Page 9 of Reckless Encounters

Ouch. But truly, what else do I expect from the asshole.

“Not that reluctantly,” Olivia murmurs.

Logan’s hand rests on my lower back as he pulls my chair out for me. “We just ordered a round of shots.”

We chat about where we are from and the basic get-to-know-you questions. I find out Olivia is from Jersey and Logan was born and raised here in the city. Olivia is thirty-five and Logan is twenty-five. They both seem surprised to find out I grew up in the Upper East Side. Luckily, the shots are delivered just in time to avoid that conversation.

“Cheers to Ava…our newest teammate,” Olivia says, and we all clink our glasses before throwing the shots back.

Olivia glances at Logan before asking me her next question. “So Ava, are you single?”

Ah, I see what’s going on here.

“Single as a Pringle. How about you guys?”

“My boyfriend is actually on the way to meet us here now…but Logan’s single.”

Olivia’s gaze falls behind me, and she speaks again before I can respond. “Well, that’s the most interesting thing that’s happened all year.”

She moves toward whatever her eyes have landed on, and I hear Logan grumble, “What the fuck is he doing here?” just before I turn around to find a sexy-as-sin Parker talking to another guy.

Long gone is his suit jacket.

He’s a walking, talking wet dream with the dark grey sleeves of his tailored shirt rolled up, showcasing his fully tattooed arms. The peach-colored rose peeks out of the top of his collar, crawling just slightly up his neck.

A memory of my tongue running along the rose petals flashes before my eyes.

Olivia slings her arms around the guy beside Parker and she steers them to the bar to grab a drink.

Parker’s gaze moves up to meet mine, and I quickly turn back to Logan, realizing I’ve been staring for too long.

“So, I take it that’s Olivia’s boyfriend?” I ask quickly, hoping Logan didn’t notice my perusal of the boss.

“Yep…he’s Parker’s friend and a tattoo artist here in the city, if that’s your thing.”

Unfortunately, it is absolutely my thing, especially when they come with a side of asshole.

Can we say, disaster waiting to happen?

“Do you want something else to drink?” Logan asks.

“I’m okay right now. I shared a huge fishbowl full of tequila, plus a celebratory shot with my best friend before coming here.”

He chuckles. “Nice… Did you at least eat?”

“Yeah, we shared a delicious plate of nachos too.”

“Fishbowls and nachos… Sounds like a place I need to try out. We should go sometime.”

“Yes, for sure… It’s over in Nolita, so it’s easy to walk to from the office or the hotel one night.” Logan is extremely attractive, but I haven’t even started the job yet, so I don’t want to give him the wrong idea. “Olivia looks like she’d be a margarita type of girl too… Maybe all three of us can go one day this week after work.”

“Either way, I’m down. Wednesday night, I know I’m free, if that works for you," Logan says before taking a sip of the pint glass he’s been working on.

"Where are we going?” Parker’s deep voice interrupts as he takes Olivia’s seat.

“Just planning a dinner one night this week after work,” Logan answers.

“Isn’t that cute, a Pierce and a Bryant? Two New York City legacies making immediate friends,” Parker hums, sounding the opposite of amused and not looking my way.

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