by Codi Gary
But she hadn’t and his reaction to her scared the shit out of him. Because he wanted to let her peel his shirt off, and then he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss those bossy lips.
Mike set the helmet down and caught her hand in his. “How about we talk about your genius plan and save the ride for another time?”
The moment was charged as she glanced down to their connected hands and back into his face. “Sure, if I can have my hand back.”
Mike released her and stepped away from her, cursing inwardly. He was acting like an awkward sixteen-year-old with a pretty girl who was out of his league.
You mean the kid you used to be.
That was the point, he used to be that guy, but now he was an adult with everything going for him.
Pulling the notebook out of his pocket, he skipped over number one and went to page two. “‘When you ask for her number/or for a date, be straightforward and clear.’”
“Yeah, don’t pussyfoot around the issue. When you ask, say something like, “I’d love to have your number so I can take you to dinner,” Ellie said behind him. “Or, you could say, “I’d love to take you on a date. Does tomorrow at seven work for you? I’ll pick you up.’ It shows you’re confident, but serious about her.”
Mike turned around as he flipped to page three. What she said made sense, and he preferred the direct approach. Which was why her directive for number three stumped him. “Never be too available?”
“Yes. Women are insecure by nature, and when a guy doesn’t call or text right away, it can make us crave him more. Although I don’t agree with Drew’s three-day rule, especially when most of us put our lives up on social media. We live in the world of smartphones and if you take longer than a few hours or a day, you’re either not interested, in a coma, or dead. However, if she calls and it takes you a half an hour to a few hours to call back, that is understandable. It’s just enough time to worry her and when you do call or text, she’ll be excited and relieved.”
“I notice you don’t seem to have an issue with insecurity,” Mike said.
Ellie shrugged. “I know I’m pretty. I’ve been told that since I was a kid, but pretty is just skin and bone structure. I’m more than that.”
“Yeah, everybody is more than how they look,” Mike said.
“But someone’s attractiveness is the first thing you notice. It’s easy to get caught up in looks, and surfaces, and never dig any deeper into what makes someone tick. Some of the ugliest people in the world are beautiful or handsome or whatever term you want to use. Appearances can be deceiving.”
“So, you’re telling me you’d go for an ugly, fat guy with a good personality?” Mike asked.
“No, probably not.”
Mike was surprised she hadn’t said yes. Women always went on about how sense of humor and personality were the most important traits, but Mike knew from sixteen years’ experience that wasn’t true.
“What? I’m being honest. Unless I got to know him, and he was amazing, my first initial reaction is going to be to look right past him. I know that isn’t right or fair, but it’s the truth. There has to be some spark of attraction before I will approach a guy.”
It bothered Mike that he probably wouldn’t have ranked as someone Ellie would be interested in if he hadn’t changed after high school.
Not that it mattered; this was just a lark, an experiment. An arrangement.
“How does your boyfriend feel about you hanging out at my house, all by ourselves?”
“First of all, I don’t have a boyfriend. Even if I did, he would have no say in what I do in my spare time,” Ellie said.
It didn’t matter if he had been on one or three dates with a woman. If he was interested in her, he would not like her hanging out with other guys. People could call him possessive or jealous or even tell him it was a flaw, but faithfulness was important to him. His parents had been high school sweethearts and married for thirty-plus years, and his mother always told him trust was the key to a long and happy relationship.
“I thought I heard you were seeing Dale.” Mike could tell he was aggravating her, and smirked.
“I’m not, but again, I don’t need to report what I do to anyone. I am my own person.”
“Maybe not, but if a woman I was with planned on spending a lot of time alone with another man, I would want to know,” Mike said.
“Why? So you could show up and grab her by the hair, pull her back to your place, and beat your chest like a caveman? Newsflash, if someone is going to cheat on you, they are going to do it, whether or not you act crazy and make a scene. You should at least try to have some dignity.”
“That’s called being a chump. If you sit back and bury your head in the sand, that’s when you get the call that it’s over and the other guy is at her house later that night.”
“Okay, this is straight-up out of a country song drama and you need to pull back on the macho bullshit,” Ellie said. “And the discussion is moot. There is no boyfriend.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear you aren’t dating Dale.”
“Why?”
The words left his mouth before he even thought about how they sounded. “Because you can do better than a shit like him.”
Ellie’s stomach dropped out at his words and she caught her breath. It was the second time tonight she felt as if they were having a moment, but just as she was about to ask him about it, he flipped to the next page of the notebook.
“‘Make a list of the qualities you’re looking for in a woman and don’t stray from them,’” Mike read, his gaze catching hers. “What if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for?”
Part of her was relieved he’d gotten back on topic. She knew there was some serious sexual chemistry between them, but if they gave in and explored that, it wasn’t going to end well. She could tell just from his home and office he was too type A for her. He was straight vanilla, no toppings, and she was spumoni.
“Every man has core ideas and values he’s looking for, just like with women. For instance, I would never get serious with any man I didn’t know everything about. Complete honesty, all cards on the table, no surprises.”
