Page 6 of New Rules
“Oh, you’re smooth. Real smooth, Ray. And a flirt.”
His sexy smile overtook his face. “Is it working?”
It was, but I was going to make him wait.
I tilted my head to the side as if to think about it. “Maybe.”
I smiled and then walked over to my other customer to give him his check and also give myself a breather.
The thrill of the chase wasn’t just a guy thing. Honestly, women enjoyed it too.
So, I mastered the art of the push-and-pull. I might cancel my plans to meet up with a guy but then text him a few days later to reschedule. I might let him go all the way on a first date, but then arrive twenty minutes late to dinner.
It kept things spicy, unpredictable, and entirely on my terms. I not only wanted that, but I needed it.
I hadn’t had a lot of control in most of my life. My father was a good man, but he’d raised his family like an Army captain treated his soldiers. I’d grown up under his thumb—at least until my mom left him and took my sister and me with her.
Shortly after graduating from high school, I’d married a dictator. I’d wasted three years with Brad because my sister told me that since he wasn’t in the military, he was less likely to cheat on me. I’d known she was jaded because of our dad, but I was too, so I’d listened.
The thing was,Iwas in the military. I’d given my life away to the Army for twenty years. There was a pattern there of being told what to do by other people in my life. These last few years, I’d decided to live for myself. It felt damn good, and I was the happiest I’d been in years.
But I also needed to take a moment to breathe. If I didn’t take a step back and calm my pre-menopausal hormones, I’d end up letting him take me right here behind this bar.
Breathe, Tammy. You got this.
Thankfully, my tight jeans would keep my panties firmly in place.
For a few hours at least.
“Here you go,” I said as I placed his food down in front of him. “Would you like anything else?”
His gaze was on mine as he paused for a moment. “Nothing that’s on the menu.”
I felt heat creep up my cheeks.
I,Tammy Lynn Tivoli, was blushing.
I did not blush.
Until now, apparently.
I cleared my throat as I tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind.
I was tired. I hadn’t had much sleep last night, and my brain was losing it. That had to be why.
“What about you?” His gravelly voice broke me out of my stupor. “You married or have a man, Tammy?”
“Nope. I’m happily divorced and free as a bird.”
I watched as he grinned and then winked as he placed a French fry into his mouth, never breaking eye contact with me.
The heat in his eyes burned right through me. There was something about the way he looked at me, a hunger that felt like he’d wanted me for years, even though we’d only just met. And that look made it clear that he knew this attraction wasn’t one sided.
There were many attractive men who had sat at this bar before. There was something different about Ray, though. He hadn’t been the one to flirt first. Oh, he sure flirted back, but he’d also been polite, attentive, and genuinely fun to banter back and forth with.
“How late do you keep this place open?” he asked.
I tilted my head in bemusement. “Depends on who’s sitting at the bar. Some company’s worth overtime.”
