Page 81 of Bend
Dex slapped me on the back. “Good to see you again.”
I swung my arm to the side and punched his stomach. “Back to work.”
He rubbed his stomach and smiled. “Aye, aye, Capitano!”
I leaned against the front desk, smiling at Dawn. “Who’s on my hit list today?”
She reached out and gave me a high five. “Welcome back, boss.” She beamed at me. Was I really that far gone lately? “You’ve got Jason at two, followed by Sarah at three.”
I nodded. “Plenty of time for a workout. Thanks.” I patted the desk as I stepped away. “Yo, Dex!” His head popped up. “Workout?”
He gave me the thumbs-up and I moved to the locker room, a bit of a skip in my step that I didn’t even realize I’d been missing.
--oOo--
Cassie and her husband were keeping Mom company for the night, so I was in no rush to get home after my last client. It wasn’t a family dinner—those took place on Sundays—so I knew I wasn’t expected to be there.
I had someone to visit.
Still clad in my workout gear and my black t-shirt with the word “TRAINER” written across the back, I drove back to Union Jack’s to see the girl who made me crazy.
The hostess, Adriane, remembered me from the day before and sat me in Hope’s nearly empty section. I vibrated just knowing she was near. When she came out from behind the kitchen door, I shuddered and adjusted my hardening cock.
She stopped a few feet from the table and stared at me. “What are you doing here?”
I had to bite my tongue to keep from moaning at the view of her cleavage in her tank top. A ripple moved through every nerve in my body.
“I can’t have dinner and a drink?” I quirked my brow at her. Her movements were slow and cautious as she closed the last few feet. “Why are you acting so afraid of me?”
She slammed a napkin down on the table in front of me and glared. “What can I get you to drink?”
I smirked at her. “I’m not sure I can have what I want.”
She looked away, the buzzing heat between us increasing. “Dos Equis?”
I was pleasantly surprised that she remembered. “Water will do me for now.”
She backed up, nearly tripping on her own feet as she turned to head to the bar, an embarrassed blush flooding her face. She looked over at me a couple of times, and I stared straight at her. Last time, I was unprepared to see her again, but tonight, I was going to make sure she knew I wasn’t afraid of the intensity between us.
When she returned with my water and set the glass down, it slipped, tipping over and sloshing water onto the table. We both reached for it, and I barely managed to keep from touching her. The static current was still through the roof with how close we got. I couldn’t image how bad it would be when I actually got some skin-on-skin contact.
“Sorry.” She wiped away the spilled liquid with some napkins.
“Nothing to be sorry about, Hope.”
Her eyes fluttered as I said her name, eliciting the response I was going for. The muscles in her jaw tensed.
“Are you ready to order?”
“I’d like the spicy veggie wrap.”
“For your side?”
“Chips are fine.”
I handed her the menu, and she started to go, then stopped. “Why?”
I sighed, knowing exactly what she meant—the same thing I’d given up on asking. “Fuck if I know.”