“Come on,” Mike said. “You can’t know everything about someone.”
“If you spend enough time together and don’t keep things from the other, I think you can. You have a problem with total honesty?”
“No, but I think knowing everything about another person is a tall order,” Mike said.
“Well, it’s not an order you have to fulfill is it?” Ellie said.
“And this is supposed to be about me anyway, right?” Mike’s tone was cool, and curt.
Get your emotions in check and stop being combative if you want this to work.
“Yes, sorry,” Ellie said.
“Well, I guess I would pick someone I was attracted to, who was funny and warm. She’d have to get along with my friends and family. She should be independent and trustworthy and just…love me, you know?”
There was something in Mike’s eyes when he said it, as though it was such an anomaly for someone to love him, that pulled her toward him. There was an overwhelming need to chase the sadness away.
“Well, with my help, we’ll find you exactly what you want, but you have to follow my rules.”
Mike lost the woebegone expression, an amused light flashing across his face. “Like don’t feed the Gremlins after midnight?”
“Laugh all you want, but never doubt my mad skills.”
“Okay, skills, what’s rule number six?” Mike asked.
“We can go over the rest of the rules later, and just start with image,” Ellie said, looking him up and down. “Who are your favorite actors?”
“I don’t really know a lot of names, but I guess I’d pick Malcolm McDowell, Sean Connery, or—”
“Okay, no, those are terrible choices. Try to pick someone who is at least in our generation.”
“Kevin Costner?”
“Closer, but what about Jason
Stathem or Channing Tatum? Oh, or Shemar Moore? That T-shirt and jeans look with boots and maybe a leather jacket. We wanna give off a biker meets rock star aura...Why are you laughing?"
Mike was bent over baying with laughter. Between gulping breaths, he said, “When you said biker meets…rock star, I…pictured you dressing me…in leather from head to toe.”
“Did I say BDSM Dom? No.”
“Good, cause I don’t think I could pull off a ball gag in my mouth,” Mike said, still chuckling.
“That’s not…you know what, I’m not getting sucked into this conversation. I’ll go shopping, and I’ll come over with a few different looks for you to try.”
“No leather pants. I don’t need to have my boys cooked or squished.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Ellie said.
Mike’s phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket, grinning. “It’s Wendy.”
“Who is Wendy?”
“She’s a woman who wants me to do some work for her.”
His tone was sly, almost giddy.
Yeah, I bet.
“Did you give her your number?” Ellie had a bad feeling she already knew the answer.
“No, but she took my card.”
“Do not answer!”
“What?” Mike looked confused. “Why? She is offering me a job.”
“Then she’ll leave you a message. You want to make sure this woman is legit or she’ll lure you in, get her hooks into you, and blam! Suddenly you’re in a hole in her basement putting the lotion in the fucking basket!”
“I think you’re reading a lot into someone you hardly know.”
“It’s after your business hours, which she knows. Just let it go to voicemail.”
“She could be into me, too,” Mike said, pausing. “Come on, she was hot.”
“All the more reason not to answer. Are you forgetting my whole thing about playing hard to get?” When he still seemed skeptical, she threw up her hands. “Fine, don’t listen to me. You go out with her, but don’t come crying to me when she introduces you to her mother over the phone.”
Ignoring her, Mike slid his thumb over the screen before she could stop him and answered. “Hello.”
Ellie could hear a high-pitched voice and drew closer so she could hear. Mike moved away from her. “No, it’s fine. I’m glad you called.”
Ellie wanted to gag and when he looked her way, she crossed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks as if she was trying not to puke. He glared at her. “Sure, I can come by the space tomorrow. How is one? I’ll bring lunch.”
Did he not hear a single thing she’d said? He had completely lost control of the situation.
“Sure, I’ll pick you up. Just text me your address. Yeah. Me, too. Bye.”
Mike hung up. “Well, that was easy. See, you’re already helping.”
“Except you took my advice and tossed it out the window. What happened to taking control? You just made yourself so available, you might as well have written your name and number on a bathroom wall.”
“It’s a business meeting—”
“You just offered to bring your boss lunch.”
“Okay, I see your point, but I can do all that other stuff you said, and besides, I still need you to come over and give me a fabulous makeover.”
She rolled her eyes at his mocking falsetto tone. She wanted to be irritated, but he was so damn charming. “You are such a dork.”
“That’s what they tell me.”
Chapter Ten
The next day, Mike placed a shallow plate of puppy gruel in Smalls’s playpen, a wire circle he’d asked Gracie to pick up for him. The little piglet rushed the food, making slurping sounds as he ate.
Mike laughed as he grabbed his keys off the desk. “Okay, little dude. I’m going to a lunch meeting and will be back in an hour. Eat, sleep, and if you need to use the puddle pads, that’s cool. Try not to get too messy.”
The puppy lifted his head, licking his mouth where a gruel beard adorned his face, and Mike laughed.
“I guess it’s too late for that, huh?”
