Page 13 of Whatever You Want

A sly grin took over his face. “What can I say, your shit’s memorable. Now tell me who you’ve got your eye on.”

I toyed with the napkin on the table. “Do you remember when I told you about Amelia’s friend? The one who lost her husband?”

He straightened up in his seat. That got his attention. “The single mother?”

“Yeah.” I tried to keep my face free of any reaction. He knew I’d always had a bit of a crush on her. The problem was, the attraction was only growing, and I had no idea what to do about it. It was easier to ignore it when she was married. But now that she was single, there was no way I could put this attraction to her on simmer.

“What about her?”

I picked at the paper napkin, needing to do something with my hands. “I can’t stop thinking about her. I thought as time went on that this infatuation I had with her would fade.” I blew out a frustrated breath. “It’s only gotten worse.”

“So, you’ve got it bad.”

“So fucking bad.” I lifted my gaze to meet his. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

He pushed his utensils to the side and leaned his elbows on the table. “Of course, I don’t think you’re crazy. The bigger question is, how does she feel?”

I ran my finger along my bottom lip. “My gut tells me she’s not ready to make that jump yet, or maybe not ever. The whole thing sucks because there is this connection between us that can’t be ignored. I know she feels it too, I just don’t know if she’ll ever be over her husband.”

“The only way you’ll know for sure is if you put it all out there for her to deal with.” I thought his advice was a bit ironic given his own silent feelings for Heather, but I kept my comments to myself.

I scratched the back of my neck. “I’m afraid if I pounce too soon, she’ll get spooked.”

Understanding dawned on his features. “Well, then maybe you could throw some feelers out there. Be subtle without taking it too far. You’re the detective; you should be able to tell if you are onto something or not.”

I threw my head back and folded my hands behind my neck. If only things were that easy. It didn’t matter that there was always something between us that churned below the surface. I would never be anything other than a friend to her. She still wore her rings, which screamed to me that she was physically and emotionally unavailable. She might have been attracted to me, but that pain that filled her eyes was for the man she still loved. I wasn’t so sure competing with a ghost would be the best thing for me because there was a chance I’d never come out the winner.

“All right, birthday girl.” Amelia bumped my shoulder. “What’s it going to be?”

We were at a trendy tavern in downtown Philly, right off of Samson Street. It was known to draw a mostly local crowd but still close enough to all the touristy spots. The drinks were cheap, and the atmosphere was laid-back. It was the perfect place for us to unwind after a long day.

“Hmm.” I tapped my chin with my finger, perusing my choices. They had a corkboard with IPAs and specialty drinks. “I can’t decide. Surprise me.”

Kara, my coworker, took a seat at the bar and pulled out her credit card. “I think we should start out with a round of shots.” She turned to the bad boy looking bartender, who looked like he walked right off of a Harley Davidson ad. He was all defined muscles, faded jeans, and sex appeal, which was exactly her type.

He leaned sideways, putting his long tattooed arms on display as he wiped the bar down. He plucked a few cocktail napkins out of the holder and placed them in front of us. “What can I get you, ladies?”

Kara’s eyes raked him over. “How about a round of orgasms,” she said, her voice all silky and smooth. The girl was unfamiliar with the word subtle.

The corner of his lips lifted in a playful smirk. “Are we still talking about the ones filled with vodka or the ones filled with something else?”

I glanced at Amelia and Charlotte, who were trying to hold in their laughter. Kara was entirely on board with his sexual innuendo, and the last thing she needed was the encouragement to keep it going. There would be no stopping her.

“We’ll take the one filled with vodka for now. Maybe we can discuss other options later.” She licked her lips while pulling down the neckline of her top.

His eyes dipped to her chest, where it seemed to linger for a minute. “A single round of orgasms coming right up.” He winked and turned around, giving us all a view of his backside.

I nudged Kara with my foot, trying to get her attention. She was too busy admiring him as he fixed our drinks. “You couldn’t be more obvious if you tried.”

She pulled her lipstick out and applied it to her mouth. “That’s the point. How’s he supposed to know I’m interested if I don’t make it known?”

Charlotte stepped forward to get a closer look. “I’m tempted to take a quarter and see if it bounces off that fine ass.”

“You have a husband who would cut his dick off if he heard you say that.” I elbowed her in the ribs, but she was still watching him as he poured the liquor into the shaker.

“Oh, please. I still have eyes, and I can’t ignore what’s right in front of me.” My mouth hung open in shock at her brazen comment. She saw my expression and rolled her eyes. “Quinn knows the only ass I’m interested in is his, but I can still look.” She smiled mischievously and turned her attention back to the bar.

We all stared as he held the shaker with both hands and shook it vigorously over his shoulder; he was putting on quite the show. His tight black T-shirt rode up to his back, revealing the colored ink along the rest of his skin.

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