by Tia Siren
I nodded. “I kind of feel sorry for William.”
“I do too,” she said, looking down at the table.
“We could feel sorry for him together, tonight, at my place,” I said, wanting to shift the mood.
“Harry,” she said, groaning.
The waiter delivered us a basket of tortilla chips and salsa. I quickly took a bite of the salsa and then reached for my water.
“Spicy?” she asked, hesitating with a chip hovering above the salsa bowl.
I nodded. “Not as hot as I am, but pretty hot.”
She rolled her eyes and took a bite of the salsa. I saw tears form and burst into laughter. She drank down several gulps of ice water.
Throughout lunch, I flirted my ass off. She turned me down at every turn. I found it refreshing. I liked that she wasn’t afraid to tell me no. The challenge was new and exciting. I wanted more of it. William was a fool for letting this woman go.
“Are you sure I can’t take you back to my place?” I asked her again.
She smiled. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. I have to get back to work. I keep telling you some of us have to work for our money.”
“Honey, being a part of my family is no cakewalk. They literally have to pay me to talk to them,” I said with a grin.
That made her laugh. “I’m beginning to understand a little more about your family. I guess growing up in a typical middle-class family wasn’t so bad. I feel like I should apologize to my mom and dad for being so rotten when they couldn’t buy me everything I asked for. I could have been stuck with your cold-hearted parents.”
I nodded my head. “You have no idea. Maybe when I come over for dinner, I can meet your family.”
She shook her head again. “Not going to happen. Thank you for lunch. I had fun.”
“You say that like you’re surprised.”
“I am. I didn’t think I’d like you. Not saying I like you, but you know what I mean,” she quickly clarified.
“You need to relax. It’s not like I’m proposing marriage,” I teased, knowing in the back of my mind that was exactly what I was hoping to do.
“Well, with you Martin men, you never know when you’re going to pop the question. I guess I’m safe since my bank account is missing several zeroes and my parents’ biggest claim to fame is making one of the best burgers in Dallas.”
“Really?” I asked, suddenly intrigued. I didn’t know a thing about her.
“Yes. They own a diner.”
“Which one?”
She laughed. “I doubt you know it. It’s not exactly five stars or anything like that. It’s been their other baby since I was a kid. I like the food, but I’m a redneck. Your blue blood tastes would not appreciate a good burger and fries.”
“You have me mistaken for another blue blood. I love redneck food. You’ll find I rarely eat at those fancy restaurants and hotels. I don’t like how uptight the people are. I like to drink my beer from a bottle and eat fries with my fingers after I dip them in ketchup.”
She raised both brows. “You use ketchup? You must be adopted.”
I laughed. “Trust me, I think they would prefer it if I were.”
“Okay, I seriously have to get going. It’s been well over an hour.”
“Fine. I’ll walk you back,” I said, reluctant for our lunch date to end.
We walked down the street and back to the building where the Martin clan lived and breathed most days. I did technically work for the company. My job description was flexible. I liked to think I was making contacts and keeping the family connected to the real world. Living in their ivory tower left them very disconnected. I knew a lot of people, even if they weren’t from my family’s social circle. Not every business started out at the top. I tended to know the guys who worked their way up and decided the daily grind of owning a particular business wasn’t for them. Those were the companies my family’s company snatched up at a low cost and then sold off for a higher price.
“Thanks for having lunch with me. How about you give me your phone number so we can have lunch again?”
She looked at me, eying me carefully. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
I held up both hands. “I promise, only lunch. Come on, don’t deny a guy your company.”
She sighed. “Fine, but only lunch. I don’t do booty calls.”
I couldn’t help myself. “I’m a fantastic booty call.”
She shot me a glare.
“Okay, okay. Lunch dates only in full light with our clothes on.”
After a brief pause, she held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
“Why?”
“I’ll put my number in it.”
I handed it over and watched with excitement as she punched in the number. I took it back and hit the save button. I fought the urge to kiss her good-bye. Once she was inside, I pushed the contact info.
“Hello?” she answered on the second ring.
I grinned. “I had to make sure you didn’t give me a bad number.”
I heard her groan. “Seriously? I know you could find my number if you wanted.”
“Yes, I could, but now you have my number. Call me anytime. Sex, talking, whatever you’re up for, I’ll be there.”
She laughed and hung up the phone. This was the start of something very good, I decided.
Chapter Eleven
Amber
I was helping my parents out at the diner. Sundays were busy for them, especially on barbecue day. I didn’t mind. I enjoyed seeing all the regular customers and checking in with them and their families. We had all grown up together, and some of them felt like close cousins. I couldn’t even count how many pseudo-grandparents I had.
“Two more orders of ribs,” I called out to my dad, who was busy at the grill basting baby back ribs.
It was the diner’s specialty, but they were only sold on Sundays. People lined up to get their chance to eat my dad’s famous ribs.
