Page 14 of The Run In

“Well, I was doing pretty damn good until you put my fire out.”

Mason tossed his head back with a laugh before looking at Jim. “You’d be wasting your time on this one.”

Jim frowned and slowly shook his head. “Damn.”

Pinching my brows hard, I knocked on the wood bar. “Hello. I’m still sitting here.”

Both men turned toward me. The evil smile on Mason’s face threw me for a loop. Why in the world would he say that to Jim? I mean, I wasn’t interested, but how would he know? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.

“You know, Jim, I was actually thinking dinner might be a good idea.”

“What?” Jim and Mason both said at the same time.

Nodding, I flashed him a sexy grin. “Sure, why not. We can talk all things rum.”

“You can do that right now,” Mason said with a growl.

“Tonight?” Jim asked, his face laced with hope.

Sliding my phone across the bar, I replied, “I have no plans.” I did, though. Mary and I were going to some dance club she insisted I needed to check out.

He quickly added his number, and the guy on the other side of me huffed and got off his stool. Not bothering to look at him, I turned to see Mason staring at Jim while he typed his information into my phone.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I watched Mason’s jaw muscles flex from clamping down so hard.

Shit. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go out with Jim. After all, I was with my boss during a work meeting and I’d shamelessly flirted. I wished I could take the last five minutes back. I knew better, but Mason had just made me so angry. What was it about this guy that pushed my buttons so much?

Jim handed back my phone, and I gave him a weak smile as I placed it in my purse. I moved uncomfortably around on my seat, feeling the heat of Mason’s stare. I tried hard not to look at him as I fought to keep my cheeks from turning red with embarrassment for the childish stunt I’d just pulled.

Clearing my throat, I said, “So, Jim, tell me why you picked Jameson Rum to serve at your bar.”

Jim launched into a whole explanation for why he served Jameson. I was glad to see that Mason wasn’t paying any more attention to Jim than I was. At least I was looking at him, pretending like I was paying attention. My boss, on the other hand, was staring at me and then at his phone.

Without a damn clue what Jim just said, I smiled. “Interesting. Would you be willing to jot all of that down in an email so I can print it out and refer back to it?”

With a huge grin, Jim replied, “Of course.”

I handed him one of my old business cards. “I’ve added my current email to the back of that card. Sorry, I haven’t had time to make up new cards yet.”

Risking it, I peeked over at Mason. He had a pissed-off look on his face. Without even glancing up, he said, “We need to get back to the office.”

When I didn’t say anything, he added, “Now.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “Um. Okay, but I haven’t even eaten.”

He looked at me, and for one brief moment, his eyes softened and he gave me the sweetest smile. Something weird happened in my chest. A tightening sensation I hadn’t experienced in a very long time gripped me and kept me in my place.

The last time I felt like this was… When was the last time I felt like this?

“Right. I’m sorry. We’ll grab something quickly.” Turning to Jim, Mason nodded. “Jim, thanks for your help.”

“Yeah,” Jim said with a wide grin. “Anytime.”

I slid off the barstool and Jim called out my name. “So, dinner tonight?”

Shit.

“Let me double check my calendar at the office, and I’ll text you. Sound good?”

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