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“Sure.” Sean pointed at a vacant bar stool. “Have a seat. I’ll finish the lady’s drink and be right on it.”
The guard smirked. “Whatever the lady ordered, you’ll want to cancel that.”
Sean stilled. “What did you say?” Getting into a fight on his first night in a new job wasn’t a good idea. Getting into a fight at a kingpin’s birthday party on a secluded island was an even worse idea, but the man was rude.
Asia laid her hand on his arm in a gentle touch. “I’m not in a rush.”
Biting back an insult with much difficulty, he mixed the asshole’s drink. When he put it down on the counter, the guard said, “You better stick an umbrella in it. And a cherry.”
If the jerk was into common drinking, who was he to argue? He did as he was told.
The guard nodded in thanks and slid the drink over the counter to Asia. “There you go, sweetheart. Compliments from the boss.”
Asia glanced over her shoulder. Sean followed her gaze, and sure as hell, Juan stood ten feet away, next to Jeanne, watching Asia with an intent look on his face. His speedo did nothing to hide his erection.
Sean’s insides detonated like hotwired firecrackers.
Asia turned away quickly. “Please tell him I say thank you, but I can’t accept. I don’t drink when I’m on duty.”
The guard gave her a stony look. “You’re not working now, are you?”
“I’m on contract. I take my work seriously.”
He pushed the glass right in front of her. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll take that drink.”
Taking the glass, Sean dumped the drink on the sand. “Do you have a hearing problem? The lady said she didn’t want it.”
The guard blinked, disbelief etched on his features. “Nobody refuses the boss.”
Giving the man a level stare, Sean said, “She just did.”
The man straightened with a cold smile. “I’ll give him the message.”
When he was gone, Asia whispered in an urgent tone, “You shouldn’t have done that. I should’ve just taken the damn drink.”
No way in hell. If she had, she would’ve given Juan the message he wanted—that she was interested. That was how the game worked.
He cupped her hand, lingering for a moment before pulling away. “You did the right thing.”
Although she didn’t reply, the troubled look in her green gaze while he mixed her a Thai iced latte minus the vodka said she didn’t agree. He kept one eye on Juan, who tilted his head as he listened to the guard. The blow Sean expected didn’t come. Juan only nodded and pulled Jeanne roughly against him before dipping his hands into her bikini bottom.
When Sean placed the cocktail in front of Asia, she absent-mindedly took a sip, and then looked at him as if seeing him for the first time.
“This is what I need?” she asked.
Sean smiled. “A bit of spice in your life, kitten.”
Rolling her shoulders, she sat a little straighter. Despite the chastising frown she directed at him, her eyes crinkled in the corners like they did on the morning she’d charged into Jerry’s bar before he’d given her the chilly treatment. “Are you saying I’m a bore?”
“That’s not what I implied.”
Her expression turned serious. “Thanks for standing up for me just now. I was going to say I could handle myself, but the truth is that I was glad for your interference.”
“You’re welcome. Juan was out of line.”
Biting her lip, she stirred her drink with the bamboo straw. “I hope I didn’t see too much in it.”
“You didn’t,” he said in a harsh tone. “Juan didn’t offer you a drink because he’s friendly. It’s a pick-up currency. There’s always an agenda behind the gesture.”
Her reply was chiding. “I know how it works.”
He doubted that very much. She had no fucking clue how men like Juan operated. In Sean’s line of business, he’d seen them all, including their pick-up lines and seduction moves. Men like Juan didn’t ask nicely. They simply took.
As if the night hadn’t turned bad enough already, Jeanne walked up to the bar, sporting gold charm bracelets on both her wrists and a gold collar around her neck.
“Hello, lover boy.” She looked pointedly at his groin. “Got something for me?”
Ignoring the suggestive remark, Sean said, “Want a mood mix, or do you have a preference?”
She trailed a red fingernail over his arm. “Surprise me.” Taking a seat next to Asia, she said in a voice as smooth as silk, “Refusing him was a mistake. Nobody says no to Juan.” She swiveled back to Sean. “Or to me.”
Asia didn’t reply. To her credit, she didn’t bolt, either. She sat serenely, sipping her drink. By the time Sean had mixed Jeanne what he liked to call a Super Bitch, Asia had finished her cocktail.
She put her empty glass down on the counter and hopped to her feet. “Thanks for the drink, Sean. I’ll see you back in the room.”
