by Ali Parker
Chapter 6
Rebecca spotted Jason across the room with several other members of her staff who were all standing around a small bar-top table together, laughing. He caught her eye and waved her over, Rebecca sighing internally. This was a bad idea. She should just go home and enjoy the comfort of her tub and then her bed. Hanging out with people from work never proved to be smart when you were the boss. She knew she was pretty cool in terms of office structure and support of her people, but the fact remained that she was in charge, and they answered to her.
Jason broke away from the crowd and walked to meet her in the belly of the bar, the small restaurant only having tables around the edge of the room so that people could mingle to their heart’s content in the middle. His smile was wide and oh, so welcoming, Rebecca having to remind herself that they wouldn’t be anything ever, and she was glad for that. No way could she fall for someone so young and then worry for the rest of her life that he’d leave her for a younger model as she continued to outrun him in the game of life by a good twelve years.
“Hey. I was almost scared you might have snuck out with Parker.” Jason reached out, his hands running down her arms to rest on her elbows. She was a little surprised at the fact that he was touching her with such confident ease, but he’d been drinking.
She smiled and shook her head, trying to decide how relaxed to be around any of them. “No, I said I would stay for a drink or two, and I will. I can grab a cab. No need for you to leave your friends early, as I’m sure I’ll cut out long before you young people will.” She moved back a little before motioning toward the crowd and walking toward them.
He followed, a laugh on his lips as his hand brushed across the small of her back. She bit her lip to stop herself from saying something or simply groaning at the contact. If she were being completely honest, he was absolutely one hundred percent her type. The only problem was that he was just a baby, and a baby that worked for her. She moved forward a little faster, losing the contact with his hand.
“Hi, Rebecca! What a great surprise,” Janice, a blond-haired woman from the office yelled above the crowd.
The group turned, and Rebecca recognized three of her staff, but the other individuals were new to her.
She smiled at Janice and pointed back to Jason. “He caught me having dinner with Parker, and that was all she wrote.”
They all laughed, Bill and Karen moving to stand next to her. Most of her staff were in their late twenties to early forties, so she felt more comfortable being around all of them, rather than just being with Jason and his friends. A dark-skinned man moved up and offered his hand, Rebecca taking it and introducing herself. “I’m Rebec—”
“Oh, I know who you are. Jason talks about you non-stop and I can see why.” He smiled and looked over at Jason. Rebecca followed his gaze, only to get a ‘too-comfortable’ wink from Jason. This was a bad idea.
“All good, I’m sure,” Rebecca responded and turned back to the younger male.
“All good.” He laughed and let her hand go.
Jason placed a gentle hand on her back and introduced her to the crowd of people that had surrounded them. “This is Adam, my roommate,” he said, indicating the guy she’d just tried to introduce herself to, “and this is Bethany, Peter, Jaz and Woody.”
Everyone said their hellos, and Rebecca did as well, suddenly feeling like someone’s older sister stuck at a high school reunion party. She looked back to Bill, a middle-aged man who worked for her, and smiled. He rolled his eyes as if internally agreeing with her. She began to make her way toward him, only to be swept toward the bar by Jason, his arm around her waist.
“Hold up. To be at the party you’ll need a drink, pretty lady.”
She laughed and moved toward the bar, wanting to pull away from him again, but not really wanting to. Besides, he wasn’t causing any harm and wasn’t necessarily being inappropriate.
“A drink sounds good. I’m thinking a Corona with a lime would suit me right now.”
He nodded and moved his arms to the bar, leaning over a little and smiling at the busty blonde bartender who moved to help him immediately. “What can I getcha, handsome?”
“I’ll have a Corona with a lime for the lady, and I’ll take a Crown and Coke, please.”
The girl looked over at Rebecca and eyed her for a minute, turning to get the drinks as she hummed something to herself. Rebecca looked down at her outfit, realizing that she hadn’t unbuttoned her shirt or untucked it, leaving her to still look very businesslike. She looked around the bar and saw several people who looked like they’d just swung in from a long day at work too.
Turning back toward the bar she gasped softly at the nearness of her youngest staff member, Jason having moved in close enough for her to smell the liquor on his breath. The people behind him had moved toward the bar, not really giving him much of a choice, from what she could see, but his closeness unraveled her. She moved back just a little, looking up to his eyes, which were filled with strong desire.
“Ummm, thanks for the invite,” she murmured, unsure of what to say to him.
He laughed and moved his hand toward her face, as if he were going to touch her, before dropping it. She softly let out the breath she was holding, the situation mounting to a place she didn’t need it to. Her eyes moved down the line of his body, their hips almost touching, the hard planes of his chest inches from the softness of hers. “I’ll just wait at the table, if that’s okay. So tight right here.”
His eyes flared a little, but he smiled and simply responded with an ‘okay.’
Rebecca turned and walked back to the crowd of people, her head held high and a facade of confidence painted all across her features. If she intimidated the hell out of the room, then maybe she’d feel a little better about being so small and feeling almost trapped. She glanced over her shoulder to watch Jason’s eyes move up from her lower half to her own gaze, a smile on his face.
