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He turns to me. “You, uh, okay with making a detour? We could hit a bar nearby. The night is still young. Don’t worry. I promise I won’t rant about society’s injustice.”
That makes me giggle. I scan him once more. He is certainly an upgrade from Trevor so far. And anything would be better than the date I just had. Besides, he came along like a white knight in an electric car. Having a couple of drinks with him doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
“Sure. Why not?”
He moves his gaze to the road, and I glance at him. He looks familiar … Why do I get this gut feeling that I’ve seen him before?
Chapter Two
Maverick
Thedoorswingsopenand Noelle places her hand on mine. I give it a gentle squeeze.
“After you,mademoiselle.”
“Merci.” She bows slightly, and I chuckle.
“Here we are. A regular old bar without any weirdos. This should be fun.”
She laughs and we enter hand-in-hand. There are only a few people, either drinking and gazing out the windows, or talking in hushed tones. We make our way to a secluded table in the corner, where there's more privacy and the smell of gin is less prevalent. She sits, but I remain standing.
“Wait here. I’ll get some drinks. What would you like?”
“A beer will do. Got to wash away all the weirdness.”
Smiling, I walk to the high wooden counter. The bartender, who’s whistling a tune and cleaning a glass, turns to me.
“Welcome, sir. Bright night, eh?”
“Yeah. I’ll have an eighteen hundred Tequila and two Budweisers. Also, a glass.”
He nods, before fetching the bottles and the cups. A wide grin plays on his lips.
“Sure those two bottles will be enough for your missus?”
I turn to Noelle, who’s twirling her blond hair and gazing outside the glass windows. She has a sort of quiet beauty that I couldn’t help but notice earlier. Her green eyes seem to gaze into one’s inner depths, but it’s her smile that sends warmth coursing through my veins.
“Who knows? It’s a long night. I want to show her a good time.”
She turns, and our eyes meet. I smile, and my chest flutters as her beautiful lips curve in return.
The bartender chuckles, before handing me the bottles. I return to our table.
It's been a long day. The takeover I’ve been processing for weeks is finally complete. At this moment in my life, work is all that matters. As the CEO of a media company —and an advertising agency after today— that’s understandable.
“What were you talking about with the barman?” She places her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her palms.
She sounds just like Vanessa and just the right height, too. Pain stabs at my heart and I mentally shake off the intruding thought. No thinking of the past tonight. No use in awakening it. I’ve accepted my wife is gone for good and that’s the way I’d like it to remain.
“He thought two bottles won’t be enough for you. I said hey, let the night take its course. I don’t think you need too many bottles to forget Mr. Anti-Society, do you?”
She throws her head back and laughs. Then, she leans forward over the table until we’re almost nose to nose. Her sultry gaze makes me ease back an inch.
“I don’t think I’ll need beer for that.”
She’s so close, with her lips slightly parted. I swallow. It’s all I can do not to bury my hand in her hair and brush my lips across hers in a heated kiss.
“You don’t need the drink, but who doesn’twanta drink?”