I was moving around the diner like an expert, totally comfortable in the environment. I had on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and my comfortable tennis shoes. I smiled and chatted with the customers as they came in, doing my best to get everyone seated as quickly as possible. My parents had started offering to-go ribs to try to keep up with the demand. There was no way they could seat everyone inside the diner. There were picnic tables set up outside as well to accommodate the overflow.
“How are you doing?” my mom asked when there was a brief lull in customers.
“Good!”
She laughed. “Don’t lie. You’re here on a Sunday afternoon.”
“Mom, I’m always here on Sundays.”
She shook her head. “Not lately. Are you sure you’re doing okay? I know the engagement is hard on you. How’s it going at work?”
I tilted my head. “It’s not that bad. I mean, a little awkward, but I think it will all be okay.”
“Don’t you dare tell me you still have hope he’ll come back to you,” she said with a scowl on her face.
“Stranger things have happened. I’m not saying there is hope, but I’m not saying it couldn’t happen.”
“Amber, don’t you dare take up with that man again!” she scolded.
My phone vibrated in my back pocket. I reached for it and grinned when I realized it was a text from Harry. I opened the message and smiled. He was so naughty. I shouldn’t like it, but I did.
“Don’t tell me that’s him,” my mother said with her brow furrowed.
“No, Mom, it isn’t.”
“Good. You can do so much better than him. Look around. There are plenty of men right here who would love to take you out,” she said.
I looked around the packed restaurant. Eating ribs was messy business. It wasn’t exactly the most attractive look on anyone. The men I saw had sauce covering their faces, and they were digging into the ribs like they were cavemen.
“I’m going to pass, Mom. Thanks.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can�
�t judge a man by the way he eats ribs. How about Kenny? He’s a good guy and works really hard.”
I shook my head. “Mom, stop trying to set me up.”
“I want to help you get over that man.”
“I don’t need your help.”
She ignored me and pointed out another guy I knew from his regular visits to the diner. “Daniel. Come on, he’s handsome and kind.”
I sighed. She wasn’t going to let up. “Do you need me anymore?” I asked, checking my watch.
It was after two. The height of the lunch rush was over. The other waitresses could handle the business. I had to get away from my mother before she drove me crazy. I knew she didn’t like William. I had heard her the first ten times. I wasn’t in the mood to be lectured and paraded in front of every single bachelor that stepped through the diner doors.
“You don’t have to run off,” she said, softening her tone.
“Actually, I do. I’m fine, Mom. Really, I am. I don’t need you to set me up. I’m a big girl and can decide who I want and who I don’t. You don’t know William like I do. It’s unfair of you to judge him.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t need to know him. I know what he did to you and to his fiancée. That is not a good man, Amber.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m going. I’ll talk to you later.”
I took off the little white apron and stuck it under the counter before walking out the door, waving good-bye to old friends as I went. I couldn’t take another minute of my mother’s lecturing.
“What are you doing?” I asked when Courtney answered her phone.
“Lounging around in my pajamas like most adults on a Sunday.”
I laughed. “I don’t think most adults are lounging in their PJs. In fact, I just left a packed restaurant filled with adults who are dressed and moving about. I’m coming over.”
“Fine, but I’m not getting dressed.”
“Suit yourself,” I said and jumped in my car.
I was bursting to tell someone about the Harry situation. I was feeling horribly guilty and needed to unburden my soul. Courtney was the only one I could tell who wouldn’t be judgmental. My mother would have had a heart attack and demanded I go to church and repent for being so slutty.
I knocked once before letting myself into her apartment. Just as she said, she was curled up on her couch in her pajamas, her blond hair piled on top of her head.
“You look comfortable,” I quipped, moving her legs out of the way and flopping on the couch next to her.
“You didn’t bring me any ribs?” she pouted.
“No. I had to get out of there. I was convinced my mom was going to auction me off to the highest bidder.”
“She just wants you to be happy.”
“She wants me to forget about William, and she thinks setting me up with one of the good boys who frequent the diner will do the trick. It is not that easy.”
Courtney shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, but I’m on her side with this one. I never cared for your William. I mean, I know I never met him, but it all seemed very shady. He only took you out the one time in a city where no one knew you. I think you were his booty call.”
My mouth dropped open. “I was not!”
“If it sounds like a booty call and looks like a booty call, it’s a booty call.”
“I see him every day. We talked and flirted. I’ve had booty calls. This wasn’t that,” I protested.
“If you say so. It doesn’t matter because it’s over.”
I sighed. “I have a confession.”
She turned to look at me and shook her head. “Don’t you dare tell me you slept with him again.”
“I didn’t. I slept with his brother.”
Her mouth dropped open before spreading into a huge grin. “You did what? When?”
“Remember the night at the bar?”
She started laughing. “I knew it! I could tell he was into you, and it was obvious you were flirting with him. So, how was it?”
“Stop! I’m not going to give you the dirty details!”