Smalls dived back into his meal and Mike pulled the blinds. After he grabbed his helmet, he snuck out the door quietly and locked it. Hopefully, Smalls wouldn’t start squealing when he realized Mike was gone. The puppy became apprehensive whenever Mike left his sight. When he’d put him in his crate last night, the pup had howled until Mike gave in and let him sleep on the bed with him.
Of course, he’d regretted that decision when he woke up to see Smalls peeing on his feet, but it had been a long time since he had a puppy. There was a relearning process.
He put on his helmet and straddled his motorcycle. His heart kicked up into high gear as he took off toward Wendy’s internet café site. She had called him this morning and told him she’d meet him there with lunch, since she was the boss. He hadn’t argued, but it had been hard not to. He wasn’t used to letting women pay, even for work expenses.
Mike pulled around and parked in front of the building, directly across from The Local Bean, Gracie’s coffee shop and bakery. He got out, noticing the silver sports car in the parking lot next door.
He removed his helmet, pushed the door open, and found Wendy sitting in the middle of the empty space at a little folding table and chairs. Two foam containers and drinks were placed in front of her on the tabletop and as she stood, smoothing her hand over the front of her tight blue dress, Mike couldn’t help scanning her body.
“Hello, Mike. Good to see you.” She held out her hand, which he took, but the way she squeezed it was anything but professional. “Do you want to eat first or go over the space?”
“We can do both.”
They sat at the table, and he flipped open his container, grinning at the Jensen’s bacon burger inside.
Hello, my friend.
Wendy poked her fork into the salad in her container, gesturing with her other hand. “So, I was thinking about setting up computers along the wall to the left, and on the right will be the café counter.”
Mike paused as her words sank in, and he swallowed slowly, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. “When you said internet café, were you just talking about a place for people to come and play online games together, or an actual place with coffee and food.”
“Well, when people play on computers, they usually get hungry. Doesn’t that make sense?”
“Yeah but…there is a coffee shop right across the street.” He didn’t mention the fact that his best friend owned that coffee shop.
“And what, they have a monopoly on coffee?”
“No, but…why did you pick the space directly across from The Local Bean? There are several options down the street.”
Wendy put her fork down and folded her hands on the table. “I get the feeling you don’t want the job now.”
Shit. He needed this job to stay afloat, but he didn’t want to screw over Gracie, either.
“I do want this job.”
“Then don’t worry about The Local Bean. This town is growing, and there will be plenty of business for both of us.”
Mike wasn’t sure he believed her, but the little voice in his head told him to shut up and think about himself for once. His financial portfolio needed him to survive this slump; Gracie had been running the coffee shop for seven years and served a loyal clientele. People would continue to support her.
“The computers are going to be roughly a thousand dollars apiece with labor,” Mike said.
Wendy picked up her fork again. “And?”
“I’ll need fifty percent down for a job this big, especially with the custom materials I’ll need to purchase.”
She finished swallowing the bite of salad she’d eaten before responding. “Fine. Do you want cash, check, or card?”
“Cash or card.”
“Great. I’ll follow you back to your shop and you can run my card.” Wendy wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I feel like we should celebrate. What are you doing later?”
> “Heading home after work. I just got a new puppy and I don’t like to leave him alone for very long.”
“Aww, I love animals, but that’s too bad. I was thinking maybe we could grab a drink tomorrow.”
Mike’s gaze dipped to the tongue she’d just run over her lips. Conflicted, he sure as hell was. But she was attractive and direct, and he’d do himself no favors to turn away an available woman he didn’t have to work so hard to figure out. “You know, I’m sure one drink wouldn’t hurt.”
Ellie arrived at Mike’s at five forty-five the next day. Based on his texts she’d supposed his business lunch had gone from professional to personal when the two of them met for drinks at Buck’s Shot Bar. It was against everything she’d advised him, but at least it had given her an excuse to test out a new look on him.
She was carrying several shopping bags filled with clothes for him to try on. She’d even slipped clippers into the bag, in case he wanted a little cleanup.
Ellie had also bought several pairs of jeans and T-shirts, and she’d found a distressed leather jacket at a thrift store in Twin she prayed would fit. A pair of steel-toe combat boots would complete any of the outfits she’d chosen. She’d gotten his shoe size when she was out and about, but he had said large on the jacket. He would probably hate the leather chaps she’d picked up at a Western store and at least one of the shirts, but she’d wanted a variety, so he wouldn’t feel as though he didn’t have a choice.
Really, there was no wrong choice. All of the clothes were hot.
She knocked hard and heard something crash inside. When Mike answered the door a few seconds later, his scowling face was covered in shaving cream, but her attention was immediately drawn down to his bare, sculpted chest. None of those stuffy collared shirts or loose T-shirts had prepared her for those pecs or the bumps and ridges of his abs. Holy hell, those were some good abs. Some male models had to rely on airbrushing to get muscles like that.
He was wearing boxer shorts and nothing else, and his skin wore a sheen that made her guess he was still damp from a shower. When her gaze finally met his, he wasn’t glaring anymore.