“Great,” she muttered as she turned around and found their group. This handsome boy who worked for her would never outright hit on her in the office, but in a bar with a few beers in him, anything was game. She’d put herself in a stupid situation and needed to get out before he got the wrong impression. She didn’t want to mess up their working relationship, and something as simple as the visit with the contractor tomorrow morning would be awkward if they touched or kissed or …
“So, how was your meeting with Mr. Vandenbilt?” Bill, one of Rebecca’s favorite staff accountants asked, his bald head picking up the bright light from above and blinding her for a moment.
She shook it off and moved in beside him, the crowd getting ridiculous. “It actually went really well. We’re wrapping up our offer letter and closing down the negotiations. I should have the final papers signed by mid-next week, so, huge win for the firm.”
He smiled and lifted his hand into the air for a high-five. She obliged him and laughed at his spirit.
“That’s great news. I’d honestly love to work on that account if you think it’s a possibility. I’m hoping to move more into the focus of oil and gas accounting, seeing that we’re here in Houston and I’m relatively new to the area.”
“I think that’s a possibility.” Rebecca nodded, turning as Adam, Jason’s roommate, moved in beside her.
“What’s a possibility?”
“Just talking work stuff. Boring, rest assured.” Rebecca smiled and enjoyed the calm the young African-American man exuded.
“Work stuff is not for happy hour. You’ve officially been banned from bringing it up again.” He winked and looked over at Bill. “You too, young man!”
Bill laughed. “Hey, you call me young man and I’m likely to do just about anything.”
Rebecca shook her head. “Selling your soul for a compliment. Looks like your momma should’ve taught you the tricks the devil pulls.”
Adam chuckled. “I might be the devil, but at least I wear no disguise. Not like this guy …”
Jason moved up beside he
r and extended a beer toward her as he smirked. “I leave for two minutes and all of a sudden you’re hitting on Becca and calling me the devil. What the hell?”
Adam shrugged and put an arm over Rebecca’s shoulders, pulling her in and smiling brightly. “What can I say? She’s easily the prettiest girl in this bar.”
Jason smiled and nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Rebecca pulled from the young man’s hold and took a long drink of her beer. “I’m not handing out jobs or raises, so save the flattery. It will get you nowhere.”
“Well damn it to hell!” Adam mumbled. “I was always told that flattery would get you everywhere.”
“Yes, well, your grandmother lied to you.” Jason poked his friend in the cheek before turning back to Bill. “Did I hear you say that you moved to this area to work for oil and gas clients? I didn’t know you weren’t from this area.”
Rebecca took another drink of her beer before working to get the lime squeezed and into the bottle as the guys conversed about Bill’s very long history and how he’d moved across the United States in hopes of a great business experience. He was in his mid-forties and unmarried, his life that of a hopeful bachelor.
Rebecca felt concern wash over her at the idea of being unmarried in her mid-forties. Her mother was having a heart attack now over the idea of Rebecca still being unmarried and without kids in her mid-thirties. Add another ten years to that and the world was sure to implode on itself.
“Becca.” Bill’s voice brought her to. “Have you ever been married?”
“Oh sorry.” She smiled and shrugged. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, but marriage isn’t on the list.”
“Ever?” Jason butted in, his face downcast, his voice low and questioning. Why was his sudden concern over her dismissal of marriage making her want to pull her comment back and chew it up and swallow it?
“Hmm?” She was confused for a moment before gaining clarity. “Oh no, of course marriage is something I’d love in my future. I’ve just been so busy building up the firm that I’ve not paid much attention to anything else in life. It’s not like I have a ton of suitors lining up down the street either, guys.”
Jason sighed and his large shoulders visibly relaxed. Did this guy really think he had a chance with her? Was he thinking about things as colossal as marriage?
I’m in deep trouble.
“Well, you work non-stop and probably don’t make much time for yourself. You’re far too great of a catch to not be someone’s wife and some little guy’s mom.” Bill smiled and it warmed her, his words sweet and welcoming.
“Thanks, Bill, but I plan on having girls.” She laughed and they both smiled at her effort.
“I love the idea of having little girls. Someone to protect and throw in the air, to read stories to and snuggle up to me at night.” Jason’s voice grew soft, his eyes roaming across her face intensely.
Bill broke the heavy moment. “Awwww … isn’t that sweet. Jason is a softy.”
“You betcha.” Jason smiled and patted his tummy. “Hard muscle on the outside with a soft gooey center.”
She laughed before looking around the crowd. The intensity of the conversation shouldn’t have bothered her, and yet it did.
The situation was quick to take a back seat as someone caught her attention. A man’s strong back flexed as he stretched, the ACDC shirt he wore pulled tight across the confines of his muscles, his butt fitting perfectly in his jeans and his stance one of ownership. She wanted to see the front of him, her curiosity piqued as he turned to the side. He reminded her of Kade, but she supposed everyone did in some way.
“Scared me there, Becca,” Jason said.
