by Jamie Pope
“I like your place. It feels lived in,” he said.
She nodded and turned around to smile at him. “I agree. Those dirty dishes in the sink give it a real homey feel.”
He grinned back at her. He found smiling easier with her. “Can I offer you something to drink? I’ve got a fully stocked bar.”
“You just want to get me tipsy so I’ll let you have your way with me,” she teased with a smile curling her lips.
“No.” He shook his head. “If you ever give me the chance to be with you, I want you stone-cold sober so your mind can be clear and remember every touch and kiss I give you.”
She looked at him for a long moment and he could see the need in her eyes, or maybe that was his own lust mirrored in them. There had been a slight tension in the air since they entered his home. Like there was every time they were completely alone. In private where no one could hear what they said or see what they did. If he wanted to, he could just pick her up and carry her to his bedroom, or lay her down on his couch and strip off the flowy skirt she had on, or take her into his steam shower and make love to her up against the wall.
“Water,” she said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“What?”
They weren’t anywhere near touching and yet she took a step backward. “D-do you have any water? My mouth has gone dry.”
She had the opposite effect on him. His watered whenever he was around her. “Still or sparkling?”
“Sparkling, please.”
“Sit down, Amber. I’m not going to bite you.”
“I might like it if you did and that’s what I’m afraid of.”
He wanted to ask her what her plan was for them, but he knew better than to push her. He had to give Amber time. Normally he would have moved on by now, but he wouldn’t with her, because he felt as though she would be worth the wait. “Lemon?” he asked as he walked to the bar, trying push away the image of him playfully sinking his teeth into her behind.
“You might spoil me,” she said as he handed her a glass of premium sparkling water with a wedge of lemon placed on the rim of the glass. “I feel quite classy when I’m with you, Chase.”
“Do you? As opposed to any other time?”
“I forget that I’m just a barista and my jewelry business is at a standstill. I forget that I’m a grad student with loans I might never be able to pay off and a car that doesn’t work. You treat me as an equal.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“It’s just that my ex...” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “Never mind.”
“What? Tell me.”
“You don’t want to hear about my ex.”
“I do. I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t.”
She hesitated for a moment. “He just thought I wasn’t on his level.”
“I just can’t see you with anyone like that.” A thought occurred to him. “Is that why you’re hesitant about us? Do you think I’m pretentious?”
“No, Chase.” She set her glass down on the bar and leaned across to kiss his cheek. “You’re kind and generous and I wouldn’t allow you to schlep me back and forth to work if I thought you were.”
He resisted the urge to cup her face in his hands and pull her into a long kiss, but they had to be at the restaurant in an hour and he knew better than to start something that he couldn’t take his sweet time to finish. “I’m going to go get ready now. There’s a bathroom in the second bedroom you can use, or a smaller one in the hallway. There are fresh washcloths and towels in each bathroom as well as soap and toothbrushes.”
“Wow,” she said with a small smile. “Better than a hotel. Thank you, Chase.”
“What are you thanking me for? I haven’t done anything.”
“No? Maybe I just feel like thanking you for being my friend.” He nodded and walked away from her to get ready. If he hadn’t, there was no way they were making it to dinner on time.
Chase emerged a half hour later freshly showered and ready to spend the evening with his siblings. Amber was sitting on the edge of his couch, looking far sexier than when he’d left her.
“Hey.” She stood when she saw him and a pure surge of need filled him as he studied her. The first thing he noticed was her hair. Her curls were wilder tonight, much different from the way she wore her hair at the bakery, and she had on the slightest bit of makeup that enhanced her natural beauty. On her body was a short black silky shirt dress that was printed with a vibrant pattern in a few strategic places. It wasn’t tight. It didn’t cling to her body, rather it skimmed, keeping with her bohemian style and bringing out her sex appeal in a subtle way.
“Hey. You look great.”
“Thank you. You do, too,” she said shyly. “I wasn’t sure what to wear. I thought maybe this wasn’t right.”
He reached for her hand, liking the way it felt tucked into his. “It’s right. It’s perfect. Let’s go.”
The restaurant was in one of downtown Seattle’s trendiest neighborhoods, filled with good-looking young people ready to enjoy a night out. This was a section of town Chase rarely ventured into anymore, preferring quieter small restaurants with a reputation for great food, but Jackson was always in search of the trendiest new spot. He wouldn’t be surprised if his brother had been an early investor in this place. Chase might have the head for business and numbers, but Jackson was the one who had a knack for seeing the potential in something. That’s why he had done so well with his investments. He took risky gambles that paid off and then got out quickly before he was hit. It probably had a little something to do with his past as a high-stakes poker player.
“Do you know this place?” Amber asked as they walked in.
“No. I know nothing about it. I’m not the foodie in the family. If Jackson is onto this place, it’s probably about to blow up and we won’t be able to get in again without being put on a waitlist.”
