AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her hazel irises roam to my dark turtleneck. “What kind of restaurant are you taking me to?”
“A seafood restaurant in Hudson. The Lost Sea.”
“I love their food, especially the grilled shrimp with the blackened salmon. It’s expensive, though.”
I blush. Fuck. I’m a grown man and she makes me feel like a horny-ass teenager who can’t wait to get his dick wet. The thought of her liking my restaurant makes me happy, and I usually wouldn’t give a damn if a woman likes it or not.
“I’m glad, since I’m the owner and all.”
Her eyebrows climb up her forehead. “Really?”
I nod. “I started it in my early twenties.”
She smiles. “So that means I can get free food.”
If she wanted the whole goddamn restaurant I would give it to her, that’s how much she’s got me wrapped around her finger. “Yeah, next time you have a girls’ night out, bring them there and you and your friends can eat there for free.”
Once we arrive at the restaurant, we walk in. It’s empty, and the hostess, Shantel, smiles at me and waves at Poppy. She wears her black-and-white uniform with her hair in an updo. She’s been working here since she was in high school.
“Hey, boss. You want your usual seat?” she asks cheerfully.
“Actually, I would like to sit outside with a view of the shore,” Poppy suggests.
Shantel eyes Poppy up and down, and she tilts her head to the side. It seems weird to Shantel that I brought a date when I usually come here by myself to eat and work.
Shantel glances at me, and I say, “You heard my wife. Whatever she wants, she gets.”
We follow her out to the patio, our seat next to the ocean. I yank out Poppy’s seat, and when she sits down I push her chair into the table before I take a seat across from her.
The wind blows, tickling my face, and the smell of the salt air burns my nostrils. The sky bleeds orange and blue, like the colors were thrown into a blender and splashed across the sky.
“You closed down the restaurant. It must be really important, what you want to discuss?” Her gaze lingers on mine.
I’m too nervous about what I’m going to ask her. She might turn me down, and I don’t want to think about that possibility. She has to say yes.
“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, let’s enjoy our meal.”
She nods and glances at the options before the waiter collects our menus and takes our orders.
Poppy informs me we’re supposed to go to a charity event next month and that I need to clear out my schedule, then she goes on about her workday. Usually, I wouldn’t care about people’s days, but with her, I like hearing her voice.
She tells me about the gossip that goes on in my office, about how she caught two of my employees fucking. When I tell her I’m going to fire them, she tells me I can’t be her gossip buddy anymore if I’m going to fire people based on what she discloses to me. She tells me I’m her only friend at work, so she needs someone to talk to.
“Archie, I met him around the time I first started working at Risqué. I remember he asked me out for drinks.”
I glare at her. “You told him no, right?”
She shakes her head. “Of course not. I don’t have any friends at the job. Why would I tell him no?”
I point to her wedding band. “Because you’re married.”
She rolls her eyes and rests her elbows on the table. “I think he’s a kiss ass because he doesn’t want people to tell you he’s been stealing office supplies.”
“Right. You can go as long as you’re with a group of people.”
“Are you jealous?”
I sigh. “Don’t ask me questions you already know the answers to. You know I am.”
