PLAYED: A Small Town Billionaire Romance (Reckless Falls Book 5)

by Vivian Lux

  So why did I still feel like there were loose ends?

  Whatever had come out of my mouth while I was thinking these thoughts seemed to placate Miles who leaned back and tapped his finger on my schedule. "Well we're not quite done," he sighed heavily. "No matter how hard I've been trying to force things through."

  I looked up sharply. "I thought they offered everything we asked for and then some."

  "Right." Miles looked a little nauseous. "Except it seems like Parker might have over-promised."[G73][G74][G75][G76]

  "That does not surprise me," I noted. "Back in college, he kept claiming his girlfriend back home was a model. I mean, she was in a JC Penney catalogue or two so I guess that sort of qualifies?"[G77][G78]

  Miles rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Same thing. So we still need someone to head back up this weekend...."

  I looked up sharply. "I'll go," I said, far too eagerly for my liking.

  Miles's eyebrows somehow when even higher. "Are you sure? I know how much you hated going there back there in the first place. I'll go for you, sir. It's just paperwork. There's no need for you to put yourself out like this."[G79]

  I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my eagerness. "No," I said calmly. "I'll go. It's better to have someone in a position of authority anyway." I shot Miles a grin and he looked suitably aggrieved. "I'm not letting you have a vacation on my dime anyway," I snapped.

  He looked constipated for a second, then ran his hand through his hair. "Suit yourself, sir. It's not like I wanted to spend the weekend with the cast of Deliverance anyway."

  "No it's not - " I started to say, then I caught myself before I started defending the merits of the people of Reckless Falls. "You're right," I said instead. "You owe me. I'll dock your pay accordingly."

  I scraped the chair back from the table, enjoying his aggrieved muttering and walked away, imagining Charlie's shocked face when I showed up at her door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Charlie

  "[G80][G81]Charlie!" Gina called from across the room.

  I looked up from where I was expediting orders to see her giving me the signal, patting the tops of her breasts and looking a little pained. I nodded and headed over to spot her while she ran the back room to pump. And as I did, I passed by what my traitorous brain kept insisting on thinking of as "Jameson's table."[G82][G83]

  How fucking pathetic was I? Three days later and I was still mooning over the one that got away, like some kind of lovestruck teenager doodling Mrs. Charlie Tellar in her history notebook over and over again. I was fairly certain that every other woman on the face of the planet could have herself a nice one-night stand without daydreaming herself into absent-mindedness thinking about the guy forever after.

  Fuck, I needed to get my shit together.[G84]

  Having to greet people and put on a sunny face and look happy to see them, well that was the best possible thing I could do to remind myself that I wasn't going to be sad about some guy I'd only just met.

  After I seated the old couple who I thought I recognized from back when I used to go to church, I scanned my finger down the reservation list. I really needed to know how many more tables we needed to keep open for the 7 o'clock crowd. Foster, party of four, fine. McCormick, party of eight, that's a stretch but we can do it.[G85][G86][G87]

  Blake, party of two...

  My finger froze.

  I felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over my head. Swallowing back the nausea that always crammed itself into my throat when I saw him, I tried to remind myself that there were plenty of people with the last name Blake. Hell, maybe this Blake even gave his first name. Maybe it was a girl even. There was no way that it was him.

  But right then - shit - there he was.

  Russell.

  Walking through the front door, right at this very moment. And was that Bianca Smythe on his arm? Back in high school, she thought she was better than me, and from the look on her face when she spotted me at the hostess stand, I saw that that opinion hadn't changed.[G88]

  "Charlie Kendall!" she sang out. She'd gotten a nose job sometime in the past five years. That tiny little button looked ridiculous on her broad face. "How are you!"

  "I'm wonderful Bianca!" I said, all smiles. "You look different somehow. What's changed?"

  Bianca sniffed, unsure if she should be insulted. She turned and looked at Russell who at least had the good grace to look freaked out by seeing me.[G89][G90]

  "Hey Char," he said, with a bright, false smile pasted across his face.

  Inwardly I rolled my eyes. I'd always hated when he called me that.

  "Hey Russ," I said, looking him dead in the eye. He looked away, as guilty as a schoolboy caught with his hand in the candy jar. Indigo was a pretty fucking expensive restaurant, and if he had the money to take Bianca out of a date here then...

  "How's the little guy?" Russell piped up nonsensically.

  I pressed my lips together, trying to hold it back, but the words came tumbling out of my mouth before I could catch them. "You mean your son?" I bit off acidly.

  And then I hated myself. I couldn't seem to prevent myself from turning into a bitch around him, even though I told him way back when Malcolm was born that he owed me nothing. That I honestly didn't want anything from him. Getting pregnant from a drunken hookup with a guy couldn't even stand in the first place was both the worst thing and simultaneously the best thing I'd ever done. I didn't need a reminder of what an idiot my sperm donor was, or why he had not sent me a single dime of child support in spite of his stupid promises. [G91][G92]

  Bianca sniffed again. I wondered if she'd developed a coke habit since high school.

