The next two days I didn’t have to work at the restaurant. Yesterday I’d spent the entire day attempting to write. I’d literally sat at my laptop for twelve hours—and produced nothing. I’d write a few hundred words, read them back, hate every single one of them, and delete. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. By the end of the day, I had added the sum total of nineteen words. Basically, I’d described the sky. I wasn’t even sure what the hell all my characters were named yet.
So on the second day of being off, I decided to take Rush’s advice and blow off the entire day in an attempt to clear my head. I spent the morning and early part of the afternoon in our beautiful yard, lying by the in-ground pool, working on my tan. After I’d gotten enough sun, I decided to go to the theatre that played foreign films a few towns over. I thought it might be a nice change of pace to spend the day reading subtitles and listening to something in French. But I had no transportation.
I knocked on Riley’s bedroom door.
“Come in.”
It looked like she might be getting dressed for work. “Are you working at the restaurant today?”
“Yeah. I’m covering Michael’s shift. Why, what’s up?”
“Do you think I can borrow your car? I’ll drop you off at work and then pick you up at the end of your shift?”
She shrugged. “Sure. Are you going anywhere good?”
“I’m going to go to the movies by myself.”
Riley shook her head. “How many times did you get asked out in the last week working at The Heights? You don’t need to go to the movies alone.”
“All of the guys who come into that place are jerks.”
She looked at me in the reflection of the mirror as she tied her hair into a ponytail. “You can’t let one bad egg ruin the entire summer for you.” I’d confided in Riley about my night with Harlan, the pretty boy I’d slept with who left me with the wrong number.
If I were being honest with myself, I might be letting the sour taste Harlan had left me with taint my thoughts on men who looked like him. But the entire male population out in the Hamptons seemed to be cloned Ken dolls. They looked alike, spoke alike—I’d even noticed most of them smelled the same. Well, except one. Rush smelled like something woodsy and cigarette smoke half the time. My thoughts started to drift off to the weird exchange in the car two nights ago. It was as if Riley read my mind.
Finishing her hair, she turned to face me. “What was going on between you and Rush the other night? One minute he’s going to fire both of us and the next the two of you are laughing hysterically and cursing at each other.”
“Nothing. He’s just fun to screw with.”
Her eyebrows jumped. “Rush? Fun? Maybe you spent too much time out by the pool today and heat stroke is making you delirious.”
I laughed. “He’s got a hard exterior, yes. But I think once you get to know him, there’s a decent guy underneath. I like his dry sarcasm and hard wit.”
Riley grinned. “Not me. I think once you get past that hard exterior, there’s more asshole underneath. Like an onion, every layer you peel back is just more onion. That being said, I bet he fucks like a champ. All that pent-up anger…that hard body. He might be an asshole, but he’s ridiculously hot.”
Well, we could agree on one thing at least… “What time do you have to leave for work? I’d like to take a quick shower if I have time.”
She looked at her phone. “I’m working five to midnight. So you have twenty minutes to get yourself all prettied up for your big solo movie outing.”
After seeing two movies, one in French and the other in Italian, I actually felt invigorated. The first film had been about a woman who pretended to be her sister, after her sister died. The film itself was sort of bleak, but it sparked something creative in me. I actually sat in the theatre for a half-hour after the movie ended and typed a boatload of notes into my phone—all ideas for my book.
On the ride over to The Heights to pick up Riley at the end of her shift, I couldn’t stop the wheels in my head from spinning. My book started to play out in my imagination like a movie. For the first time, I saw the faces of my characters, felt their movements, and heard their dialogue in my head. It was as if a door that had been locked had magically opened, and I could finally see inside.
I was excited to share my good news with Rush since he’d been the one to suggest stepping away from my work for a day. Only, when I approached the bar, that excitement faded when I found Rush sitting at the bar with a woman. She threw her perfectly coifed head back and laughed at something he said. An unexpected lump formed in my throat. I wanted to turn around, walk back to the car, and send Riley a text to let her know I’d be waiting outside. But before I could do that, Riley yelled my name and waved. Rush’s head turned and his eyes landed right on me. I couldn’t back out the door gracefully now. I wasn’t even sure what the hell was going on with me, why I was feeling the way I did.
I forced a practiced smile and went to the bar.
“Just give me five minutes,” Riley yelled from the cash register. “I need to take my drawer into the back to count out and then I can go.”
Rush shook his head and mumbled as Riley walked away, “She announces that she’s going in the back with a drawer full of cash. I’ll be right back. Let me get Oak to keep an eye on the office so she’s safe.” He stood and looked between me and the woman sitting next to him. “Shakespeare, this is Lauren. Lauren, Shakespeare. She works here when she’s not home procrastinating about writing the next great American porn novel.”
Rush disappeared and awkwardness set in, at least for me it did. I smiled at the woman, and upon getting a closer look I thoroughly regretted my choice of comfy clothes and piling my hair on top of my head. Because Lauren was beautiful. Her thick blonde hair had that beachy, wavy look that she probably paid a fortune for in a salon, and she wore a baby blue, strapless summer dress which accentuated her sun-kissed skin that, unlike mine, didn’t have any tan lines.
She seemed to be studying me. “So...you work here?”
“Yep.”
“And you’re a writer?”
“Yep.”
“Rush mentioned he’d hired a new hostess. In fact, he mentioned you a few times in the hour we’ve been sitting here.”
The woman smiled at me. But it wasn’t in the typical I-want-to-claw-your-eyes-out jealous woman kind of way. Of course, that made me assume that Rush had spent the last hour amusing her with stories about me that made me look like an idiot.
“Don’t believe anything he says about me. I’m really not a bad employee.”
She smiled some more and tilted her head. “He had nothing but nice things to say about you. That’s…unlike Rush.”
“Umm. Okay. Thanks. I guess?”
Rush walked back over. He looked at me. “Your friend is an airhead. Not only did she announce she was taking the drawer to the office. When I went back to check on her, she had the door wide open and her back to it. I’d fire her ass if I didn’t think I’d have to listen to you bitch about it for a month.”
My hands went to my hips. “I don’t bitch at you.”
The woman stood and wrapped her hand around Rush’s bicep. “I should be going. I don’t want my husband to know I was here.”
Rush nodded. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.” He looked at me. “Be back in a few.”
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.
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.”