Page 54 of His Temptation
Sawyer: Did someone confiscate your phone? There’s no way Lincoln is the one asking for happy hour!
I roll my eyes at him. Of course he called me out on it.
When I walk into the bar, it’s buzzing with conversation. People are everywhere, putting on an act—the men pretending to be stand-up gentlemen, looking for a good conversation, and women flipping their hair, hoping it drives the men crazy.
I never noticed how annoying and fake it all was until now.
I sit at the high-top table as a waitress comes over with a sultry smile. I know that smile. She looks me up and down.
“Meeting a date?” she asks with her chest out and lips pursed.
“No. Friends,” I reply indifferently.
“I see. My shift ends at nine,” she says as she steps in closer.
I already know what she’s looking for. I’m dressed in an Armani suit with shoes that probably cost several months’ rent for her, and my watch is worth more than her car. She doesn’t see me; she just sees a man who can pay for a lifestyle she wants in Manhattan. Someone who might give her some orgasms and look good on her arm but is just a means to her desire for status and money.
“That’s nice for you. I’ll just take a glass of Macallan,” I say coldly.
Her face falls at the rejection, but I can’t bother to be concerned. I’m not normally so cold, especially to a woman as beautiful and eager as her. If this were a year ago, I would have taken her number and probably fucked her after her shift. Now, the idea of it holds zero interest to me.
A hand slaps me on the back, and Dean and Sawyer take their seats opposite me.
Dean looks closely at me. “That waitress is hot. Don’t tell me you already got to her.”
“She’s all yours,” I tell him. “And she gets off work at nine, by the way.”
Sawyer’s eyebrows shoot up. “Soo, she came on to you?”
“Who came on to who?” Colton asks as he takes a seat next to me.
The beautiful waitress appears, and Dean smiles his million-dollar smile at her. “Hello, beautiful.”
I see that she’s recovered quickly from my rejection and is now keen on giving her attention to my friend. Not that it bothers me. It just proves my point. She takes everyone else’s drink orders and walks away.
“I just told Dean the waitress is all his,” I clarify now that she’s gone.
After everyone has their drinks, Walker looks at me strangely. “You going to tell us why you called us here tonight?”
Roman nods his head in agreement. “Yeah, you never call us out for drinks unless you need us to network.”
“Can’t a guy just want a couple of drinks with his friends?” I ask defiantly.
“Sure, he can,” Sawyer says. “Butyoudon’t do that. So, fess up.”
I weigh my options between dealing with this all night or just telling them. Ultimately, they won’t let it go without a fight because they’re nosy sons of bitches.
“It’s your assistant, isn’t it?” Colton says before I can make a decision.
My jaw clenches. I look up at him quickly, not sure how to answer.
“Holy. Shit. Itisher,” Dean replies.
“I knew there was something there. I could tell from the moment I saw you two together in your office,” Roman says with his whiskey in his hand.
“That’s enough!” I slam my drink down.
The group falls silent, but their eyes remain on me.