  "Hi, there!" Gina called brightly, appearing like a guardian angel on my right.[G93]

  I hid my sigh of relief behind a bright smile. "Gina will take you to your table," I said, whirling around. "Enjoy your meal."

  Tears swam in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. Not over Russell. I would never cry over Russell.

  "You okay, Charlie?" Finn called from his office.

  "I'm great!" I called out and even I could hear how wild my voice sounded. I reached the back hallway and leaned against the lockers, letting my head fall back.

  What the fuck? I hadn't shed one tear over Russell in all my stupid history with him. I never even liked the guy. I'd only slept with him out of boredom. And I sure as hell didn't give a shit what a bitch like Bianca Smythe thought of me.[G94][G95][G96]

  Why was I feeling so...raw?

  "Hey, Charlie?" Gina called softly.[G97]

  I jumped a little, and stood up straight, smoothing the front of my blouse. "Hi," I said, quickly swiping at my eyes and wishing for a mirror. "What's up?"

  "Customer is asking for you," she said with an apologetic smile. She raised her finger to her left eye. "Wipe here," she said softly, miming a swiping motion.

  Quickly, I imitated her and my finger came away black. "Am I good?"[G98][G99][G100][G101]

  "Better," she nodded.

  "Did they say what they wanted?"

  She shook her head. "Just asked for you specifically."

  Fuck. It was probably Russell again. Now I was going to have to stand at the edge of his table, listening to his excuses while Bianca looked down her nose at me. For one beautiful moment, I imagined turning and heading right out of the back of the restaurant and over to Bee's bakery and eating my weight in cupcakes.[G102][G103]

  "Put on your big girl panties," I chided myself. Then I smoothed my blouse again and made to walk out. "Wait, what table are they at?" I called to Gina.

  "Four," she called back over her shoulder.[G104][G105]

  Four. Jameson's table. Fucking figured.

  Keeping my head down, I charged over to Russell without looking up. The less I had to look at his face, the better this would be. "Hi, can I help you?" I muttered to the floor.

  "You can let me see that pretty face."

  That was not something Russell would say.[G106][G107]

>   That was not Russell's voice.

  My head snapped up and the first thing I saw was how wide his grin was, spreading across his face like a sunbeam right up to the corners of his eyes. I felt like the floor was dropping out from under me.

  "Jameson," I breathed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Jameson

  The[G108][G109] longer I sat at the table waiting for her to come, the more I lost what little control I had left.

  Today had been one long meeting hammering out the minutia of the contract. Parker had trapped me in a conference room at the casino for eight hours staring at spreadsheets before he finally set me free.[G110][G111][G112][G113][G114]

  He had wanted to "celebrate" the end of negotiations by taking me to Reese's Pub, the local watering hole, but I'd refused, claiming to be leaving right away.[G115][G116][G117]

  When in actuality I was booked at the bed and breakfast tonight and I intended on spending it with Charlie in my bed. Whether we even got to partake in the breakfast was another matter entirely.

  The knowledge that I was going to see her again had my hands shaking. I clenched them together so tightly my knuckles went bone-white. There was no reason why I should be so on edge except.

  Except she told you to get out. What makes you think she wants to see you again?

  I brushed that nagging thought away. In the history of my life thus far, there had not been one woman who's ever been disappointed to see Jameson Tellar.

  Charlie's not like those other girls.

  That was a thought I definitely couldn't brush away. Fuck, maybe I should have picked up some flowers or something. Written a little note on a card, apologizing. But what was I apologizing for? I didn't actually do anything wrong. Leaving wasn't actually wrong.

  It just felt that way.

  Especially when I saw her charging towards me, head down like a bull ready to gore me through the heart. I straightened up, then thought better of it and leaned back casually, then decided I looked like a dumbass and leaned forward.

  So much for trusting my gut. This girl had me doubting every single thing I ever did.

  "Hi can I help you?" she asked, still staring at her feet.

  I wanted her looking at me. I wanted her eyes wide while I fucked her. I wanted her lips parted and gasping while I made her come again and again on my tongue. I planned on making a speech. But when I saw her standing there, words failed me.

  "You can let me see that pretty face," I heard myself say.

  Her head snapped up. "Jameson," she exhaled.

  Eagerness pumped in my veins. "What time do you get off?" I asked.

  So much for sweet talk.

  She blinked. "What?" she asked and I mentally cursed myself for not being smoother.

  But the thought of actually being able to take my time with her tonight had turned me into some kind of grunting pig. "What time are you done? Here?"

  Her face hardened a little. "What are you doing here?" she asked, tossing her head back so that her curls danced around her face.

  My cock was already straining against my pants just at the thought of sinking my fingers into those curls. "Isn't it obvious?" I asked, leaning forward with a wink.

  She stepped back. "You left."

  "Yes." This wasn't going how I'd pictured. "And then I came back."

  "Why?"

  I threw up my hands "For you, Charlie!"

  She reddened. "No. How long are you here?"

  "I'm here for as long as I need to be. Now, what time do you get off?"[G118]

  My perky waitress chose that exact moment to appear at the side of my table. "Have you had time to look at the menu?"

