Shake it off, Gia.
After she finally left, he returned to where I was sitting at the bar. He didn’t acknowledge what had just happened as he continued to wipe the bar top when there was nothing left to wipe.
“So, who’s Rachel?”
“No one,” he was quick to say.
“I have ears, you know.”
“And what exactly did you hear with those ears, Minnie Mouse?”
“That she misses fucking you. Is she one of your whores?”
He stopped wiping and whipped the towel at me. “Now, now…have some respect. I think the correct term is concubine.”
I snapped my fingers. “Ah, sorry. Didn’t mean to cheapen it.”
He shrugged. “Honestly…she’s no one important…just someone I used to mess around with.”
“Used to?”
“When I meet someone, I’m very clear on the fact that I don’t want a relationship. I don’t make any promises. Sometimes women expect things to keep going when they were never meant to go on.
Sometimes, no matter how clear you make your intentions, they still don’t listen.”
“I assume that means you’re done with her?”
“There’s no reason to continue.”
“But she misses fucking you,” I mocked.
“That’s her problem.”
“Well, if you really are that upfront with women, then I respect that. I would have preferred it if Harlan—the guy I met here, if that’s even his name—told me that all he was interested in was having sex and running.”
Rush lifted his brow. “Would you have fucked him if he’d admitted that?”
“Probably not, but I would’ve appreciated the brutal honesty over what he did to me.”
“He could sense that you aren’t the type of girl to go for a one-night stand. He knew the only way to get you to sleep with him was to deceive you into thinking it was the start of something more.”
“How do you know that about me…that I’m not the one-night stand type?”
“Well, for one, you told me you were hurt by what happened. If you were different, you wouldn’t have given a shit—wouldn’t have even thought to tell me about it when you’d only just met me. And even if you hadn’t said anything, I would still be able to read you. I can look a woman in the eyes and know if there’s a lot going on in her head or if things come up empty. Don’t ask me how I know…I just do.”
“And you go for the empty ones…”
“Empty is safe.”
I pondered why Rush was so intent on distancing himself from relationships. “Do you worry about women only being interested in your money…trying to go after you if things go wrong? Is that why you’re the way you are?”
“No. That’s not really something I worry about.”
“You don’t worry about it because you never let things get to a certain point with anyone.”
“Pretty much.” He grabbed my empty glass and lifted it in the air. “You want another?”
“Do I have to say cock again?”
“You just did.”
I laughed. “No more French Kisses for me. Not fake ones anyway.” I winked. “Honestly, I have to write tonight while the ideas from today are fresh in my head. I’ll pass out if I have any more alcohol.
My characters have a lot to say and do.”
He chuckled. “Well, at least someone’s getting laid tonight.”
Oak snuck up beside me during the evening rush. He was so big that his body cast a shadow whenever he was near.
“You alright, boss?”
Looking up at his massive frame, I said, “Yeah. Why?”
“Well, you seem preoccupied lately. Anything you want to tell me?”
“Not particularly. Why are you asking me that?”
“You don’t know why?”
“No, I don’t.”
He laughed to himself then said, “Pretty sure you have a thing for Gia.”
Fuck.
Was it that obvious?
“Are you out of your mind? You know I don’t date employees.” I looked around to make sure no one was listening to our conversation. “What makes you say that anyway?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Ever since she started working here, you never leave The Heights? You also watch her like a hawk when you think no one’s looking. But I’m always watching you, so that’s how I know.”
“Well, you can stop watching me. Your job is to watch The Heights, not me.”
“My job is to observe everything. Part of my job is to protect you.”
“Well, I don’t need protecting.”
“She seems like a nice girl, very sweet to everyone. The customers love her. I think—”
“Save it, Oak. Nothing is going to be happening there.”
“It’s already happening from what I can see…”
Looking up at him, I said, “You’re crossing the line. Are you forgetting I could fire your ass?”
His deep laughter filled the ear. “Nah. You won’t. I know too much shit.”
“That and you’re gigantic. I would be fucked. Anyway, you’re lucky I like you.”
His laughter died down. “Come on, Rush. You can’t fool me. You got a thing for Gia. There’s nothing wrong with that, man.”
“There’s plenty wrong with it. First off, she’s my employee. Nothing will be happening for that reason alone, but more than that…she’s dangerous.”
Oak squinted. “Dangerous? That little thing? How do you figure that?”
How was I going to explain this?
“You ever just look at someone and know that if you let them, they could turn your life upside down…completely ruin you?”
Nodding in understanding, he said, “Oh, yes. That’s happened to me before.”
“What did you do?”
“I gave in and married her.”
Hearing him say that freaked me the fuck out.
“Well, that’s not happening with Gia—or anyone.”
“So, what…you’re just gonna continue to guard over her and never tell her how you feel?”
“That’s right. My feelings are irrelevant. I can’t date an employee and if that weren’t an issue, it’s not like I can be with anyone who expects anything from me anyway.”
“At some point, you’re gonna regret being so closed-off. The bad-boy thing ain’t gonna be so hot when you’re my age and all alone.”
I let out a deep sigh. My eyes were on Gia when I said, “She writes romance novels, Oak. Fucking fairytales. That means, deep down, she wants the fairytale for herself. And I’m not the fairytale. I’m the horror story. I’m the fucked-up bastard child of an asshole, and it’s very likely that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’ve never been interested in a relationship, and that’s not gonna change just because I’m temporarily fixated on her ass, and every other body part.”
He just continued to stare at me as if he didn’t believe me.
I continued, “I don’t know what I’m doing, alright? It’s like I want to…protect her or something. It’s weird.”
He patted me on the back. “As long as you recognize that, boss.”
My car was idling as I waited outside for her to exit The Heights. It was sort of an unspoken thing that I’d drive Gia home after her shift. I still hadn’t figured out how to tell her I’d fixed her car. Tonight she just started walking right past me even though I knew she damn well saw me.
As I drove alongside her, she joked, “We really have to stop meeting like this.”
“Get in.”
Gia kept on strolling. “I’m thinking I’d like to walk tonight.”
“Not safe.”
She started to skip, her wild, black hair blowing in the night wind. “I think I’ll risk it.”
I could tell by the look on her face that she was messing with me.
“Get your ass in the car, Gia.”
She laughed, then opened the car door and situated herself in the passenger seat.
Lighting up a cigarette, I blew the smoke out of the window. “Stubborn little shit,” I grumbled, putting the car in drive and speeding away too fast. This was a prime example of taking my sexual tension out on my Mustang. It had been taking a beating lately.