Page 35 of Cade

Almost instantly he caught my gaze, rising to wave me over.

You got this, Cade.

I pulled up a seat across from him as the waiter came by to take our drink orders.

“I’ll have a scotch on the rocks, and my friend here will have a—” He looked at me in question for a moment, and it dawned on me he was giving me a choice.

“Ice tea with lemon, please,” I said politely.

“Any appetizers for you guys, or do you need a few more minutes?” the waiter asked.

“I’d love some of your famous buffalo chicken dip,” Weston said with a smile, and I had to admit I was a little surprised. I didn’t exactly peg him for a buffalo chicken guy. Then again, I didn’t really know him beyond the flesh, and what little interactions we had had.

Which made me feel like an asshole for assuming. Nevertheless, I pushed the melancholy aside in favor of turning a new leaf, just as Weston had.

When the waiter walked away, it was just the two of us facing off against one another.

“I worried you might have changed your mind,” Weston said as he leaned back in his chair, his long, lithe fingers tapping gently on the starched linen tablecloth.

“Well, you did say you owe me, so it would be rude to refuse you a chance to how did you say it? Make a better impression?” I said as I leaned back in my chair, shooting him a smile of my own.

“That I do,” he said with a grin as the waiter brought our drinks and a large bowl of buffalo chicken dip with fresh made tortilla chips.

“So are you in town long, or...”

Weston shook his head. “I came because my father insisted I see him and the company doing something other than what they are known for. He thinks if he shows me all the aspects of this business, something will take and I’ll just want to up and move here tomorrow to take over.”

“Is that something you want?” I ask, making polite conversation.

So far so good.

Weston’s eyes dimmed, as he twisted his lips, pausing before answering.

“It’s what is expected of me. I am the heir to the business. What I want doesn’t factor into the equation,” he said as he immediately dove in for a chip, absolutely avoiding the path this conversation was headed on. I watched as he scooped up a heaping amount of dip and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Mid-chew he looked at me, raising an eyebrow. I had to admit, it was a sound tactic for evading an uncomfortable discussion.

Like I’ve never tried to talk about something other than work before.

“What?” he said through half a mouthful of food.

“Oh nothing, its just, uh... you have a little something,” I said pointing to the corner of my own mouth.

Weston’s deep green eyes lit up with mischief as he swallowed his chip and dip, his tongue flicking out to lick the splash of hot sauce there. The sight alone made my cock twitch, and I cleared my throat. Weston only grinned slyly.

The waiter came back, and I half wondered if he was just rushing back to make my life that much more drawn out, or if he was just keeping his normal pace and I was the one who was antsy.

“We’re still going to need a few minutes,” Weston touted, before looking at me. “Unless of course, you already know what you’d like?”

His words made my stomach flip, as the look in his eyes told me he most certainly wasn’t talking about food.

Two can play this game, Mr. Rhodes.

“Actually,” I said as I leaned forward in my chair, stretching my arm out across the table on the opposite side of him, tapping my fingernails on the tablecloth, channeling my best Weston impression.

“I will have the whiskey barbecue cheeseburger with extra pickles and sauce, and extra fries on the side,” I said, dropping my voice an octave, mimicking the smoothness of Weston’s natural tone.

Weston looked a little surprised, but he hid it well. Clearly he wanted to play the big, hot alpha suit who gets to order for their sweet and subby darling, but I was feeling somewhat emboldened by Dawson’s words, and my little white lie to my boss. I was breaking the rules today, and perhaps the bad boy fever was driving me over the edge.

Bad boys usually get punished after all.

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