Chapter Nine
Vivian
Sitting next to him at the bar left me wishing I had taken Casey up on her offer to join us. It was too much like a date, and some part of me wanted the attention of the handsome man beside me, though it would do nothing but end after a week of getting to know each other.
A drink and dinner. Nothing else.
I took the beer the bartender offered and turned a little to focus more on Easton. His dark jeans hugged his hips, and I couldn't help but take in the fullness of the attraction that I felt toward him.
"So are you up for dinner, or is another handsome guy taking me tonight?" I lifted my eyebrow at him. I was the shy type until I got into a conversation with someone one-on-one. Then, and only then, I could hold my own. Crowds left me a little overwhelmed.
"I'm just glad I'm in the handsome guy category, but yeah. Let's take these beers and walk down the strip. There's a ton of good places to try. The taco stand next door is killer." He touched my lower back as I got up and moved toward the door with him.
I was forced to stifle a shiver at the simple gesture. Not good.
"Casey and I ate there for a late lunch. It was delicious." I wrapped my arms around myself as the breeze picked up and danced around us upon our exit.
"One of my favorites. Let's try this Latin place just down on the left. It's new, and I've been wanting to give it a go." He glanced over at me and smiled.
"I honestly didn't think you were going to call." I focused on the beach in front of us, not wanting to trip and eat it in front of my handsome pseudo-date.
"I wasn't. These trips always wear me out, but it's a life I love. After seeing each other three times today, I figured I'd be fucking with fate if I didn't at least take you to dinner." He chuckled, and I let the various sarcastic responses that rose up in me fall away. No need to chide him at the beginning of the meal. Fate had nothing to do with us running into each other. I didn't care what Casey thought. It was dumb and belonged in a fiction novel.
"Well, then I guess I owe fate a thank you for the free meal and the lovely view." I glanced back at him as we walked into the restaurant. The atmosphere was pure Spanish chaos. Brilliant colors decorated the walls, and people speaking foreign languages rushed about helping various patrons.
Easton's fingers brushed by my back as we approached the hostess stand and pressed in slightly as he leaned around me and smiled at the hostess. "Two please."
"Of course." She picked up two menus and nodded toward the back. "We have a great seat on the patio if you don't mind the wind."
He looked down at me. "Viv?"
"I don't mind at all." I moved from him and followed the girl as my heart hammered in my chest. It wasn't good that I was winded simply from him touching me in the way any gentleman would. The thought of brushing my lips by his or sliding my hand into his left me a little breathless. Casey would have a great time making fun of me later that night over it all. I smiled at the thought.
"Here we are." The woman pulled out my seat and laid the menus down before disappearing.
"I'll buy my own." I glanced up as my eyes met Easton's dark green gaze.
"No you're not." He smirked. "Women these days. Won't even let a guy buy you a meal."
"It's not that, silly." I put the menu down and tilted my head as I studied him. "I told you I want to be a food critic. I've been working on my skills for the last six to seven years in culinary arts. I usually order a huge sampler platter and eat a third of it. I want to taste everything that I can, but I'd hate for you to spend money and me not actually eat most of the food."
"Get the sampler, and we'll share it. You can eat what you want, and I'll play cleanup crew." He shrugged and slid his hands into his lap. I watched him, unable to say anything, but needing to memorize just how beautifully his features complemented each other. I wasn't spending the night with him, but my dreams would be filled with all sorts of depravity with him on center stage. I wanted to get it right.
"What?" He asked, his voice losing steam.
"I'm just taken by you." I picked up the menu and pressed my teeth into my bottom lip as I worked through the various offerings.
"Taken by me? I like the sound of that." He chuckled and picked up his menu as the waitress approached. After ordering two different fruity margaritas, I returned to my search.
He was watching me when I glanced up, the subtle desire in his eyes only masked by the warm smile on his full lips. "Did you find what you want?"
"Yeah," I mumbled. My response was a double entendre on so many levels, but I dismissed it, not wanting to fall for him just yet, or so hard that I had my heart broken again so suddenly. "Let's get to know each other a little better. Perhaps we're damned to become great friends."
"I like the sound of that, too." He picked up a chip from the basket in the center of the table. "If you need to take notes or voice record as you try each dish, ignore me and do it. My co-worker Kevin does it all the time when we eat together. He’s a food critic for the company I work for. I'm used to it."
I smiled and put my phone on the table next to me. "Awesome. I didn't want to appear too odd just yet."
"I like odd, especially when it looks like you do." He picked up another chip and took our drinks from the waitress, trying the strawberry one as I tried the mango one. "Switch."
I ignored his compliment and took his drink, giving him mine. I tried the chilly, pink liquid. I was almost surprised that he was willing to drink after a complete stranger, but I never was one to care too much about germs. Jackson hated sharing anything, even with me.
"Which do you like best?" he asked and sat his drink down.
"The strawberry one." I picked up my phone and typed in a few notes, not yet comfortable with voice recording in front of him. He'd yet to take his eyes off of me, which left me feeling rather adored, and yet slightly exposed.
"Then keep that one with you." He picked up another chip. "Tell me more about your love of food. I work for a company that critiques resorts and hotels all over the world. We have several food critics that we utilize, but I'm hoping that we move toward a more focused model where we hire eight to ten that exclusively work for us."
"I'm just a foodie with the ability to express myself well, I guess." I shrugged and picked up a few chips, sampling the dips that lay on the table between us. "I hope to one day work for a company like yours, or perhaps find a clear path to creating a name for myself. Then, maybe I can get my reviews to actually hold clout."
