Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 99

The next morning, the moment Audrina arrived at the studio, her phone buzzed.

She unlocked it to see a refund notification on her screen.

The money she had wired Sebastian the day before had been returned in full.

But she was swamped all day, and it wasn't until she was clocking out that she finally remembered to address it.

Opening their chat, she quickly typed out a message:

[Why didn't you accept the transfer? It's not like I can't afford a phone.]

His reply came almost instantly: [I take cash.]

Audrina stared at those three words for several seconds, convinced she had misread them.

[...What are you, a dinosaur? Where am I supposed to get cash for you?]

She hit send, and the chat went silent.

Thinking he had no comeback, she was just about to lock her screen and start the car when another message popped up.

Sebastian sent a location pin for a bank, followed by a single line:

[Bring your bank card and meet me here. It's very convenient to withdraw cash.]

Audrina: [...]

She checked the time. It was 10 PM.

She checked the location. It was the bank located on the ground floor of the Everest building.

Taking a deep breath, she flipped her phone face down on the passenger seat.

The man had the most bizarre excuses for wanting to see her.

Rejecting a digital transfer to demand cash? Forcing her to go to an ATM late at night? Anyone watching would think she was paying off a loan shark.

She sat in the car for a minute before finally flipping her phone back over and starting the GPS.

As she fired up the engine, she couldn't help but wonder: Did Sebastian have a fundamental misunderstanding of the word 'convenient'?

Remembering she still needed to ask him about something, she pulled out of the garage.

Besides, she needed him to verify a theory.

"Twelve thousand eight hundred. Count it yourself," she said, tossing the stack onto the table.

Sebastian briefly glanced at the cash, his expression completely neutral. "You're short eight bucks."

Audrina knew exactly what he was doing. He was just messing with her. Lately, he seemed to enjoy getting under her skin.

If she didn't legitimately need his help tonight, she never would have humored him by coming all the way out here.

She narrowed her eyes. "Short eight bucks, am I?"

Sebastian leaned further into the sofa cushions, the document still pinched between his fingers. His posture was totally relaxed, and he let out a low 'Mhm', the pitch curling up at the end, as if daring her to do something about it.

The moment the sound left his lips, Audrina took a step forward, her knees pressing against the edge of the sofa.

His gaze tracked her movement, sliding from her face down to her hand. He didn't move, but the hand holding the file tightened its grip.

She rested her palm directly against his stomach, trailing her fingers over the fabric of his dress shirt. She felt his core clench beneath her touch—hard as stone.

"I'm pretty sure I count exactly eight right here," she whispered near his ear, her warm breath brushing against his skin.

Sebastian's breathing hitched instantly. His chest began rising and falling at a faster clip. Tossing the file aside, his free hand shot out to lock around her wrist.