The receipt with Weston’s number scrawled on it was wrinkled slightly and sat on the tiny end table between them. Despite herself, Aullie couldn’t help staring at it as though it was magically going to start talking to her.
“But you have to call him,” Brittany whined.
“I don’t have to do anything,” Aullie said, sucking down some creamy, mint-chocolatey goodness. “Why would I want to go out with some guy who can’t give me his number himself? Ten bucks says the number is actually his weird-ass friend, pretending to be him anyway.”
“But what if he really had to leave? What if he’s like, a surgeon or something? Running off in the dark of the night to go save lives.” Brittany, with her usual dramatic flair, placed a hand over her heart.
“Good, then I’m definitely not interested,” Aullie laughed.
“Oh yeah.” Brittany’s face soured. “I forgot you’re weird and don’t like rich guys.”
It was true. When Aullie’s mom, Evelynn Greene, was in her twenties, she had wanted nothing more than to be an actress. She worked hard slinging coffee and eggs at a diner in the mornings so then she could spend her afternoons on stage, doing plays for small local theatres.
During her moving performance as a schizophrenic in The House of Blue Leaves, she had caught the eye of a man in the audience. The man was Charles Wohrl, a tall, dark, and handsome stereotype with family money who didn’t have to try hard to win her heart.
Two years later, they ended up with the lovely baby; Aulora Jane Wohrl. From the time that she was born to the time she was fourteen, Aulora had lived a wealthy life of big houses, private schools, and nice cars. She hadn’t known anything different until her mother came into her room one day, in tears, explaining that her father had gone.
As it turned out, Evelynn had been so enamored with Charles, that she had accepted his plans to never marry. When it turned out, after fourteen years, that having a family was too much of a financial inconvenience and her father had simply walked out. Some say he moved, some say he just kept himself cleverly hidden but either way, he was gone and Evelynn and Aulora were left penniless.
The women had pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and got Aullie through public school in a tiny apartment. She and her mother were able to make do. But ever since, she had harbored a bitter dislike for rich men. She had even changed her name. Aullie was determined to never depend on a man. Financially or otherwise.
“Well, what if he’s like, a plumber or something? Yeah, like a sexy British emergency plumber who saves people from late night septic tank disasters.” The excitement in Brittany’s voice was endearing, even though the idea was ridiculous.
Aullie appreciated Brittany’s vested interest in her love life, but she really hated dating. Plus, that guy was way too sexy to be a plumber.
“Seriously Britt, it’s probably just his dumb trashy friend. I’m not letting that guy have my number.”
“Well fine,” Brittany said, snatching the receipt off the table and swiping open her phone. “He can have mine.”
“No!” Aullie shouted, springing up from her seat and reaching for the little device as Brittany brought it up to her ear and blocked it with a girly little giggle.
Aullie sat back heavily in her own chair with a resigned sigh. She was fully aware Brittany was unstoppable, once she got moving with an idea.
“It’s ringing,” Brittany hissed, an ecstatic twitter in her voice. Aullie dropped her head into her hands. She was embarrassed for Brittany who, now that she thought about it, had probably never even felt embarrassment before in her life.
Suddenly, Brittany gave an excited little cry and slapped her hand over the microphone. She squealed, “British! Take it.” She tossed her phone at Aullie.
She barely caught the sparkly pink phone and shot a giggling Brittany a death glare. “Hello?” she asked lightly, bringing the phone to her ear. Her heart hammered in her chest.
“Hello? Is someone actually there?” There was a hint of a smile in the smooth British voice and Aullie’s hammering heart was soon met by a flutter of butterflies in her stomach.
“Um, yeah, hi,” she stammered. Brittany looked on, wide eyed with glee, and Aullie turned herself sideways a bit, so she felt she had some semblance of privacy. “It’s, um, Aullie. From the bar, last night? I think your friend left me your number.” She was fully aware and swollen with instant regret for how utterly stupid and ridiculous she sounded.
