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Jane didn’t bother to answer. She would give the best service she could as she really couldn’t afford to lose her job. Not when she was so close to reaching her goal. She approached the table, her attention on the glasses on her tray. Looking up, she almost stumbled again, the liquor sloshing a bit in the glasses as the tray shook in her hands. The man who would most likely be handing her her last paycheck was still talking with her customers. Well, she couldn’t just stand there, and as much as she wanted to knock back both drinks herself, until she got fired, she had a job to do. Slapping a smile on her face, she approached the table, incredibly relieved when her boss stepped away, giving her a smile and a nod… not the look of ‘your ass is grass’ that she had expected.
She placed a thick white napkin down at each place. “Johnnie Walker, three ice cubes,” she said, setting the heavy crystal rock glass containing the scotch down first. She hoped that by bringing Mr. Lawson his preferred brand, he’d remember she wasn’t usually so… so flustered. Picking up the snifter, her hand shook just a bit as she placed it on the other napkin. “Your cognac.”
“Thank you.”
Lifting her eyes, she met his. “You’re very welcome, Master… I mean, Mr. Masterson.” Damn it! What was it about this man that had her twisting her words?
“That’s quite all right, Miss…”
Forget Sarah’s prediction, she was the one who’d forgotten her own name… again. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand lifted toward her. When his fingers touched her, she gasped, her nipples tightening instantly even though he wasn’t touching her breasts. Instead, he was brushing her hair back, and as she stared down at his hand, she not only saw her blouse did not hide the effect of his touch, but she also saw the oval tag pinned to the fabric. He wasn’t attempting to cop a feel—he was simply reading her nametag.
“Oh—my name, um, it’s Jane… Jane Knight.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jane,” he said, dropping his hand and wrapping his fingers around the bowl of his glass, lifting it and giving it a swirl. “It’s a very pretty name.”
Jane watched as he lifted the snifter to his mouth, inhaling the aroma of the expensive brandy before allowing the first sip to pass his lips. Realizing that she was actually running the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip, she instantly pulled it back inside her mouth. “Um… thanks.”
“Sir.”
“Excuse me?” Turning her head, she addressed Mr. Lawson. Why did she feel he was chastising her? What was she missing? He leaned a bit toward her.
“Respect. Manners go a long way in seeking forgiveness.”
Manners? Forgiveness? What was that supposed to mean? She turned back to Mr. Masterson, suddenly wondering why she felt so out of her element. “I’m… um, thank you, sir. I don’t know what…”
“Relax, Jane. Edward tends to be a bit grumpy when he’s separated from his wife for too long. You’re doing fine.”
Jane could picture a very pretty woman who often dined with Mr. Lawson. “Oh, I hope your wife isn’t ill?”
Edward chuckled. “No, she might not be feeling very well right now, but it’s not due to sickness. But, thank you for your concern.”
His response didn’t make a great deal of sense to Jane, but she didn’t know what else to say. “Well, I do hope she feels better soon.” Turning back to Mr. Masterson, she said, “Thank you, sir, I appreciate your kindness,” she said, again feeling a ridiculous pleasure at his words. “I don’t know why I’m… well, I’m usually not so…” At his smile, she felt a fluttering in her stomach, not able to voice the reason why she was so flustered as she truly didn’t understand it herself.
“Are you ready to take my order?”
“Your order?” It took her a second to remember her duties before she gasped. “Oh, for dinner. Of course, I mean, yes, sir. What would you like?”
“The wedge salad, prime rib and… which would you recommend, the baked or mashed potatoes?”
“Either is an excellent choice, but the mashed does contain a lot of garlic in case you… uh… either is great!” As his eyebrow quirked again, she grimaced. Great, he’d think she either was giving him a warning about some talisman to keep him safe from a vampire attack or that he might want to consider his breath in case he planned on kissing anyone after dinner. A wish that he’d choose to lock lips with her had her cheeks heating and her pulse racing.
“Good advice. I’ll take the baked potato.”
She took Mr. Lawson’s order as well and then turned away, trying to walk without limping to the kitchen where she could finally attempt to pull herself together.
Chapter Two
“Sawyer, you are going to give the poor girl a stroke.”
“Me? I’m not the one dropping innuendoes,” Sawyer Masterson said, watching as the young woman practically ran across the floor, noticing her wince and the slight hop as she pushed through the door. Had she injured herself in those ridiculous heels? His fingers flexed as he imagined pulling her onto his lap, reaching down to remove the shoe, and then massaging her trim ankle.
“Sawyer? Sawyer?”
Looking across the table, he saw Edward grinning. “What?”
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you? What are you thinking about?”
Sawyer shrugged. “Nothing in particular.”
