The unsettling realization that a stranger had hugged her sparked a wave of nausea.
As Raegan stepped out of the restroom, a familiar voice reached her ears.
âYou fool, why did you have to touch that woman? Now youâve entangled me in this predicament!â Ruben complained.
âHow was I to anticipate her reaction?â Klein retorted.
âSheâs divorced.
Shouldnât she be eager for young men like us? Instead, she was rigid, nothing like a womanâs caress.
And she carries herself so arrogantly.
â
Raegan recognized the speakers as the two affluent sons Benson had just introduced her to.
âWho embraced me from behind just now?â Ruben questioned.
âWhat? Someone embraced you?â Klein raised an eyebrow.
âYes, and I felt a circular pendant or something.
It felt like it was pressing into me.
It certainly didnât feel like a womanâs touch.
I wonder which man thought he could exploit me.
â
âA round necklace?â Kleinâs expression shifted, and he promptly embraced Ruben from behind.
âYou pervert! Whatâs this about? I prefer women!â Ruben exclaimed.
Klein remained composed and queried, âLike this?â
Ruben felt Kleinâs hug, sensing something oddly familiar.
Klein reached beneath his shirt, producing a skull-shaped pendant.
âIs this what you meant?â
âYouâre the one who hugged me!â Ruben yelled, his voice tinged with surprise.
âs BunnyBookery Klein let go abruptly and delivered a sharp slap to the back of Rubenâs head.
âWhy didnât you speak up earlier? Benson laid into me.
He even threatened to spill the beans to my dad!â
âHow could I have known? Why not ponder how you failed to realize you were embracing a man?â Ruben retorted.
âI was overly excited then,â Klein defended.
âIn the darkness, I didnât initially notice.
â
âShall we return and fully explain to Benson?â Ruben proposed.
âForget it.
Heâs formidable.
If he doesnât trust us, weâll be in deeper trouble.
Letâs stay low.
I donât want him to file another complaint to my dad!â
Raeganâs thoughts spun like a carousel as the two men vanished into the distance, leaving her with a bewildered expression frozen on her face.
The individual who had embraced her, as it turned out, wasnât Klein.
Then who was it?
As Raegan meticulously reconstructed the nightâs seating plan in her mind, vivid details emerged.
Klein wore a blazer, while the man who had embraced her donned a simple dress shirt.
Bensonâs friend chose a dress shirt, yet he sat several spaces away, making it impossible for him to quickly return before the room lit up.
With him out of view, suspicion focused on the remaining man in a dress shirt.
Raeganâs fist clenched so tightly that her palm stung.
Could it really be Mitchel?
At the clubhouse entrance, Amilia followed closely behind Mitchel.