"That takes a lot of time, but it's worth it. I've been with the company for two years and have already worked my way through the ranks quite well. That wasn't without sacrifice though." He took another sip of his drink, his tongue snaking out to lick at the salt on the rim of the glass.
My stomach tightened as I entertained thoughts of how sexy it would be to slide into his lap and taste the drink from his tongue. Stop it.
I'd never been promiscuous before, but then being in a long-term relationship really left no room for that. Funny how Jackson had been the exact opposite, getting the best of both worlds.
"Hey. You alright? Your pretty smile turned into a frown." He reached across the table and brushed his fingers over my hand.
"Yeah. I just went through a really nasty breakup a month back. Just can't seem to shake it." I shrugged, not really wanting to talk about Jackson or my laundry list of shit that followed me around all the time.
"I knew something was a little off on the plane." He pulled his hand back as the food was delivered. "Not that I know you that well, but I could see something weighing on you."
I glanced up at the server. "Just set it in the middle of the table. We're sharing it."
"Lovely. I'll bring you two plates." The girl smiled and sat the platter down.
Breathing in deeply, I let my eyes scan the plate and smiled. "This looks incredible."
"I agree. You'll have to give me the pleasure of reading your write-up on the place. If it's good, perhaps I can submit it to my boss for review. If nothing else, he could give you some pointers. Hell, I could too. I do reviews for all parts of the company." He took the plates the server brought back and handed me one. "If you want."
"I would love that." I took my plate and worked to get a good-sized bite of everything onto it before glancing back up at the sexy man across from me. "What costs have you paid to be where you are in your career? Is that why you're not married?"
"Married? I'm too young to be married, or so I like to believe. My mother would tell you otherwise." He rolled his eyes, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"My mom used to talk about marriage all the time too, but in the last few years, she's laid off." I left the part out where it was surely my dad's fault that her desire to tout marriage was long gone. I needed to visit her soon and have a long heart-to-heart. Something was up, and neither her nor my father were acting like themselves much.
"Lucky. My mom makes me feel like a leper most days." He chuckled. "I had a few good relationships in high school and college, but I've been out of school for two years now, and the handful of girls I've asked out turned into nothing more than dinner and dancing. They're looking for stability I guess, and with me moving about so much, I have none to offer."
"You travel all the time?" I took a small bite of a beef tamale and held up my hand. "Just a minute."
Closing my eyes, I took in the flavors and lifted my phone to my mouth, not caring who was in front of me. My passion to taste the flavors of the world and report them overrode even my appearance sometimes.
"Smooth and a touch spicy, the sauce brings about a delicious heat that permeates me completely and leaves me desperate for more. The meat is undeniably beef, the grassy tones and earthy complexity is a delight." I opened my eyes and turned the recording off. "Sorry."
He stared at me, his mouth a little agape. "Wow. You sure you shouldn't open up a website called Food Porn? I want to eat ten of these just off of your description."
I laughed. "Too much?"
"Um, no. Not nearly enough. I can't say I've ever been turned on by a girl describing a tamale, but there's a first for everything." He laughed. "Onto another topic before I blush."
"You blush? You don't seem like the type." My insides were dancing to the sound of butterfly wings as he complimented me. The light dusting on his cheeks gave credence to him being slightly turned on, which was exhilarating.
"I blush more than I care to say." He took a bite of his food and nodded. "It is delicious. Feel free to do whatever you need to, I'm happy witnessing it."
"Now I'm going to blush." I smirked and finished my tamale. "Tell me about your travel schedule."
"It's fifty weeks a year. I'm home maybe Saturday and Sunday a few times a month. I usually work Monday through Friday and then use the weekends to explore the places I'm sent. The company pays for my stay as a thank you for selling them my soul." He picked up his drink and watched me as he brushed his tongue along the side of the glass to gather salt once again.
I adverted my eyes as a light sweat covered my skin. The heat of the salsa mixed with him watching me was only the start of my discomfort. I was a lightweight where alcohol was concerned, as well. A few beers at the beach, another in the bar, and a margarita later, and I was ready to slide into the booth next to him and snuggle up to his side.
"That's a lot of traveling, but it sounds like a great life." I grabbed a few chips and took my time enjoying them as I beckoned my body to calm down a little. "Do you live in New York?"
"Yeah. I love it there. My whole family lives in the suburbs, but I'm downtown in Manhattan. The vibe and activity keeps me feeling alive." He shrugged.
"I get that." I picked up my fork and smiled. "Now hush and give me a few minutes to analyze all of this."
"Consider me part of the audience." He winked and worked on his plate while I got lost in my own world for a few minutes. The sexy smile on his lips only grew as I finished up my fun and dropped my napkin into my lap.
"That was delicious. Thank you for bringing me here. I love it."
"I'm going to take you everywhere just to hear you moan over how good the food is. You should come with a warning label." He wagged his eyebrows playfully, which pulled a chuckle from me.
"And what would that be?" I moved out of the booth and stood beside it.
"Addictive, but only when she eats?" He took the bill and pulled a card from his back pocket.
"Only when I eat? You've seen nothing yet." I gave a cheeky grin and turned. "I'm going to the restroom. I'll meet you at the front."
My cockiness was only enhanced thanks to the liquor. I needed a warning label on my forehead to warn everyone not to give me more than two drinks.
It was harmful to everyone involved. Most of all...me.