Page 206 of The First Time
Dirty Deal
Chapter One
The manager takes one look at my discount heels and my loose pencil skirt and shakes his head.
"Sorry, but the position is already filled." He leers at my chest. Raises a brow.Maybe you'd like to fill a different position.
I swallow the insult rising in my throat. "Do you know when you'll be hiring again?"
"It might be awhile."
"Keep me in mind. I have a lot of experience." Not so much the kind he's looking for. But I do know how to wait tables.
He takes my résumé but keeps his eyes on my chest. "Sorry, honey, but we're looking for something specific."
Yeah, I bet.
I take a not-at-all-calming breath. This guy is nothing. He's not going to make me lose it. I've dealt with a thousand entitled jerks worse than him.
I'll deal with plenty more tonight.
It comes with working at a nice place.
I nod athank youand walk out of the restaurant slowly.
I keep my steps casual. Easy. Well, as easy as I can in these shitty heels.
The air outside is freezing. Even by March in New York standards. The white sky is heavy with grey rainclouds.
Usually, I like the drizzle. I like the temperamental weather—the snowy winters, the rainy spring, the humid summer, the crisp fall.
Right now, not so much.
I dig into my purse for my phone. Lizzy will cheer me up. She always does.
With my next step, I bump into something solid.
No. Someone. Soft wool wraps over a hard body.
My leg catches on his. I think it's a his.
My ankle shifts.
Shit.
I throw my hands in front of my face to catch my fall.
Ow. The concrete smarts. And it's fucking cold.
"Are you okay?" a deep voice asks.
So that's a him. Very him. His voice is masculine. There's something about the steady timbre. Something that makes me forget I'm splayed out on the ground, damp concrete wetting my skirt.
"I'm fine."
His shoes are nice. Leather. Designer. Expensive. His slacks fall at exactly the right place. They're grey. Wool. And they're covering long legs.
His black wool coat falls at mid-thigh. It's buttoned. It's hiding his torso. It's hanging off his strong shoulders.
