Page 37 of Hayden's Stalker

When he returns, he hands her drink to her, and she thanks him.

She takes a sip from the drink before glaring at Blake, and she growls quietly, “This drink isnotvirgin.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. The bartender must have made a mistake,” he says innocently.

Tatiana inhales a deep breath and lets it out slowly before saying coolly, “You don’t give bartenders enough credit. They don’t make mistakes like that. It’s not worth their jobs to be giving out alcohol that customers aren’t paying for.”

I feel terrible that Blake did this, and I’m pissed off that he would do it because he’s obviously done it on purpose.

Tatiana seems to think so as well because she continues, “Which leaves two options.Youaccidentally ordered the wrongdrink, or you don’t give a shit about Hayden’s safety and purposely ordered me an alcoholic drink. I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it was the former. Either way,don’tdo it again.”

My friends have annoyingly smug grins on their faces, while Blake looks at Tatiana and at least seems sorry when he says, “Maybe I did accidentally order the wrong drink. My bad. I’ll be more careful in future.”

Tatiana glances at me, then turns back to Blake and says, “See that you are.”

This whole night has been uncomfortable and awkward. Even more so than my usual nights out with my friends and Blake. Probably because Tatiana is here as well, which is an added complication.

Strangely enough, I haven’t thought much about having a stalker. With her here, I’m not as scared that something bad will happen. I dart a glance at her, and she’s got an impassive look on her face as she stares out at the club in front of us.

She smiles at me, and I turn back to my friends to continue the conversation. A minute or so later, my attention is drawn back to her when Jesse comes over to her.

“What’s up?” he asks as he reaches her.

“Could you possibly get me a virgin Tom Collins?”

He nods. “Not a problem. Do you want me to dispose of this one?”

“Sure. I have one or two ideas about what could be done with it, but it’s probably better if you take it away,” she grumbles under her breath.

Jesse chuckles as he walks away, and I feel terrible that my boyfriend was such an asshole to her, so I lean over and say, “I’m sorry about that.”

She turns to look at me, and her breath catches in her throat. Again, I might not have heard it over the noise in the club,except that I’m completely tuned in to everything about her. Her eyes widen as she looks at me before she speaks, and I have the sudden urge to kiss her, which I immediately feel guilty for.

She blinks at me, then says quietly, “You didn’t do it.”

“I know, but I feel bad, anyway.”

Not just for the drink situation, either. She’s just trying to do her job, and here I am, asshole extraordinaire, fantasizing about her when my boyfriend is literally sitting right next to me.

“It’s fine, Hayden. No harm, no foul. Jesse’s gone to get me a virgin.”

I can’t help myself, and I burst into laughter at her words. I’m trying my hardest not to think sexually about her, but she’s talking about my bodyguard supplying her with a virgin.

“What?” she asks, looking surprised.

“He’s gone to ‘get you a virgin,’” I can’t resist teasing her, and I raise an eyebrow at her as I say it.

Tatiana groans and hits her forehead with her palm as her cheeks turn bright red again.

“Hey, more power to you, if that’s your thing. Personally, I’ve always preferred someone with a little more experience,” I say.

Once again, she looks sexy as fuck when she’s embarrassed. Maybe because it makes me think she’s having the same kind of thoughts as me. What if she’s not, though? Maybe I’m her asshole employer who’s sexually harassing her. Damn. I need to be careful because I don’t want to be that guy.

“Dear Ground, please swallow me whole. Love, Tatiana Swanson,” she says with an embarrassed smile.

I laugh, but I don’t say anything more because now I’m concerned that I’ll upset her. I look at her for a few more seconds, taking in her flushed face and searching for any signs that she’s uncomfortable with me. She doesn’t seem to be and just looks embarrassed.

I turn back to my friends to join our conversation again and immediately catch Sebastian’s eye. He’s got a smug grin on his face, and he looks at Blake meaningfully, but Blake is on his phone scrolling through his social media feed and missed my entire interaction with Tatiana.

---