“Oh, Aullie! Great, I was pretty bummed out when I had to step out and didn’t get a chance to speak with you again. I was somewhat worried that you wouldn’t call.”
“Yeah, well, here I am,” Aullie said with a forced laugh.
He returned the laugh politely. “Yes, here you are. Now I know this is a long shot but is there any chance you’re free tonight? I’d love to take you out to dinner.”
“Oh, shoot, um, I actually have to work tonight.”
“NO, SHE DOESN’T!” Brittany yelled almost directly into the mouth piece.
Aullie covered it and shot her a dirty look. “Can you hold for just one second?” She didn’t wait for a reply, just stuck the phone on mute.
“Britt! What are you doing? I, one hundred percent do actually work tonight.”
“Not anymore,” Brittany leered, with a Cheshire Cat grin. “I’m taking your shift and you’re going because he is hot and British and you haven’t had a date, or even a night out, in how long?”
“I can’t, come on, you know how badly I need the money.”
“No. Stop. You’ll make money on both your doubles this weekend. You’ll be fine. What you need is some time for you. You’re going!”
Brittany was right. It had been a while. She un-muted the phone and brought it back to her ear. “Well, I guess I got the night off tonight. I’d love to go to dinner with you.”
Weston chuckled and said, “Great. I’ll pick you up at say, half past seven?”
“Sounds great. I’ll text you my address from my real number, this phone isn’t mine.”
“Excellent. I’m glad to have heard from you Aullie.” The way her name rolled off his tongue made her feel weak. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Bye,” she squeaked. She hung up the phone and tossed it back to Brittany. “Well, I hope you’re happy.”
She smiled back, her full, flawlessly-lined lips twisted devilishly.
“I’m thrilled actually. And one of these days, probably tomorrow, you’re going to be thanking me.”
“Whatever,” Aullie rolled her eyes but she knew Brittany was probably right. If she was being honest, she was pretty excited. “What am I gonna wear?”
“Let’s go shopping and find out.” Brittany winked. The girls tossed their empty white cups in the trash can, gathered their purses, and headed out to Aullie’s groaning little Accord.
Chapter 4
‘This was a mistake’, Aullie thought, once again straightening the hem of her dress. Her raven hair fell stick straight halfway down her back, her straight-cut bangs brushed her freshly plucked eyebrows. Her fair skin was subtly made up and her steel-colored eyes lined with subtle little black wings.
She wore a high-cut, sleeveless dress the color of an eggplant that hugged her slender body, with an asymmetrical skirt that showed a little more of her long, porcelain thigh on one side than she was used to. Since she was already bordering on tall for a girl, she had tried to convince Brittany that flats were a better option. Britt had simply said, “In a dress like that, heels are the only option.” So there Aullie was, teetering slightly on a pair of strappy black wedges.
She stood outside her apartment complex, hoping to spare poor Weston the chore of finding her cramped little studio apartment. Her nervous eyes watched the traffic, worrying that he either wouldn’t show or worse, that he was going to show up in some flashy, rich-boy car.
The seconds ticked by painfully slow. She checked the time on her phone in her small black clutch for the hundredth time and it was still only sev
en twenty-four. Why had she come out so early?
Suddenly, a car rumbled to a stop near the curb in front of her. The beaten Volkswagen bug looked like a bulbous little dinosaur. It quite possibly could’ve been one of the first bugs ever made. The exterior was dinged up and painted sunset orange. The artist in Aullie fell in love with the unforgettable little car immediately, the rest of her soon followed suit when the passenger window rolled down and Weston ducked his head to look out and greet her. He reached across the interior of the car and pulled the handle, the door swung open and he tapped the passenger seat, inviting her in.
Her heavy shoes clicked against the pavement as she trotted over and climbed in. The worn, sun-bleached brown leather covering the seats was soft and had been well maintained. The whole car smelled hearty and delightfully old. Then, there was Weston.
