Trance by Tabitha Levin Read Free Book Online Page A

alleyway filled with dirty trash cans. The air would be scented with rotting food and stray cats would fight over scraps. A police siren would wail in the background.
    Or perhaps, my problem was I’d seen far too many bad crime shows? I held my phone in my hand, just in case.
    I opened the door into a well-lit courtyard. Jason sat at a table, which had two seats, in the centre of the area. Tiny lights hung from lanterns overhead across beams. Potted herbs like rosemary scented the area. Background music from his phone. No visible chainsaw.
    He smiled as I approached and casually waved his hand to the chair across from him. I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. “Another date? I’m not sure I can handle two in one night, especially since this one was sprung on me.”
    “Wasn’t your first sprung on you too?”
    “Well, I did have prior knowledge of that one, even if it wasn’t my idea of a perfect partner.”
    “I see, so what is your idea of a perfect partner? You have me curious.”
    I sat down opposite him. There was no way I was going to answer that. “So many questions, are you interviewing me again?”
    “I wouldn’t dare.”
    “Interesting. Then what would you dare? Since you bought it up, of course.”
    He grinned and leaned forward. “You’d be surprised what I’d dare to do.”
    “Are you challenging me to a game of Truth or Dare?”
    He leaned back on his chair, lifting his fingers to his lips and tapping the point they made on them. “I wasn’t, but we could go with that, if you like.”
    “Why not? I like games.”
    He snapped his fingers and I gasped.
    He laughed. “Relax. I’m not trying to hypnotize you.”
    “How can I be so sure? Pete says he can’t remember anything you made him do.”
    “Nonsense. Everyone can remember what they did under hypnosis. He’s just embarrassed. I was tempted to make him do even more embarrassing things. But I didn’t.”
    A waiter bought out two drinks. A bottle of beer for him, and a glass of wine for me. Jason slipped the waiter cash, although I couldn’t tell how much.
    “Trying to get me drunk?” I asked.
    “Don’t you like wine?”
    I held the glass in to my lips. “I like it well enough.” I took a sip as the smooth fruity liquid glided down my throat. It was sweeter than I expected. The taste lingered on my tongue.
    “I’ll have to find out what you like better then.” He took a swig of his beer.
    “I’ll go first.”
    He looked at me like he didn’t know what I was talking about.
    “Truth or Dare. Which do you choose?”
    He hesitated. “Truth.”
    I raised my eyebrow. “I thought you liked dare’s? Wasn’t that the whole point of this game?”
    “I’m just warming up.”
    “Okay then.” I took another sip of my wine watching him closely, wondering what I should ask him. He was looking at me just as intently. “Okay, first question. Why didn’t you want me to take the job?”
    “I said you could have it, if you wanted.”
    “But why did you hesitate, to begin with.”
    “I don’t date co-workers. It’s too messy.”
    My stomach fluttered. I didn’t expect that answer.
    “You wanted to ask me out? Why didn’t you say so, in the mirror maze?”
    He laughed. “I tried to. You turned me down.”
    “I did not. You just didn’t try hard enough.”
    “Yet here we are.” He leaned back again, looking around the courtyard. “Looks like a date to me.”
    “What if I decide to take the job?”
    “Is this another Truth question? I thought it was my turn.”
    “Fine, it’s your turn.”
    “Truth or Dare?”
    “Truth.”
    “Why did you ditch Pete, and come out here with me?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Bzzzt. Not an acceptable answer.”
    “Fine. Although technically I didn’t ditch Pete, I ditched Lacey, since it was she that convinced me to join them all for dinner. And quite frankly, I think she was happy that I did. I imagine she was looking for a way to get alone with Andy anyway.”
    He grimaced.