Chapter 8
Shaw loved watching Robin as she reacted to being taken to a private dining area of the 4th Street Chop House. Soft music filtered into the mid-sized room, which had been specially decorated as he’d instructed. He wanted the night to be special and pulled out all the stops to make sure of that.
He grinned as he saw how big her emerald eyes were. “Shaw, really?”
With a nod, he pulled her chair out as the waiter moved to the other side of the table, pulling out the chair for Shaw to sit in. He rambled on about the drinks and appetizers, “We have an extensive collection of drinks here at the Chop House. Can I interest you two in any?”
Shaw took his seat as he answered, “How about a couple of those special Bloody Marys?”
Robin quickly asked, “May I ask what’s in your special Bloody Mary, please? I’m not a huge drinker.”
“Not to worry, I’ll make sure yours is made with more tomato juice than the infused vodka that goes in it,” the waiter assured her. “We don’t want to get you drunk.” He laughed.
Shaw couldn’t take his eyes off her. “You’ll be fine.”
She smiled but asked the waiter, “What’s the vodka infused with?”
Shaw chuckled. He loved her curious nature.
The waiter spouted, “Our vodka is infused with garlic, dill, peppercorns, jalapeños, and Anaheim chilies, as well our Chop House special blend of spices. We mix that with tomato juice and garnish with one green olive and just for kicks we add a lime wedge to make it a bit crisp. Doesn’t that sound delicious?”
She nodded. “It really does. I think I’d love to try one.”
“That and a Colorado Cheese Board,” Shaw added as he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table and leaning his chin on steepled fingers, looking at Robin with unabashed adoration.
Robin looked at the waiter. “And what’s on that?”
The waiter lit up as he told her, “Today’s cheeses are Gouda, Havarti, and our homemade blend. It’s accompanied by sliced salami, and it’s to die for, then there’s raspberry coulis, spiced pecans, olive tapenade, and assorted crackers. Doesn’t that sound yummy? And paired with the Bloody Marys it makes an excellent start to any meal here at the Chop House. I’ll get that going and be right back. Look over the menus so you can give me your order when I get back.” He dashed out of the room, leaving them all alone.
Shaw watched as Robin picked up the menu and her eyes went big. “Oh, this is so expensive, Shaw. I can’t…”
“Hush, you can order anything you want. I recommend the top sirloin for you. I always get the butcher steak. It’s way too big for a little thing like you, though.” He rubbed his bearded chin with his forefinger then sat back. “I’ve already been thinking about what office space would be best for you at our offices in Denver. Mine’s on the top floor. There’s one right next to it. Now, the same guy’s been in that one for some time now, and I think he’d love a change in the scenery outside his window. I think I’ll move him so he can have a brand new space and give you his old one.” He didn’t want her to think he was being mean to anyone. Even though he kind of was, as the man he was talking about happened to be one of his pack brothers, Grey, and had been with the company from the beginning. The view from that office was magnificent, taking in all of Denver and a good section of the Rockies too.
“That would be nice,” she said with a smile. “But do you think it’s necessary for me to have an office there?”
“Hell yes, it is,” he said then sat back, stretching his long legs under the table. His ankle grazed hers as he moved and he noticed how she jumped when that happened. “Sorry, the thing about legs as long as mine is that you have to stretch them out fairly often.”
“I get it.” Robin looked at the menu to busy herself even though she already knew what she’d be getting. “It’s like with muscular dogs; you have to let them stretch out a lot.”
He wasn’t particularly opposed to being compared to canines in general, but it would’ve been nice not to have been. “My muscles are a lot longer and bigger than any dog’s.” He found himself boasting.
Robin put the menu down to look at him. “I meant nothing bad by it, Shaw.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
The drinks and food came, and Shaw ordered the entrees for them both. “I’ll have the butcher steak, Pittsburgh style.”
The waiter made sure he knew what that was. “That’s charred on the outside with a cold red center.”
Shaw nodded as Robin grimaced. “You actually serve something like that?”
The waiter nodded. “Yes. That one’s a bit more done than our blue rare. Now that one looks like a raw piece of meat in my opinion, but there are those who can tell it has been on the grill for a fraction of a second.”
Shaw huffed, taking the waiter’s attention. He quickly found himself growing tired of this particular waiter’s vast knowledge of the menu and all the house recipes and such. “She’ll have the top sirloin.” He looked at Robin as he asked, “Medium rare?”
She frowned and shook her head. “Well done, please.”
Shaw shook his head. “No way. Medium at the most. You ruin steak when you overcook it, trust me. You’ll love it this way. And maybe one day you’ll love it the way I do.”
Robin made a little gagging gesture. “Don’t count on that, Shaw. But I’ll try the steak the way you’ve suggested. Medium it is.”
The waiter nudged her shoulder with his elbow, and Shaw’s wolf made a hellacious growl that no one heard but Shaw. “If it’s not done to your liking, I’ll take it right back and have it thrown on the grill until it’s well done.”
She smiled at the geeky thin kid, and he grinned back at her. And Shaw found his voice a little gruffer than he meant it to be. “So get to it, boy.”
The waiter hauled ass, as Robin looked at Shaw with her mouth ajar. “Shaw, a bit rude don’t you think?”
He tried to calm the wolf and himself down as he took a nice long drink of the Bloody Mary, wishing they’d used real blood the way he did when he made them at home. “Sorry.” The music had him thinking of a way to get her into his arms, and he looked up as if just noticing it. “Care to dance?” He got up and held his hand out to her.
She looked at him for a long moment. “I don’t know how to.”
“I can teach you.” He was overjoyed. He’d be the first man she’d ever danced with.
With a nod, she took his hand, and he pulled her into his arms. Holding her close, he swayed back and forth and moved his feet very little. “Oh, this is easy,” she said.
“Yes, it is,” he said. He didn’t mean the dancing. He meant holding her in his arms. He meant being with her. Unfortunately, his inner wolf liked it too. A bit too much and he found his head moving, his lips pressed against her neck with a sweet kiss that went from sweet to a bite in an instant.
It wasn’t hard enough to break the skin, but it was apparent what he wanted. And Robin jerked her body away from him, holding her hand to her neck and glaring at him. “I knew it. I knew you only wanted me for one thing. There’s no job. There never was going to be. You planned on getting me drunk then taking me home where you’d properly screw me, getting me out of your system. You played your card way too soon, Shaw. I’m leaving. Do. Not. Follow. Me.”
He could only watch as she fled from the room. His heart pounding, his wolf howling, and his mouth gaping.