Even in a simple navy striped button down and crisp dark jeans, he looked like a living, breathing GQ cover. His hair was swept back neatly but didn’t look too heavily gelled, which Aullie was happy with. Nothing grosser than trying to push your fingers through a sticky mess of gel, she thought. His almost inhuman golden eyes flashed in the last bits of evening sun, up this close, Aullie noticed a ring of green around his pupils. And his smell, boy was it heady. Warm, musky and manly. His lips were set in an easy-going smile as his eyes took her in, from her metallic purple toenails all the way up.
“You look amazing,” he said.
‘God, your voice is like honey’, she thought to herself, suddenly desperate to taste his mouth. “Thank you,” she said, bashfully looking down into her lap. “You do too, seriously.”
“I knew I’d have to be standing next to you all night, so I did my best.” He set his wide hand, with its long delicate fingers, on the gear shift and wiggled it around. His knee jerked as he pumped the clutch and with a low groan and a pungent blast of diesel smoke, the ancient bug shifted into drive and then merged onto the street.
“I do have to say, I really love this car,” Aullie said.
“Thank you,” Weston said with a wide, genuine smile. “I actually rebuilt it myself. Always had a thing for VW beetles. My brother and I were big into the ‘slugbug’ game when we were younger. I always told him I was going to get one when I was older so that I’d always see at least one in the morning so I’d have a head start.”
Aullie laughed. “That’s cute.”
“When I saw this one it was basically a pile of rust, but I saw it’s potential and, well, here it is. Up, running and all.”
“So, you painted it bright orange?”
“Yes,” he said, abashed. “I thought it would be fun. Don’t see many orange ones anymore do you?”
“Haha, no. It’s funny, though, orange is one of my favorite colors. It’s just so… I don’t know. Happy.”
“Happy,” he said, nodding as he considered it. “Well, I guess that’s the perfect word for it. I’m honestly just happy that it runs.” As if to illustrate his point, the car screeched as they pulled up to a stoplight, the brakes clearly weren’t as happy as he was that the ancient car was running.
“So, where are we going?” Aullie asked. The ice still hadn’t quite been broken. She was definitely nervous. Weston was not the usual caliber of man she went out with, physically at least. He was so good-looking that she almost wondered if she was dreaming.
“Actually, we’re not going anymore,” he said with a smile.
Alarm exploded through Aullie. “What do you mean by that?” I knew he was too good to be true. I feel for this attractive little trap, and now he’s some kind of serial killer. He’s kidnapped me. I’m going to die in this little orange bug!
“Because we’re here.” The slyness in his eyes acknowledging that he’d heard the mild panic in her voice and that his little joke had been a success on his end.
The adrenaline that had surged through Aullie’s veins seemed to instantly dissolve. She gave a shaky laugh, feeling an embarrassed blush stain her cheeks.
Weston worked the vintage bug into a parking spot on the side of the two-lane street. As it turned out, he was not a very adept parallel parker. Thankfully the bug was small, so he was able to maneuver it in without hitting the parked cars in front of and behind them.
“Wait here a sec,” he said, opening the door and stepping out. Aullie watched him curiously as he walked around the front of the bug. It was only when his hand touched her door handle that she realized what was going on. He was opening the door for her.
Who says chivalry is dead?
She had a fairly active dating life, although not quite as much in the last few months with her heavy school load and ever-increasing financial demands that kept her practically living in the bar to get by, but no man had ever done this for her. She was thoroughly impressed, and still a little blown away as he took her hand and helped her out of the low little car.
Aullie stumbled slightly on her heels but wasn’t sure whether the wedges or Weston’s warm smile that was making her knees wobbly.
‘Those are some straight, white teeth’, she thought, alarmingly aware of how smitten she was with this man that she knew almost nothing about.
Weston had parked in front of a local strip mall, a block long congregation of small local businesses. Taking Aullie’s arm in his, he guided her to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant that she had never been too. Making for an interesting first date location.
