My mouth was still hanging open when he came back to the bar a few minutes later. It wasn’t my place, but I couldn’t help myself.
“You know, I’m really disappointed in you.”
He pulled his head back with the audacity to look surprised. “Me? What the hell did I do?”
“After the way your mother was treated by your father. How could you?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Lauren. She’s married! You can have any woman you want.” I waved my hand up and down in front of him. “You’re gorgeous, got that stupid, hot, bad-boy thing going on that women love, and to top it off, you have money, but don’t act like it. Why in the world do you need to go out with a married woman?”
A sly grin spread across his face. “You think I’m hot.”
“That’s what you took out of what I just said?”
Rush leaned down so he was eye level with me, his nose practically touching mine. “Lauren is definitely a married woman. But she’s my half-brother’s wife, not my fucking date.”
“I don’t…wait…what did you say?”
He scowled. “My brother’s wife.”
“But why would she be here? I thought you and your brother didn’t get along?”
“We don’t. That’s why she stopped in. She’s trying to talk me into coming to some ridiculous thirtieth birthday party she’s throwing for him. I don’t like my brother, but his wife is a nice lady.
Although I have no clue why she’s married to that asshole.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.” Rush mimicked me.
I had to admit, the relief I felt upon realizing that Rush wasn’t hooking up with her was a little disconcerting.
I thought he was about to go off on me for making assumptions and jumping to the wrong conclusion, but instead he smiled again. “So. You think I’m hot…”
“Forget I ever said that.”
“Sorry. Too late.” He offered a sly smile and pointed to his head. “Ingrained in here now.”
“Great.”
Rush leaned into the bar, balancing his body on his strong, tattooed forearms. “What brings you by here on a non-work night? You miss me that much?”
He was so close that I could smell his delicious, woodsy, smoky scent. It literally made me weak.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m returning Riley’s car. I borrowed it for the day. But actually, I did want to thank you.”
“For what?”
“Well, I took your advice and went to see a couple of movies to clear my head—like you said your mother used to do. Totally got the creative juices flowing.”
“Well, I’m always happy to get your juices flowing.”
I could feel my face heat up. “Creative juices.”
He winked. “Right.”
Riley came around the corner, looking eager to leave. “You ready to go?”
Rush answered for me, “Gia’s gonna stay for a drink. I’ll drive her home.”
I turned to him. “You’re so bossy. Who says I want to stay for a drink?” Despite giving him lip, I handed her the keys. “Go ahead without me.”
She looked skeptically between Rush and me. “Okaaay. Suit yourself. See ya.”
Once we were alone, I said, “What’s the catch, Rush? What do I have to say to earn my free drink tonight?”
He took a daiquiri glass out from under the counter and slammed it down on the wooden bar top.
“The word of the night is cock.”
I shook my head. “Original.”
Rush poured and mixed a concoction then presented me with a red drink I’d never seen before. He’d even added a cherry and a little purple umbrella.
“What is it?”
He slid it closer to me. “It’s a French Kiss.”
“What does that have in it?”
“Vodka, raspberry liqueur, Gran Marnier and dash of whipped cream.”
I took a sip. It was really good. “Mmm. Thank you very much for this cocktail.”
“Ah!” He laughed. “That was weak, but I set myself up for that one.”
“Still counts.”
His eyes followed my every move as I sucked on the maraschino cherry. Something told me that act was partly why he loved serving me drinks. And considering I liked driving Rush crazy, I made sure to do it in slow motion.
Rush swallowed hard. “So, you enjoyed the movie?”
“Movies plural. I saw two. Actually, they were foreign films, one French and one Italian.”
“You should have hit me up. I would’ve gone with you.”
Playing with my straw, I said, “I didn’t figure you for a foreign film kind of guy.”
“T’as de beaux yeux, tu sais?”
Oh my God. Did he just speak French? He was too damn sexy as it was, then to speak the language of love on top of everything else.
“Well, well…what do you know. You speak French?”
“My mother is originally from Canada. She only moved to Long Island as a teenager. She spoke French to me growing up, and I picked up a lot.”
“What did you just say to me?”
He smirked teasingly. “I’m not telling you.”
“Well, now I’m sorry I didn’t ask you to go to the movies. You wouldn’t have even needed the subtitles. Anyway, I figured you were working.”
He wiped the table. “You’re forgetting I’m the boss. I can take off as much time as I want.”
“I would’ve liked the company, but if I’d asked you to the movies, that might have come across as a bit forward, don’t you think? I wouldn’t have wanted you to take it the wrong way.”
Rush paused, then said, “It wouldn’t have been a date. I don’t date my employees. So, you don’t have to worry about me thinking that.” He stared at me for a few seconds before he resumed wiping the table.
Well, alright then. Thanks for clarifying that.
I broke the several seconds of silence. “Then why are you even interested in going to the movies with me?”
“Because I sort of like your company.”
“Sort of?”
“When you’re not pissing me off the other half of the time, yeah.”
I laughed. “You don’t date your employees. You just order them around and entice them to talk dirty to you.”
He shook his head and flashed a naughty grin. “No…just you. You’re the only one I want to hear talk dirty.”
“Lucky me. You do realize that your behavior is odd.”
“I never claimed to be normal. You don’t know the half of it, Shakespeare.” He slapped the hand towel against the bar and swung it over his shoulder. “Anyway, you like hanging out with me, too.
Admit it. You could’ve gone home with Riley. You chose to stick around.”
“Actually, if my memory serves me correctly, you made that decision for me.”
Before he could respond, a tall brunette approached. When Rush’s eyes landed on her, he seemed to tense up. She waved and was headed straight toward him.
Wearing a tight, leather half-jacket over a short, white sundress, she was definitely attractive. I was beginning to feel the same way I had when I’d first spotted Lauren earlier.
Here we go again.
“Rush…you’re still here,” she said. “I was hoping to catch you.”
His jaw tensed. “Rachel…”
She glanced over at me and then back at him. “I was just driving by, figured I’d stop in and see if you were still here, see if you’d want to hang out tonight.”
He scratched his chin and hesitated. “I have some things to do tonight.”
Rachel looked over at me. “Who’s this?”
“One of my employees.”
I offered my name. “Gia.”
Without responding to me, she nudged her head toward the door. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Rush looked pissed but followed her over to a corner where I could still hear what they were saying.
“I miss fucking you, Rush. How come you haven’t returned my calls?”
My heart dropped as I continued to eavesdrop.
“Lower your voice,” he scolded.
Rush then led her toward the entrance where they lingered for a few minutes. I could no longer hear them, but could see she was running her fingers through his hair. Even though he looked annoyed, it irked me to see her touching him. I had no right to feel that way.