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Byron pointed out to me that night that women can’t be trusted. I’m not ready to go that far, but as far as looking for happily-ever-after... well, maybe I’ll simply look for Ms.Right Now.
But here’s the problem. No one’s catching my eye, and I’m growing bored with this bar, so I decide to write this night off as a bust. It’s time to hoist myself off this bar stool and get out of Dodge. As I’m getting ready to go, I hear the sound of laugher, and something about it catches my attention. I look around and notice an appealing backside, exposed by a low-slung silky red tank top. Nice!
“Hmm, maybe tonight will be more interesting than I originally thought,” I tell Matt.
“What makes you think she’ll have anything to do with you?” Matt asks, zeroing in on the woman with the fabulous ass, whose face we can’t yet see.
“If I want her, she’ll be more than willing to have something — more than something — to do with me.”
“If only I could be one of the infamous Astor brothers for a day,” Matt mutters.
“Shut up, Matt. Don’t even pretend you’re humble,” I tell my friend, still gazing at the woman, not wanting to miss the moment she turns.
“Compared with you and your brothers, I’m a damn saint,” Matt says, the smile obvious in his voice.
“Maybe so, but I’m the nice guy of the three Astors,” I tell him.
Matt laughs. “The sad thing is, that’s true.”
“When you’re raised by narcissistic parents who get murdered before your eyes, it tends to make you a little bit... shall we say, aloof.”
“So how have you been able to stay so positive?”
“I don’t know. I was young when it happened. My brothers got the worst end of that stick. I guess life’s too short to dwell in the past. My philosophy is that a night in the arms of the right woman can heal the most wounded of souls.”
“Then why haven’t you bedded anyone lately?” Matt asks.
“How in the hell do you know I haven’t?” I grumble.
“You’ve been complaining about it for a while,” Matt points out.
“Yeah, I need to learn to keep my damn mouth shut.”
“So why not settle down?”
“I was ready to and failed epically. How in the hell did I make such a bad choice in a woman? I don’t know, man. I think it’s harder than people realize to find that one woman you can’t live without. I love women, love how they feel, how they smell, how they taste. Then their true colors come out, and their claws sharpen. If I could find that woman without a hidden agenda or a tendency to fuck strangers in a closet, maybe, just maybe, I’d do exactly that — settle down.”
“Damn, Tyler. Should I call Oprah now?”
“Go to hell, Matt. Maybe my future wife is right over there in a very appealing red tank top,” I say as I stand.
“Well, go get her, tiger.” Matt signals for the bill.
The woman finally turns, and when she looks up, her eyes meet with mine across the room, and I feel as if I’ve been punched in the stomach.
“Who in the hell is she?” I whisper, though I’m not looking for a response.
“Holy shit, she’s gorgeous,” Matt mutters. “There’s no way that woman’s available.”
She lifts a delicate hand and brushes back her sun-kissed golden-brown hair, the thick strands falling over her shoulders and hanging midway down her back. The bar is dim, but even from twenty feet away, I can see she has light, shining eyes, and her lips — damn, her lips are plump and pink, and they’re calling to me.
I don’t give a flying whatever if the woman’s taken. I know for sure I’m not leaving this bar without her.
ChapterFour
Olivia
“Do you know the man who’s looking at you like you’re dessert?”