“Oh yeah, how so?” She turned back to them, wanting to remind them that it was Rebecca and not Becca. Only a few people in her life called her by her nickname, and these guys weren’t part of that inner circle. She’d remind them in a more appropriate setting, but for now, it was what it was.
“Not having the possibility of eventually winning your heart and giving you my last name almost made my heart stop.”
She jolted back into reality, the look on Bill’s sober face giving her credence that Jason did, in fact, just say what she thought he had. He was drunk. That or he was unbelievably ballsy—or both.
She smiled and winked at him. “Well, don’t die on me just yet. Anything’s possible, I suppose.”
He sighed as if world peace had just been offered and cancer had been cured. She and Bill chuckled at the simple youth of their newest associate.
She pointed toward the restroom, handing her beer to Bill. “I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
She turned and walked away from them, her intention to get a breath of fresh air comingled with the need to see this handsome man’s face. He’d caught her attention enough to make the awkward reality that she was currently surviving in disappear. He seemed to turn as she did, his back staying toward her as she moved toward the ladies’ room. She stopped at the door, turning to look over her shoulder and once again catching a side view of him. He was stunning, in a country boy sort of way, but she needed to see him from the front, just to verify that the love of her life hadn’t just walked back in the door.
What would be the odds?
Chapter 7
The mysterious man was gone by the time she made her way back from the restroom, Rebecca stopping by the bar where he’d stood and looking at the people surrounding the area. He’d looked so much like what she might imagine Kade to look like, his strong football physique from high school grown up and filled out even more. Perhaps she was seeing what she wanted to, though.
It was entirely possible that Kade had physically changed completely. He was a musician on top of playing every sport known to man, so he could’ve made it in Hollywood on some small scale and given up his days in the gym. Maybe he was thin and gangly now. Maybe he was a crack addict and looked like a reaper from hell.
Never. At least not in my daydreams.
Someone brushed behind her, strong hands moving her hips to scoot her away from her current stillness. She turned a full circle, the back of his T-shirt telling her it had been the man she was looking for.
The faint echo of his cologne filled her senses and caused her stomach to tighten. Who was he and why was he headed toward the door? Without waiting she bolted behind him, her chest aching at the idea of running into Kade.
How stupid are you? No way he’s just going to show up in the middle of some random bar.
“You never know,” she mumbled and slipped through the sea of bodies. She slipped through a large group of frat boys and turned to bump into Jason, his hands sliding onto her waist as she pressed her palms against his strong chest. She mumbled sorry and moved back a little as he released her and smiled down at her.
“Looking for me? You looked lost all of a sudden. I’m thinking you had a few more beers than you let on earlier.”
She laughed and backed up a little, her back pressing into the bar. “I only had a few, but when you get old, things catch up with you a little more quickly.”
He took a step forward, his confidence a bit too elevated for her liking. “Old? You’re not old, Rebecca. You’re perfect in every way a man might consider possible.”
She swallowed hard, his compliment more than welcomed in the midst of her horribly dry dating life. She’d given up on relationships a while back, when no one measured up and everyone that tried to seemed to be fake and unreadable all of a sudden. She was grateful for the liquor in her system, as the ability to become embarrassed or shy was all but gone.
“Oh yeah? And what might a man consider perfect?”
His eyebrow lifted as he took another step toward her, the toe of his fancy shoes almost touching her sleek black high heel. “Well, this man would consider a woman perfect is she were stunning, intelligent, put together, strong, bold, brave and intimidating, and she knew it.”
Rebecca hadn’t expected him to make sense, seeing that he’d
had more than enough to drink that evening, from the empty bottles that sat around his suit jacket near the bar. She swallowed hard, the look of lust in his gaze threatening to burn her if she let it.
He took the final step, the space between them disappearing as he pressed himself to her front. He reached up and touched the side of her face, lifting her chin toward him. His intentions were clear, and a hungry look of sensual need painted its way across his handsome face, his eyes locked on her mouth.
I wonder what you look like without your clothes on.
She chided her inappropriate thoughts and looked to her left, the heavy stare of another catching her gaze.
Kade.
It was him.
She pressed her hands to Jason’s chest and moved him back a little, her eyes scanning the crowd as the man in question made his way toward the door of the club. The moment had been too much, and her heart beat so hard it felt like it might burst through her chest.
“I’ll be right back.” She turned to go, an apology on her lips as she slipped away from Jason and charged toward the door. He called after her, but she ignored him and the throbbing desire to become his for the night. Perhaps she’d been wrong in her assessment earlier of no one worthy of a night of passion being in the bar. Jason was more than worthy.
What would it feel like to be pressed beneath the weight of his desire? To be the center of his untamed attention?
Where are these thoughts coming from? She needed to run like hell. She was a few seconds away from a bad decision.
“For the better,” she murmured and pushed through the crowds of people trying to make it to the door. Her heart hammered in her chest at the thought of seeing Kade again. Had he recognized her? Had he even known it was her he was staring at?
The look she’d seen in his smoldering gaze said yes on both accounts. She sighed as questions laid heavy upon her, the weight of needing to see him again crushing her, as it had been for as long as she could remember. Why the hell hadn’t she just gone to California to find him?