She nodded. “It looks amazing.” She was right; the decor was done in a way that transported the diners to eastern Asia. It was exotic, with antique wall hangings and small screens and pagodas. They were escorted downstairs to a quieter dining room. Chase wasn’t one for design details, but even he noticed the white leather and wooden chairs that looked to be custom-made for the restaurant. “This is the perfect place to take an ugly date,” Amber joked in Chase’s ear. “The mood lighting makes it hard to see what you’re really working with.”
Chase laughed, but he also grew a little aroused. She smelled good, like soap and clean skin and a little something sensual. Her breast had pressed into his arm as she spoke and her warm sweet breath on his ear almost made it hard for him to concentrate on what she was saying, but he knew he had to keep all those feelings in check tonight.
Mariah and her fiancé would be there tonight, probably watching everything they did and speculating on what was going on. Not that Chase cared or felt that he had to go out of his way to explain things to his sister, but for Amber’s sake he would go through the evening as if they were just friends and nothing more.
When she was ready he wouldn’t hold back. He would let the world know that she was his and he was hers. He kept thinking back to what she had almost said about her ex. He wanted to press her on it. There was more to her story, more than that he just wasn’t supportive. Although that was enough to cause a breakup, but Chase had a feeling that this guy had really hurt her.
“Hi, you two!” Mariah stood up when she spotted them. His sister was looking beautiful and classic in a blush-colored cocktail dress. “Isn’t this place something?”
“It is.” Amber quickly hugged Everett and Mariah. “I wonder how long it took to design it.”
“Three years,” Jackson said from behind them. “The owners consulted with the famed Argentinean designer Jacques Perez. Half of the battle was finding the right space, in the right part of Se
attle, that could encompass his vision.”
“And how do you know so much about this, Jackson?” Amber asked.
“I know a little bit about everything,” he responded with a wink. “And might I add that you are looking especially fine tonight, Miss Amber. I know my brother is proud to be walking in tonight with a woman like you on his arm.”
“Tell me, did you take lessons to become so charming, or does this stuff just come out of you naturally?”
A wide grin spread across Jackson’s face. “Do I look like the type of man who took any sort of lessons? I did my time in school and got out. Sit.” He motioned to a chair. “I’ve got some special drinks coming.”
“Speaking of school,” Everett said, “how is the MBA coming?”
“I’m almost done with this semester. I’ve got one final left and a paper due next week.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Chase said. “I remember my MBA program. It was tough and I didn’t have to worry about a full-time job, teaching a class and running my own business.”
“I get by with a little help from my friends. You all have been great with accommodating my schedule.”
“When we see potential in someone, we all do what has to be done,” Everett said.
A waiter came then with a pitcher of passion fruit sangria and glasses of lychee-raspberry Bellinis. “I’ll be back to take your orders momentarily.”
It was then they picked up their menus, which listed delicacies from all over Asia.
“There’s some à la carte stuff, but I thought we all could try the chef’s choice tasting menu,” Jackson said as Chase’s eyes went to that section.
It was a ten-course menu filled with summer lobster rolls and pork belly steamed buns and sashimi.
He heard Amber make a soft noise of distress, and when he looked up at her, he knew there was something wrong.
He placed his hand on her knee. The others hadn’t noticed because they were talking about the menu choices. “What is it?”
She leaned over, speaking into his ear. “This says eighty-five dollars a person.”
“Yes.” He hadn’t looked at the price, but he knew that restaurants that looked like this charged prices like that.
“I can’t afford that. I have to work hours and hours to make that kind of money.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m paying.”
“I don’t want you to pay for me. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I’ll pay for everyone.”
He looked into her face, surprised that she looked so upset about it. He was blessed with money. He worked hard and invested wisely. He could afford dinners like this. He could afford to spoil her and, more important, he wanted to. He wanted to fix her car and for her not to worry about her student loan debt. He wanted her to be comfortable.
“What?”
“That makes me feel even worse.”
“I have it and Jackson has it and Everett has it to spend. Mariah has invested smartly, too. We’ve done well for ourselves.”
“And it makes me feel like I don’t belong here.”
He had never expected her to say that. “Why? You work for everything you have just like we do. There’s no difference.”
“Our bank accounts beg to differ.”
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Mariah asked, looking suspicious.
“I wasn’t feeling well before we left,” Chase answered. “Amber was just checking up on me.”
“What’s the matter, Chase?” The look in his sister’s eyes changed to one of concern.
“It’s my head, but now that I’m sitting here and smelling all this food, my stomach is not feeling too great, either.”
“Spicy Asian food probably isn’t the best for it,” Everett said.
“I didn’t want to cancel because I was looking forward to this evening.” He looked back to Amber. “I think it’s only going to get worse. Would you mind driving me home?”
