabe’s head whipped around to look at Kellan again before he could think about what he was doing. “What? How do you know?”

  Camille gave him a look that let Gabe know how stupid she thought he was.

  “Stop. You’re a lesbian. I’m not trusting your gaydar when it comes to dudes.”

  “He has a murse.”

  “What the fuck is a ‘murse’?” Gabe asked.

  “A man purse.”

  Gabe snuck a peek at the large bag that was hanging from the back of Kellan’s chair. “So? I see guys with those all the time. You of all people should know better than to stereotype,” Gabe scolded.

  “The strap is rainbow colored.”

  “Maybe he likes bright colors.”

  “Gabriel,” Camille said in a tone that let Gabe know she’d had enough of his silliness. “You’re being obtuse, and it’s not cute. She is not dating that guy. So we can absolutely go over there, but we’re not lying about our relationship. Got it?”

  Gabe took a deep breath. He always bordered on hyper, and he’d let it get away from him for a second. Calmer, he said, “Yeah. I got it.”

  Camille gave him a small smile. “Good. Now let’s go talk to your girl.”

  “She’s not my girl,” Gabe retorted, reaching for Camille’s drink again so he could carry it for her.

  Looking over at Rachel and then back at Gabe, Camille said, “No, but you want her to be.”

  It wasn’t a question, but Gabe wanted to respond anyway. “My feelings for her are almost ten years old. I hardly know who she is now.”

  Camille smiled at him. “Well, let’s go find out, shall we?”

  Chapter Seven

  With classic Gabe bravado that was more for show than anything else, Gabe led Camille to where Rachel was sitting. He’d mastered the art of exuding confidence when he didn’t really feel it when he was a teenager trying to get scouted. No one wanted to waste time on a skinny kid with a self-esteem issues—a kid who nearly gave himself an ulcer worrying about how he was going to hack it in major league baseball… if he even made it there. That was why his mom had been so adamant that he go to college first—which only led to more worry since he still wasn't great at reading English at the time, despite having been in the U.S. since he was twelve.

  But she’d been right. Gabe hadn’t been ready to be on his own in the world and make more money than he would’ve known what to do with. He’d needed to grow up more. Get a foundation under him. It had been a gamble, but it had paid off tenfold. Gabe had no doubt that most of his professional success came as a result of his having played collegiate ball, and not because of the skills he’d honed. In school, he’d learned how to actually believe in himself, rather than faking it. And that self-assurance had bled into every aspect of his life—except, of course, his interactions with Rachel Adler.

  Rachel’s straight white teeth were gleaming as she smiled at them. Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders and was so shiny it reflected the lights. “Rachel, this is my friend Camille. Camille, Rachel. And this is Kellan,” he tacked on so as not to be blatantly rude. He’d never hoped so much that a guy was gay. Well, there was that one time he’d thought Ben was coming out to him, but that was a misunderstanding. He hoped this wasn’t. The thought of Rachel dating someone else did things to him he didn’t want to focus on.

  Everyone exchanged greetings, and Camille and Gabe sat down next to them. There was an awkward silence for a minute, and Gabe racked his brain to try to figure out how to fill.

  Rachel turned to Camille, who was bes
ide her. “So, Camille, how do you know Gabe?” Her voice sounded off, like she was trying too hard to make it come off as an innocent question.

  Gabe knew it was wishful thinking that she’d been bitten by the same jealousy bug that nipped him.

  “We met through a mutual friend,” Camille explained. “How about you?”

  Gabe would’ve kissed Camille if it wouldn’t have gotten him punched. He’d already told her all about how he knew Rachel, but Camille was acting like she’d never heard of her. The last thing Gabe needed was for Rachel to think he was obsessed with her or something. Camille was his bro after all.

  “We went to college together. I accidentally interviewed him once,” Rachel said with a sly grin in is direction.

  “Please. We both know you asking Jace was all just an elaborate ploy to get close to me,” Gabe said.

  Rachel looked at Camille and rolled her eyes. “Oh darn, he’s figured me out,” she said dryly.

  “What do you do, Kellan?” Gabe asked.

  “I just got a job as a copywriter for a marketing firm in New York.”

  Gabe smiled. “I have absolutely no idea what that is, but congrats.”

  Kellan laughed. “They’re a start-up. I’m not too sure they know what a copywriter is either.”

  “You like it so far?” Camille asked.

  Kellan shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s a job, so I can’t complain. I was about a week away from selling my ass for cash, so it’s a step in the right direction.”

  The girls chuckled, but before he could think better of it, Gabe said, “We know someone who did that! Don’t we, Camille?”

  As Camille slowly panned toward him, Gabe realized he maybe shouldn't have blurted that out. “I mean, she pretended she did that. Or lied about it.” Camille’s raised eyebrows let him know he wasn’t making things better.