“Yes, you are. Is he better than his big brother?” she asked, salaciousness in her voice.
I was quiet for a second, then smiled. “Maybe.”
“Are you guys going to hook up again?”
“No! I shouldn’t have done it the first time. It was a stupid, drunken mistake.”
She laughed. “I think you should. You guys seemed to hit it off. And the best way to get over William is by moving on with someone else. The fact that it happens to be his brother is an extra perk.”
“It was stupid and childish. I don’t know what I was thinking.” I put my head in my hands and moaned.
“I think it’s great. Really. Tell William you’ve moved on.”
“I can’t do that. I still don’t know if he is really going to go through with the marriage to Tiffany. He might realize it’s a mistake and change his mind.”
“And you think he is going to run back into your open arms?” she asked.
“Why not?”
“Well, if he finds out you slept with his brother, I have a feeling that is going to be a big issue,” she pointed out.
“Which is why it can never happen again.”
“Amber, I love you, but you really need to get over that guy. It was a brief fling. It isn’t like you two dated or even had a real relationship. I hate to tell you, I think the relationship was one-sided. I think he told you all the nice things, got you into bed, and now he’s over it. He’s getting married. That’s a pretty big clue he was never all that into you,” she said, trying to be gentle.
I covered my face with my hands again. “How could I have let myself get so wrapped up in him?”
“He knew what to say to win you over. He had the means to treat you well. I’m sorry, hon, but the guy sounds like a smooth operator. The fact he’s your boss makes it so much worse.”
I nodded my head. “I know. I’ve always told myself never to get involved with anyone I work with, especially my boss. If anyone finds out, they’re going to assume I got to where I am in the company by spreading my legs.”
“I don’t think anyone is going to find out. He certainly isn’t going to tell anyone. That would open him up to a sexual harassment lawsuit. It’s in the past. Let it go and don’t look back,” she advised.
“That is easier said than done. I don’t know how I let myself get so caught up in the fantasy. I should have known something was off when he never asked me out on a real date after our weekend together. I think I did know, but he kept flirting with me and kissing me when we were at work. I assumed he was busy and would ask me out when he had time. I’m such an idiot.”
“No, you’re not. Why not explore this relationship with Harry? He seemed down-to-earth and funny in the brief time I saw him. And, he is totally hot,” she said with a grin.
I shook my head, thinking back to our night together. “He’s very hot. He’s got a perfect tan, and his chest is amazing. Other parts of him aren’t too bad either,” I said, laughing.
“I knew it! Of course he’s good in bed. Lord knows the man has had plenty of practice if even half the tabloid rumors are true.”
“Gah, what a mess. How did I let myself get caught up in a messy affair? It is so unlike me.”
“It’s over. Move on. Maybe just stay away from the Martin brothers altogether. That could get a little weird,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
I laughed. “Gee, you think?”
“I’m truly sorry. I know you liked him, but I know you’re going to find a man who is good enough for you.”
“Thanks. I hope so.”
We kicked back and watched TV before I headed home to do laundry and get ready for another work week. I felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders now that I’d accepted William was not meant for me. I had been used—willingly, but still used. I didn’t care if he did or didn’t get married. I would not let a man treat me like his side piece. I had more self-respect than that
. Let Tiffany have him. They deserved each other.
Chapter Twelve
Harry
I wasn’t going to let her rejection get me down. I had been sitting around the apartment yesterday, and, as usual, I had found myself thinking about her. I felt like I had barely scratched the surface when it came to learning about who she was. The woman was edgy, smart, and fucking hot. Sex with her had been different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was so different about it. I barely remembered the names of most of the women I had taken to bed, let alone any of the dirty details. It all tended to blur together. There had been a few standouts, but none like Amber.
My text had been forward and to the point. I had asked her to come over for a glass of wine and maybe spend the night. She hadn’t seemed too interested in hooking up last night. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up, but I’d been hoping she would take me up on my offer. I guessed I should have been grateful she texted me back at all. It was another shutdown, which I was coming to expect from her. Every time she told me no, I was only encouraged to try harder.
I walked into the Martin Inc. building and was once again greeted by the staff. If I wasn’t careful, they were going to think I was actually working in the building. I kept my visits to a minimum. I didn’t like the stuffy atmosphere, and I didn’t like seeing my dad and brother act all high and mighty. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with my favorite pair of black work boots. I was not the kind of guy to put on a suit. Those were for funerals or weddings. I would suffocate if I had to wear one every day. William seemed to think they were the standard fare and usually wore them when he wasn’t working. Way too stiff-necked for me.
I rounded the corner and saw Amber focused on the computer screen in front of her. She had that naughty-teacher thing going for her. Her hair was piled in that familiar bun on top of her head, with little ringlets falling and framing her face.
“Hi,” I said, peeking over the low cubicle wall.
“Harry!” she said, shock on her face.
“Yes, it’s me, in the flesh,” I said with a wink. “You look stunning today.”
