“Which woman is that?” I asked.
“The one you’re dating. Kayley?”
“Oh, Kelsey. I’m not seeing her anymore.” I braced myself.Three. Two. One. Yep… there it is.Her smiling face transformed into one of disappointment and anguish. You’d have thought I’d told her I had a fatal disease.
She shook her head and looked down at her folded hands in her lap. “Oh, Trace, no. What happened withthisone?”
There was no way in hell I was going to tell my grandmother that I caught Kelsey and Jason fucking up a storm, so I shrugged. “Just ran its course. She wasn’t for me. She was shallow and a gold-digger.”True on both accounts.
“You don’t want someone like that,” my grandfather said.
“You say that about most of the women you date. They can’t all be like that.” My grandmother stared intently at me.
“I guess I’m a magnet for that kind of woman.”
“Isn’t there anyone you know who’s different from that and you’re attracted to?” She leaned back against the cushion.
Eyeliner-rimmed eyes reflecting the warmth of the sun popped into my mind.Cierra.But I couldn’t go there for several reasons: my grandmother would latch onto it like a dog with a bone andneverlet up, my grandfather would have a stroke after he chewed out my ass for evenlookingat an employee in that way, and I didn’t want to vocalize whatever feelings I had for her because I didn’t know what the hell they were or why I was having them.
“Nah,” I answered, then reached for the brandy decanter.
“You know, I have a lot of friends with granddaughters who would love to meet you, and they’re all very nice girls,” Grandma said, as she did every time I was around.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I gulped the brandy, loving the way its smoothness burned straight down to my belly.
“Leave the boy alone. He’s got plenty of time to settle down. He’s got a company to run and it needs all his attention,” Grandpa grumbled.
“You certainly were able to build the company, run it, be married, and raise two daughters. He’s thirty-one years old. I think it’s time he at least settles down into a long-term relationship. I’m not saying he needs to get married right away, but dating someone for more than a couple of months would be nice. Remember when we were dating and how—”
Whenever my grandmother talked about me in the third person and started down memory lane, I knew it was my cue to take off. Rising to my feet, I coughed loudly. Both sets of eyes went to me. “Uh… I need to get going. I’m meeting Nick for drinks and a few games of pool.”
“You should be wining and dining a beautiful young lady instead of going out with one of your male friends. It’s Saturday night.”
“I know, Grandma, and I like hanging out with my buddies. It’s been a long week, and this is exactly what I want to do on a Saturday night.” I went over and kissed her temple, then grinned at my grandfather who smiled at me.
“I just don’t get it. I’m definitely going to ask around and find the right woman for you.”
“You do that.” I smiled and walked out of the room.
I pulled my Corvette into one of the parking spaces in the underground garage of my building in Pacific Heights and took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor. Opening the door of my penthouse, the sweeping view of the city and bay greeted me, reminding me why I’d slapped down over three million for the place. My mom helped me decorate when I’d purchased it three years before, hence the reason for the sleek quartz countertops in the kitchen and top-of-the-line appliances. The chicks went crazy for the European gloss cabinetry and the Viking gas range, always wanting to cook me stuff. I normally settled on breakfast because by dinnertime, I’d escorted them out of my space. The Viking hadn’t been used since I broke it off with Kelsey. The last few hookups I had were at the women’s apartments, and I never spent the night. What could I say? The long and short of it was that I just wasn’t good at being in relationships. Great at starting them, just not so good when it came to keeping them going.
As I headed into the kitchen, I wondered if Cierra knew how to cook. Having a couple hours to kill before meeting Nick at Tipsy Cow, I went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, then settled down in front of the big-ass television in the living room. I was picky as hell about my electronics and didn’t hesitate to throw down some serious bucks to get the best the industry had to offer.
Maybe I’ll meet someone who catches my eye and hook up with her for a one-night stand.The Tipsy Cow had been good to me in the past as far as chicks were concerned. Nick had fared well at the place too. Even though we were going to play pool and drink, meeting some hot chicks was always in the back of our minds.
Cierra popped into my thoughts. She’d been doing that a lot since our meeting, and it pissed me off that I couldn’t get her out of my fucking mind. Folding my arms behind my head, I stretched out on the couch and concentrated on the intergalactic battle on the screen. The last thing I needed was to be sucked into an office scandal. I just needed to find a woman to relieve the stress of the week. Cierra wasn’t the only one in San Fran; there were plenty of them just as pretty or even prettier than her. I’d just been too preoccupied with my first week at Velocity to hook up with anyone. After I did that, Cierra would just be another employee. Of that I was certain.
Spaceships and meteorites blew up as I stared at the screen, willing myself to push the chestnut-haired cutie out of my mind.