  "No," I snapped. "I haven't."

  "Jameson," Charlie winced, lowering her voice. "You need to order if you're going to stay here. You're going to get me in trouble."

  "I'll order everything on the fucking menu if that's what it takes. I'm not leaving unless you come with me."

  "This is crazy."

  "It is," I agreed. "But I'm okay with that. I need to see you."

  "How long are you here?"

  "Does it really matter?"

  "Yes," she hissed. "It does matter."

  "You don't want to see me again?"

  I could see her jaw muscle tighten and the way her throat bobbed as she swallowed. "It's a simple question, sweet thing," I said. "If you don't want to see me again, then tell me."

  "Jameson."

  "Answer the question, sweetheart. Wasn't it good?"

  Her breath caught. "It was..."

  "It was very good." I leaned forward, catching her hand. "And that was just up against the side of a building." She reddened at the memory and I felt my cock somehow get even harder as I thought about it too. "Imagine what we could do with space. To, you know...spread out."

  Her eyes snapped up at me and she clapped her hand over her mouth. I sat back and stared at her. "Are you? You are. You're laughing."

  She clapped her other hand over her mouth but still, that wild, breathless sound escaped. And I felt my own mouth starting to twitch. "This isn't a laughing matter, sweet thing," I tried to growl, but my own laugh bubbled up and choked me before I could finish my sentence.[G119]

  "Holy..." she wheezed, wiping the tears back from her eyes, then her words got caught up in a giggle again. "You were so serious!"

  I snorted. "I thought this was a pretty serious matter."

  She licked her lips and looked at me coyly. "And here I thought we were going to just have some fun."

  I sat up straighter. "That sounds good to me, too."[G120]

  She nodded. "Then meet me in the back in forty-five minutes." Her eyes flicked down to my empty table. "Eat quickly."

  "Oh, I'll be eating something," I murmured, running my finger down her arm. And I was so fucking thrilled I didn't even mind that she burst out laughing once again.[G121]

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Charlie

  There was no other word for it. I was giddy about seeing him again.

  It was embarrassing and awful. I should have had some fucking dignity. But when I looked up from expediting orders at the pass and caught a glimpse of the back of his closely shorn head, a thrill went up my spine every single time.[G122]

  When a lull hit, I rushed over and grabbed my phone from my locker.

  "How's baby boy?" I texted my mom, then tapped my foot anxiously on the floor.

  "Sleeping," she wrote back immediately. "He went down with no trouble."

  I exhaled a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "I might be a little later coming home than normal." I wrote. "Please get some sleep and don't wait up for me."

  The little bubble floated there for seemingly forever. What, was she composing a fucking novel over there?

  But then it finally came, "Have fun," and I felt guilty as hell.

  Then I peeked out and saw Jameson there waiting for me and the guilt melted away.

  The minutes until the end of my shift dragged on into infinity and of course I got caught up in a question about scheduling at the end of my shift that ate up even more time. When I looked up again, the restaurant was empty and my stomach went splashing down to my toes to think that he had gotten bored and left me. I grabbed my purse and called out my goodbyes before pushing my way out the back entrance.

  Outside of the restaurant, it was almost eerily silent. My ears were ringing from the clash of cutlery and the hum of conversation in the dining room, so stepping out into the silence was like being momentarily deafened. Out here, the only sound was that of the dying wind.[G123][G124]

  "There you are," Jameson said, slipping from the shadows.

  I jumped. "You're way too light on your feet for such a big man," I complained.

  "You think I'm big?" he teased, coming over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

  I barely knew him. We'd shared one night together. But somehow when he folded me into his arms, it felt like I was coming home again. I sighed against his chest and then tilted m
y head up to look at him. "Hi," I breathed.

  "I missed you," he murmured and my toes curled inside of my shoes because fuck it, I'd missed him too.[G125]

  "Let's walk," he urged.

  "Where are we going?"

  "I don't know. Somewhere we're alone."

  Licking my lips, I let him lead me around the side of the restaurant. I saw the light shining from underneath the door of Bee's bakery and told myself of all people she'd understand why I wasn't stopping in to see her right now.

  Not tonight.

  Above us, the dark humps of the mountains were silhouetted against the lighter indigo of the sky. Late summers like this, the sun didn't fully set until around 9:30, and along the western ridge, there was still a faint line of turquoise. The stars overhead twinkled in and out of the dark scudding clouds, winking like they had some kind of secret. There was a chill in the air. Summer was definitely sliding into autumn.[G126]

  I hadn't realized I'd shivered until Jameson spoke. "Do you need a jacket?" he asked.

  I looked over as he shrugged his arms out of his blazer. "Aren't you cold?" I asked as he wrapped it around my shoulders.

  "No," he said holding out his arms. "Feel." I pressed my arms along his shoulders and laughed. It was true, he really was warm. And so was his jacket too, and there was something scandalous about being surrounded by his scent like this. I could feel the heaviness in the air, between us. Heavy with the promise of what we were here to do. He was leading me down to the water, someplace where we could be alone, and I knew why.