Page 41 of Bad Boy for Hire
“I went to my ex-boyfriend’s sister’s wedding last weekend.”
“That was last weekend? I didn’t know my ass from my elbow last week. But I’m here now. Want to talk about it? What was he like?”
“He was…Prescott. He introduced me to his fiancée.”
“No!” Jewell covered her mouth with both hands. “What was she like?”
“A fairy princess.” May waved a hand in front of her like she was sprinkling pixie dust. “Who was wearing a massive diamond ring.”
Jewell tsked.
May decided she’d rather end the conversation on a high note, so she admitted, “Xavier came with me.”
“Ohhhh, say more!”
May briefly summarized the wedding, spending more time describing Xavier’s outfit: tooled-leather shoes, suit, vest, and jacket.
“I love a man who can dress. Did he kiss you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Yes!” Jewell punched the air before offering her palm for a high-five. “And you’re seeing him tonight?”
“Yes.” May swallowed past the lump in her throat as she feebly slapped Jewell’s palm.
A dab of concern seeped into her boss’s expression. “You haven’t spoken to him since the wedding?”
Since the morning after, but that also felt like too much to share. She couldn’t be sure, after dealing with the potential consequences of last weekend, that she wouldn’t keep on talking and reveal more than intended.
“No.” May shook her head.
“Here’s what you do.” Jewell leaned with both hands on the desk. “You walk into the bar tonight wearing a great big smile and when he looks your way, give him a little wink, like this.” She demonstrated and then stood up like a shot. “We have to find you an outfit for tonight. Off to the sample room!”
Before May could argue, she was being pulled across the office and into the back room to select an outfit that was, according to Jewell, “fire.” She wasn’t going to argue. If a new outfit would make her feel like her old self—comfortable in her own skin with a deep knowing of what she wanted, she’d be in excellent shape.
May pushed open the door to Salty Dog, nerves fluttering to life. She swept her gaze left then right but didn’t see Xavier. Cheyenne spotted her and waved her over.
“Hey, hon. How’s it going?”
“Good, thanks.” May liked Cheyenne. She was open and friendly and exceedingly comfortable behind a bar. “Xavier asked Lisa and me to come out and sample the new drink on the menu.”
“He told me. It’s his night off, but he’s here. And he requested to make your drinks personally. Get comfy. Be right back.” Cheyenne slapped the flat of her palm on the bar top and then walked back to the kitchen.
May scooted onto a barstool and crossed her legs. It wasn’t hard to feel sexy and empowered in the outfit that Jewell had chosen for her. She’d picked out a pair of wide-leg jeans with frayed holes in the knees, a pair of pointed-toe calf hair flats, and a black cropped suit jacket. The outfit’s best feature was one Jewell had insisted on—a partially transparent lace corset. It pushed up May’s breasts and had peek-a-boo cutouts beneath the opaque cups. It would have been over the top if not for the grunge-style denim and flats. Jewell was a freaking genius.
“Let him see what he’s missing. And if you want him to fall under your spell, lean forward and jiggle a li’l bit,” Jewell had said with a laugh.
May hung her designer leather bag—from her own closet—on the back of the barstool. She folded her hands over her crossed knees and kept an eye on the door for Lisa. Her friend blew through the entrance not even a minute later, still dressed for work in all-black. Her suit-style pants were wide-legged, her long-sleeved top clingy and tight, accentuating her boobs.
“How is it that you are almost entirely covered up but look twice as sexy as me?” May asked as Lisa closed in for a hug.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You look incredible.” She opened one side of the suit jacket to admire the corset. “Xavier’s going to die.”
“I’m going for incapacitated.”
“You overshot it.” Lisa settled onto her own seat.
Cheyenne returned, Xavier behind her. May’s heart did that lift-and-drop thing it’d been so fond of lately. The organ was like an elevator in need of maintenance.
