Page 3 of Expecting an Argument
Warmth bloomed in my lower belly and I pressed my thighs together. Nope! I might have had the worst taste in men, but I wouldn’t consider him—not the shit head who had sneered at my torn jeans and had worn shoes that cost as much as my mom’s rent.
I gulped my drink to cool down as Beau lazily rubbed the orange rind around the rim of his glass.
“So, um,” I said with a cough, “what have you been up to?”
The ice clinked as Beau picked up his glass with his slender fingers. “You know exactly what I’m doing, Adams.”
He took a sip of the caramel-colored whiskey as I bit the inside of my cheek. I could have assumed he was living on his sprawling ranch and working for his family’s oil company—or “working” as much as the only son of the owner would actually do—but he didn’t have to be a dick about it.
“And what about you,” he said, glancing down to my left hand,“MissTop of the Class?”
I made a fist on the bartop to hide my lack of an engagement ring. “Commercial litigation. I work for Parker & Hill in the city.”
He let out a low laugh that echoed around his glass. “Of course you do. Do you have a list of all the men whose balls you’ve stepped on, or have you lost count at this point?”
“You know me—perpetually organized.” I bit the end of my plastic straw. “Andalwaysready to add more to the list.”
He smirked. “I bet you are.” He caught the stem of the cherry between two fingers and lifted it from his glass. “Do you like cherries?”
I swallowed, but my mouth was suddenly dry. “N-not particularly.”
His eyebrows raised briefly in consideration and he hummed.“Shame.”
The entire cherry disappeared behind his perfect white teeth and I had to quickly find my straw and chug for dear life.
What the hell was wrong with me? I had come to the reunion to look hot, not get hot-and-bothered forBeau Fontaine III,of all people! I needed to pay the bartender and make a quick exit before I left a wet spot on the new barstool.
Beau’s cheeks pitted as he swallowed the cherry.
“You haven’t changed a bit, Adams.” He plucked the cherry stem out of his mouth and held it up in the ambient coppery glow of the room. He smirked. “If only we could all get as lucky as you.”
He placed the cherry stem on the bartop between us—he had tied it into a knot with his tongue.
The warmth in my lower belly ignited again and I sucked on my straw, only to discover with a loud slurp that I had drained the glass.
“Need another drink?” Beau said cooly before taking another sip of whiskey.
The sharp edge of the straw pressed into my lower lip as the air around us thickened. My eyes fell to his big hand wrapped around that glass, his fingertips pressing into the rigid facets of the crystal. I was approaching that all-too-familiar point of no return where I was just seconds away from crawling out of a bar and into a bed.
I shouldn’t—Ireallyshouldn’t—but it wasn’t like I lived in Elren anymore. I would never have to speak to him again. It could be a one-and-done. Yeah, just to see what that snarky little mouth of his could really do.
What a finedistractionBeau Fontaine could be.
I pushed my empty cup away and leaned on the bartop. “Did you know this place has an attic?”
He sipped his whiskey. “A three-story building has an attic?Color me surprised.”
I pursed my lips. God, he was such a fucking dick. “Did you know the attic is haunted?”
His lips hovered over the rim of his glass as he gave me a half smile. “Are you saying you want to ditch the reunion to go on a little adventure?”
I leaned forward, letting the neckline of my dress slip downjustenough. “Up for a challenge, Mr. Fontaine?”
Those pretty blue eyes dropped to my cleavage. The tip of his tongue pressed against his canine tooth as he smiled.
“You’re on, Adams.” He drained the last of his whiskey and pulled out a money clip from his jacket pocket.
I hopped down from my stool as he carelessly set a stack of bills on the bartop. I headed for the stairs in the back, giving him enough space to discreetly follow me out.