She didn’t say anything, she just nodded and placed her hand on his cheek.
“You’re never sick, Chase,” Mariah said, looking concerned. “I hope it’s not serious.”
“I think it’s just a bug,” he said, standing. “We had better go.” He took his keys out of his pocket, handing them to Amber.
He had looked forward to eating here with his siblings tonight, but making Amber happy had trumped that.
Chapter 9
Amber slipped her hand into Chase’s as soon as they were out of his siblings’ line of sight. He didn’t say anything, just stroked his thumb along hers. She didn’t know what was going through his head, but she knew what was going through hers, and it was guilt. She hadn’t meant for him to leave his family just because she was uncomfortable with the high price tag of dinner. She should have just shut up and let him pay. She knew the Draysons had all worked for their money, but they had also come from money, while she had come from working-class people. People who had to work all day just to make what the Draysons were going to spend on dinner for one person.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said once they left the restaurant.
“I did.” She was half waiting for him to show anger or annoyance with her. If he were Steven, he would accuse her of not having enough class to be there, but then again, if he were Steven, he would never have left the restaurant at all, no matter what she was feeling.
“I feel foolish now. I didn’t mean to ruin your night. You can take me right home and I’ll take the bus tomorrow morning.”
He stopped walking and looked down into her eyes. “Why are you punishing me?”
She blinked at him. “Punishing you?”
“You don’t want me taking you to work anymore. That’s punishing me.”
“I feel like I’m inconveniencing you!”
“You’re not inconveniencing me. You think I would be going out of my way to give you a ride if there wasn’t something in it for me? Plus, eighty-five dollars is a lot to spend on one meal for one person, and I’m glad we left because I can get three times as much food for half the price at the local spot around the corner from my condo.”
“Oh, can you?”
“Yeah, and if you think you’re getting out of my buying you dinner tonight, you’re dead wrong.”
“Chase...” Each sweet thing that he said made her feel a little worse. “It’s okay to be annoyed with me.”
“I’m not annoyed with you. I just want to know why you can’t let me buy you dinner.”
“Because we are at such different points in our lives. You sign my paychecks. You have everything and I have nothing and I want to feel like your equal, and tonight in there I didn’t. There was so much success around me and I felt like I was the barista charity case who couldn’t afford to be there.”
“If you don’t feel like you belong, then I feel like I don’t belong. But I do feel like I belong with you. I don’t care where we spend the evening as long as I get to spend it with you.”
Her heart flipped over in her chest and she knew she was in trouble because she felt herself slipping a tiny bit into love with him. She leaned in and kissed his lips softly. “I would very much like to buy your dinner tonight, Mr. Drayson.”
“Only if you let me buy yours tomorrow, Ms. Bernard.”
“I think I can do that.”
Chase took her back to his place and handed her the menu to his favorite Chinese restaurant before he left the room without a word. She used his fancy house phone to make the call, ordering way too much food, but feeling that she needed to make up for the ten fancy courses that he was missing out on tonight because of her.
She took another look around his apartment now that he wasn’t there to study her as she did. It was gorgeous, luxurious to say the least. It looked like a plac
e a very rich man would stay. It looked like a place a working artist would never rest her head and yet she was here tonight, looking at the beautiful expensive art he had hanging on his walls and the sofa made of Italian leather and the carpet that was so plush and soft she knew she could curl up and fall asleep on it.
She walked behind the bar where she had seen him earlier and ran her hands along the colorful bottles. She recognized the names of some as top-shelf, others were in foreign languages that she didn’t understand, but she was sure that they were high quality and probably tasted as beautiful as their packages looked.
“Did you want something to drink? Please help yourself.”
She turned to look at him to see that he had changed. Her mouth went dry. He was in a sleeveless gray undershirt and gray checked sleep pants, his muscular arms and hard chest on display.
He had the body of an athlete and that surprised her. She knew he was in good shape, but seeing him now, out of all his buttoned-up attire, made heat curl in her belly and her body want to rub up against his. He was holding something in his hand but she barely noticed because she was so preoccupied by his spectacular form.
“What’s that?” she asked him, trying to hide the desire that crept into her voice.
He stepped behind the bar into her space, so close to her that the warmth of his body heated hers. “I want you to put this on. I would like you to stay this evening. I’m not asking you to sleep with me, but I’m asking you to sleep here, to eat dinner with me and sit on the couch and watch stupid TV and just be here tonight.”
“Your guest room is pretty nice.” She took the T-shirt from him and looped her arms around his neck.
“My guest room is pretty nice,” he said, kissing her throat. The closeness with him was erotic. Her nipples grew hard as she pressed her breasts against him. Her thin dress suddenly seemed too hot, like too much clothing for her, and she wanted strip down for some relief but she knew that if her nude body got anywhere close to his, she would not cool down. She would only get hotter.