He pulled open the door, which tinkled a little bell. He gestured for Aullie to enter before him and she gave him a small nod, an involuntary smile playing at her full lips. She caught Weston’s gaze, resting hungrily on her mouth and knew the deep red lipstick had been a good choice.
The decor was tacky and colorful. Big, flashy sombreros, rough oil paintings of Aztec warriors, landscapes dotted with small adobe buildings, and beautiful handmade clay plates covered most of the wall space. Bright fake parrots hung from the ceiling on little metal swings. The paint behind them was deep, golden yellow with ornate white trim along the ceilings and floors. The air inside was warm and smelled heartily of spice and meat, and Aullie immediately felt her mouth water.
Weston pulled her chair out for her, earning him, even more, brownie points. He took his seat across from her and said, “I love this place; it’s a little, under-credited gem. The family migrated here from Mexico about fifteen years ago, if I remember correctly, and they’re very cultural. Their food is also all totally traditional and amazing. Best refried beans I’ve ever had.”
“Well, I’m definitely excited to try them then,” Aullie said, her nerves beginning to relax a bit. The atmosphere there was so welcoming, so full of life, she couldn’t take her eyes off the eccentrically decorated walls. “I love the little parrots,” she said, pointing to the plastic birds.
“They’re something, aren’t they?” He chuckled. Lowering his voice, he said, “I’ve actually named them.” He pointed from bird to bird, first a green one, then a blue one. “That’s Miguel, that’s Juan.” Then to a red one. “That’s Rosalita.” Lastly to yellow one. “And that’s Steve.”
Aullie couldn’t help a burst of laughter. “All those traditional names, then Steve?”
Weston shrugged and gave her a wink. “Why not?”
Aullie couldn’t fault that logic, she thought with a giggle. She shook her head at him with a playful smile. He was just so charming and funny too, and she could listen to that smooth, lilted voice all day.
A short, squat Mexican woman in a frilly red blouse, tight black skirt and flesh-colored hose with clunky black shoes approached the table. Her hair was scraped back into a severe bun and she wore a large fake flower behind one ear.
“Hola,” she greeted them, placing a large one-page menu in front of each of them. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked with a heavy accent.
“You a margarita fan?” he asked Aullie.
“Oh yeah,” she replied.
“Make it dos margaritas,” he said, no shame in his broken Spanish. The little woman
nodded with a toothy grin and scampered away as quickly as she had come.
“So, Aullie,” The way his beautiful mouth said her name still really got to her. “Tell me about yourself.”
So, she did. Just the bare bones, that she was a waitress full time and enjoyed it well enough, that she lived alone with a fat gray tabby cat named Bruce, and that she was going to art school.
“Art school huh? That must be fulfilling. Interesting too, I bet.”
Aullie batted the comment away, still nursing disappointment and doubt after the show last weekend and not really wanting to talk about school or her art. She hadn’t even been able to paint for a week, she’d been so distraught. Usually, she did two or three a week. “It’s alright, not quite what I’d imagined it would be.”
Thankfully, before he could probe further, the waitress set two massive margarita glasses in front of them. ‘Good thing I’m not driving’, Aullie thought.
“Are we ready to order?” the waitress asked, wide smile firmly in place.
Aullie wasn’t, she actually hadn’t even touched the laminated menu the woman had set down before. She was about to say no, when Weston asked, “You trust me? I could order for you.”
Surprised again at his gentlemanly manner, she nodded and agreed, “Sure.”
His ability to pull off a take-charge attitude without being oppressive really impressed her. She felt like a woman in good care, not smothered. Something she wasn’t sure that she had ever actually experienced with a man but she was definitely a fan.
“How about that plate with a bit of your best dishes, Senorita?”
With a nod, the waitress scurried away and Aullie’s eyes fell back on the handsome man who sat across from her. “Your turn,” she said. “Tell me about yourself, Weston.”
His Beautiful Revenge: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 93
